UN Human Rights Council Holds Inaugural Session

Yesterday, the United Nations new Human Rights Council met for the first time in Geneva. Today's Financial Times reports that Secretary General Kofi Annan told the group that it ""must recognise . . . the importance of universality and objectivity and the need to eliminate double standards" in its work. Among the 47 newly-elected Council members are some with their own human rights problems-- China, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Cuba. The United States did not stand for election to the Council after complaining that the General Assembly had not built in sufficient safeguards to prevent countries that violate human rights from becoming members. (See prior posting.) Muslim countries plan to urge a debate in the Council on respect for religion after the recent controversy over published caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed.