The United States will not run for a United Nations Human Rights
Council seat this year, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack
said at a briefing on Thursday.
"The United States will not run for a United Nations human
rights council seat in the council's first elections scheduled for
May 9, 2006," McCormack said.
There are many strong candidates for the body created in March
and "it's only fair they have the opportunity to run for a seat on
the council for which they have voted," McCormack said.
Nonetheless, McCormack said that the United States is going to
support the UN council "politically, diplomatically, as well as
financially and "we will also be an observer."
"With a strong collective effort in the coming months to make
the council effective, the United States will likely run for the
council next year," McCormack added.
The United States has called for reform of the United Nations
council and criticized the council as ineffective.
(Xinhua News Agency April 7, 2006)
