UNGA human rights resolution lacks legal foundation: spokesman

Tehran, Dec 17, IRNA – Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a statement on Thursday that the resolution passed against Iran human rights record on Wednesday by the United Nations General Assembly has no legal foundation. He condemned issuance of the UN General Assembly resolution orchestrated by Canada, the EU states and the Israeli occupying regime accountable for systematic violation of human rights against Palestinians as politically-motivated. Khatibzadeh said that these countries are responsible for interference in other countries' domestic affairs and selling arms to the despotic regimes of the region. He added that the resolution that passed with less than half of the votes was the same text that was passed by the UNGA Third Committee a while ago. More than 110 countries avoided supporting the resolution, he said. He added that proponents of the resolution have succumbed to US bullying and have closed their eyes on the US economic terrorism against the people of Iran. Khatibzadeh said these countries have degraded themselves to accomplices of the US regime and suggested that Canada and other supporters of the resolution need to stop their intervening and illegal behavior toward the independent nations. Such "unconstructive moves" will not help the betterment of human rights in the world, but they also create negative clichés and political labeling against the independent states, he said. Khatibzadeh said that it was a typical example of exploitation of the lofty concept of human rights to gain short-sighted political advantage, which is condemned and lacks any legal foundations. He said that in the meeting of the Third Committee, some 114 out of 190 UN members had not voted for the resolution, adding that the move made by Canada and other supporters of the resolution was a blame game about human rights and that repetition of such false reports will further defame the countries themselves, the proponents of the anti-Iran resolution: the so-called advocates of human rights. He drew attention of Canada to grave violation of human rights by getting closer to a group of regimes with bad human rights records, citing the US, Zionist regime and Bahrain, saying that Canada is sharing the disgrace with them over their human rights violations. He said, in the meantime, that the Canadian officials need to focus on their domestic anti-human rights issues, like the genocide of native people of Canada. Khatibzadeh said that Canada is accountable for their aiding and abetting the Saudis' and Israelis' killing of Yemenis and Palestinians.