US to Contribute to Human Rights Council
15 March 2006

   The Washington Post reports that the U. S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Under Secretary of State Nicolas Burns have said that the U.S. will support the new United Nations Human Rights Council.  Burns declared that while the United States will still not vote for the Council, because it “falls short” of what they called “very high standards for human rights at the U.N.”, it will fund and participate in the Council.  The Post notes that the US would fund 22% of the new Council’s costs. The article also reports on a divergence within the US government between U.N. Ambassador John Bolton who advocates a harder line on the Council and Nicolas Burns and Secretary Rice over policy toward the new Human Rights Council.