Interviews 10:06 24/04/2014

US drone program unfortunately continuing – analyst

Press TV has conducted an interview with Richard Becker, with the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition from San Francisco, to talk about the US drone program in Afghanistan.

Press TV: As the US is preparing for a possible true withdrawal from Afghanistan, what will happen to the drone program? I mean, how likely will that be scrapped too?

Becker: Well, it appears that the drone program, especially based on the events of the last couple of days, the drone program is unfortunately alive and continuing and maybe intensifying and so this represents a great danger to the population in Afghanistan as well as Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia as you mentioned.

Press TV: And of course the fact that the drone program is internationally illegal and violates the sovereignty of the targeted nation and nations - including Yemen and Somalia and other nations - just how much can Afghanistan follow the case and sue the United States for this?

Becker: Well, I think that we have seen that in the international bodies like the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, the latter the United States refuses to join stating openly that it won’t join because its military forces could be subject to criminal prosecution if it were a member of the court.

But these bodies have very much been under the control of the big Western powers - the United States, Britain France, and Germany. Really the imperialist powers in the world today dominate them and really mete out justice to those who they have targeted, primarily thus far in Africa and in the former Yugoslavia.

So there is no real international justice. I mean, I don’t believe that the Afghan government could not bring a case but it is very unlikely either a court in the United States or the international bodies that I have mentioned will allow them to bring it.

Press TV: And will compensations be given to the victims, the civilians that is?

Becker: Well, we of course don’t know who are civilians and who are combatants. And in fact, United States is not at war officially with any of these countries. So in fact, they all are in reality civilians.

But the United States does compensate with small amounts of money the families of some people they judge to be civilians. But that does not provide any justification whatsoever for what you mentioned before, the clear and really terrible violations of international law. 



Source Panorama.am
Share |
Տեքստում սխալ կամ վրիպակ նկատելու դեպքում, ուղարկեք խմբագրին հաղորդագրություն` նշելով տվյալ սխալը, այնուհետև սեղմելով Ctrl-Enter:

Newsfeed

17:13
Opposition MP: Armenian leadership trying to legitimize Artsakh genocide
Opposition Hayastan faction MP Ishkhan Saghatelyan accused Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government of attempting to...
16:35
ARF Hai Tad: Karabakh conflict remains on international political agenda
The ARF Bureau Hai Tad Central Council issued the following statement on the first anniversary of the ethnic cleansing of...
16:05
Complaint filed to ICC prosecutor one year after Azeri attack on Artsakh
A year after Azerbaijan attacked Nagorno-Karabakh and forced the displacement of almost its entire population of over 100,000, a complaint for...
15:36
Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan marks first anniversary of Azeri attack on Artsakh
Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan expressed support for Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan, including Artsakh's military and political...
15:05
CoE urges Georgia to review entry ban on Arsen Kharatyan
The Council of Europe's Safety of Journalists Platform urges Georgia to review the entry bans imposed on journalists Andrei Mialeshka and...
14:30
Rep. Schiff seeks seizure of Azerbaijani assets to fund Artsakh Revenue Recovery
Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) – the ANCA endorsed candidate for California’s U.S. Senate seat – has introduced a bi-partisan...
14:06
Armenian health minister reports decline in West Nile virus cases
Armenia saw a decline in the outbreak of West Nile fever in the past week, Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan said on Thursday....
13:36
Artsakh people have undeniable right to self-determination and return: statement
The Committee for the Defense of the Fundamental Rights of the People of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) issued a statement on the first...
13:15
Artsakh leader deplores Armenian government officials' statements
Artsakh President Samvel Shahramanyan, other Artsakh governmnet officials and lawmakers paid tribute to fallen soldiers at the Yerablur Pantheon...
12:35
Rain, storms hit most parts of Armenia
Rain and thunderstorms combined with strong winds are expected in most parts of Armenia on Thursday and over the coming days. Hail and...
12:01
Political prisoner Narek Malyan walks free after one year behind bars
Political prisoner Narek Malyan walked free on Thursday after serving a one-year prison sentence. Malyan’s family, friends and...
11:36
Armenia marks first anniversary of ethnic cleansing in Artsakh
The Armenian Foreign Ministry on Thursday issued a statement on the one-year anniversary of the forced displacement...
11:15
Victims of Azerbaijani war crimes to testify in Washington D.C. for first time
For the first time ever, on the one year anniversary of the fall of Nagorno-Karabakh, on September 19, 2024, victims of Azerbaijani war crimes...
11:00
Armenian teams remain among leaders at Chess Olympiad
The Armenian national teams remain among the leaders in the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad, the Chess Federation of Armenia reports. In the...
17:03
Foreign diplomats accredited in Azerbaijan visit Dadivank
Heads of embassies, international organizations and military attachés accredited in Azerbaijan on Wednesday visited the monastery of...
16:36
German tourist dies after shark attack in Spain
A German tourist died after being bitten by a shark on Monday while sailing off Spain's Canary Islands, the coastguard said. The...
16:14
Pyunik to be put up for sale, president says
Pyunik FC President Artur Soghomonyan has announced plans to put the club up for sale and leave professional football in Armenia. In a...
15:30
Moscow strongly disagrees with Pashinyan's criticism of CSTO – Kremlin
Moscow disagrees with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan who claimed that the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) poses a threat...
15:15
The Bambir manifest with a fresh roar in their new album 'Mankakan Khagher'
The Bambir, an inexhaustible source and a force in the Armenian, Post-Soviet and European rock music scene, is set to unveil their...
15:06
Former Armenian chief justice accuses court of bias
The First Instance Court of General Jurisdiction in Yerevan’s Kentron district on Wednesday continued hearings on the trial of Hrayr...
14:33
Pashinyan doesn't rule out natural gas imports from Azerbaijan
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says Armenia could consider importing natural gas from Azerbaijan after the possible conclusion of a bilateral...
13:58
Kate Middleton returns to official engagements
Kate, the Princess of Wales, held her first official engagement Tuesday since announcing last week that she had completed her cancer...
13:36
Armenia won't miss any realistic chance of becoming EU member, Pashinyan says
Armenia will not miss any realistic opportunity to to become a full member of the European Union, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on...
13:15
Borrell urges Georgia to scrap anti-LGBTQ bill
Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell on Wednesday urged Georgia to withdraw a "family values" bill denounced as curbing LGBTQ rights, warning...
12:56
CSTO still views Armenia as equal partner, chief says
The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) still considers Armenia as an equal partner and is ready for a dialogue on all issues, CSTO...
12:36
Armenian authorities foil coup plot
The National Security Service (NSS) has thwarted an attempt to usurp power in Armenia. The suspects involved five Armenian citizens and two...
11:58
Pashinyan says CSTO poses threats to Armenia's security
The Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) threatens Armenia's security and sovereignty, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan...
11:33
Hrayr Tovmasyan's trial continues
The First Instance Court of General Jurisdiction in Yerevan’s Kentron district on Wednesday continued hearings on the trial of Hrayr...
11:15
Why can’t Pashinyan remember the document he signed at the end of the 2020 war?
By Harut Sassounian www.thecaliforniacourier.com It is incomprehensible that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan would forget important...
11:00
Israel's Mossad planted explosives in 5,000 Hezbollah pagers
Israel's Mossad spy agency planted explosives inside 5,000 pagers imported by Lebanese group Hezbollah months before Tuesday's...

Follow us and get updates!

Most popular articles

{"core.blocks.header.spell_message1":"Selected mistake: ","core.blocks.header.spell_message2":"Send a message about the mistake?"}