Ma'at Kheru: Repeal "Humanitarian Transport"

[Jakker]

Repeal "Humanitarian Transport"

Proposed by: Knootoss Description: WA General Assembly Resolution #6: Humanitarian Transport (Category: Human Rights; Strength: Mild) shall be struck out and rendered null and void.

Argument: The World Assembly,

ACKNOWLEDGING that transports and vessels moving humanitarian supplies or Prisoners of War (PoW) are deserving of special protection;

DEEPLY DISTURBED by the possibility that parties in a conflict could use PoW or humanitarian supplies as shields for military activities;

BELIEVING THEREFORE that international law governing the transport of PoW or humanitarian supplies should not encourage the abuse of 'humanitarian' status for military purposes;

REGRETTING that General Assembly Resolution # 6 permits "humanitarian transports" to field weapons;

FURTHER REGRETTING that General Assembly Resolution # 6 merely 'discourages' the practice of transporting humanitarian cargoes or PoW in the same vessel(s) or convoy as materials directly supporting combat operations;

BELIEVING that it may be too risky and/or impractical to attempt to hail, board, inspect and seize the cargo of a transport carrying heavy defensive armaments, a transport whose cargoes are predominantly military, a transport flying high over the battle zone or in space, or a transport whose presence might serve to flush out the position of ones' own forces;

FURTHER BELIEVING that this may lead to humanitarian cargoes and PoW being used as 'human shields' for military activities, as General Assembly Resolution # 6 prohibits nations from immediately engaging what would otherwise be valid military targets;

CONCLUDING that it may have been better if General Assembly Resolution # 6 had outlawed the placement of weapons on 'humanitarian transports' and the practice of transporting humanitarian cargoes or PoW in the same vessel(s) or convoy as materials directly supporting combat operations;

Hereby,

REPEALS General Assembly Resolution # 6.

Against. The argument isn't great and removing a historical resolution is iffy to me.

[jash7]

Against.

[Ainocra]

I don't mind trying to do away with ancient resolutions but the argument could be better.
Given that it's a repeal I am inclined to vote in favor but my heart isn't set on it.
The quality of the repeal is lacking, if it were written better I'd be more apt to support it.

[Tim Stark]

Against, and have voted as such.