[VOA News] Lisa Schlein - Concern is rising among governments and human-rights organizations about the growing politicization of the new UN Human Rights Council. They say the Council has become obsessed with the Israeli-Palestinian issue to the near exclusion of the vast majority of the world's human-rights violators. Even UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who pushed strongly for the creation of the Council, says it should broaden its focus: "When you focus on the Palestinian-Israeli issue, without even discussing Darfur and other issues, some wonder what is this Council doing? Do they not have a sense of fair play? Why should they ignore other situations and focus on one area?" UN Watch says a majority of the 47 members of the Council is composed of non-democratic, repressive states, while only 11 members consistently defend the values and principles the Council is supposed to promote.
2006-11-28 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive