US Dropped out of UN Civil Literties Commission

The US isolation from the international society was signaled by the sudden drop of its chair in the Civil Literties Commission May 3, for the first time since theh Commission was launched in 1947,

UN diplomatics analyzed that it was a response to the Bush administration that had ignored its responsible leadership as a super power. George Bush Administration had annuled the Kyoto Protocol to the UN Framework Convention on Claimate Change and cancelled the Antiballistic Missile (ABM) Pact to establish its National Missile Defense (NMD) system.

The Civil Liberties Commission under the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) includes 53 member countries. The term of the members is three years and one third of the council is elected, and could be reelected, by the decision of the 54 members of ECOSOC every year.

The US had competed with Fance, Austria, and Sweden for three chairs assigned to the West Europe and the North America. The US was greatly shamed when it gained only 29 votes, compared to France (52), Austria (41), and Sweden (32), by the way of the election that 53 members of the Civil Liberties Commission under ECOSOC vote three countries for each region. In consequence, the US has to yield its seat of membership by the end of this year after residing 54 years long.

The election outcome is creating stirs in the international society because of the very reason that the US, which is also a permanent member of the UN Security Council, has had a tremendous influence as a member of the council on the international society.

Stunned by the result, James Cunniingham, a daffaires of the US Embassy to the UN, commented, `The result of the election is very disappoiting.`

UN diplomatics added that this striking outcome is rooted in the international discontentment to the arrogant attitude of the US not in its polices related to the human rights.

Meanwhile, in Asia, Korea, Barain, and Pakistan was elected for the three seats assigned to the region. Korea was reelected as a member of the council for this term and so it will have served for 12 years since 1992.

Shin Chi-Young higgledy@donga.com