Video- UN silence encourages US drone strikes

The US air force has reportedly spent millions of dollars in order to carry out covert strikes in several countries — including Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia.

Among the most affected countries is Pakistan where the US regularly carries out drone attacks on its tribal regions, claiming the airstrikes target pro-Taliban militants. But locals say civilians are the main victims of the US strikes.

In an interview with Press TV, defense and diplomacy analyst, Navid Ahmad from Pakistan has talked about the devastating effects of US drone attacks on Pakistan and some other countries.

The following is the rough transcription of interview.

Press TV: We have been hearing recently a lot about the drone strikes by the United States intensifying not just in Pakistan where you are, you have been familiar of course with these strikes, but also now in Yemen and Somalia. Tell us what you think the policy behind these drone strikes is?

Ahmad: Well, United States has really gotten a lot of encouragement from what they did in Iraq with the help of United Kingdom, and United Nations seems to be irrelevant for the United States wherever it feel that it can’t get benefiting support from the United Nations Security Council. And these illegal measures are being carried out in the name of security, in the name of curbing war against terror but actually they are very counterproductive to the United Sates all interest and also the interest of humanity and that it also encourages lawlessness internationally.

Ever since this process started since 2003 in Pakistan and countries which have been victim of this kind of exercise should have taken to the international legal channels but they have not and that is the result that this is expending. Probably now is the time for US civil society to act and bring this issue to the light at the highest forum of international law and that is the only way to deal with the situation because there is no political leadership that can master unity at the international level for stopping such activities against nations without due process of law.
Press TV: You are speaking about the process of law here, Mr. Ahmad. We have been hearing officials from United Nations saying that the drone attacks amount to a violation of international law. I mean the condemnation has always being there verbally at least both from the Pakistani government that we have been saying it’s a violation of the country’s territorial sovereignty and now by the UN but still no action, why?

Ahmad: Well, United Nations is a contradiction, United Nations Security Council still does not represent, does not condone or does not approve all these measures. But the silence on the part of United Nations’ two main players, China and Russia is really un-understandable. We will have to wake up and Pakistan and countries which are really in the eye of the storm must take it up with them because Pakistani people are against war by the terrorists on the local soil but at the same time such activities are costing a lot of human lives in reaction from Taliban and militants who cannot shoot on these drones, who can not necessarily always take their revenge from the Americans but definitely Pakistani security forces and Pakistani innocent people have to face the … and similar will be the situation for Kenya, for the neighboring tribes in Yemen and of course in Somalia.

Wherever these things are happening, they are going to have counterproductive results for the local people. For that matter Pakistan does not have the kind of leadership that really can own its own people. The government is wholly interrupted and there are allegations every single day in the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court is not been into, they are taking into coincidence by the State. The State is violating the legal laws of the country. How can it ensure implementation of international law? Sovereignty is a question that comes far too late in the list of priorities of government of Pakistan and I think the same is the situation in Yemen where Yemeni dictator is trying to ensure some legitimacy by allowing such actions to take place and practically there is no government in Somalia.