: TYRANTS' LECTURES ON HUMAN RIGHTS

[posei...@sympatico.ca]

 

From: PL <P...@pandora.be>
Subject: TYRANTS' LECTURES ON HUMAN RIGHTS
Date: Monday, March 19, 2001 4:42 PM

TYRANTS' LECTURES ON HUMAN RIGHTS
Monday,March 19,2001




----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----





The United Nations Human Rights Commission opens its annual session today in
Geneva, where its members will no doubt lecture the West in general, and the
United States in particular, on their human-rights deficiencies.

But most of the delegates to the 53-member commission would do well to look
in the mirror first.

A survey by U.N. Watch shows that half of the nations with delegates on the
commission rank in the bottom half of the annual "freedom index" compiled by
Freedom House, a non-political agency that truly monitors political rights.

Indeed, five commission members have been ranked among the most repressive
nations on Earth: Cuba, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Vietnam.

Only four of the member nations - less than 10 percent of the entire
commission - rank among the world's freest nations.

So who are these folks to lecture anyone about human rights?

But that's exactly what's happening.

Indeed, Mary Robinson - the former Irish president who now chairs the U.N.
commission - is demanding that Bush & Co. help pay for an upcoming (take a
deep breath) World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination,
Xenophobia and Racial Intolerance (whew!), to be held this summer in South
Africa.

The Clinton administration pledged $250,000 to the conference. Robinson
wants President Bush to up the ante to $3 million - equal to the amount
given by the European Union.

Robinson describes the conference as a "Magna Carta for victims."

Maybe.

But consider this: The preparatory meeting was held last month - in Iran.

Talk about putting the foxes in charge of the chicken coop. Bush et al. need
to take a pass on this one.

http://www.nypostonline.com/postopinion/editorial/26770.htm