Cuba joins Iran to shame Canada at UN
Steven Edwards
CanWest News Service
Friday, November 24, 2006
UNITED NATIONS - Some of the most popular holiday destinations for Canadians have spurned helping Ottawa fight off Iran's bid to taint Canada's human rights record.
In a showdown at the United Nations, Cuba joined Iran and four other countries supporting Tehran's call for the world body to censure Canada over its treatment of aboriginal Canadians and immigrants.
Various other countries popular with Canadian tourists stopped short of speaking up for Canada by abstaining. Among them were China, Thailand, Singapore, Barbados, Costa Rica, and South Africa.
The backbone of support for Canada came from Western democracies, and the European Union, Australia and New Zealand went on record saying Iran's anti-Canadian draft had been political retaliation for Canada's leadership Tuesday in seeing Iran's human rights record condemned.
Human rights resolutions at the world body are meant to ''name-and-shame'' countries that abuse their citizens, but whether they pass, they often reveal allegiances on the international stage.
Against the backdrop of the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba, Canada has provided considerable political and economic support to Cuba over the years, despite the island state's own internationally documented lapses in respecting human rights.
Canadian tourists have also made Cuba one of their top five destinations, and Statistics Canada figures show some 517,900 visited last year, spending more than $457 million.
''That's almost a quarter of all the tourists Cuba received last year,'' said Maria Werlau, a Cuban exile who runs the human rights Free Society Project from New Jersey, and has written on the importance of tourism to Cuba.
''For Cuba to take this stance on a measure even they know is politically motivated is a cheap shot, and Canadians need to be informed about how Fidel Castro's government is repaying them for their indirect support of his regime.''
Cuban officials couldn't be reached for comment but the Cuban UN mission's Jorge Cumberbatch, addressing the world body last month on Canada's draft against Iran, suggested Ottawa was doing Washington's bidding.
''Canada has become an accomplice in the war of adventures of its imperial neighbour,'' he said.
Despite the accusation, Canada this month voted in favour of a UN resolution calling on the U.S. to end its embargo against Cuba. This year marks the fourth consecutive year, meanwhile, that Canada has introduced and seen passed a resolution condemning Iran's human rights record.
By contrast, Cuba and Iran have been growing closer for some time, and on a visit to Tehran, Castro reportedly said the two countries can ''bring America to its knees.''
The Iranian draft expressed a series of ''grave'' and ''particular'' concerns about the economic well being and treatment of aboriginal peoples and immigrants in Canada.
It also ''deplores the worrying situation of female prisoners'' in Canada - a clause some experts believe the Iranians inserted in retaliation for Canadian condemnation of the 2003 torture and murder in a Tehran jail of Iranian-Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi.
''There are many human rights advocates in Canada, including aboriginal leaders; they can freely speak up; they are not in jail for having expressed their opinions or claimed their rights,'' John McNee, Canada's ambassador to the UN, said as he defended Canada's record just ahead of the vote Wednesday.
China's representative said he hoped Ottawa would ''improve its human rights situation.'' Almost 161,000 Canadians visited China last year, depositing more than $304 million.
Abstaining without comment were Thailand, visited last year by 87,000 Canadians, who spent $140 million; and Singapore, visited by 66,400, who spent more than $41 million.
Other Canadian tourist destinations that abstained were Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Ecuador, Kenya, Malaysia, Philippines, and Trinidad and Tobago.
The resolution was rejected 107-6, with 49 abstentions - but even some countries that supported Canada said they were doing so only because they would rather see no ''country-specific'' resolutions at all.
Uzbekistan and Venezuela were among this group - two countries that themselves face accusations of human rights abuses.
Besides Cuba, Iran got backing for its anti-Canadian draft from North Korea, Syria, Myanmar, and Belarus.
CanWest News Service
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=47245a0e-55f5-4318-8870-09614eeb3532&k=69541
Steven Edwards
CanWest News Service
Friday, November 24, 2006
UNITED NATIONS - Some of the most popular holiday destinations for Canadians have spurned helping Ottawa fight off Iran's bid to taint Canada's human rights record.
In a showdown at the United Nations, Cuba joined Iran and four other countries supporting Tehran's call for the world body to censure Canada over its treatment of aboriginal Canadians and immigrants.
Various other countries popular with Canadian tourists stopped short of speaking up for Canada by abstaining. Among them were China, Thailand, Singapore, Barbados, Costa Rica, and South Africa.
The backbone of support for Canada came from Western democracies, and the European Union, Australia and New Zealand went on record saying Iran's anti-Canadian draft had been political retaliation for Canada's leadership Tuesday in seeing Iran's human rights record condemned.
Human rights resolutions at the world body are meant to ''name-and-shame'' countries that abuse their citizens, but whether they pass, they often reveal allegiances on the international stage.
Against the backdrop of the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba, Canada has provided considerable political and economic support to Cuba over the years, despite the island state's own internationally documented lapses in respecting human rights.
Canadian tourists have also made Cuba one of their top five destinations, and Statistics Canada figures show some 517,900 visited last year, spending more than $457 million.
''That's almost a quarter of all the tourists Cuba received last year,'' said Maria Werlau, a Cuban exile who runs the human rights Free Society Project from New Jersey, and has written on the importance of tourism to Cuba.
''For Cuba to take this stance on a measure even they know is politically motivated is a cheap shot, and Canadians need to be informed about how Fidel Castro's government is repaying them for their indirect support of his regime.''
Cuban officials couldn't be reached for comment but the Cuban UN mission's Jorge Cumberbatch, addressing the world body last month on Canada's draft against Iran, suggested Ottawa was doing Washington's bidding.
''Canada has become an accomplice in the war of adventures of its imperial neighbour,'' he said.
Despite the accusation, Canada this month voted in favour of a UN resolution calling on the U.S. to end its embargo against Cuba. This year marks the fourth consecutive year, meanwhile, that Canada has introduced and seen passed a resolution condemning Iran's human rights record.
By contrast, Cuba and Iran have been growing closer for some time, and on a visit to Tehran, Castro reportedly said the two countries can ''bring America to its knees.''
The Iranian draft expressed a series of ''grave'' and ''particular'' concerns about the economic well being and treatment of aboriginal peoples and immigrants in Canada.
It also ''deplores the worrying situation of female prisoners'' in Canada - a clause some experts believe the Iranians inserted in retaliation for Canadian condemnation of the 2003 torture and murder in a Tehran jail of Iranian-Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi.
''There are many human rights advocates in Canada, including aboriginal leaders; they can freely speak up; they are not in jail for having expressed their opinions or claimed their rights,'' John McNee, Canada's ambassador to the UN, said as he defended Canada's record just ahead of the vote Wednesday.
China's representative said he hoped Ottawa would ''improve its human rights situation.'' Almost 161,000 Canadians visited China last year, depositing more than $304 million.
Abstaining without comment were Thailand, visited last year by 87,000 Canadians, who spent $140 million; and Singapore, visited by 66,400, who spent more than $41 million.
Other Canadian tourist destinations that abstained were Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Ecuador, Kenya, Malaysia, Philippines, and Trinidad and Tobago.
The resolution was rejected 107-6, with 49 abstentions - but even some countries that supported Canada said they were doing so only because they would rather see no ''country-specific'' resolutions at all.
Uzbekistan and Venezuela were among this group - two countries that themselves face accusations of human rights abuses.
Besides Cuba, Iran got backing for its anti-Canadian draft from North Korea, Syria, Myanmar, and Belarus.
CanWest News Service
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=47245a0e-55f5-4318-8870-09614eeb3532&k=69541
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