Luis Alfonso de Alba o el triste legado de México en la ONU (1)

Conocí al embajador Luis Alfonso de Alba el año pasado en el Congreso Internacional contra Discriminación realizado por el Conapred, y pensé que era un hombre inteligente, progresista, que la haría mucho bien al mundo estando en la cabeza del nuevo Consejo de Derechos Humanos de Naciones Unidas. Creo que me equivoqué... Eldejó el Consejo de Derechos Humanos el pasado lunes, y es triste como lo convirtió en un espacio de mafia del autoritarismo y de ataque hacia las democracias. Es notorio, como lo expone la misma La Jornada , como el embajado de Alba ayudó a que el Consejo dejará de cuidar los derechos humanos en Cuba, que hoy por hoy sigue gobernada desde hace casi mil años por el mismo hombre...

UN Watch, una ONG que vigila que se respete la agenda de derechos humanos y democracia en Naciones Unidas, ha constatado el triste legado antisemita, racista, homofobico que permitó el embajador de Alba, y como censuró la libertad de expresión de una ONG como UN Watch. Mejor le pareció que la discriminación hablara y que quienes no pensaban como los dictadores o los autocratas se callaran. Triste, muy triste...

Esta es parte la transcripción de lo que sucedió este pasado 23 de marzo de 2007, en Ginebra, un evento vergonzoso en al historia de la diplomacia mexicana. Primero los afirmaciones que el embajador agradeció, todas ellas. En otro post verán como de Alba contestó al testimonio de UN Watch.... Copio la transcripción:

The following quotes, many of which are on the video above, are a small sample of the invective and truly offensive statements that are welcome at the newly created U.N. Human Rights Council:

Insulting Council Members

• “The distinguished delegate is ignorant...” — Zimbabwe delegate, speaking of his counterpart from Finland, and accusing him of “astonishing and astounding hypocrisy,” Sept. 20, 2006.
  

Insulting UN Experts

• “This libelous report does not deserve any respect or credibility. We will send it to the same place that we have sent all previous reports: the paper-recycling bin... There is, however, Madame, a significant contribution that you might make—and that would be by quitting...” — Cuban Ambassador Juan Antonio Fernández Palacios, Sept. 26, 2006, insulting UN expert Christine Chanet after she documented abuses by Cuba. The chair’s defense of the expert was limited to noting “the importance of not personifying or personalizing comments that will only exacerbate difficulties before us,” and followed his “Thank you to the delegate of Cuba for his statement.”

• “The one who has monopoly on the violation of human rights is Israel... the darling of the High Commissioner.” — Palestinian Ambassador Mohammad Abu-Koash, Dec. 1, 2006, mocking Louise Arbour, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, who dared to cite Palestinian obligations to stop terrorism in addition to her regular criticisms of Israel.
  

Violence Against Women

• “Incidents of violence against women have been exaggerated.” — Sudan’s Farah Mustafa, Deputy Governor of the state of South Darfur, Dec. 12, 2006, after the Council heard reports of mass rape of Darfur women by the Sudanese-sponsored Janjaweed militia.
  

Attacking Gays

• “Death penalty by stoning under Sharia law for unnatural sexual acts... should not be equated with extrajudicial killings and indeed should not have been featured in the report...” — Nigeria Ambassador Joseph Ayalogu, Sept. 19, 2006, challenging criticism by UN expert Philip Alston on Nigeria’s use of stoning to death as a punishment for homosexuality.

Glorifying Terrorism

• “Hezbollah is everyday simple people resisting, resisting an occupation...” — Cuban Ambassador Juan Antonio Fernández Palacios, Oct. 4, 2006.
  

Holocaust Denial

• “The Tehran Conference is not about denial of the Holocaust, it is rather an academic one that examines all aspects of the issue.” — Iranian delegate Forouza Ndeh Vadiati, Dec. 12, 2006.
  

• The Holocaust is a “historical claim”, “the number of perished” is a particularly “legitimate question,” and there are “serious opposing ideas over the issue.” — Iranian Ambassador Alireza Moayeri, in letter circulated Jan. 11, 2007 by Secretariat of the Human Rights Council (under standard UN practice) “at the request of the President of the Human Rights Council,” which “has the honour to forward attached herewith a letter addressed to him by the Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran.” The President expressed no objections in carrying out this duty.

• Iran’s Holocaust denial conference of December 2006, “Review of the Holocaust: Global Vision,” was “an academic event,” and Zionism is an ideology “charged with hegemonic racial desires.” — Moayeri letter, ibid.
  

Demonizing Israel

• “Israel has not quenched its thirst for the blood of the Lebanese and has now directed it against unarmed civilians in Beit Hanoun.” Lebanese representative, Nov. 15, 2006, referring to Israel’s response to the Palestinian firing of Kassam rockets at the city of Sderot.

• “The Holocaust is going on, and it is an Israeli holocaust against the Palestinian people.” Palestine Ambassador Mohammad Abu-Koash, Dec. 12, 2006.
  
• “Furthermore, as the distinguished Ambassador of Palestine reminds us, there is an Israeli holocaust against Palestinian people on a daily basis for more than sixty years, which was already noted by three special sessions.” — Iranian delegate Forouza Ndeh Vadiati, Dec. 12, 2006.

• “[Israeli] massacres against the displaced people, women and children, those were deliberate acts...” — Nord-Sud XXI, Libyan-funded organization that manages the “Moammar Khaddafi Human Rights Prize,” Sept. 29, 2006.

• “A certain number of deliberate massacres of civilian populations” were committed by Israel.” — Jean Ziegler, UN special rapporteur on the right to food (and 1989 co-founder and 2002 co-winner of the “Moammar Khaddafi Human Rights Prize”), Oct. 4, 2006.

• “. . . civilian people were killed, massacred, by the invading forces who have come from the planet Mars which they now call the Israeli occupier.” — Syrian delegate, June 23, 2006.