Conquer Club

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. General Assembly split over the issue of gay rights on Thursday after a European-drafted statement calling for decriminalization of homosexuality prompted an Arab-backed one opposing it.

Diplomats said a joint statement initiated by France and the Netherlands gathered 66 signatures in the 192-nation assembly after it was read out by Argentina at a plenary session. A rival statement, read out by Syria, gathered some 60.

The two statements remained open for further signatures, the diplomats said. No resolution was drafted on the issue and there was no voting, they added.

The division in the General Assembly reflected conflicting laws in the world at large. According to sponsors of the Franco-Dutch text, homosexuality is illegal in 77 countries, seven of which punish it by death.

The European Union-backed document, noting that the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was marked this month, said those rights applied equally to all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

It urged states "to take all the necessary measures, in particular legislative or administrative, to ensure that sexual orientation or gender identity may under no circumstances be the basis for criminal penalties, in particular executions, arrests or detention."

But the opposing document said the statement "delves into matters which fall essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of states" and could lead to "the social normalization, and possibly the legitimization, of many deplorable acts including pedophilia."

"We note with concern the attempts to create 'new rights' or 'new standards,' by misinterpreting the Universal Declaration and international treaties to include such notions that were never articulated nor agreed by the general membership," it added.

This, it said, could "seriously jeopardize the entire international human rights framework."

Muslim countries have for years opposed international attempts to legalize homosexuality.

U.S. officials said the United States had not signed either document. They said the broad framing of the language in the statement supporting decriminalization created conflicts with U.S. law, but gave no further details.

But Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen told reporters it was a "very special day at the U.N."

"For the first time in history a large group of member states speaks out in the General Assembly against discrimination based on sexual orientation," he said. "With today's statement, this is no longer a taboo within the U.N."

Syrian Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari told reporters sponsors of the statement had "cornered" other members by springing the declaration on them.

GabonX wrote:The UN is inept and incredible.

OnlyAmbrose wrote:The creation of Israel and thus a contributing factor to most of the major conflicts in the modern Middle East?

Oh wait... bettering the human race.

Napoleon Ier wrote:Can anyone name a single thing the UN has done which has in any way contributed to the bettering of the human race? I bet I can shoot down any nominations.

Napoleon Ier wrote:Yeah, but imagine how much better off we'd be if they actually delegated those tasks to competent people? I mean, sure, the UN may have gotten a few of the billions of dollars lavished on them each year to the right place. But then, billions of monkeys at typewriters will eventually write up the Complete Works of Shakespeare given enough time, so...

GabonX wrote:

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. General Assembly split over the issue of gay rights on Thursday after a European-drafted statement calling for decriminalization of homosexuality prompted an Arab-backed one opposing it.

Diplomats said a joint statement initiated by France and the Netherlands gathered 66 signatures in the 192-nation assembly after it was read out by Argentina at a plenary session. A rival statement, read out by Syria, gathered some 60.

The two statements remained open for further signatures, the diplomats said. No resolution was drafted on the issue and there was no voting, they added.

The division in the General Assembly reflected conflicting laws in the world at large. According to sponsors of the Franco-Dutch text, homosexuality is illegal in 77 countries, seven of which punish it by death.

The European Union-backed document, noting that the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was marked this month, said those rights applied equally to all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

It urged states "to take all the necessary measures, in particular legislative or administrative, to ensure that sexual orientation or gender identity may under no circumstances be the basis for criminal penalties, in particular executions, arrests or detention."

But the opposing document said the statement "delves into matters which fall essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of states" and could lead to "the social normalization, and possibly the legitimization, of many deplorable acts including pedophilia."

"We note with concern the attempts to create 'new rights' or 'new standards,' by misinterpreting the Universal Declaration and international treaties to include such notions that were never articulated nor agreed by the general membership," it added.

This, it said, could "seriously jeopardize the entire international human rights framework."

Muslim countries have for years opposed international attempts to legalize homosexuality.

U.S. officials said the United States had not signed either document. They said the broad framing of the language in the statement supporting decriminalization created conflicts with U.S. law, but gave no further details.

But Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen told reporters it was a "very special day at the U.N."

