UN: ‘Iran humiliates US-Canada’

American envoy, Zionist Susan Rice, said that his country was “deeply disappointed” that the UN Economic and Social Council voted to extend Iran’s membership in the council’s Commission on Population and Development. Tehran terminated its diplomatic relation with Washington after 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird issued a statement on Iran’s re-election, saying, “Canada deplores the election of Iran to a seat on the United Nations Commission on Population and Development. Canada remains extremely troubled by the outrageous human rights abuses committed by Iran against its own citizens, and by Iran’s threats and actions to undermine the safety, security and stability of its neighbors (read Israel)”. Tehran maintains token diplomatic relation with Ottawa.

In response to Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird’s knee-jerk reaction to Iran’s re-election, Tehran’s envoy at the United Nations, Eshaq Al-Habib remarked: “I do not find Canada’s views so much important to address them because it only follows disciplines and policies of the US”.

Islamic Iran’s candidacy was endorsed by Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines and Turkmenistan.

The United States and Canada also claimed that they opposed the renewal of Iran’s membership in ECOSOC on the grounds that Tehran’s standpoint differs from that of Washington and Ottawa – such as abortion or homosexuality at the UN council but Iran objects to the move and many countries support Iran’s stance in this regard.

Following the failure of attempts by the representatives of the US and Canada to block the renewal of Iran’s membership, Washington requested that the issue be put to a vote.

The majority of the 54 ECOSOC member states voted in favor of renewing Iran’s membership, according to a press release by the office of the Iranian envoy to the United Nations