Russia hopes US will rethink exiting UN human rights agency

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Moscow hopes that the United States will rethink its decision to pull out of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday.

"We hope that this decision is not final and that the United States confirms its dedication to the United Nations, especially on such an important issue as human rights," Lavrov said at a joint press conference with visiting UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

"The United States considers itself a champion in this sphere. If so, it should have arguments, which will permit it to work in the UNHRC, including with those who promote attitudes, initiatives or positions not always coinciding with the US ones," he added.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) speaks with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during their meeting in Moscow, June 21, 2018. /VCG Photo

The United States announced its withdrawal from the UNHRC Tuesday, accusing the agency of being "a protector of human rights abusers" and of bias against Israel.

Lavrov said the debates on the clashes on the Israel-Gaza border in May showed that the majority of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) members had an objective position.

The UNSC in an emergency meeting on May 15 called for calm along the Israel-Gaza border following the violent clashes, in which dozens of Palestinians were killed while protesting the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and the opening of its embassy there.

Guterres said the UNHRC is a key instrument aimed at stimulating human rights observations all over the world, expressing his hope that the work would continue.

The two also discussed the Iran nuclear deal and the progress on the Korean Peninsula.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency