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GeneralAssembly 61stSession Third Committee Agendaitem 67 c UNITED NATIONS

EXPLANATION VOTE OF O N B E H A L F F T H E E U R O P E AU N I O N O N S i t u a t i o n f i n d i g e n o u s e o p l e s n d i m m i g r a n t sn c a n a d a p o a i L.43 M r . J a n n eJ o k i n e n P e r m a n e nM i s s i o n f F i n l a n dt o t h e U n i t e dN a t i o n s t o New York, 21 November2006

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Mr.Chairman, I h a v e t h e h o n o u rt o s p e a ko n b e h a r f f t h e E u r o p e a n n i o n . o u The AccedingCountries Bulgaria and Romania,the CandidateCountry former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, the countries of the stabilisation and AssociationProcessand potential candidatesAlbania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia,and the EFTAcountry Liechtenstein, member of the Eu-ropean EconomicArea, as well as Ukraine and Moldova align themselves with this decla ration. x The former YugoslavRepublic Macedonia of continues be part of to process. the Stabilisation and Association Mr. Chairman, The draft resolutionbefore us is presentedby the Islamic Republic Iran. The of EuropeanUnion notes with interest the fact that this draft resolution was tabled after Canada,together with a large number of co-sponsors, had concluded that the continuing seriousviolations human rights and fundamental of freedomsin the Islamic Republic of Iran would again need to be addressedby the General Assembly. The EuropeanUnion strongly believesthat the internationalcommunity cannot remain silent in situationswhere human rights violationsare continuous, grave and widespread, and the countriesin questiondo not demonstrate any willingness to addressthe situationsor to engagein meaningful dialogue.Countryresoljtions are necessaryin such cases to alert the international community to adressthe situation. However,country resolutions also contributeto the efforts to enhance the promotionof human rights in the countriesconcerned. Over the years,the EU has had constructiveconsultations with a number of concernedcountries.The negotiationprocesses have offered a platform for a genuinedialogueon human rights concernsand measuresto addressthem. Very often, these processes have led to concerete stepsto improvethe situationof human rights. Mr.Chairman, The two draft resolutions, one on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the other on the situation of indigenouspeoples and immigrants in Canada, lend themselves to interesting comparisons. The first builds on previous resolutions adopted by the General Assembly and the Commissionon Human Rights. The text welcomesthe positive steps that the Islamic Republic Iran has taken in the recent past towards meetingits human of rights obligations. Regrettably, is also necessary the draft resoluiion draw it for to attentionto the persistence grave and systematichuman rights violations of such a s t h e u s e o f t o r t u r e a n d c r u e l , i n h u m a no r d e g r a d i n g r e a t m e n to r p u n i s h m e n t t i n c l u d i n gp u b l i c e x e c u t i o n s n d t h e i s s u i n go f s e n t e n t e so f s t o n i n g ; a s w e l l a s a

discrimination againstwomen and ethnic and religiousminorities- discrimination that has at times appeared in the form of violent crackdowns.All of these violationsare well documented. The text of the draft resolution on the situation of indigenouspeoples and immigrantsin Canadais of a differentnature. Eventhe most iursory reviewof the sourcesused revealsthe selectiveand misleading nature of the quotations. What the readingof these sourcesdoes affirm, however,is Canada's extensivedialogue with a great variety of human rights mechanismsas well as the impressive commitment to take into account and implementthe recommendations received from them. The disparitybetweenthe two texts - and their authors- is glaring. Mr.Chairman, The EuropeanUnion urges all MemberStates to considerthe text put forward by t h e I s l a m i cR e p u b l i c f I r a n o n t h e s i t u a t i o n f i n d i g e n o u s e o p l e s n d i m m i g r a n t s o o p a in Canadaon its own merits and treat it accordingly. The European Unionwill vote againstthis text. T h a n ky o u , M r . C h a i r m a n .

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