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Statement
by H.E. Mr. Sergei Aleinik, Ambassador, Permanent Representative
of the Republic of Belarus to the United Nations Office
and Other International Organizations at Geneva
61st Session of the Commission on Human Rights
(Geneva, 14 April 2005)
on the draft resolution L. 32
«Situation of Human Rights in Belarus»
Mr. Chairman,
The draft resolution on the situation of human rights in Belarus is nothing
else but another attempt to impose to the international community the
distorted opinion about our country in order to justify the desire of the
co-sponsors to interfere into domestic affairs of a sovereign state.
Majority of the UN Member States effectively voted down the similar draft
last year at the 59th session of the UN General Assembly. At that time
concerted efforts of Belarus and friendly nations resulted in historical
precedent of successful opposition to the rule of power and politicization
of the UN activities.
The real situation in Belarus and the practical steps by the Belarusian
Government have repeatedly demonstrated that the accusations targeting our
country are ill-founded. New groundless anti-Belarussian "initiatives"
represent a vivid example of double standards approach exercised by the
co-sponsors of the draft resolution with regard to nations that, like
Belarus, choose to conduct an independent domestic and foreign policy.
Belarus is a young independent state, which progressively makes its own way
from developing to well-established democracy. The person, his or her rights
and freedoms represent the highest value of the Belarusian society and the
State. The Republic of Belarus is an open country striving to the
constructive and equal international cooperation.
Belarus is a committed party to all major international treaties in the
field of the human right and stands ready to constructive and fair dialogue
on all human rights issues. The latest example is the visit of the CHR
Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to Belarus in August 2004 upon the
invitation of the Government. Interactive dialogue with the
Chairperson-Rapporteur of the Working Group Ms. Leila Zerrougui at the
current session and the fact, that Belarus has already implemented a number
of the Working Group recommendations, once again confirm our constructive
position.
Demonstrating openness and practical interest in cooperation with the UN
human rights machinery, based on the principles of universality and
objectivity, Belarus absolutely rejects the use of the human rights issues
as an instrument of exerting political pressure on sovereign states.
The report of the Special Rapporteur Adrian Severin on Belarus,
unprecedented by its approach and openly hostile to our country, is a
glaring example of the attempts to use the Commission as a tool of
legitimizing interference into domestic affairs of a sovereign state. This
document discredits the CHR special procedures and undermines the
credibility of the Commission as a whole.
Belarus strongly opposes the country specific resolutions and considers that
this kind of resolutions should be totally excluded from the international
agenda as politically motivated and destructive by their nature.
We demonstrate this principle position of non-acceptance of country specific
resolutions at the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly and are
convinced that this point of view is supported by the majority of the UN
Member States.
The use of human rights issues as a means of political pressure and
blackmail of the sovereign states not only discredits the Commission on
human rights, but also devaluates the very principles of democratic
development and inevitably undermines the efficiency of the efforts of the
international community to promote and protect human rights.
It is in this context that we consider the draft resolution on the situation
of human rights in Belarus, whose preparation is inspired by the country
which itself represents a source of serious concerns about respect for human
rights. These concerns, in particular, relate to the use of cover-up
military tribunals, mass arbitrary detentions, wide spread of torture in the
territories controlled by the US authorities, first of all, at the US naval
base in Guantanamo and in the Abu Ghraib prison.
During the recent presidential elections the United States openly ignored
their international obligations and blocked the access of international
observers to the election polls. Moreover, according to the former
presidential contender, senator-democrat John Carry there were numerous
cases of intimidation and deceit of voters during the election campaign. The
US election system does not meet the OSCE criteria just for the absence of
direct suffrage. The final ODIHR OSCE report on monitoring the November 2004
elections in US concludes that elections to Congress profoundly lacked
competitiveness in many electoral districts.
The United States refuse to cooperate with special thematic procedures of
the Commission on human rights what we repeatedly have witnessed during the
current session.
Thus, this country has no moral right to advocate the respect for human
rights in the world.
Mr. Chairman,
Today the Commission can and must say its firm “NO” to further
politicization of its work, and, in particular, to the adoption of
politically motivated resolutions, which stir confrontation and mistrust.
We call upon the co-sponsors of this draft resolution to demonstrate common
sense, to move away from confrontation in favour of civilized dialogue and
constructive cooperation aimed at promotion and development in the field of
human rights.
We call upon the Members of the Commission to openly stand for the
principles of universality, objectivity and non-selectivity while
considering the human rights issues and to reject this draft resolution.
I thank you.
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