Press Statement Tom Casey, Deputy Spokesman Washington, DC November 24, 2006 U.S. Welcomes Passage of Third Committee Resolutions Condemning Human Rights Situation in Burma, Belarus, Iran, and North KoreaThe United States welcomes the recent passage of four significant country resolutions at the United Nations General Assembly's Third Committee calling on the governments of Burma, Belarus, Iran and North Korea to end human rights violations. We were disappointed that our resolution on Uzbekistan was narrowly blocked by a "no-action" motion, a move to stifle debate that was rebuffed in each of the other four. The citizens of all of these countries do not enjoy basic civil liberties including the freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly. We continue to call on the governments of Burma, Belarus, Iran, North Korea and Uzbekistan to respect the human rights of all their citizens and to release all those unjustly imprisoned for trying to exercise their most basic civil liberties. The peoples of each of these countries deserve to live without fear of government repression, and be integrated into the community of free and open nations. |