U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONER BACKS AWAY FROM ANTI-SEMITIC ARAB CHARTER

Arbour backs away from endorsing Arab charter (National Post)
UNITED NATIONS - Louise Arbour, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, backed away yesterday from what appeared to be unqualified support for a new pan-Arab human rights charter that includes a commitment to eliminate Zionism.

The former Canadian Supreme Court justice had said in a statement that she welcomed the Arab Charter on Human Rights, a document critics say equates Zionism with racism, and some believe seeks the destruction of Israel.

In a new statement, Ms. Arbour said her Geneva-based Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has long been troubled by several of the "rights" enshrined in the charter, which goes into force in mid-March.

"Throughout the development of the Arab charter, my office shared concerns with the drafters about the incompatibility of some of its provisions with international norms and standards," the new statement said. "These concerns included the approach to the death penalty for children and the rights of women and non-citizens."

In addressing the Zionism references, Ms. Arbour touches on the UN General Assembly's repeal of its 1975 resolution equating Zionism with racism. "To the extent that [the charter] equates Zionism with racism, we reiterated that [it] is not in conformity with [the 1991] General Assembly resolution, which rejects that Zion-ism is a form of racism and racial discrimination," she said.

"OHCHR does not endorse these inconsistencies. We continue to work with all stakeholders in the region to ensure the implementation of universal human rights norms."

In Ottawa, the Conservative government called on Ms. Arbour to wash her hands completely of the charter. "Eradicating Zionism would mean the eradication of the Jewish state," Tory MP Pierre Poilievre told the Commons yesterday.

Amnesty International, the International Commission of Jurists and Geneva-based UN Watch are among groups lobbying for changes to the Arab charter's wording.

Despite Ms. Arbour's clarification, her initial statement has sparked outrage among some members of Canada's Jewish community.

"As Canadians, we are ashamed of Ms. Arbour's actions," said Frank Dimant, executive vice-president of B'nai Brith Canada. "The fact that she holds the position of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights brings disrepute to that institution, further diminishing its standing as any kind of moral arbiter."

YOU CAN READ MORE ABOUT THE VILE MS. ARBOUR AND HER ISRAEL-HATING WAYS  HERE.