22 January 2003
U.S. "Disappointed" that Libya to Chair U.N. Human Rights Commission
(Excerpt: State Department Briefing of January 22) (700) State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the U.S. is "disappointed" that Libya will take over the chairmanship of the UN Human Rights Commission. Boucher was speaking at the January 22 regular noon briefing at the State Department. Boucher said that the U.S. took the unprecedented step of calling for a vote by secret ballot, and that Libya was elected with 33 countries in favor, 3 countries opposed, and 17 countries abstaining. "...we find it unconscionable that people could find it possible to vote for a serious human rights offender like Libya to chair the Human Rights Commission," Boucher said. "We certainly believe that nations who examined the situation closely and nations who stopped to think about the implications of this would have voted against Libya's candidacy," he said. Boucher said the U.S. continues to look to the members of the Human Rights Commission to live up to their responsibility. Following is the excerpt on this topic from the State Department noon briefing of January 22, 2003. (begin excerpt) QUESTION: Do you have something to say about Libya's election to the chairmanship of the UN Human Rights Commission? And do you have any ways of countering whatever they may try to do? MR. BOUCHER: As you know, on January 20th, Libya was elected by secret ballot. There were 33 countries in favor of Libya's chairmanship of the UN Human Rights Commission, there were 3 opposed, and there were 17 abstentions. The United States took the unprecedented step of calling for a vote and we voted against Libya. In our view, for the first time, an unacceptable candidate faced a real challenge and members were asked to face their responsibilities. I would refer you to Ambassador Moley's statement to the press on Monday. He said, in part, "We took the steps necessary to ensure that there would be a vote on this matter, so that we could leave no doubt about our objection to Libya. Calling for a vote was an unprecedented and historic action...But we cannot have business as usual in what should be the world's foremost international human rights body." As far as what we do next, we continue to look to the members of the Human Rights Commission to live up to their responsibility. We are, indeed, disappointed that Libya will take over this body, but I think we've made it clear that Libya, nor any other future candidate, can expect automatic approval of the world. And the members of this body, of the UN Human Rights Commission, need to examine their role, need to examine their conscience. They need to act on that to make sure that the Commission is effective. And we'll continue to call on members to fulfill that destiny. QUESTION: Richard, on this -- what do you -- even if you're -- even if all the people who abstained had voted with you, you still would have lost. But -- correct? Thirty-three beats 20, doesn't it? MR. BOUCHER: I don't know that that's the point. QUESTION: No. I'm -- what I'm -- well -- MR. BOUCHER: But go on. QUESTION: Well, it's the point for my question, which is, do you have anything to say to these 17 countries that obviously weren't wholeheartedly in favor of Libya, but neither would they come out and take a stand against it? MR. BOUCHER: I think we would say, in particular to those who voted for Libya, that this is the Human Rights Commission and that we find it unconscionable that people could find it possible to vote for a serious human rights offender like Libya to chair the Human Rights Commission. QUESTION: For those who abstained? MR. BOUCHER: I will reserve any comment on those who abstained since they appear to have reserved their comments. We certainly believe that nations who examined the situation closely and nations who stopped to think about the implications of this would have voted against Libya's candidacy. QUESTION: So you're suggesting that those who abstained did not examine this very closely? MR. BOUCHER: As I said, whatever their reasons, we don't think they are justified. (end excerpt) (Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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