Iran says UN human rights report is unfair, biased

TEHRAN,Nov.8(MNA) – The Iranian delegation to the United Nations dismissed the most recent report of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon about the human rights situation in Iran as unfair and biased. The Iranian delegation made the remarks in a statement read out before the Third Committee of the 67th Session of the General Assembly at the UN Headquarters in New York on Monday. Following are excerpts of the text of the Iranian delegation’s speech: By constructively engaging in human rights processes at national, regional and international levels, the Islamic Republic of Iran has repeatedly manifested its unwavering commitment towards the promotion and protection of all human rights. At the same time, Iran tends to regard that a biased approach towards human rights erodes the credibility and legitimacy of human rights mechanisms and undermines capacity of states for genuine promotion and protection of human rights all over the world. This applies to the current report before the committee, on which the Islamic Republic of Iran would like to make the following comments and observations: The Islamic Republic of Iran has worked wholeheartedly to realize the rights of its citizens and to create a prosperous society based on justice, equality, independence, legitimate freedoms, as well as social and economic developments. Iran’s human rights policy emphasizes the significance of an interactive and cooperative approach in the promotion and protection of human rights as stipulated in the UN Charter along with the avoidance of confrontation, double standards, and politicization. Although based on the Resolution 66/175, the United Nations secretary general is asked to prepare a report on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, since the resolution, similar to earlier resolutions, is of an unfair, selective and biased nature and it was adopted on the basis of totally political and malintention of a limited number of so-called champions of human rights, it is not acceptable at all by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Sadly, the long-standing practice of one country in pursuing its political agenda, initiated in a resolution of an unfair, selective and biased nature to satisfy its short-sighted political interests and to use it more as an instrument of fault finding, naming and shaming exercise than a vehicle to bring understanding for the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide. As it was addressed adequately in our responses to the three previous reports of the secretary general, despite the effective cooperation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, its expression of readiness to provide all the necessary information for preparation of a fair, unbiased, and non-selective report and its preparedness to help with verification of cases raised in the report, in practice, the reaction was quite unexpectedly opposite. The Islamic Republic of Iran has constantly taken numerous steps toward promotion of human rights at the national and international levels. Our ongoing efforts to promote human rights have been based on our religious teachings and obligations and adherence to the Constitution, laws, and regulations of the country and our commitments under international treaties. We are committed to promotion of human rights both in our deeds and words. The Islamic Republic of Iran considers the reports of the United Nations secretary general as an important mechanism, provided they are purely professional and free from politicization. We firmly believe that the present report of the United Nations secretary general has neglected a large number of achievements and positive developments of human right in my country. Furthermore, the report clearly suffers from partiality and lack of balance, and it has adopted a selective approach towards provided information. The Islamic Republic of Iran expected inclusion of positive human rights developments of Iran, in different fields, in the Report and declares that the Report do not enjoy the required general balance both in form and content. Mere repetition of unfounded, illogic and unrealistic allegations, lacking legal foundations, resorting to foreign, non-governmental, informal, biased and mal-intended sources against a founding member state of the United Nation, has outstandingly decreased credibility of the report. The Iranian officials in the meeting with the H.E. Mr. Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations secretary general, during his recent visit to Tehran, expressed their readiness (for) constructive engagement with the secretary general and the High Commissioner for Human Rights. In this regard it is noteworthy to remind that my government has already invited the High Commissioner to visit the country in (the) near future.