IRAQ and the UN

As the date for the U.S. transfer of power in Iraq nears, a variety of incidents are hampering smooth progress. The continuing violence and clashes between Iraqis and the coalition forces, and the withdrawal of 1,300 Spanish troops, do not help the situation.

In the meantime, the Bush administration is also preparing a UN resolution to endorse the transfer of power to the Iraqis. The draft of the plan is already coming under criticism from U.S. and UN officials for not transferring sufficient control to the Iraqi Provisional Authority. Criticism is being levied at the administration for retaining the final decisions on Saddam Hussein’s weapons program, and also over the legal protections for foreign troops enshrined in the resolution.

A draft resolution transferring insufficient power to the Iraqi Provisional Authority will cause further friction among the Security Council member states and undermine future attempts by the U.S. to gain international cooperation and support for Iraq.

Also this week, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is holding urgent hearings at bequest of Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN), Chair of the committee, regarding the nomination of John D. Negroponte as America's first ambassador to post-Saddam Hussein Iraq. Senator Lugar realizes the urgency in getting the U.S. embassy team in place before June 30 in order to have a smooth transition. John N. Negroponte is the current U.S. Ambassador to the UN.

+ More on Iraq
+ UN Resolution in Iraq
+ Hearing on U.S. Ambassador for Iraq

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S HEALTH

Hundreds of thousands of activists from all over the country and from 60 other countries gather this weekend in Washington, DC, to protest against the Bush administrations policies towards women’s access to reproductive education and healthcare worldwide. They were joined by Senator Hilary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), billionaire Ted Turner, and artists such as Whoopi Goldberg, Ani DiFranco and Moby, amongst others.

Under the current administration, U.S. funding has been denied international organizations that use money from other sources to perform abortions, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for reproductive health. The United States has also refused to fund the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)—an organization that gives millions of women and families access to reproductive health care and information to plan and space births. Planning and spacing births reduces the incidence of maternal and infant mortality and improves the overall health of families worldwide, as well as fostering economic development.

+ More information about the March

SUDAN

Despite the agreement to a cease-fire in the Sudanese region of Darfur, the Khartoum government has not held true to its word. Atrocities continue in Darfur, while the UN humanitarian mission is delayed at the border. The delay means that scores of refugees driven out of their homes now face starvation, while many more are murdered, raped and terrorized in their homes. The UN has reported that over 10,000 civilians have been killed and more than 1 million displaced. If humanitarian aid and assistance does not reach the refugees before the rains begin in a few weeks, the death toll will rise further.

+ More on Sudan
+ Editorial on Sudan The Washington Post
+ BBC’s Q&A’s on the Darfur conflict