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| UN opens new chapter in struggle for human rights |
| 2006-06-19 |
| GENEVA (Reuters) That alone should tell you every thing you need to know. The byline should be Franz Kafka. - The U.N. Human Rights Council, heralded as a new start in the world body's attempt to uphold fundamental freedoms, opened on Monday under pressure to show it can do better than its discredited predecessor. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan was among government ministers and dignitaries to address the inaugural session with calls to avoid the finger-pointing and political point-scoring that hampered the work of the disbanded Human Rights Commission. "This council represents a great new chance for the United Nations and for humanity to renew the struggle for human rights. I implore you not to let the opportunity be squandered," Annan said. "The eyes of the world -- especially the eyes of those whose human rights are denied, threatened or infringed -- are turned toward this chamber and this council." Unlike the 53-state commission, where members were nominated by regional blocs, the council's 47 members were elected by the U.N. General Assembly, a change which proponents say makes it more difficult for rights violators to win a seat. One of the biggest criticisms of the 60-year-old commission, among whose successes was the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, was that it made it too easy for states with a poor record to use membership to protect themselves from scrutiny. While some states whose rights records have been questioned, such as Cuba, Saudi Arabia, Russia and China won election, others failed or did not even stand. The United States, which has faced worldwide criticism for its handling of terrorism suspects, did not seek a seat, although it has not ruled out a future candidacy. |
| Posted by:Nimble Spemble |
| #2 "But in fact the UN has proved useful in a hundred areas."- liberalhawk Guess this must be the the hundred and fiftieth? |
| Posted by: Pappy 2006-06-19 20:14 |
| #1 (retch) |
| Posted by: mojo 2006-06-19 16:30 |