Comments on: Guantanamo Inquiry http://downingstreetsays.com/briefings/2006/02/13/2372 Every day the Prime Minister's Spokesman meets a small coterie of political journalists known as 'the lobby' for a topical chat, or 'briefing'. Fri, 09 Jan 2009 03:21:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.2 By: Michael McCarthy http://downingstreetsays.com/briefings/2006/02/13/2372#comment-4097 Michael McCarthy Tue, 14 Feb 2006 13:13:51 +0000 http://downingstreetsays.com/briefings/2006/02/13/2372#comment-4097 There are many ways of describing Guantanamo, but an anomaly isn't one of them. Anomalies are discontinuities, deviations from the established norm. The clear fact is that the USA has a well-established record of ignoring world opinion, trashing international agreements and undermining international law. It ignores the Geneva Conventions, it ignores international law on torture and terroristic abductions, it ignored the judgement of the International Court over Nicaragua, it supports Israel in flouting UN resolutions over Palestine, and it ignored world opinion and international law by invading Iraq. What would truly be anomalous (but very welcome) would be for the US government to close down Guantanamo, Bagram and the other camps where suspects are interrogated under torture, rather than following due process of law and treating all suspects as innocent until proven guilty. It would also be a great and very welcome anomaly for Blair, Brown and their spokespersons to start publicly to condemn Guantanamo as unreservedly as the appalling treatment of captives illegally held there requires. There are many ways of describing Guantanamo, but an anomaly isn’t one of them. Anomalies are discontinuities, deviations from the established norm. The clear fact is that the USA has a well-established record of ignoring world opinion, trashing international agreements and undermining international law. It ignores the Geneva Conventions, it ignores international law on torture and terroristic abductions, it ignored the judgement of the International Court over Nicaragua, it supports Israel in flouting UN resolutions over Palestine, and it ignored world opinion and international law by invading Iraq.

What would truly be anomalous (but very welcome) would be for the US government to close down Guantanamo, Bagram and the other camps where suspects are interrogated under torture, rather than following due process of law and treating all suspects as innocent until proven guilty. It would also be a great and very welcome anomaly for Blair, Brown and their spokespersons to start publicly to condemn Guantanamo as unreservedly as the appalling treatment of captives illegally held there requires.

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