"For the first time in history a large group of member states speaks out in the General Assembly against discrimination based on sexual orientation," he said. "With today's statement, this is no longer a taboo within the U.N."

Syrian Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari told reporters sponsors of the statement had "cornered" other members by springing the declaration on them.

The only thing they seem to be able to agree on is how terrible the United States is for the world. The UN is inept and incredible.

Napoleon Ier wrote:

OnlyAmbrose wrote:The creation of Israel and thus a contributing factor to most of the major conflicts in the modern Middle East?

Oh wait... bettering the human race.

You...can't...say that! That's outrageous!

Oh dear... the UN. I swear if they put some reasonably intelligent schoolkids' Model UN group in charge of the actual UN, the world would be such a better place.

GabonX wrote:

Napoleon Ier wrote:

OnlyAmbrose wrote:The creation of Israel and thus a contributing factor to most of the major conflicts in the modern Middle East?

Oh wait... bettering the human race.

You...can't...say that! That's outrageous!

Oh dear... the UN. I swear if they put some reasonably intelligent schoolkids' Model UN group in charge of the actual UN, the world would be such a better place.

For the record the creation of Israel has led to conflict but the statement that Israel is a contributing factor to most of the major conflicts in the modern Middle East is false. The Iran-Iraq War, the Gulf War, the multiple Syrian invasions of Lebanon, the Russo-Afghanistan war, the Rise of the Taliban, the Islamic Revolution in Iran and the conflicts between Pakistan and India among many other conflicts in the Middle East which I can't think of off the top of my head demonstrate that Israel is not the single destabalizing factor in the region. Israel is a contributing factor to some of the conflicts in the Middle East but even without it these people would and have found reasons to kill each other.

OnlyAmbrose wrote:

GabonX wrote:

Napoleon Ier wrote:

OnlyAmbrose wrote:The creation of Israel and thus a contributing factor to most of the major conflicts in the modern Middle East?

Oh wait... bettering the human race.

You...can't...say that! That's outrageous!

Oh dear... the UN. I swear if they put some reasonably intelligent schoolkids' Model UN group in charge of the actual UN, the world would be such a better place.

For the record the creation of Israel has led to conflict but the statement that Israel is a contributing factor to most of the major conflicts in the modern Middle East is false. The Iran-Iraq War, the Gulf War, the multiple Syrian invasions of Lebanon, the Russo-Afghanistan war, the Rise of the Taliban, the Islamic Revolution in Iran and the conflicts between Pakistan and India among many other conflicts in the Middle East which I can't think of off the top of my head demonstrate that Israel is not the single destabalizing factor in the region. Israel is a contributing factor to some of the conflicts in the Middle East but even without it these people would and have found reasons to kill each other.

Definitely not false. Israel has indeed been a contributing factor to nearly every conflict in the Middle East. The Iran-Iraq war is an exception, but Sadaam Hussein would not have received nearly as much Arab support as he did during the Gulf War if it wasn't for the fact that the US is Israel's key ally.

The Lebanese Civil War (the intervention of Syria is what I'm assuming you're referring to) was directly caused by (among other things) the influx of Palestinian refugees.

One of Osama bin Laden's major beefs with the US is our support of Zionism and Israel.

Those examples aside, as GT mentioned, there are obviously numerous wars which Israel has been the direct aggressor in.

In short, whether you're pro-Israel or anti-Israel, you'd be hard-pressed to make that case that Israel isn't the cause or at least a causing factor in most of the conflict in the Mid East.

b.k. barunt wrote:This i gotta hear. Israel doesn't need to start any wars - they have a multitude of raghead wogs standing in line to start one with them.

got tonkaed wrote:at the absolute minimum, you could make the argument in terms of recent conflict they lost a fair amount of weight to the moral argument in 2006. Im certainly not saying they wont be justified in doing something militarily in Gaza if something doesnt change very soon (which regrettably it doesnt look like it will), but i think it requires a fairly closed perspective on their 60 year history to pass the blame off on all others.

Napoleon Ier wrote:Mmm. You're probably right to point out that especially with Iran being the threat it is now, the US is ideally placed to twist a few arms and get Israel to clean up it's act a little.