Free Republic

Treasury Secretary Says Letting Bush Tax Cuts for Rich Expire Will Not Slow Economic Growth July 24, 2010 6:00 PM In an exclusive interview on ABC News’ "This Week" to air Sunday, Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner said the White House would push to let the Bush tax cuts expire for individuals making more than $200,000 a year and families making more than $250,000, but keep them for middle and lower income Americans. “We think that's the responsible thing to do,” Geithner said, “because we need to make sure we can show the world that they're willing as a...

US scrambles to stop Libya heading UN rights body The United States has mounted a last-ditch campaign to prevent Libya from assuming the chairmanship of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights this month, State Department officials said. But the officials expressed doubt their effort would succeed and predicted Libya's leadership would badly damage the commission's credibility. "It is not appropriate for a country like Libya to hold the chair of the commission and so we are going to oppose it," one said. "We can't just let this happen without doing something about it." To that end, the State Department...

GENEVA (Reuters) - Libya, long accused by human rights activists of major abuses, is set to win the chairmanship of the U.N. top rights body Monday despite firm opposition from the United States. Diplomats said that the North African country of President Muammar Gaddafi would be chosen by the U.N. Human Rights Commission to preside at the coming annual session at which the health of rights around the world will be scrutinized. For the first time since the Commission was founded in 1947, the decision will go to a vote after Washington said it could not reward Libya's "terrible conduct"...

The UN continues to stand watch against the violation of civil rights around the world, and voted today for none other than Libya to head its Commission on Human Rights. Three countries, including the United States, objected, and 17 abstained, but a full 33 voted in favor, paving the way for Col. Muammar Gadaffi's nation to lead the world's struggle on behalf of the politically oppressed and battered. "Over the past three decades," Human Rights Watch announced this week, "Libya’s human rights record has been appalling. It has included the abduction, forced disappearance or assassination of political opponents; torture and...

Libya Elected to Chair U.N. Human Rights Body GENEVA (Reuters) - Libya, under fire for years from human rights activists, was overwhelmingly elected Monday to chair the top United Nations (news - web sites)' rights body after the United States broke with tradition and forced a vote. The North African country ruled by Muammar Gaddafi (news - web sites) will preside at the March 17-April 25 session of the U.N. Human Rights Commission which meets annually to survey the rights situation around the world. The Libyan candidate, diplomat and former journalist Najat al-Hajjaji, won 33 votes in a secret ballot...

THE credibility of the United Nations Human Rights Commission was thrown into question yesterday after Libya secured its chairmanship. Diplomatic coup: Najat al-Hajjaji was elected by an overwhelming majority of African, Asian and Arab member states Amid angry scenes at the commission’s headquarters in Geneva, Libya pulled off a diplomatic coup when Najat al-Hajjaji, its envoy, was voted the chairman by 33 out of the 53 states on the commission. The United States, Canada and Guatemala voted against Libya in the secret ballot. Seventeen countries, including Britain and most of the other Western nations, abstained. All the African, Asian and...

Libya's appointment was heavily criticised The United Nations Human Rights Commission begins its annual session on Monday amid criticism that its chair is itself guilty of gross human rights violations. Libya was elected to head the commission in January over strong objections by the United States and human rights watchdog groups. The 53-state assembly is meant to try to uphold the observance of minimum standards for human rights by governments worldwide. But it has no real means of forcing authorities to adopt its codes. This six week-long annual session is a chance for member states to name and shame...

GENEVA - Libya began its controversial leadership of the world's top human rights body Monday with pointed criticism of Israel as the U.N. agency began annual meetings overshadowed by an expected U.S.-led war against Iraq. The body has always had trouble completing its work in six weeks, and many governments were calling for a special debate if war starts in Iraq. "We are all about to be tested," U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Sergio Vieira de Mello said. "Our fragile world needs guidance. Will we ... give that guidance, or will we let the chaos outside these walls come...