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OTTAWA Canada criticized UNESCO Thursday after members of the UNcultural agency's executive board refused to kick Syria off acommittee charged with investigating human-rights abuses. Canada was one of 14 countries that had asked for Syria'smembership on UNESCO's committee on conventions and recommendationsto be revoked by sending a letter to the head of the executiveboard in December. Syria was initially named to the committee in November. Theappointment was made with unanimous consent from members of theexecutive board, including the United States and France, despitePresident Bashar Assad's ongoing crackdown on demonstrators. "Today, UNESCO had an opportunity to correct that wrong,"said a spokesman for Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, JosephLavoie. "Instead, it failed to call out Assad and his backersfor what they are: a regime that slaughters innocent Syrians." Members of UNESCO's executive board voted 35-8 to condemn thecrackdown on civilians in Syria, but the motion did not include anyreference to the country being removed from the committee onconventions and recommendations. Canada was unable to vote as it only has observer status on theexecutive board. However, last week, Canadian Ambassador to UNESCOJean-Pierre Blackburn had walked out of an executive board meetingwhile Syria's representative was speaking, Lavoie said. "While Canada was not involved in the original decision toname Syria to the Committee on Conventions and Recommendations atUNESCO, we nonetheless found it deeply disturbing given the Assadregime's continual and repeated violation of human rights," headded. Hillel Neuer, executive director of Geneva-based advocacy group UNWatch, believed the international community squandered an importantopportunity to send the Assad regime a message because many UNESCOmembers were worried that censuring Syria would set a precedent. "Politics simply trumped human rights, with too many UNESCOdiplomats fearing that if Syria were removed for its violations,many of them would be next," he said in an email. Meanwhile, a dispute between Saudi Arabia and Russia spilled intoOttawa on Thursday. Russian diplomats in Moscow and Damascus have accused Saudi Arabiaof supporting terrorism by providing arms and training to rebels inSyria. In response, the Saudi Embassy in Ottawa sent out a news releasecondemning the statements and countering that Russian support forAssad's regime might expose Russia to "moral, legal andcriminal responsibility." "History alone will respond to such accusations of armingterrorists," the release adds, "and will undoubtedlytestify to who are the terrorists and who are behind them." lberthiaume(at)postmedia.com Twitter.com/leeberthiaume. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as Bubble Wrap Rolls Manufacturer , Poly Bubble Envelope for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Poly Bubble Envelope.
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