UN wants to create new human rights body despite US opposition

[Judi Lynn]

UN wants to create new human rights body despite US opposition
Mar 1, 2006, 21:30 GMT

New York - The UN General Assembly president Wednesday signalled his determination to see a new human rights panel created before March 13, when the current and discredited Human Rights Commission is scheduled to meet again.

The remarks from Jan Eliasson of Sweden represented a rejection of Washington's push to postpone creation of a new Human Rights Council because it does not go far enough in guaranteeing that member countries have solid records of respect for human rights.

Eliasson acknowledged US opposition to the draft resolution designed to create the new council. But he said the majority of the 191 countries in the world organization want closure on the issue.

Eliasson also rejected repeated demands by US Ambassador John Bolton to reopen negotiations and improve the draft, warning of 'grave difficulties' if he were to do so.
(snip/...)

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/northamerica/article_1133899.php/UN_wants_to_create_new_human_rights_body_despite_US_opposition

[Trevelyan]

1. Please sign Amnesty's petition and see the work they are doing against

torture and kidnapping on their site.

Mr. President,

In what acts of torture and inhuman treatment have agents of the U.S. government engaged and where have they taken place?

How will you be sure that all individuals throughout the chain of command are held accountable for abuses that have occurred?

Will the United States renounce all future acts of torture so it never happens again?

Join Amnesty International as we stand for the truth about torture and fight to end it. We insist that the United States investigate and prosecute past acts and stop future acts of torture

http://www.tellthetruthabouttorture.org/site/c.fgLRI3OCKnF/b.1354133/k.B617/TellTheTruthAboutTortureorg/apps/ka/ct/contactcustom.asp

[mom cat]

6. Done. Thanks for the link. ... K&R so more people can see this.

[Judi Lynn]

10. Thanks for posting that petition. It can only help. n/t

[Lorien]

11. Done n/t

[MadMaddie]

2. Why would the US oppose this....??

I think Bolten is doing it so they continue their torturing of prisoners....

[Marie26]

9. No, no.

Bolton cares a lot about human rights. He cares so much that he want to block this council until each nation can absolutely guarantee a clean human rights record. And since the US cannot, we will not be a part of the council & can continue torturing & killing people. But at least the Human Rights Council will have its high standards preserved. And that's what matters to Bolton.

[LiberalinNC]

3. Honestly, does anyone really care what Bolton wants!?!

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

4. How long before the UN votes to move offshore

and eject the US from their body?

You can't tell me they're not even THINKING about it...

[MadMaddie]

5. That's a good point.....

[cal04]

7. EU backs proposals for new UN rights council

The European Union on Wednesday backed a draft resolution on a new U.N. Human Rights Council, after Britain voiced misgivings because of U.S. opposition. In a statement obtained by Reuters, the 25-member EU said they considered that the "draft resolution meets the basic requirements for the establishment of a Human Rights Council."

"The EU could therefore accept this text as a compromise," the statement said. It added that EU members supported efforts by U.N. General Assembly President Jan Eliasson "to secure the broadest possible backing for the early establishment of the Human Rights Council." Hours earlier, Britain's U.N. ambassador, Emyr Jones Parry, told reporters that Europeans, while supporting the draft, also recognised "that adopting that text without United States support isn't good for human rights and it's not particularly good for the council."

But one European envoy said the EU statement, which Britain backed, was meant to show the United States it had little support from its closest allies while not closing the door on future changes Eliasson might make.

http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=143&sid=6517032&cKey=1141275030000

[drduffy]

8. when ever it convenes, if the human rights body

permits the US to ever sit upon it, it will be definition be allowing a human rights violator to sit upon the body.

The US has lost the right to make negative comments about anybody else's human rights violations......


Bolton and his ilk are friggin hypocrites and liars. If they were to suffer the full karma for what they have done individually and collectively they would simply cease to be.

[zann725]

12. Things aren't going to well for Bolton. Few wks.ago, members showed up

an hour or more late for one of his "sessions." Then they want to initiate a "human righs" plan of their own?

Sounds strangely like the U.N. is no longer U.S.-run. The people, me thinks, have begun to think...and speak their OWN minds. And to think, it took a "Bolton" to do it. Maybe we DO have something to thank his smiley face for.