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Ncc I W Eek Ly H Ig H Light EDITORIAL Issue 129 – September 25, 2008 Seventeen countries agree recommendations to control private military and security companies 17-09-2008 Geneva (ICRC) – State experts representing 17 countries have agreed on a new set of recommendations to enhance State GHT control over private military and security companies. I L They have also reaffirmed the obligations of States to ensure that these private contractors abide by international humanitarian H law. G I The document was finalized today by governmental and other experts who had been meeting since 15 September in Montreux, Switzerland, at the invitation of the Swiss government. This was H the fourth intergovernmental meeting under the initiative on Y private military and security companies launched by the Swiss L foreign ministry in early 2006. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been associated with the initiative since K the beginning. E E “The Montreux document will enhance the protection of people affected by armed conflict,” said Philip Spoerri, the ICRC’s director for international law. “The document clearly reaffirms the W fact that military and security contractors dispatched to war I zones must comply with international law, and that States have a particular responsibility for ensuring compliance,” Mr Spoerri added. “It is now very important that States take concrete measures to prevent violations from occurring and to hold contractors to account for unlawful behaviour”. NCC The Montreux document, which is not legally binding, outlines for the first time ever detailed and practical measures to help States enhance compliance with international humanitarian law and ensure respect for human rights. The measures are relevant when a State hires a private military/security company, when these companies are operating in its territory, or when a company is based in the territory of a State and provides military and security services abroad. The recommendations contained in the Montreux document include introducing appropriate regulation and licensing regimes to control private military and security companies and enhance their accountability. The document underlines that it is essential to have a staff vetting procedure, to train personnel in humanitarian and human rights law, to draw up standard operating procedures and rules of engagement that comply with the law and to set up internal procedures to discipline personnel who break the law. If serious violations of the law occur, the State concerned has an obligation to prosecute those responsible. The 17 countries that participated in the initiative are Afghanistan, Angola, Australia, Austria, Canada, China, France, Germany, Iraq, Poland, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the USA. International Committee of the Red Cross --------------------------------------- Sallaam, NCCI Team If a link in the NCCI newsletter is not working anymore, it may be because the article has been removed from the open access website. Generally, you can access these articles by clicking here. NCCI Weekly Highlight 2 Issue 129- 25/09/2008 ____________________________________ Iraq Context JInternationalJ embarrassment to both Baghdad and ﺑﻴﺎن ﺑﻤﻨﺎﺳﺒﺔ اﻟﻴﻮم اﻟﺪوﻟﻲ ﻟﻠﺴﻼم Message on the International Day Washington," Al-Maliki warned during his of Peace meeting with anchors of local satellite TV channels here. "Negotiators of both sides Source: UN Document: Article have probed the latest blueprint of the Date: September 21, 2008 deal and then the U.S. negotiators asked Access: Open for a 10-day period to discuss our .suggestions on the document with U.S وﻓﻲ هﺬﻩ اﻟﺴﻨﺔ ﻧﺤﺘﻔﻞ أﻳﻀﺎ ﺑﺎﻟﺬآﺮى اﻟﺴﻨﻮﻳﺔ اﻟﺴﺘﻴﻦ administration in Washington. ﻻﻋﺘﻤﺎد اﻹﻋﻼن اﻟﻌﺎﻟﻤﻲ ﻟﺤﻘﻮق اﻹﻧﺴﺎن. وﻧﺤﻦ ﻧﺪرك أن ﺣﻘﻮق اﻹﻧﺴﺎن أﺳﺎﺳﻴﺔ ﻟﻠﺴﻼم. وﻣﻊ ذﻟﻚ ﻻ ﻳﺰال هﻨﺎك Agreement With Iraq Over Troops Is أﻧﺎس آﺜﻴﺮون ﻓﻲ هﺬا اﻟﻌﺎﻟﻢ ﺗﻨﺘﻬﻚ ﺣﻘﻮﻗﻬﻢ - وﺧﺎﺻﺔ - at Risk Source : NYT أﺛﻨﺎء اﻟﻨﺰاﻋﺎت اﻟﻤﺴﻠﺤﺔ وﺑﻌﺪهﺎ. وﻟﻬﺬا اﻟﺴﺒﺐ، ﻳﺘﻮﺟﺐ Document: Article ﻋﻠﻴﻨﺎ أن ﻧﻜﻔﻞ أن ﺗﻜﻮن اﻟﺤﻘﻮق اﻟﻮاردة ﻓﻲ اﻹﻋﻼن Date: September 18 , 2008 واﻗﻌﺎ ﻣﻠﻤﻮﺳﺎ أن ﻳﻌﺮﻓﻬﺎ آﻞ ﻓﺮد، ﻓﻲ آﻞ ﻣﻜﺎن وأن Access: Open ﻳﻔﻬﻤﻬﺎ وﻳﺘﻤﺘﻊ ﺑﻬﺎ. ﻓﻐﺎﻟﺒﺎ ﻣﺎ ﻳﻜﻮن أآﺜﺮ اﻟﻨﺎس ﺣﺎﺟﺔ إﻟﻰ An agreement to extend the American أن ﺗﺤﻤﻰ ﺣﻘﻮﻗﻬﻢ، ﺑﺤﺎﺟﺔ أﻳﻀﺎ إﻟﻰ ﻣﻦ ﻳﻌﻤﻠﻬﻢ ﺑﺄن military mandate in Iraq beyond this year .