Tehran says appointment of UN human rights envoy 'unjustifiable'

Fri, 25 Mar 2011

Tehran/Geneva - Tehran said Friday that the appointment of a United Nations special human rights envoy to Iran was "unjustifiable," ISNA news agency reported.

"The resolution and appointment of the special envoy were purely politically motivated and therefore unjustifiable," Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said.

The UN appointed a special human rights envoy to Iran on Thursday due to concerns over alleged abuses in the Islamic republic.

The UN voted with 22 members in favor, mostly Western nations. Seven countries were opposed, including China, Cuba, Russia and Pakistan.

The resolution to appoint the rapporteur was presented to the 47-member council by Sweden with the backing of the United States.

"Those who voted in favor of the resolution were pressured by the US," the spokesman said.

The spokesman did not clarify whether Iran would allow the new UN envoy to visit.

Tehran's diplomat at the council, Mohammed Reza Sajjadi, lashed out at the US over the resolution, alleging that Washington was hampering the work of the human rights body and condemned its support for Israel.

US Ambassador Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe said Washington was concerned by what it saw as grave violations of human rights in Iran, and a deteriorating situation.

Appointing country-specific special envoys is controversial at the UN, but such rapporteurs also exist for several nations regularly cited as human rights abusers, such as North Korea and Myanmar, or failed states, like Somalia.

It remained unclear whether the person who takes the newly created job would be able to enter Iran and carry out the work. North Korea, for example, prevents the official assigned to the country from setting foot on its territory.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/373306,human-rights-envoy-unjustifiable.html.