>Home>News Center>World
         
 

UN approves new Human Rights Council
(AP)
Updated: 2006-03-16 08:55

The General Assembly voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to replace the UN's discredited human rights body with a new Human Rights Council, ignoring US objections that not enough was done to prevent abusive countries from becoming members.


Giant electronic displays show voting results as the United Nations General Assembly vote and debate a new human rights resolution at the U.N. headquarters Wednesday, March 15, 2006. The assembly voted overwhelmingly for the creation of a new U.N. human rights body the U.S. opposes. 170 countries voted yes, 3 abstained, while 4 voted no, including the United States. [AP]

Ambassadors from most of the 191 UN member states burst into sustained applause when General Assembly President Jan Eliasson, announced the results of the vote: 170 in favor, four against, and three abstentions. But U.S. Ambassador John Bolton refused to join in the applause.

A year ago, Secretary-General Kofi Annan proposed replacing the widely criticized and highly politicized U.N. Human Rights Commission, which has allowed some of the worst-offending countries to use their membership to protect one another from condemnation.

The Human Rights Council, approved Wednesday, is a watered-down version of Annan's vision. But the secretary-general still called it "historic," and human rights groups welcomed its creation.

"This gives the United Nations the chance 錕斤拷 a much-needed chance 錕斤拷 to make a new beginning in its work for human rights around the world," Annan said in a statement.

While no country will be satisfied with everything in the resolution establishing the new council, he said it provides "a solid foundation on which all who are truly committed to the cause of human rights must now build."

The resolution was drafted by Eliasson after months of contentious negotiations.

Before the vote, he told the assembly it represents "a unique opportunity for a fresh start for human rights" and would strengthen the UN's machinery and toughen criteria for membership by requiring members to uphold the highest human rights standards.

The new council will also meet more frequently and periodically review the rights records of all UN member states for the first time. The General Assembly can suspend a member for "gross" human rights violations by a two-thirds majority of those voting 錕斤拷 and a special session can be called if at least one-third of the council's 47 members approve, a provision aimed at responding quickly to human rights emergencies.

But the United States was far more skeptical of the council than were Annan, Eliasson and the vast majority of UN members.

Bolton said there were some improvements over the commission, "but on too many issues the current text is not sufficiently improved."

The United States supported Annan's original proposal for a small permanent council as "a strong tool" to deal with its pre-eminent concern 錕斤拷 "the credibility" of the commission's members, he said.

That tool would have required members of the new council to be elected by a two-thirds majority of the General Assembly, a measure which would have helped keep off rights abusers. But the resolution adopted Wednesday calls for election by an absolute majority 錕斤拷 96 members.

The United States also wanted countries subject to UN sanctions related to human rights abuses or acts of terrorism to be barred from membership, Bolton said, but this was not included in the resolution.

"Absent stronger mechanisms for maintaining credible membership ... we did not have sufficient confidence in this text to be able to say that the Human Rights Council would be better than its predecessor," he said. "That said, the United States will work cooperatively with other member states to make the council as strong and effective as it can be."

"The real test will be the quality of membership that emerges on this council and whether it takes effective action to address serious human rights abuse cases like Sudan, Cuba, Iran, Zimbabwe, Belarus and Burma," Bolton said.

U.S. officials said Washington opposes withholding money from the UN budget, which will fund the new council, but no decision has been made on whether the United States will seek a seat.

Joining the United States in opposing the resolution were Israel, the Marshall Islands and Palau. Venezuela, Belarus and Iran abstained.

One of the surprises was Cuba's "yes" vote, despite its claim that the council, like the commission, unjustly targeted developing countries and was controlled by "the powers of the North."

"The attacks of the current US administration to the text being adopted today prove their arrogance," said Cuba's UN Ambassador Rodrigo Malmierca.



Kidnapping spree in Gaza Strip
Israeli army take Jericho jail
Arroyo meets with New Zealand PM Clark
 
  Today's Top News     Top World News
 

US senators to visit China to talk trade issues

 

   
 

Consumption seen as new driver of growth

 

   
 

General aviation sector to scale new heights

 

   
 

Stringent checks on products assured

 

   
 

US editors on visit to gain deeper insight

 

   
 

China sets minimum age for TV contestants

 

   
  Saddam's half-brother testifies at trial
   
  Milosevic's body to be flown to Serbia for burial
   
  Iran will resist any UN call to end atomic research
   
  Baghdad police find 80 bodies
   
  Israel seizes Jailed Palestinian militants
   
  Milosevic's funeral to be held in Serbia
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
Manufacturers, Exporters, Wholesalers - Global trade starts here.
Advertisement
         
主站蜘蛛池模板: 久久久久久影视 | 最近最新中文字幕| 亚洲精品综合久久| 管家婆有哪些版本| 国产CHINESE男男GAYGAY网站| 鲁啊鲁在线视频免费播放| 国产精品27页| 120秒男女动态视频免费| 国内揄拍国内精品| av片在线播放| 宝贝过来趴好张开腿让我看看| 中文字幕亚洲乱码熟女一区二区| 日本午夜精品一区二区三区电影 | 小泽玛利亚国产在线视频| 中文字幕无码av激情不卡| 日本成人在线网址| 久久强奷乱码老熟女| 最近中文字幕高清2019中文字幕| 亚洲人成亚洲人成在线观看| 欧美日韩精品一区二区三区视频在线 | 国产精品第3页| 999国产精品999久久久久久| 天天干天天操天天摸| jizzjizz护士| 女人182毛片a级毛片| yin荡护士揉捏乱p办公室视频| 青青国产精品视频| 国内精品影院久久久久| 人妻仑乱A级毛片免费看| 精品无码久久久久久久久久| 国产av人人夜夜澡人人爽麻豆| 青草青草久热精品观看| 国产在线91精品入口| 黄色片在线播放| 国产成人AV区一区二区三| 91精品成人福利在线播放| 国产成人精品视频一区二区不卡| 日本高清视频色wwwwww色| 国产激情з∠视频一区二区| 天天影视综合网| 国产日韩欧美成人|