October 5, 2006

Original Draft Statement of the President of the Human Rights Council

It became clear towards the end of the second session of the Human Rights Council that it would be difficult, though not impossible, to act on the many (often overlapping or competing) draft resolutions that had been tabled in the allotted time. The President's preference was to present one statement on the most important human rights issues that could be adopted by consensus. The four chosen topics were Israel, Sudan, defamation of religions and the right to development. The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC)'s price for including - at the EU's insistence - weak condemnation of human rights violations in Darfur? Three paragraphs condemning only Israel. So while the statement could not condemn Sudan outright for human rights violations - let alone genocide - the presidential draft said human rights violations in the territories was "mainly caused" by Israel. No mention of Hamas, Hezbollah, Iranian or Syrian sponsors, or their Israeli victims.