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Last update - 14:14 15/10/2007
Envoy urges UN to quit Quartet over lack of regard for human rights
By Reuters

The United Nations should pull out of the Quartet of Middle East mediators unless the group starts taking Palestinian human rights seriously, a UN envoy said on Monday.

John Dugard, the UN special rapporteur on human rights for the Palestinian territories, told the BBC the world body "does itself little good" by remaining in the Quartet group of the United States, European Union, Russia and the United Nations.

"In my most recent report to the General Assembly...I will suggest that the secretary general withdraw the UN from the Quartet, if the Quartet fails to have regard to the human rights situation in the Palestinian territories," Dugard said.
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Dugard, who is due to present the report next month, could not immediately be reached for comment.

The South African, who has served in the independent post since 2001, said Israel Defense Forces checkpoints in the occupied West Bank were meant to divide the territory into "cantons" and "make the life of Palestinians as miserable as possible".

The IDF says its network of West Bank checkpoints, which Palestinians call collective punishment, are necessary to stop suicide bombers.

Dugard's comments echoed searing allegations from a former UN Middle East envoy who said in June after leaving the post that UN policy in the region had failed because it was subservient to U.S. and Israeli interests.

Alvaro de Soto upbraided the Quartet for failing the Palestinians and also urged the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to "seriously reconsider" continued UN membership in the group.

Dugard said the Quartet was "heavily influenced" by the United States, and criticized Western powers for backing Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction while maintaining a crippling boycott of Islamist group Hamas.

"The international community has given its support almost completely to one faction, the Fatah faction," he said. "That's not the role the UN should take."

Dugard was skeptical that the U.S.-sponsored peace conference set to take place in Maryland next month would succeed in bridging Israeli and Palestinian differences on creating a Palestinian state.

He warned of "serious consequences" if expectations are not met, raising the possibility of a third Palestinian uprising, or intifada, against Israel.

"Inevitably in a military occupation, there are likely to be those engaged in resistance," he said, noting that history may treat those deemed "terrorists" differently.



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      1.   A good idea 13:48  |  Jonathan S 15/10/07
      2.   he is right 13:59  |  ravi 15/10/07
      3.   Once again the UN is just a propaganda arm.... 14:18  |  waldo 15/10/07
      4.   THE QUARTET IS TO SERVE ISRAEL`S INTERESTS NOT PALESTINIANS 14:20  |  TrippleJump 15/10/07
      5.   UN: don`t let the door hit you on the way out 14:47  |  matt 15/10/07
      6.   # 4 - who "we" 14:50  |  Peace lover 15/10/07
      7.   Huge and historical setback for zionism 14:58  |  Hannah 15/10/07
      8.   checkpoints 15:20  |  scallywag 15/10/07
      9.   Human Rights starts at home - in the Refugee Camps 15:24  |  Truth Magnified 15/10/07
      10.   Hamas 15:26  |  M 15/10/07
      11.   israel doesn`t care 15:30  |  edgar 15/10/07
      12.   John Dugard is also known as Ali Baba 15:33  |  ottomatik 15/10/07
      13.   This is one more nail in the coffin of the ziocons! Good for the 15:42  |  lakshmi 15/10/07
      14.   Dugard have a look at Pal concept of human rights 15:48  |  Jasmine Murphy 15/10/07
      15.   Hannah 15:55  |  Yoav Naor 15/10/07
      16.   lakshmi 16:29  |  scallywag 15/10/07
      17.   UN Envoy 16:52  |  The Rock 15/10/07
      18.   UN IMAGINATIVE 17:07  |  Brant 15/10/07
      19.   lack of regard for human rights 17:07  |  Daniel 15/10/07
      20.   Self Defeating suggestions 17:10  |  Buzaglow 15/10/07
      21.   #17 The Rock 17:12  |  Boycott 15/10/07
      22.   If Arabs do not retreat to Arabian desert they may spark Anti-Fad 17:36  |  Genuine Tosefta 15/10/07
      23.   All cheap imitators step aside,we were the first to proudly do it 17:43  |  ARAB BOYCOTT 15/10/07
      24.   Actually the "cantons" in Switzerland work very well. 17:48  |  Genuine Tosefta 15/10/07
      25.   Brant-Hilton Head 17:51  |  Edifice 15/10/07
      26.   What what about Israeli human rights? 17:53  |  Gee 15/10/07
      27.   Please quit UN, you do not scare anybody except the terrorists... 17:59  |  Genuine Tosefta 15/10/07
      28.   #15, Yoav Naor 18:01  |  Hannah 15/10/07
      29.   Hypocrite 18:22  |  Michael 15/10/07
      30.   #11 - edgar 18:27  |  MichaelF 15/10/07
      31.   #25, Edifice 18:30  |  Hannah 15/10/07
      32.   #17 - The Rock 18:31  |  MichaelF 15/10/07
      33.   Hannah and Lakshmi...a broken record! 18:32  |  DR 15/10/07
      34.   what a bunch of spineless hypocrits.... 18:44  |  Stan 15/10/07
      35.   Israeli Chutzpah Doesn`t Care - but Israel is untenable long run 18:57  |  0 Degrees 15/10/07
      36.   Stan don`t forget the 30000 refugees evacuated Nahr El-Bared camp 19:03  |  Genuine Tosefta 15/10/07
      37.   9 & 14/ Measuring Prisoner`s Human Rights Versus a Rich Countrys 19:06  |  Ziocide 15/10/07
      38.   Will George Bush`s Quartet become a Trio? 19:53  |  Mark Lincoln 15/10/07
      39.   fix the checkpoints 20:21  |  roberta 15/10/07
      40.   The muslim/islamic LOBBYat the UN will NOT ALLOW it 20:41  |  CK Tan 15/10/07
      41.   Hannah 20:59  |  Edifice 15/10/07
      42.   #37 ziocide CANNOT tell WRONGS from rights 21:26  |  CK Tan 15/10/07
      43.   34/ Want democracy - you got Hamas/Hezb/Iran -Welcome 2 future 21:32  |  ziocide 15/10/07
      44.   Hannah`s rantings 21:41  |  Jono 15/10/07
      45.   Thank you CK Tan, squeezed by Islam from all sides in Singapour 21:49  |  Genuine Tosefta 15/10/07
      46.   Edifice # 41 - KDHS?? 22:56  |  ChanahS 15/10/07
      47.   Hideous Hannah # 31 23:03  |  ChanahS 15/10/07
      48.   Way to Go 23:06  |  Abe 15/10/07
      49.   Re #39 Roberta, and what do the pals do??? 23:09  |  MaryRose 15/10/07
      50.   #45 Genuine Tosefta - Greetings 23:27  |  CK Tan 15/10/07
      51.   CK Tan it is a pleasure 00:29  |  Genuine Tosefta 16/10/07
      52.   Hamas! Hamas! 04:50  |  Janet 16/10/07
      53.   Thank you, John Dugard 23:31  |  Dutch 16/10/07
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