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 Editorials | At Issue | April 2006 
Mexico Wants Seat, But Won´t Bargain
 El Universal
| | Mexico´s ambassador to the United Nations, Enrique Berruga. |
Mexico this week said countries seeking a spot on the revamped U.N. Human Rights Commission should accept "the principle of mutual review" and agree up front to allow visits to their respective territories by the panel´s rapporteurs.
The government´s position was set forth by Mexico´s ambassador to the United Nations, Enrique Berruga, in statements to the daily Milenio.
He also said Mexico will not bargain with other countries to advance its bid for a seat on the new commission.
"That means, we won´t offer to support (a nation) for the Security Council or other commissions in exchange for a vote to get us on the Human Rights Council," the diplomat explained. "We want to change that idea of the grand bazaar where votes are traded and any old result emerges."
The ambassador said Mexico can count on backing from 45 nations in its effort to garner a seat on the rights body and is actively seeking 41 additional votes.
Elections for the new 47-member commission, which is supposed to begin work in June at its headquarters in Geneva, are set for May 9. Competing with Mexico to fill the seven slots reserved for Latin America are Argentina, Belize, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.
The United States, though it pushed hard for an overhaul of the panel, is not seeking to join the council this year. Washington says the reforms did not go far enough to ensure that repressive governments are prevented from using membership of the commission to muzzle criticism of their own human rights records.
Berruga said the Mexico wants to gain a seat "on merit."
"In the last 10 years, Mexico has been one of the most active contributors to the framework of human rights at the international level," the envoy said.
Acknowledging that abuses continue in Mexico, he said "the attitude of the government and society has been to remedy the problem, not to cover it up."
The diplomat said he will argue in the U.N. that every country aspiring to a place on the rights commission should agree in advance "to be subject to periodic review to determine whether or not they meet a minimum standard of respect for human rights." |
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