Iran Regrets Electing Zionist Entity to Chair UN Legal Committee

TEHRAN, NEW YORK,  (ST)-Iran has regretted electing Israel to chair the UN legal committee, one of the world body’s six permanent committees.  

The Iranian Permanent Representative at the United Nations Gholamali Khoshroo  said during the voting process that “Israel is a symbol of violating the international law and human rights laws. Electing such an entity as head of the UN General Assembly’s Legal Committee is regretted.”

 He pointed out that there are many documented cases proving Israel’s violation of UN charter, Security Council resolutions, international law principles and human rights particularly those of the Palestinian people.

“Such an election within the current circumstances makes mockery of the principles of the UN Charter and the goals for which this international organization was founded,” Khoshroo said.

The legal committee plays a largely symbolic and procedural role in the routine affairs at the United Nations. It oversees issues related to international law.

On the other hand, Iran was elected as deputy chairman of the  UN General Assembly’s Political and Decolonization Committee.  

The Israeli entity yesterday won the chairmanship of the UN legal Committee despite the fact that it (Israel) is the only UN member that keeps refusing to implement an resolutions of the tens of ones that condemn its occupation of Arab territories and call for an end to this occupation and condemn its continuous human rights violations.

The General Assembly has six standing committees that report to it on disarmament, economic and financial issues, human rights, decolonization, the UN budget and legal issues.

Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour criticized the decision, saying the group should have nominated “a very responsible qualified candidate, not a big violator of international law.”

Yemen’s Ambassador Khaled Alyemany, who heads the Arab Group at the UN, said he had urged all member states to protest the election of the Israeli ambassador.

“We cannot accept that a country like Israel, violator of international law and humanitarian law and the last colonial force existing in the world, has the right to rule on all legal affairs,” Alyemany said.

Hamda Mustafa