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A12 WORLD NEWS
Friday 18 OctOber 2019
Venezuela wins seat on UN rights body despite opposition

By EDITH M. LEDERER abuses and has special
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — monitors watching certain
Venezuela won a con- countries and issues. It also
tested election for a seat periodically reviews human
on the U.N. Human Rights rights in every U.N. member
Council on Thursday de- country.
spite a campaign by over Created in 2006 to replace
50 organizations and many a commission discredited
countries opposed to Nico- because of some members'
las Maduro's government sorry rights records, the new
and its rights record. council soon came to face
There was scattered ap- similar criticism.
plause in the General As- The United States left the
sembly chamber when its council partly because it
president announced the saw the group as a forum
results of the voting for two for hypocrisy about human
Latin American seats. Brazil rights, though also because
topped the ballot with 153 Washington says the coun-
votes followed by Venezu- cil is anti-Israel.
ela with 105 votes and late Venezuela's Attorney Gen-
entry Costa Rica with 96 eral Tarek William Saab
votes. called the vote "an impor-
The 193-member world In this Sept. 30, 2019, file photo, Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro speaks during a press con- tant achievement" for his
body elected 14 members ference at the Foreign Ministry in Caracas, Venezuela. country.
to the 47-member Human Associated Press Israel's U.N. Ambassador
Rights Council for three- Danny Danon said in a
year terms starting Jan. 1. to Japan, South Korea, In- ya, Mauritania and Sudan ting just one vote. statement immediately af-
Under its rules, seats are donesia and the Marshall — for four seats. But when There was no competition ter Thursday's results were
allocated to regions to en- Islands, and Moldova lost General Assembly Presi- for the two Western group announced that: "The Hu-
sure geographical repre- in the Eastern Europe group dent Tijjani Muhammad- seats and Germany and man Rights Council con-
sentation. race for two seats to Arme- Bande announced the the Netherlands were over- tinues to abandon human
In other contested races, nia and Poland. results the winners were whelmingly elected. rights and is now in the busi-
Iraq lost out in the Asian Africa had four countries Namibia, Libya, Mauritania The Geneva-based Human ness of protecting dictators
group contest for four seats on the ballot —Benin, Lib- and Sudan, with Benin get- Rights Council can spotlight and war crimes."q

AMLO lauds departure of oil union chief, who defends record

By PETER ORSI named to the Senate un-
Associated Press der a system allotting some
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mex- seats to parties according
ico's president on Thursday to their percentage of the
celebrated the resignation vote.
of the head of the country's Suspicions of influence-
oil workers union, who ruled peddling have long sur-
the organization for nearly rounded Romero Des-
three decades with an iron champs, with he and fam-
fist before quitting following ily members displaying a
repeated scandals over al- lavish lifestyle of luxurious
leged corruption. goods, vehicles, trips and
Carlos Romero Deschamps properties. A 2013 Forbes
issued a public letter de- article named him one of
fending his 26-year-lead- Mexico's 10 most corrupt.
ership of the Union of Oil "It cannot be that union
Workers of the Mexican leaders live pampered
Republic, but did not spe- lives, heaped with privileg-
cifically address the matter es, with very wealthy resi-
of two complaints under in- dences," López Obrador
vestigation by the Attorney said. "That is immoral. How
General's Office related to can a leader of workers be
alleged operations with il- a magnate at the same
licit resources. time? Where does that
President Andrés Manuel In this Sept. 29, 2000 file photo, leader of Mexico’s oil workers union Carlos Romero Deschamps, money come from?"
López Obrador said Rome- right, Labor Secretary Carlos Maria Abascal, center, and Pemex director Raul Munoz Leos, arrive In 2002, under then-Presi-
ro Deschamps' departure to a media conference in Mexico City. dent Vicente Fox of the Na-
marks "the beginning of a Associated Press tional Action Party, investi-
new stage" and called for gators looked into charges
free and democratic union happened yesterday," core policy of his adminis- which monopolized Mexi- of money laundering and
governance with "transpar- López Obrador said, add- tration. can politics for 71 years embezzlement of over $11
ency in the management ing that corruption must not Romero Deschamps is also until its loss in the historic million by Pemex officials.
of funds from worker dues." be allowed. He has made a senator for the Institu- 2000 election. He was not Romero Deschamps was
"In truth I celebrate what rooting out corruption a tional Revolutionary Party, elected directly but rather among those targeted.q