اﻹﻋﻼن ﻣﻮﺟﻮد - وأﻧﻪ ﻣﻮﺟﻮد ﻣﻦ أﺟﻠﻬﻢ. — near completion only a month ago — This year, the International Day of Peace has stalled over objections by Iraqi leaders takes on special meaning. This is the year and could be in danger of falling apart, we also mark the sixtieth anniversary of the according to Iraqi and Bush administration adoption of the Universal Declaration of officials. The disagreements threaten a Human Rights. We know that human rights capstone of President Bush’s Iraq policy are essential to peace. Yet too many during his remaining months in office. Mr. people around the world still have their Bush has already offered significant rights violated -- especially during and concessions to the government of Prime after armed conflict. That is why we must Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki in the ensure that the rights in the Declaration negotiations, including his willingness to are a living reality -- that they are known, accept a specific date for withdrawing understood and enjoyed by everyone, everywhere. It is often those who most American forces: the end of 2011. need their human rights protected, who also need to be informed that the S.Korea to withdraw all remaining Declaration exists -- and that it exists for troops from Iraq them. Source : GN (AP) Document: Article US has yet to respond to Iraqi Date: Septmeber 20 , 2008 Access: Open suggestions on security pact - PM South Korea will completely withdraw its Source : KUNA remaining troops from Iraq by December, Document: Article ending five years of military deployment Date: September 17, 2008 Access: Open aimed at helping to rebuild the war-torn Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki said on country, an official said Friday. Since 2003, Wednesday the United States had not South Korea has stationed troops in Iraq for responded to Iraqi suggestions on the a reconstruction mission at the request of bilateral long-term security agreement." the United States, its key ally. Troops levels Failure to iron out the remaining points and once reached 3,600, but Seoul gradually pass the deal could cause a great has pulled out soldiers amid opposition to NCCI Weekly Highlight 3 Issue 129- 25/09/2008 the deployment at home. About 520 South Iraq Crisis Report (IraqHAR) Korean army engineers and medics are Source: Centre of Excellence on Disaster now stationed in Iraq, and 130 other Management and Humanitarian Assistance support personnel — mostly airmen — are Document: Weekly report in Kuwait. Defense Ministry spokesman Date: September 24, 2008 Won Tae-jae told reporters Friday that all Access: Open 650 soldiers will return home by the end of On September 17, the US Senate this year. The South Korean government approved a US$612.5 billion defense pledged last year to withdraw troops but spending bill for fiscal 2009, including decided to extend the deployment by US$70 billion for operations in Iraq and another year at Washington's request. Afghanistan. This spending bill shifts more of the costs of Iraq’s reconstruction U.S. negotiators to return to Iraq for onto Baghdad. In addition, it would put further restrictions on contractors working security talks in Iraq, including prohibitions on Source: Reuters interrogations and performance of Document: Weekly report Date: September 22, 2008 “inherently governmental Access: Open functions.†The Senate bill would allow U.S. negotiators will return to Baghdad the Pentagon to spend US$70 billion in Iraq soon for more talks with Iraq on a security and Afghanistan in the fiscal year that deal that has bogged down over the issue begins on October 1 and authorize a 3.9 of immunity for U.S. troops. Critically for percent pay raise for military personnel. both sides, a U.N. mandate that governs (Reuters, September-18) Seven US soldiers the presence of American forces in Iraq were killed on Thursday (September 18) expires at the end of the year. The "clock is when their Chinook transport helicopter ticking", said one official. A U.S. embassy crashed about 60 miles (100 km) west of spokeswoman in Baghdad said on the main southern port city of Basrah. The Monday that David Satterfield, the State helicopter was on a routine supply mission Department's coordinator on Iraq, and that had just left Kuwait and was headed Brett McGurk, an official at the National to Balad US military air base in Iraq. Security Council, would arrive soon in According to the Associated Press (AP), Baghdad. She declined to be more military officials suspect a mechanical specific. problem was to blame after ruling out hostile fire. An investigation continues to War-hit nations head corruption list find out what caused this accident. The Source: BBC British military is saying it is the worst Document: Article helicopter crash in Iraq in over a year. (AP, Date: September 23, 2008 Reuters, September-18) Access: Open Iraq has been ranked by Transparency Juan Cole’s informed comment’s International(TI) as one of the world's most excerpt corrupt countries, just above Somalia as Source: Informed Comment – Juan Cole’s Web the "least clean" state. The index is based Blog. on perceptions of public sector corruption Document: Selection of daily comments in 180 countries and territories. The high Date: September 19-24, 2008 levels of corruption amount to a Access: Open humanitarian disaster said Huguette Juan Cole is a Professor of Modern Middle Labelle, chair of the watchdog. At the East and South Asian History at the bottom of the transparency table, along University of Michigan. As such he brings with Somalia and Iraq, are Burma, Haiti, daily much needed expertise and Afghanistan and Sudan. historical perspective to issues surrounding Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East.
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