...it's the UN of course.
Thanks to a motion put forward by South Africa, the UN General Assembly voted to avoid any resolutions against Sudan and Zimbabwe, two of the worst violaters of human rights on this planet.
UN panel refuses to criticize Zimbabwe and Sudan
Developing nations, led by South Africa, successfully presented a "no action" motion that puts off the Zimbabwe and Sudan resolutions until next year. The European Union, Australia and the United States argued that cutting off debate prevented serious consideration of gross rights violations.
On Zimbabwe, the European Union said the government of President Robert Mugabe intimidated human rights defenders, parliamentarians and opposition leaders.
Dutch Ambassador Dirk Jan van den Berg, representing the EU, told the committee that "no country large or small can be regarded to be beyond consideration."
But Pitso Montwedi, the South African Foreign Ministry's director of human rights, said the EU, which has imposed sanctions against Zimbabwe, had succeeded in "naming and shaming and poisoning" the committee.
"The European Union purports that human rights are violated only in developing countries," he said, adding that the EU chose confrontation on issues that can be solved bilaterally.
The draft resolution on Zimbabwe, sponsored by mainly developed nations, accused Harare of impeding free elections and torturing, arresting and executing its opponents.
On Sudan, South Africa's Montwedi said there was "absolutely no need to burden this committee with a preemptive resolution." He said criticism would undermine the African Union's peace process and the U.N. Security Council's meeting in Nairobi last week, aimed at a peace pact between Khartoum and its southern opposition.
US ambassador John Danforth wasn't impressed.
U.S. Ambassador John Danforth, who transported all 15 Security Council ambassadors to Nairobi last week, castigated the assembly on Tuesday when it became clear the measure would be scuttled by a procedural vote.
"One wonders about the utility of the General Assembly on days like this. One wonders if there can't be a clear and direct statement on matters of basic principle," he said.
"Why have this building? What are we all about? This to me is a very bad situation," Danforth told reporters.
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