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From: Information <info@mail.uyghurinfo.com
UN Rights Chief Meets Jiang, Calls for UN Pacts
BEIJING, Nov 21 ,2000 (AFP) - UN human rights chief

Mary Robinson Tuesday urged Chinese President Jiang Zemin to push forward the ratification of two key UN covenants, as pressure groups complained China was not being held to account for routine violations of human rights. Robinson said she expressed concern about the treatment of the banned Falungong movement, freedom of religion and speech, the crackdown on the use of the Internet and the rights of migrant workers. "I still have continuing serious concerns about the need for reform and opening up in the area of freedom of expression," she told a press conference after one hour and 40 minutes of talks with Jiang.  The UN rights chief also urged Jiang to give unrestricted access to the UN rapporteur on torture and  she raised the cases of jailed dissidents including  Uighur businesswoman Rebiya Kadeer.    She said she called on China's parliament to ratify the  UN covenant on economic, social and cultural rights and  the covenant on civil and political rights.  China signed the economic pact in October 1997 and  parliament, the National People's Congress, has twice  debated ratification without following through. The  political pact was signed in 1998 but has yet to be  debated by the NPC.
Robinson said Chinese officials stressed during two
days of talks they were committed to ratifying the
agreements and that the economic pact could pass
through the NPC as early as February.  "On the Chinese side this is regarded as being  significant. They do want to emphasize their commitment to ratifying the two covenants," she said.   However Robinson expressed worries about the passage of
the political pact.  "I'm a little concerned when I ask when the process   will be brought before the NPC that I'm told there are  still studies and analyses being done," she said.  Jiang reiterated China's position that sovereignty  takes precedence over human rights and that the task of   giving food and shelter to the country's vast   population had to come first.
"China has fortunately found its own way of promoting  and protecting human rights through summing up its  historical achievements," he told Robinson, according  to the official Xinhua news agency.  The talks followed the signing Monday by Robinson and   Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Guangya of a  memorandum of understanding (MOU) under which the UN  promised assistance to help China comply with the two UN pacts.
The agreement, hailed by Robinson as a "very
significant move by China", calls for programs in human  rights education, police training on human rights  issues and the punishment of minor crimes.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi said
Tuesday the agreement with the UN proved China's
commitment to human rights and ratification of the
outstanding treaties.  "We still believe that there are some problems with  these covenants and I'm confident they will be ratified  soon," Sun told a regular briefing, without giving any  timetable.
Human rights groups say China is currently undertaking   the biggest muzzling of dissent since its 1989  crackdown on the pro-democracy movement, and they   dismissed the newly-signed MOU as toothless.  The New York-based Human Rights in China (HRIC) said   the agreement had been watered down from previous   drafts and lacked the substance to bring about any  meaningful change.   "The MOU should have included clear and unequivocal
references to international human rights standards as
the sole basis for addressing human rights issues,"
said Sophia Woodman, HRIC's spokeswoman in Hong Kong.  The workshops, HRIC said, may be "nothing more than one-   shot efforts, with no impact on China's rights   situation."   The Hong Kong-based Information Center for Human Rights
and Democracy in China also blasted the MOU.
"The human rights situation in China is getting worse
... I don't know what real effect this MOU will have,"
said Frank Lu, the center's director
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