Brussels, 30/03/2005 (Agence Europe) - Speaking on behalf of the EU, the Luxembourg Ambassador Alphonse Berns outlined on 4 March on Geneva, during the 6th session of the UN Human Rights Commission (which closes on 22 April), the main initiatives and concerns of the European Union (see EUROPE Nº8909 concerning the statements of the EU Council President Jean Asselborn during the opening session of the works). Mr Berns, who underlined the EU's desire for the UN Commission to remain “charged with ensuring that human rights are guaranteed and respected,” reiterated the EU's opposition to the “practice of no-action motions” (which prevent the adoption of resolutions on certain countries).
Mr Berns confirmed that the EU would: present resolutions notably on Burma, North Korea and, alongside the United States, on Belarus; - “voice its concern” for the situation in Uzbekistan; propose an initiative on the Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories “that takes account of recent developments in the Middle East”; cooperate with Afghanistan and Columbia to obtain a statement adopted by the chair on these countries; believes that the situation in Darfur “calls for a resolution”; collaborate with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi to encourage them to continue their efforts to improve the human right situation in their countries; support, in particular, the Swiss initiative on Nepal. As for China, Mr Berns reaffirmed the EU's support for a dialogue on human rights, while hoping that China perseveres “on the road to ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights” and arguing that a visit to China by Louise Harbour, UN High Commissioners for Human Rights, would represent “substantial progress” (the EU also reiterates its concern for the situation in Tibet and Xinjiang), notably in terms of religious and cultural rights). Concerning Iran, Mr Berns regrets “the fact that there has been no human rights dialogue session with Iran” since June 2004, and expressed concern over a series of rights violations. For Chechnya, he urged “Russia to take all the measures necessary” to put a stop to serious violations of human rights while indicating that the EU “welcomes the constructive climate in which the first EU-Russia human rights consultations took place on 1 March 2005, and the commitments made by the Russian authorities.” Mr Berns also expressed the EU's concern for the situation in Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Saudi Arabia. Concerning Cyprus, he asserted that “once the island is re-united, all the people of Cyprus should be able to regain full fundamental rights and liberties.”
Ambassador Berns denounced a series of human rights violations, including: racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and religious intolerance, “including anti-Semitism”; discrimination again women; the death penalty (he welcomed its abolition in Bhutan and Senegal, but expressed concern over the “brutal ends of the moratoria in Lebanon, India and Indonesia,” the announcement by Burundi, Sri Lanka and Mauritania of their intention to restart executions, as well as the decision by Afghanistan to interrupt the moratorium and by Iraq to reintroduce capital punishment into its legislation; the recruitment of child soldiers (even if their numbers have fallen from 380,000 to 300,000 in the last 18 months. Mr Berns cited Uganda, Burundi, Ivory Coast, DRC, Sudan, Sierra Leon, Rwanda, Liberia, Afghanistan, Burma, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Columbia); the threats to human right defenders, be it in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Syria, Rwanda, Nepal, Columbia or Guatemala.