3-15-05, 3:31 pm
Cuba Demands Thorough Human Rights Comission Reform
Geneva (Prensa Latina) – Cuba has demanded a thorough reform of the United Nations Comission on Human Rights (UNCHR), which it compared to a 'sinking ship'.
Juan Antonio Fernandez, representative of the island said the UNCHR 'has sunk under the weight of its lack of credibility and prestige.'
The director of Multilateral issues at the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Relations affirmed that political maneuvering and double standards prevail in the treatment of the individual´s basic rights.
'The ship is sinking for the inconsistencies and impunity allowed to a small group of privileged countries inside the irrational world order in which we are living,' he pointed out.
The Cuban representative´s words were supported by delegates from numerous countries, many of which are represented these days by their ministers of Foreign Affairs or other high officials.
Fernandez denied that developing countries, poor and marginated, were responsible of this situation. 'We have always been the eternal defendants in this forum, which has become an inquisition court controlled by the rich.'
On the contrary, he asserted, Third World nations have been 'the voice of resistance' and tribune to denounce the 'pretensions of silencing truths'.
He stressed that now runs the alarm warning to reform the CHR. 'In truth we don´t only need to reconstruct our ship, we also need more secure seas for surfing', he indicated.
For Cuba, he said, the CHR cannot be reformed half-way. 'It has to be reformed from its own foundations.'
He described as insufficient the proposals that call to transform the Commission from different angles. 'Few dare to hit the sore', the Cubandiplomat said. 'My country doesn´t bring magic formulas, he said, but to work jointly to improve the CHR.'
Cuba, he added, comes to promote the more noble causes and also to dispel the lies, fight impunity of the powerful and strip the hypocrisy of its servers.
A true change must begin by eliminating the imposition of unfair resolutions, against countries from a confrontational perspective and under dominion and political control motivations. As it usually happens, Havana´s delegate was the only one here to point out to the United States.
The diplomat told Prensa Latina the Cuban delegation would play an active role in this 61th session, to which the Caribbean nation will submit several draft resolutions.
Cuban foreign minister, Felipe Perez Roque, will arrive here Tuesday night and will address the plenary of the Commission on Wednesday morning, on the third day of the high official level.
