Explanation of Position
Assistance to Mali in the Field of Human Rights and Democratic Transition
Statement by the Delegation of the United States of America
Delivered by Patrick Reilly
Human Rights Council 20th Session
Geneva
Thank you, Madame President.
The United States is pleased to join consensus on this resolution. We are pleased that the Council has focused on the situation in Mali and joins the international community in insisting that all actors in Mali respect international law. We also appreciate the willingness of the interim government of Mali to engage with the Council to address the human rights situation in their country. The people of Mali must be able to live in a secure environment, free from oppression where they can practice their human rights such as freedom of religion and expression. We support the interim government and ECOWAS’s leadership in restoring democratically elected government in Mali.
We believe the resolution would have benefited from addressing the situation across Mali, rather than focusing solely on the situation in the north. We also believe the resolution would have benefited from properly characterizing the legal nature of the abuses committed by groups in northern Mali.
Thank you, Madame President.