|
Momodou
Denmark
11714 Posts |
 Posted - 24 Apr 2006 : 16:20:33
|
Press on for Denmark to house dictator
By The Copenhagen Post
Members of parliament are split on whether the country should agree to house former Liberian dictator Charles Taylor after his war crimes trial in The Hague
The pressure is on Denmark to agree to house former Liberian dictator Charles Taylor after his trial in The Hague.
The foreign minister, Per Stig Møller, confirmed Thursday that Denmark had received an informal request to either imprison Taylor or give him asylum after the trial.
He hinted that the country's role in helping to bring Taylor to justice made it a last resort candidate to house him.
'I know that there are discussions at the UN about where he should be placed since he can't remain in The Hague after the trial. Denmark has done a lot to ensure that Charles Taylor doesn't go unpunished. We raised the issue in the Security Council.'
The Netherlands has agreed to host the trial on the condition that Taylor will leave the country immediately after its conclusion.
The US, which is leading the search for a country to house Taylor, is now said to be lobbying Denmark to accept him after short-list candidates Sweden and Austria refused.
Other countries approached to house Taylor have refused, fearing the political backlash of accepting the warlord, currently imprisoned in Sierra Leone while he awaits trial on 11 counts of war crimes.
Government ally the Danish People's Party (DF) called the request 'expensive and dangerous'. They said the country should be wary of accepting Taylor, given its bad track record housing other war crimes suspects.
Former Iraqi Chief of Staff Nizar al-Khazraji, suspected of leading a massacre on Kurds in northern Iraq in the 1980's, was placed under house arrest in Denmark pending an official investigation of his role in the attack. Despite being under police surveillance, he abruptly disappeared shortly before the US-led invasion of Iraq.
'There's no doubt that a man like Taylor poses a major security risk,' said MP Kim Christensen. 'Denmark isn't a country that can house a criminal of Taylor's calibre.'
Representatives from opposition parties said the country should accept Taylor if it was requested to do so.
'We work to make sure that people who commit crimes against humanity are brought to trial. So it is natural that we accept our responsibility,' said Morten Bødskov, legal issues spokesman for the Social Democrats, the second largest party in parliament.
|
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
|
Topic Locked
