31 March 1999
KOH: U.S. TO INTRODUCE RIGHT TO DEMOCRACY RESOLUTION IN GENEVA
(Says lack of democracy is root of atrocities in Kosovo) (780) By Wendy Lubetkin USIA European Correspondent Geneva -- Harold Hongju Koh, assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor, says a primary theme of the U.S. involvement in the U.N. Commission on Human Rights this year will be the link between human rights and democracy. "We are in the second 50 years of the Universal Declaration and one thing we have come to recognize is that democracy is not just an experiment, it is a right in itself," Koh said March 30. Koh spoke at an open exchange with delegation members from other countries, nongovernmental organizations and journalists organized by the U.S. delegation to the 55th U.N. Commission on Human Rights. "Democracy is not just an end that we try to achieve, but it is a means of greater improvement of human rights. In many countries around the world, human rights violations are the symptom, and the cause is a lack of open political discussion." "We in the United States, in particular Secretary Albright and President Clinton, are deeply committed to promoting democracy, and it is for that reason that we intend to introduce a resolution supporting the right to democracy, which we hope that all nations who are participating in this session can join to support." "We meet here at a difficult time. There are atrocities in Kosovo, repression in Belgrade ... I think we want to recall that the military action is not the end, it is the means; the means for promoting human rights in Kosovo and greater democracy and human rights throughout the former Yugoslavia." Koh said he was encouraged that the situation in Kosovo is already under serious consideration at this year's Commission which began meeting in Geneva March 26 and continues until April 30. "When democracy is absent, human rights suffer," Koh said. "We think this is the primary lesson of the former Yugoslavia where not only is there violence and atrocities in Kosovo, but a broader deprivation of human rights in Serbia-Montenegro where the free press has been muzzled and the universities have been stifled." Koh said the United States strongly disagrees with the suggestion that the Commission should no longer focus on the human rights situations in specific countries. "We believe that country situations must be addressed, particularly when pervasive human rights violations persist, when there has been a deterioration in human rights in the past year, and when bilateral and regional efforts to effect changes have not succeeded." Procedural maneuvers to avoid discussions of specific countries, such as the "No Action Motion" which has prevented the Commission from considering China's record in the past, "are not consistent with the purposes of having a Commission on Human Rights," Koh said. "It is to reaffirm these basic principles that, as we announced last week, we intend to introduce a resolution with regard to China this year at the Commission." Koh added that the United States believes there has been a deterioration in human rights conditions in China over the past year. "The particular concern that we have is with the deprivation of the right to democracy and the right of political participation." "Bilateral efforts to engage the Chinese have produced dialogue, but they have not produced real human rights improvements on the ground." Koh said the United States also supports efforts to improve human rights in Cuba. "I think in the last few months, in particular, the treatment of political dissidents and recent repressive laws have suggested again that the right of democratic dissent has been repressed. We believe that we must join together with those who are similarly concerned." Asked about Amnesty International's criticism of the death penalty in the United States, Koh responded: "The United States believes the administration of the death penalty in the United States is consistent with its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights says that the death penalty may be imposed for the most severe crimes and in accordance with due process of law." "Our view is that the death penalty meets that standard. Now that is not to say that other countries are not moving toward a different standard. That is certainly their right. On this issue, as I said at the outset, we have never claimed that the United States is perfect, nor have we claimed that our conduct is above criticism. On the contrary, we welcome that criticism to the extent that it is constructive."
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