Letter to the editor

UN Watch in the News

By Lars Knuchel, Deputy Head of Information, Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
August 18, 2008
Re. Hillel Neuer, “Who will guard human rights at the UN?” (Jerusalem Post, July 14, 2008)

For your information

Sir, – Hillel Neuer’s op-ed 2008 “Who will guard human rights at the UN?” (July 14) was republished by the Israel Hasbara Committee in New York on August 12. We would like to draw your attention to the following facts:

1) Human rights issues and the human rights situation in Iran were on the agenda of the talks that Swiss Federal Councillor Micheline Calmy-Rey held with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki in Teheran. In her meetings and in a press conference, Federal Councillor Calmy-Rey expressed her concerns about the human rights situation in Iran and the unacceptable rhetoric of the Iranian leadership against Israel.

2) Calmy-Rey was neither a candidate for the post of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights nor has she ever been “vigorously campaigning” for it.

3) On Monday, July 28, the General Assembly approved the appointment by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon of Judge Navanethem Pillay as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

LARS KNUCHEL
Deputy Head of Information
Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
Berne

Copyright 2008, The Jerusalem Post
Original URL: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1218710386930&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

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