Syria nominated at UNESCO Committee

[shira]

BLITZER: Certainly is. Good report. Thanks very much. We're also learning some outrageous new developments involving Syria and the United Nations. Stand by.

BLITZER: Here's an outrageous new development involving Syria. Lisa Sylvester is watching that and some of the other top stories -- Lisa.

SYLVESTER: Hi, Wolf. Well, we're used to seeing deadly protests in Syria these days. Now despite months of alleged human rights abuses, a United Nations watch dog group is reporting, UNESCO, the U.N.'s education arm unanimously elected Syria to a committees including one dealing with human rights. The Arab group within UNESCO nominated Syria for those spots.

http://www.unwatch.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=bdKKISNqEmG&b=1319279&ct=11519509¬oc=1

Who here still takes the UN seriously? :shrug:

[holdencaufield]

1. Seriously EXPENSIVE

Seriously corrupt

Seriously divisive

Seriously inept

[Lars77]

2. What´s odd about this, is that a google search only shows right wing media sourcing this

The few main stream sources there are quotes a translation of an Israeli paper which again is done by the Weekly Standard.

This is weird. I don´t doubt it though, the problem with the UN is that everyone gets involved. The Syrians should obviously be excluded from the whole thing.

[vminfla]

8. And those are the UNs virtues

just kidding.

[vminfla]

3. Farce has given way to Kafkasque

The UN is miles past farce now.

[bemildred]

4. United Nuthouse?

UNESCO’s executive board: including Britain, France, the US and other democracies elected Syria to two committees, one dealing directly with human rights initiatives-- even as-- Assad tightens his grip on Syrian liberties, hunting down and murdering dissent along with approximately 3500 Syrian protesters over the past eight months.

“It’s shameful for the UN’s prime agency on science, culture and education to take a country that is shooting its own people and empower it to decide human rights issues on a global scale.” –H Neuer UN Watch

The election occurred just one day before the League of Arab States moved to suspend Syrian membership from the same organization. UNESCO just recently became the first U.N. agency to grant the Palestinians (which includes terrorist Hamas) full membership.

“The Arab League’s suspension of Syria is stripped of any meaning when its member states elevate Syria to UN human rights committees,” says Hillel Neuer, executive director of the Geneva-based monitoring group UN Watch

http://www.startribune.com/local/yourvoices/134628623.html

[azurnoir]

5. even stranger considering this from the UNHRC no less

UN Commission: Syrian Forces Committed 'Crimes Against Humanity'

A United Nations commission investigating allegations of human rights violations in Syria says Syrian forces committed crimes against humanity during the government's ongoing crackdown on dissent. The commission called Monday for the government to put an immediate end to the violence, investigate rights violations and bring the perpetrators to justice.

The U.N. Human Rights Council established the fact-finding commission in August. The three-member panel, headed by Paulo Pinheiro, a Brazilian human rights expert, presented its first report Monday at a news conference in Geneva.

Pinheiro said the panel and its team of investigators gathered first-hand information from at least 223 victims and witnesses from the end of September through mid-November. He would not go into detail about how they gathered that information but said it amounted to a “solid body of evidence.”

He said the panel concluded that the army and security forces committed serious crimes under international law.

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/International-Pressure-Increases-on-Syria-134600538.html

[bemildred]

6. Embarrassing, I would think. nt

[vminfla]

7. Good thing we defunded UNESCO

Good Job US, let UNESCO enjoy its last hurrah.