US threats over rights body

[cal04]

THE United States stunned UN officials and rights advocates today by threatening to reopen talks on a painfully negotiated resolution for a new UN Human Rights Council. General Assembly President Jan Eliasson released a draft compromise text on the council to replace the discredited Geneva-based Human Rights Commission, which has included some of the world's worst rights violators.

The proposal sets a higher threshold for abusing nations to get a seat on the body and calls for a majority vote of all 191 General Assembly members, not just those present. Currently, nations are elected regionally in the 54-member Economic and Social Council. The United States and other Western nations had wanted about 30 members rather than the 47 proposed in the text as well as a two-thirds vote to make it harder for rights abusers, such as Zimbabwe or Sudan, to gain a seat.

US Ambassador John Bolton said he preferred "real" negotiations between governments rather than consultations with Mr Eliasson or his mediators. That could result in a line-by-line negotiation of the text, which would open the door to other critics of the new rights council, a reform demanded by world leaders at a UN summit in September. The council aims to continue the practice of investigating abusers and helping nations on human rights bodies and laws.

"Based on conversations we've had with other governments, the strongest argument in favour of this draft is that it's not as bad as it could be," Mr Bolton told reporters. "So we will be studying it further." Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Mr Eliasson and human rights groups opposed Mr Bolton's suggestions. Mr Annan said countries had had enough time for discussions, so "now is the time for a decision". He said the council was not everything he proposed a year ago but was better placed "to address situations of gross and systematic violations of human rights".

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,18257439%255E1702,00.html

[acmavm]

1. Mr. Bolton may find that he isn't going to be able to bully his way

around for too much longer.

I think that Junior's capital is spent.

[bemildred]

2. Dolton's just doing his job, obstruct, delay, and discredit. nt

[cal04]

3. U.N. Human Rights Plan Wins Some Support

The General Assembly president on Thursday called for a vote next week on his latest proposal to replace the discredited U.N. Human Rights Commission with a new Human Rights Council and won immediate support from key rights groups - but not the United States.

The Geneva-based Human Rights Commission has been widely criticized by Western governments and human rights campaigners for allowing some of the worst-offending countries to use their membership to protect one another from condemnation or to criticize others. In recent years, commission members have included Sudan, Libya, Zimbabwe and Cuba.

After four months of difficult and contentious negotiations, Jan Eliasson told the 191-member world body that his draft resolution strengthen human rights through periodic reviews of every country's rights record and would toughen the criteria for membership on the council - but U.S. Ambassador John Bolton questioned whether it would keep rights abusers off.

``While no member state has got everything it argued for, the text before you is balanced, strong and workable,'' Eliasson said. ``I also hope that, after reviewing the text as a whole and after assessing the larger issues at stake, you will be ready to move to a decision on this draft resolution as soon as possible, preferably before the end of next week.''


http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-5643147,00.html

[HuffleClaw]

4. bwahahahahhaaaa

not bloody likely. bolton and bush are simply laying the groundwork for a soon to be declaration of UN irrelevence. then they'll be able to continue with their iran plans with a newly coerced 'coalition'.

"the strongest argument in favour of this draft is that it's not as bad as it could be" <=-- Bolton. yeah, thats a real arguement in favor of it, or anything. good lord, he's one scary piece of work.