'Disappointed' with exit from UN body, US allies

INA - Sources After U.S. decision to pull out of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council, U.S. allies, including Australia and the European Union, have joined voices expressing disappointment and regret that the United States is quitting the U.N.’s main human rights body. Diplomats from several countries made the comments in a brief break in the Human Rights Council’s regular schedule on Wednesday to allow for comments about the Trump administration’s decision Tuesday to pull out from the 47-member council. The U.S. is the first country to exit voluntarily in the council’s 12-year history. President Borut Pahor of Slovenia — the home country of U.S. first lady Melania Trump — said the American withdrawal was “bad news” for the council, the United Nations, the U.S. and “everybody” who cares about human rights. Earlier, deputy permanent representative Yu Jianhua of China — which has sporadically faced U.S. criticism over its human rights record — said his delegation was “disappointed” about the U.S. pullout. He said: “All delegations attach great importance to this body.” The United States is emphasizing that its pullout from the United Nations’ main human rights body doesn’t mean it’s stopping its work with the U.N.’s rights chief. Russia says that the U.S. exit from the United Nations’ Human Rights Council reflects Washington’s unilateralist approach to global affairs. The U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Nikki Haley, announced the pullout Tuesday, criticizing the council for “its chronic bias against Israel” and pointing out that it includes accused human rights abusers such as China, Cuba, Venezuela and Congo. @WP