U.S. appears to warm to U.N. human rights panel

The United States signaled Thursday that it may run for a seat on the U.N.’s new Human Rights Council after leading a successful campaign to keep Belarus off the body.

The U.S. and other Western countries spearheaded a last-minute effort to get Bosnia-Herzegovina a seat instead of Belarus, which they described as having the worst human rights record in Europe.

The Human Rights Council was created last year to replace the discredited Human Rights Commission, where countries accused of persistent rights violations were able to use their positions to shield themselves from censure.

The U.S. decided at the time not to run for a seat on the 47-member council, citing concerns that its structure meant it would be no better than its predecessor. U.S. officials also faced the prospect of opposition to any bid because of the treatment of inmates at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Human rights groups have argued that the U.S. boycott makes it more likely that the council will fail and have urged Washington to actively help make it an effective tool. The prospect of Belarus, widely labeled “the last dictatorship in Europe,” winning a seat on the new council apparently prompted the U.S. to get involved.

The U.S., Britain, France and Canada persuaded Bosnia to run against Belarus for one of two designated Eastern European seats, and lobbied diplomats aggressively at the U.N. and in capitals. Bosnia entered the election just a week ago.

Thursday’s election was for 14 seats from five regions; Slovenia won one of the Eastern European seats with 168 votes, with Bosnia taking the other with 95 votes. Belarus garnered 78.

One of the most persuasive messages, diplomats said, was a U.S. hint that it would join the body if Belarus was kept off.

“If you want the U.S. to join the council, you can’t have Belarus as a member,” said U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad after the vote. “You need to create the right environment.”

He did not say outright that the U.S. would run for a seat in the next election, but the suggestion was strong. “It will definitely be a factor taken into account for next year,” Khalilzad said with a broad smile.

The next election is scheduled for next May.

Lawrence Moss, special counsel for U.N. reform with Human Rights Watch, noted that “member states at the U.N. are concerned over the estrangement of the U.S. from the Human Rights Council and that the concern was a factor in voting against Belarus.”

The General Assembly also elected 12 others for rotating seats on the 47-member council: Madagascar, South Africa, Angola, Egypt, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Qatar, Nicaragua, Bolivia, the Netherlands and Italy.

The new council requires members to submit to a public assessment of their human rights records and pledge to promote and protect universal rights. But the new body has not been an improvement over its derided predecessor, Geneva-based U.N. Watch asserted in a report last week. In its first year, it condemned only Israel while ignoring blatant human rights crises in places such as Sudan’s Darfur region, the group said.

Although rights groups considered Belarus’ rejection a victory, they pointed out that several other new members also had poor human rights records. U.S.-based Freedom House and U.N. Watch said Angola, Egypt and Qatar were “unqualified” to be council members.

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maggie.farley@latimes.com