December 17, 2002


Nelson Mandela Accuses U.S. of Diplomatic 'Piracy'
Hopalong Noodlehead gets great idea for a new costume.

Nelson Mandela lambasted the BFEE today for what he said were efforts to sideline the United Nations and condemned a U.S. grab for an Iraq weapons dossier as piracy.

The latest move, providing evidence for what Mandela says is the dangerous U.S. disregard for the principles of multilateral world governance, was the arrival of Iraq's 12,000-page weapons declaration dossier in Washington earlier this month. Washington obtained an early unedited copy of the Iraqi declaration originally sent to the United Nations after a deal was struck to override a U.N. Security Council decision to keep the report under wraps at U.N. headquarters in New York.

"This was an act of piracy which must be condemned by everyone," the former South African president told members of the ruling African National Congress.

"And one must not be dishonest and evade the real issue, viz. that the United States of America (with the United Kingdom in tow) has tended to dangerously disregard the principles of multilateral world governance," he said. "The conduct of the United States and the Bush administration with regards to the current Iraq issue is a case in point."

Mandela said there was a clear impression that the United States "remained intent on military action against Iraq at all costs." - link.


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