NEW YORK, MARCH 23 – “This is the time to act, without hesitation, reaffirming the imperative and ‘erga omnes’ character of international humanitarian law, while maintaining, at the same time, a clear and unequivocal distinction between the aggressor and the victim”, the Italian Permanent Representative to the UN, ambassador Maurizio Massari, said in his speech at the UN General Assembly, where a resolution related to the humanitarian crisis in place in the country attacked by Russia was presented today.
The resolution – Massari explained – states that, in order to protect civilians in Ukraine, it is essential that Russia stops its aggression, guarantees safe passage of civilians, access to humanitarian aids and engages in negotiations for a peaceful solution. The draft adds that the crisis created by “this war of aggression” has wider implications, “seriously affecting food security in different parts of the world”.
Part of the small trans-regional group of countries that asked that the special session of the General Assembly on Ukraine was reconvened, Italy participated in the drafting of the resolution. “We trust that, in face of this unbearable humanitarian tragedy occurring in the heart of Europe, the General Assembly will respond, as it did on March 2, with a great display of cohesion, sense of responsibility and determination”, continued Massari, stressing that “notwithstanding this dramatic situation and in total disregard of the appeals repeatedly made by the Secretary General and of the resolution adopted by the General Assembly, the Russian aggression continues to unfold, further challenging the basic principles of international humanitarian law”.
The draft voted in the Assembly, against another one sponsored by South Africa which does not mention Moscow as accountable for the crisis, is a response to the stalemate in the Security Council, where Russia in turn presented a resolution in which the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine is not linked to the invasion. That draft received 13 votes against and was not adopted. “The Security Council continues to be unable to address the situation in Ukraine, including its huge humanitarian consequences, due to the behavior of one of its Permanent Members, which happens to be the initiator and the sole responsible of this war”, said the Italian ambassador, reaffirming the full solidarity of Italy “with the millions of people suffering from this war of aggression”. (@OnuItalia)
