In 1983, among the 50 diplomats interviewed, I’d meet a lifelong mentor, Permanent Representative of the UN, and Ambassador to the U.S. Zenon Rossides of Cyprus, and his wise, welcoming wife, Teresa.

He was not only a constant outspoken champion of disarmament, but most importantly for him, the UN’s role in international security, which meant establishing the UN Security Force.

He felt great delight and congruence when meeting President John F. Kennedy sharing thoughts on international security. He was convinced that the Atmospheric Test Ban Treaty of 1963 was just Kennedy’s first step toward abolition. He heavily grieved the loss.
Before meeting JFK, the year Cyprus entered the United Nations, from the Ambassador’s very first speech at the UN General Assembly’s podium in September 1960:

“We look forward to the time when an effective military force at the command of the United Nations will be a guarantee of peace and freedom in the world.
… We must look more wisely to the whole of which each of us forms an integral part, on which each of our separate existence depends.
In this spirit, and with these aims and objectives in mind, we take with gratitude and humility our seat in this Assembly.”

He would call truth out from the podium:

 “The Council passes well-informed resolutions but hasn’t the force to back up it’s decisions.   … In violation of the UN Charter, signed by all, the Security Council has been deliberately denied effectiveness by the major powers. They purportedly disagreed on how much of a force they should give.

In 1946 they disagreed, and never tried to agree after that.

Since then there is nothing to stop nations. They wanted to keep the force with themselves and not the UN. The Permanent Members of the Security Council have the vested interest to dominate.

… There is too much economic and political interest in the arms race. …From here we have gone back to the parity of weapons, in violation of their own Charter to end the scourge of war and aggression.”

Since 1960, he tried to explain:

“The major powers and other governments in general never mention international security. … The UN Security Force called for in the Charter is not a standing or a permanent force.  It would be comprised of all nations, and organized only for the period of time the individual situation calls for, and only after careful deliberation and the passing of a resolution by the assembly of nations.”

He would also clarify that the Security Force would not include the forces of the conflicting parties involved. It would not take sides but halt the aggression and support the settlement of disagreements using diplomacy.

“A closely interdependent world composed of many sovereign nations cannot possibly function towards peace, security, and survival in a nuclear and space age without an effectively functioning organization.  We have the United Nations; therefore we should see that it is restored to its effectiveness as required by the Charter,so that it can answer its primary purpose of ensuring international peace and security.”

He felt meetings on disarmament often were the problem.

 “Disarmament is a negative concept. It means throwing arms away, and we cannot agree on parity.
We can only be effective by focusing on a positive concept.  International Security is a positive concept.
The UN Charter says that the Security Council shall be responsible for plans for the establishment of a system for the regulation of armaments. …. Why haven’t they done it?
 
Because those who conduct the arms negotiations, purportedly for arms control and disarmament, they are the same ones who carry forward the arms race. They have been responsible for one, and the other.
Thus far, the negotiations have been a stagnant pretense to make the people believe that something is being done about the arms race, a galloping reality.“

We know that our continual destructive wars are the result of our corporate arms dealers and the revolving door of our bought Congress, from the nuclear weapon industry to the drones over Gaza, one murderous profit focussed industry.

What Ambassador Rossides made clear was that the United Nations was never meant to be a power or authority over any nation or nations as the dominant governments have propagated against it.  This fear stopped the formation of a UN Security Force, the Force which was to stop aggressions and lawlessness and allow for negotiation and fair settlement.

No one nation or group of nations could gain authority of the Security Force. It would be gathered only to meet a specific need and disassembled when that need was completed.  It would be assembled only after negotiations failed, and would be assembled with troops and armaments only from nations not involved in the crisis. There would be no takeovers and no taking of sides.

The function of the UN Security Force, from his view is to protect nations (or peoples) from overpowering threats.  “No nation can go against a world pooling together.”

When that is seen, the process of settlement of disputes can resume. The troops return to their respective countries without the “spoils of war”, and with the knowledge they have stood for a globe at peace. They too will know that their land can rest in such trust and safety.
The cycle of national vengeance can come to an end. (Excerpt from World Peace?)

U.S. Veteran Nick Mottern said in the recent Veterans For Peace National Convention, “If we can’t save Palestine, we won’t be able to save ourselves.”

One thing that struck me over the years, whenever we were deep in conversation on walks in the park, he would stop in the middle of the sentence without fail, if a child came within a 20 yard radious.   He would just stop, put his hands down on his knee’s break out in a huge smile and call out in a joyous tone complimenting the wonder of this child…. all children.    He would completely light up and transform.   Then, Where were we?

Ambassador Rossides left the world in 1990, but not without compassionate guidance:

“Beyond the achievements of the human intellect, and there are many great achievements, it is the human Spirit which will determine the fate of humankind on this planet.
…Justice is not created by man. The sense of justice is inherent in the Spirit of man [humankind].  If this Spirit is alive and prevails, man [humankind] will survive and not destroy himself.

It is not the power of weapons, but the power of this Spirit that can save the world.”

Free Palestine.  Now.

gratitude