South Africa, Rwanda, Japan, El Salvador, Poland, Czech Republic and Latvia voted against China with Abstention votes of Liberia, Mauritius, Niger, Senegal and Tunisia

Geneva, 23 April, (TYC) - This afternoon, China prevented the 55th session of the UN Commission on Human Rights from having a substantive discussion and vote on the resolution introduced by the United States of

America to censure BeijingΓs human rights record. Poland co-sponsored the resolution. After about 45 minutes debate on ChinaΓs "no-action motion" proposal, 22 countries voted in favour of China with 17 against and 14 abstentions.

In 1997, the result of the vote on a similar Chinese proposal was 27 in favour of China, 17 against and 9 abstentions. There are 53 countries who are member of the Commission on Human Rights with voting rights.

The most encouraging part of the vote was the inability of China to secure 7 votes from African countries. South Africa and Rwanda voted against ChinaΓs proposal while Liberia, Mauritius, Niger, Senegal and Tunisia abstained. The African countries in the membership of this UN forum have been traditional supporters of China. "This shows that China

is loosing support from African countries who now realise that the UN Commission on Human Rights has the legitimate right to scrutinise the human rights situation in China," said Mrs. Chungdak Koren, Representative of H. H. the Dalai Lama for UN Affairs at the Tibet Bureau, in Geneva.

While introducing the resolution Ambassador Nancy Rubin, the Head of the

U.S.A. Delegation spoke about AmericaΓs concern on the situation in Tibet and ChinaΓs refusal to hold dialogue with His Holiness the Dalai Lama or to allow independent access to Gendun Choekyi Nyima, the Eleventh Panchen Lama of Tibet. She urged China to open genuine dialogue with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. She also said that the main reason for the United States to introduce the resolution this year was because of the concern over the deterioration of the human rights situation in China since late 1998. The Head of the German delegation, speaking on behalf of the European Union opposed ChinaΓs "no action motion" and expressed the European UnionΓs concern on the situation in Tibet. Japan, Canada and El Salvador raised their strong objection to ChinaΓs "no action motion." Japan said that the use of the "no action motion" was impeding the dialogue itself in the Commission on Human Rights.

After the Chinese Ambassador proposed the procedural motion to block the

vote on the China resolution, Cuba, Pakistan, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal spoke in favour of ChinaΓs motion. The Sri Lankan Ambassador while acknowledging that there was persistent human rights problems in China asked for the parties concerned to make a "genuine attempt" to resolve their differences through dialogue. However, the Pakistan Ambassador went beyond diplomatic norms when he termed the American resolution on China "a disease" of the Commission on Human Rights. One Asian NGO who observed the debate said: "This is a most unfortunate statement for an Asian diplomat to make at the Commission which is the highest UN human rights forums to discuss any country situation."

The voting was observed by Mr. Pema Lhundup, one of the three Tibetan Hunger Strikers in the TYC Hunger Strike Movement in Geneva which today completed its nineteenth day. "I was surprised that the very forum of the United Nations system which has the mandate to censure China for its

human rights failures was not able to do so purely because of political considerations."

In the final analysis China could not muster the 27 votes she received when the 53rd session of the Commission on Human Rights in 1997 voted in

a similar proposal from China. This shows that support for ChinaΓs procedural manipulation of the rules and regulations of this UN body is reducing. The voting patterns of the Russian Federation, Chile, Romania and Venezuela made the main difference in the result. For example, Russia always voted against ChinaΓs "no action motion" proposal

in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 and abstained 1997. But this year because of the Kosovo crisis Moscow switched the vote. Chile, for example, voted against China's proposal in 1997.

THE VOTE: (Yes in favour of China)

YES: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Botswana, Cape Verde, China, Colombia, Congo, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, India, Indonesia, Madagascar,

Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, Pakistan, Peru, Qatar, Russian Federation, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Venezuela

NO: Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, El Salvador, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Rwanda, South

Africa, United Kingdom and United States of America

ABSTENTIONS: Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Liberia, Mauritius, Mexico, Niger, Philippines, South Korea, Romania, Senegal, Tunisia and Uruguay

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Last updated: 29-April-99