Thank goodness

We won't have Louise Arbour to kick around any more as UN Commissioner for Human Rights:

Arbour poised to leave UN post

[...]

Last month, she sparked a storm of protest when she issued a statement praising the launch of a new Arab human rights charter that includes a call for the elimination of Zionism -- language commonly considered code for the destruction of Israel.

She issued a clarification the next day, saying her office had pointed out the "incompatibility" of some provisions. It added the office continued to work for "the implementation of universal human rights norms."

But leading U.S. lawmakers wrote to Mr. Ban, saying her words flew in the face of what they understood to be his ideals.

"We remain highly concerned about Ms. Arbour's well-documented failures in judgment and sincerely hope that you will strengthen your efforts to reform the UN's broken human rights institutions," wrote Howard Berman of California and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, the ranking members of the foreign affairs committee in the House of Representatives.

In Ottawa, Jason Kenney, Secretary of State for Multiculturalism, also wrote to Ms. Arbour to say he was "troubled" by what she initially said.

U.S. officials were reportedly angered this month when Ms. Arbour spoke of Cuba's "unprecedented positive engagement" with the UN human rights system. She cited a few examples of progress, but critics said they were insignificant compared to Cuba's overall record.

Ms. Arbour has also been an outspoken critic of the U.S. use of water-boarding, saying the interrogation technique, which simulates drowning, qualifies as torture.

In November, UN Watch issued a report saying it had been unable to find any examples of her publicly confronting anti-Semitism while serving as the UN's chief advocate of human rights. But, her spokesman said Ms. Arbour had "continuously condemned the multiple forms of intolerance and discrimination, including anti-Semitism."

Mark C.

Posted by markc at February 28, 2008 09:23 PM