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U.S. Senator Norm Coleman. (AP)
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Last update - 09:42 26/07/2007
U.S. Senator: UN Human Rights Council focuses only on Israel
By News Agencies

A United States congressional delegate to the United Nations is pushing for the United States to cut off funding for the UN Human Rights Council, saying the watchdog group's focus on Israel and failure to investigate other countries made it a disaster.

Senator Norm Coleman, a Republican from Minnesota, said Wednesday the council has essentially one issue on its agenda - Israel. "You've got countries like North Korea, Burma, Zimbabwe where you have state-sponsored brutality, and what we have is deafening silence," he said.

A U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee panel will take up the Human Rights Council's performance at a hearing Thursday. The committee last month approved legislation Coleman proposed to end U.S. funding of the council. The House of Representatives last month approved similar legislation by Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Republican from Florida.

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Coleman, who along with Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, represents Congress in the U.S. delegation to the UN, is a longtime critic of the UN. Boxer also supported the funding cut off when the Foreign Relations Committee approved the bill.

The council, based in Geneva, was created in March 2006 to replace the widely discredited Human Rights Commission. Last month, the new body angered the United States by continuing its scrutiny of Israel while halting investigations into Cuba and Belarus.

Coleman conceded his bill was more about symbolism than pulling the plug on the council's operations. The U.S. share of the council budget is only around $3 million, and the bill would allow the president to ignore the funding cut if he deemed it was not in the national interest.

"It's not a lot of money," he said. "This is a statement about the concerns we have about the Human Rights Council."

The State Department declined to comment on Coleman's push to cut off U.S. financial support for the council.

But Assistant Secretary of State Kristen Silverberg called the council's first year a grave disappointment. Member states abandoned their responsibility to defend suffering people in countries such as Sudan, Burma, Zimbabwe, and Cuba and instead devoted their energies to attacking Israel.

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon came under attack on Wednesday for remarks that Islamic countries in the council had ignored abuses around the world and targeted Israel instead.

Ban angered the 57-member Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) when he said in June that the council should look at all situations of human rights violations.

