[Assam] Red What?? Why Red??

[Umesh]

Umesh has sent you an article from the Middle East Times.
Umesh's comments: How about an Ashoka Chakra (ofcourse the Indian/Eastern symbol - The Swastika would be objectionable to West) or Yin Yang
-----------------------------------------------------------
RED CROSS GRANTS MEMBERSHIP TO ISRAEL, PALESTINIANS
By AFP
Middle East Times
-----------------------------------------------------------
 The international Red Cross on Thursday ended a 56-year deadlock within the global humanitarian movement, voting by a wide majority to admit Israeli and Palestinian aid groups, after protracted talks.  
    
    A conference of the 192 signatory nations of the Geneva Conventions and their respective national societies that make up the global Red Cross and Red Crescent movement approved a statute change in a 237-54 vote, with 18 abstentions. 
    
    The late-night vote, which saw the proponents of the change easily pass the required two-thirds majority threshold, came after the failure of two days of efforts to reach a compromise. 
    
    The Red Cross movement traditionally tries to work by consensus and seeks to avoid potentially bruising ballot box confrontations among its members. 
    
    At stake was an effort to adopt an optional, third emblem to complement the Red Cross and Red Crescent: the Red Crystal, which resembles a red-bordered square standing on edge. 
    
    This week's conference was called to give formal approval to a preliminary decision last year to add the third emblem, which also came after an unprecedented vote and that opened the way for membership by the Israeli aid society Magen David Adom (MDA, Red Star of David). 
    
    The MDA was officially not recognized in the Geneva Conventions, even though Israel is a signatory, because the movement's rules only sanctioned the use of a cross or crescent. 
    
    The American Red Cross has suspended its payments to the international federation since 2000 over the exclusion of the MDA. 
    
    The Palestinian Red Crescent was also excluded because the statutes only allow relief societies from sovereign states to join. The conference modified that rule specifically in the case of the Palestinian Authority. 
    
    The conference began on Tuesday, and observers fears that the recent worsening of the Middle East situation could complicate the issue were rapidly realized. 
    
    Muslim nations put forward an amendment calling on the meeting to confirm that the movement's rules apply to Israeli-controlled Arab areas - saying that they should fall under the responsibility of the Palestinian, Lebanese and Syrian Red Crescent societies. 
    
    The proposal was clearly unacceptable to Israel and was opposed by Western nations. It was rejected by the conference. 
    
    The Red Cross movement has faced problems with its emblem before. 
    
    The original Red Cross symbol - the reversal of the colors on the Swiss flag, a symbol of neutrality - was adopted in the 1860s when the organization was set up to care for wounded soldiers. 
    
    Muslim nations objected to the use of the cross, which they said reminded them of Christian Crusaders, and adopted the Red Crescent symbol in the 1870s. The decision was made formal by the movement in 1929. 
    
    The new Red Crystal is also meant to have a wider role for Red Cross and Crescent humanitarian workers in other areas where there is a need for an emblem that is free from religious or political connotations. 
    
    

-----------------------------------------------------------
This article was mailed from the Middle East Times (http://www.metimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20060622-060011-3923r)
For more great articles, visit us at http://www.metimes.com
Copyright (c) 2006 News World Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.