Top UN Official Accuses Burma of Obstructing Aid
Jun 4, 2008 – By Lisa Schlein, VOA
Geneva -- The U.N.'s top human rights official, Louise
Arbour, has lashed out at Burmese authorities for obstructing aid to victims
of Cyclone Nargis. Arbour called into question Burma's rights record in her
final address to the U.N. Human Rights Council. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA
from Geneva that Arbour is leaving her post as High Commissioner for Human
Rights at the end of the month.
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Louise Arbour, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, listens
during the opening session of 8th UN Human Rights Council in Geneva,
Switzerland, 2 June 2008.
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Louise Arbour drew attention to the natural disasters in
China and Burma, also known as Myanmar. She conveyed her condolences to the
millions of victims of the earthquake that struck China and the powerful
cyclone that ravaged parts of Burma.
The High Commissioner condemned Burma's apathetic response
to Cyclone Nargis. She also said part of the blame can be placed on the
international community for keeping silent in the face of the Burmese
government's human rights abuses.
She acknowledged that no government would ever be fully
ready to respond to all the needs of its population in the face of such
catastrophic events,. Therefore, she said international assistance was
crucial.
"It is the right of victims to expect such assistance
and it is the duty of governments and the international community to do
everything in their power to facilitate it," she said. "In the case
of Myanmar, the obstruction to the deployment of such assistance illustrates
the invidious effects of long-standing international tolerance for human
rights violations that make this obstruction possible."
The United Nations estimates two-and -one half million
people have been affected by Cyclone Nargis, which hit Burma on May 2. In the
aftermath of this disaster, the country's military rulers refused to accept
most foreign aid and refused to grant visas to the experts needed to
coordinate a vast humanitarian operation.
The generals have eased their stance in the last few days.
But, the United Nations reports one-quarter of a million cyclone survivors
have still not received international assistance.
In contrast, the High Commissioner commended the
government of South Africa for taking action to protect the foreign migrants
who came under recent attack. She praised the government's decision not to
deport the migrants.
But, she had sharp words for the increasingly hard-line
anti-immigration policies being enacted in Europe. She was particularly
critical of the Italian government of Silvio Berlusconi.
"In Europe, repressive policies, as well as
xenophobic and intolerant attitudes, against irregular immigration and
unwanted minorities is also of grave concern," she said. "Examples
of these policies and attitudes are represented by the recent decision of the
Government of Italy to criminalize illegal immigration and by the recent
attacks against Roma settlements in Naples and Milan."
Arbour warned delegates to the U.N. Human Rights Council
against pursuing narrow parochial political agendas. She cautioned that
skepticism about the Council as a champion of human rights has not been fully
dispelled. She said the U.N. body was in danger of losing its reputation as
the protector of human rights for the sake of achieving consensus.
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