US Ambassador to the UN criticized the activities of the Council for human rights
WASHINGTON, June 4. /Offset. TASS Anton Cranks/. The U.S. permanent representative to the UN, Nikki Haley criticized the activities of the UN Council on human rights (HRC), which, in its opinion, is not fulfilling its obligations.
“I’m going to Geneva next week and intend to visit the HRC. There I emphasize the need for the HRC is actually practiced human rights,” she said in an interview with CBS. Haley cited the example of Venezuela and Cuba, which are in the Council and that “no one points a finger” for violations of human rights. “I’m going to tell them that the US will remain in the HRC, if the Council is to be credible,” — said the diplomat.
While Haley stressed that Washington “does not support Saudi Arabia, when it comes to human rights”. “And they know we do not condone what they are doing. We will always talk about it,” she concluded.
“The question is whether the HRC supports the rights of a person or simply is a showcase for dictatorships that use membership to rehabilitate his cruelty, — the diplomat believes. Too often victims of the most egregious violations of human rights in the world ignored by the organization that is supposed to protect them.”
She offers to arrange a vote of the membership of the HRC to “prevent the worst offenders of human rights to places” in it. “The presence of several countries that violate human rights in the HRC is harming the reputation of the Council and by the principles of respect for human rights. When a prominent international human rights body turning into a refuge for dictators, the idea of international cooperation to respect for human rights, discredited. There is a growing level of cynicism,” she said, promising also to urge the organization to stop criticism of Israel.
Hayley June 5-10, will visit Switzerland and Israel. On 6 June she will speak to the Council on human rights, and the next day go to Israel, where he will hold meetings with Israeli and Palestinian politicians.
The output of the HRC?
On 14 March, the Foreign Policy magazine reported that the United States can leave HRC if his leadership did not start a reform of accountability structures. The publication quoted from the letter of the Secretary of state Rex Tillerson human rights institutions, which States that Washington is skeptical about membership “in the organization, which includes such States as China, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.” Later at a regular briefing for journalists at the time acting head of the press service of Department mark Toner refused to comment on the correspondence Tillerson, noting that he saw an article about Foreign Policy.
In the same month, the U.S. refused to participate in the deliberations of the HRC debate on the situation in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories. As stated by then Hailey, discussions on this subject undermine the credibility of this UN body, as they allow countries to “distract from their own violations (of human rights) and not stray into anti-Israel propaganda.”