No US Secretary of State had ever risked criticizing Human Rights Report

PanARMENIAN.Net - New Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton undercuts the State Department's own human rights reporting, The Washington Post writes. According to the author of the article "Some Friends", Clinton declared in China that "Violations of human rights in China can't interfere with economic, security or environmental matters".

The new Secretary of State delivered a similar shock in Turkey and Egypt, the two US key allies in the region. "State Department issues these reports on every country and we hope that it will be taken in the spirit in which it is offered, that we all have room for improvement," Clinton said in an interview to al-Arabiya satellite network.

As for the state of human rights protection in Turkey, the US Secretary of State said: "Senior government officials strongly criticize the press and media business figures". "Overall, we think that Turkey has made tremendous progress in freedom of speech and freedom of religion and human rights, and we're proud of that," noted Clinton in Ankara.

In fact, as the State Department has documented, Turkey is retreating on freedom of speech. In Egypt, the human rights situation also is getting worse rather than better. "By minimizing those facts, Ms. Clinton is doing a disservice to her own department and sending a message to rulers around the world that their abuses won't be taken seriously by this U.S. administration," The Washington Post reports.

On the whole, Hillary Clinton is right: the Human Rights Report has long ceased to be objective, especially since it is written up in participation with the Human Rights Watch, organization that, to put it mildly, perceives the reality inadequately, especially in post-Soviet territory. Not pretending on a distinct opinion in this matter, we have to admit that in majority of cases organizations of protecting human rights are engaged in bringing accusations against the states, which, in their opinion, are «non-democratic». Examples are not few: South Caucasus states, Russia, China. For some reason these reports almost never include names of EU member states and the USA. But these are all rhetoric questions that do not refer to the essence of the issue. And the essence is that Washington is so eager to get rid of the «painful heritage» of the Bush Administration that she often makes statements against her own self.

By the way, Barack Obama too has decided to contribute his mite in changing the priorities of his foreign policy. For the first time the US President has congratulated the Iranians on Nowruz. Of course, the fact itself deserves respect, only Obama will have to explain his gesture of good will to those Americans, who were taken hostage in Tehran in 1979 and survived by a hair's breadth …

But politics operates with categories, a bit far from morals. It is difficult to say whether such policy is beneficial for the country or not. At least, the United States has always been famous for its pragmatism and pursuance of personal interests, naturally, offering it to the world in «democratic» wrapping.

And lastly, US Secretary of State has invited President of the "Turkish Republic of North Cyprus" Mehmet Ali Talat to visit Washington. In the judgment of Cyprus Action Network of America (CANA) the invitation issued to Talat may be wrongly assessed as recognition of Cyprus' occupation and existence of the "Turkish Republic of North Cyprus". In the words of American diplomat of Greek origin Gregory Marquis, «isolation» of Turk Cypriots is the result of occupation of the northern part of the island by Turkey. Hardly can the US Secretary of State be ignorant of the Cyprian problem. We'll make bold to assume that all the curtseys are dropped before Turkey as a preparation for Barack Obama to utter the word 'genocide' in his annual speech of April 24. And here nolens volens we recall the words of Arthur Sasounian: "Armenians should not require every newly-formed Congress recognize what has already been recognized twice. Congress has already passed two resolutions on the Armenian Genocide recognition, one in 1975, the other in 1984. The Armenian nation should not be constantly asking American presidents to recognize the Genocide." As for Turkey, it is not so irritated at just another resolution on the Armenian Genocide, as at its constant repetition for more than 30 years…