U.N. human rights expert fawns over Egypt, leaves “impressed”

While the appointed experts of the U.N. Human Rights Council are always quick to slam Israel and the United States for alleged violations, the regime of Egyptian ruler Hosni Mubarak won high praise today.

After an 8-day visit to the country, Catarina de Albuquerque, the council’s “Independent Expert on the issue of human rights obligations related to access to safe drinking water and sanitation,” said she was “leaving impressed by the efforts being made to improve access to drinking water.”

She highlighted Egypt’s “good practices” and said it can be “held as an example of effort.” The U.N. expert was particularly delighted that Egypt formally recognized the concept of economic and social rights:  “That it considers access to drinking water and sanitation a right for all its people is already to Egypt’s credit, and may partly explain its achievements to date.”

To be sure, de Albuquerque does cites “challenge” — but couches her concerns in the most delicate diplomatic language. By contrast, when it comes to Israel, the experts, and the larger U.N. system that helps write and edit their reports, always go straight for the jugular.

UN Watch