UN rights body ‘no place for abusive regimes’
UNITED States ambassador Nikki Haley urged the United Nations Human Rights Council to throw out abusive regimes and end its anti-Israel bias, warning yesterday that its credibility was at risk.
Haley did not explicitly threaten to quit the UN body if Washington’s concerns were not addressed, a prospect that first emerged in February in a leaked letter by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
But in a speech in Geneva, she said the United States was looking carefully at the council, and its participation in it.
“No country which is a human rights violator should be allowed a seat,” Haley said.
The US has long denounced an agenda item dedicated exclusively to criticising Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians.
It has also raised concerns about a nomination process that often sees prominent rights abusers elected to one of the council’s 47 rotating seats.
While Haley has escalated those criticisms since becoming UN envoy, her speech was mild compared to past remarks, including an assault levelled in a Washington Post opinion article on June 2.
Writing in the Post, she asked “whether the Human Rights Council actually supports human rights, or is merely a showcase for dictatorships that use their membership to whitewash brutality”.
She said a system allowing regional blocs to nominate members which were then rubber-stamped by the General Assembly had turned the council into “a haven for dictators”, like Cuba and Venezuela.
Haley reiterated US concerns on the treatment of Israel, saying it was essential that the council address its anti-Israel bias to have any credibility.