We are afraid that people are misunderstanding the meaning of Resolution 002-11. It is NOT meant to make blockades illegal, since blockades are a legal and simple way to avoid war and pressure and opponent to take anew course of action. It is NOT meant to allow pirates and smugglers free reign of the seas, it is in fact meant to combat that. The Resolution states that ships would not be allowed to be boarded without JUST cause, just cause being suspicion of smuggling or espionage. It is meant for stopping naval captains in times of war from attacking and sinking ships of third party ships, who are not headed to enemy ports. It is meant to stop said captains from becoming pirates, borading and sinking any ship they wish, regardless of its port of call or its destination. Enforcing the Resolution would mean hunting down the last remaining pirates in the world and ending their threat to commerce.
America begs the members of the Council to read the actual Resolution and listen to our explainations rather then the conjectures of other nations on the bill's purpose. We also ask that any country with questions about the bill's intent to feel free and ask the writer of the bill (the USA) and not make broad, sweeping, untrue statements about the Resolution's purpose and attempt to dissuade others from voting for a Resolution to strengthen world trade and promote national sovereignty with their untrue statements.
The current wording of the resolution is inconsistant with your interpretation.
Resolution 002-11-The Freedom of the Seas Resolution- This Resolution would protect all civilain and merchant craft of a country from seizure or boarding without just cause, such as suspicion of espionage or smuggling. By backing this Resolution, countires would support the rights of individuals to safely travel the oceans of the world. It would also protect third party merchants in times of war from being captured or sunk for no other reason then they are in the wrong place at the wrong time
Now Italy has two problems, bolded, with this resolution. The first is what constitutes 'just cause'. The resolution lists suspicion of espionage and smuggling as two of the causes. However what constitutes suspicion of espionage? Does a nation have to have tangible proof of espionage, but it only lists suspicion. A nation at war could suspect any number of vessals of espionage if 'they are at the wrong place at the wrong time.'
Now the second statement bolded states that any third party merchent in time of war is protected from being captured or sunk if they are in the 'wrong place at the wrong time.' What constitutes wrong place and wrong time? Suppose the nation A and nation B are at war, and nation C decides to send shipments to both nations. Now nation A gains control of the seas and bars trade with nation B. Now according to the resolution smuggling is a 'just cause' to board a ship, but according to the next line the captain could argue he was simply at 'the wrong place at the wrong time' as his defense.
As a result Italy proposes the following resolution to clarify the points the United States is attempting to make.
Resolution 001-12- Rules Governing the Acts of Piracy, and Raiding-
This Resolution would make the use of piracy an internationally recognized illegal act. Piracy is to be considered illegal whether privatly operated, or state operated. Piracy is defined as an act of robbery or violence against any seagoing vessal by a ship not carrying an ensign of the ships true origin, without ensign, or with a non-state ensign such as the jolly-roger. It also constitues any attack on civilian ships during peace or war which are not subject to the rules of of raiding described below.
Raiding, a legal action, is to be defined as attacks on ships carrying civilian ensign by ships carrying a military ensign during time of war. Raiding applies to vessals which carry ensigns of the parties involved in the war. Raiding is also applicable to any third party vessals operating within the territorial waters of the nations at war, however they can not be subject to attack in international water regardless of port of origin or destination. Raiding ships must give warning to the vessal which is to be raided, allowing time for evacuations if necessary.
Writer: Italy
Yays: Italy (1)
Nays:
Abstains:
. So, I'll just pretend my nation misunderstood the Resolution (silly translations to Greek!). Yeah.