Pakistan, serving as OIC's chairman, told the 49-nation council at a resumed meeting on Wednesday in Geneva that Islamic countries should "streamline" their relationships with Ban.
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  1.   UN 04:10  |  Paul 26/07/07
  2.   the UN 04:47  |  Shira 26/07/07
  3.   Attack not Israel , Boycott Kadima policies against jews 04:59  |  Joseph E . 26/07/07
  4.   only on Israel 05:13  |  Shmuelshachor 26/07/07
  5.   What do the Muslims say about Taliban? 05:14  |  Will 26/07/07
  6.   Human Rights Council is blinded by Saudia and Arabs Gulf States $ 05:31  |  Joseph E . 26/07/07
  7.   If it were South Africa? 05:34  |  Dovy 26/07/07
  8.   On his way out 05:43  |  Mike 26/07/07
  9.   Dancing around the facts 06:23  |  Natallie Durson 26/07/07
  10.   What does he want? 06:34  |  Mark Lincoln 26/07/07
  11.   UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL 07:12  |  Paula 26/07/07
  12.   TO Shmuelshachor #4 07:41  |  Steve Beikirch 26/07/07
  13.   They have some the worlds human rights abusers on the UN council 07:54  |  PETER SM 26/07/07
  14.   UNsurprising -a compliment, surely 08:11  |  JW 26/07/07
  15.   Millions suffer, UN council on witch hunt 08:15  |  JG 26/07/07
  16.   How About an Arab Wrongs Commission 08:24  |  Ron 26/07/07
  17.   On Senator Norm Coleman 08:37  |  JustStayHonest 26/07/07
  18.   UN-HYENAS 08:43  |  CP 26/07/07
  19.   the human rights council is totally useless 08:55  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 26/07/07
  20.   Israel the only `democracy` in the Middle East... 09:16  |  Maureen Ann 26/07/07
  21.   14 Not so honest 09:16  |  ChanahS 26/07/07
  22.   MARK LINCOLN what does he want?balance not obssesive hounding 09:16  |  PETER SM 26/07/07
  23.   Senator Coleman 09:24  |  Hannah 26/07/07
  24.   Great to hear! 09:28  |  Gina 26/07/07
  25.   Kudos to Norm Coleman! 09:29  |  USALovesIsrael 26/07/07
  26.   TIME TO CUT OFF THE UN 09:30  |  DAVE 26/07/07
  27.   Steve Beikirch 09:42  |  Gina 26/07/07
  28.   MAUREEN N"Only democracy"does not entitle your side to free kicks 09:42  |  PETER SM 26/07/07
  29.   juststayhonest 09:52  |  Sarah 26/07/07
  30.   The reason the UN Human Rights Council focuses only on Israel is 09:53  |  Rafi 26/07/07
  31.   islam and human rights 09:53  |  scanadu 26/07/07
  32.   EXCEPT THE SECREATARY GENERAL 09:55  |  indrajaya 26/07/07
  33.   A member of the American Jewish Lobby working for Israel 09:56  |  Clickfool 26/07/07
  34.   Natalie Durson-# 9-The question is how you define discrimination 09:57  |  Daniel Leopold 26/07/07
  35.   to foolclick at # 33 10:03  |  scanadu 26/07/07
  36.   Maureen Ann-# 20 Scapegoat-ing Israel actually promotes human 10:06  |  Daniel Leopold 26/07/07
  37.   To arrogant or stupid: why do muslims from Sudan run to Israel? 10:07  |  Just Cause 26/07/07
  38.   #34 indrajaya 10:07  |  Sarah 26/07/07
  39.   #33 Clickfool 10:09  |  Sarah 26/07/07
  40.   if senator is Moslem... 10:14  |  JG 26/07/07
  41.   #13 No doubt they are, PETER SM 10:30  |  Johnboy 26/07/07
  42.   30 Rafi demonstrates why it focuses on Israel 10:33  |  David Teich 26/07/07
  43.   # 38, SARAH 10:35  |  indrajaya 26/07/07
  44.   CFOOL.COLEMAN states the obviousYou state he isJewish.Nice copout 10:39  |  PETER SM 26/07/07
  45.   Clickfool, go easy on the antisemitism, mate 10:50  |  Fed Up 26/07/07
  46.   5: Those Muslim countries are not democracies Israel supposedly i 10:50  |  Tupac 26/07/07
  47.   #36 Daniel Leopald. 10:57  |  Maureen Ann 26/07/07
  48.   What does he want? 10:57  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 26/07/07
  49.   JW 11:00  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 26/07/07
  50.   #46 Bravo Tupac,your logic is exemplary! 11:07  |  Hastaroth 26/07/07
  51.   TUPAC Not democracies therefore their abused people 11:10  |  PETER SM 26/07/07
  52.   Clickfool # 33 11:13  |  ChanahS 26/07/07
  53.   Summarizing John the boy`s logic,#41 11:14  |  Hastaroth 26/07/07
  54.   For Fed Up # 45 11:16  |  Clickfool 26/07/07
  55.   Clickfool # 33 11:16  |  ChanahS 26/07/07
  56.   HAGGADAH SHEL PESACH 11:17  |  Ben Tzion 26/07/07
  57.   JOHNBOY Human rights are for everybody.Defending the oppositte 11:19  |  PETER SM 26/07/07
  58.   For Chanah S # 52 11:22  |  Clickfool 26/07/07
  59.   To Margie in Tel Aviv, you`re 100% correct 11:27  |  Evan 26/07/07
  60.   #56 JOHNBOY START WITH 56 MUSLIM STATES 11:28  |  paul harris 26/07/07
  61.   The other side of the coin 11:30  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 26/07/07
  62.   #9, Natallie the N*zi 11:35  |  FinanceDoc 26/07/07
  63.   #58 Clickprick the sage 11:40  |  Hastaroth 26/07/07
  64.   The other side of the coin 2 11:42  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 26/07/07
  65.   #54 - Clickfool 11:42  |  JES 26/07/07
  66.   human rights http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/ 11:43  |  Robert P Tritton 26/07/07
  67.   #14, JW, Israel does not claim to be "chosen" 11:51  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 26/07/07
  68.   Indrajaya # 43 11:58  |  ChanahS 26/07/07
  69.   Absolute Idiot 12:01  |  Paulo 26/07/07
  70.   Tupac # 46 12:01  |  ChanahS 26/07/07
  71.   #66 send your post to 56 muslim states mr tritton 12:02  |  victor hardman 26/07/07
  72.   # 47 Moron Ann 12:02  |  ChanahS 26/07/07
  73.   clicky, you seem to keep track of all Jews 12:03  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 26/07/07
  74.   The Word "only" makes this statement CORRUPT! 12:06  |  Sharif Hafez 26/07/07
  75.   Clickfool vs Coleman 12:07  |  ChanahS 26/07/07
  76.   # 68, CHANAH S 12:08  |  indrajaya 26/07/07
  77.   #43 indrajaya 12:10  |  Sarah 26/07/07
  78.   #54 Clickfool 12:17  |  Sarah 26/07/07
  79.   #63 Hastarot 12:24  |  Sarah 26/07/07
  80.   #70 Channah S. re Tupac 12:30  |  Sarah 26/07/07
  81.   #9 Natallie D 12:39  |  Itsik 26/07/07