US says 'no' to new rights body
2006-03-15 22:54
New York - The UN general
assembly voted on Wednesday to establish a new high-level human
rights body, but the United States was one of four countries to
vote "no".
The new 47-nation UN Human Rights Council, approved by a
vote of 170 to four with three abstentions, would replace the
53-country Geneva-based UN Human Rights Commission, which in
recent years has included some of the world's most abysmal
rights violators.
As the pre-eminent international rights watchdog, the new
council will aim to expose human rights abusers and help
nations draw up rights legislation.
The United States says its
rules are not strong enough to prevent violators from getting a
seat.
- Reuters