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U.N. treaty against torture approved

United Nations July 25. The United States faced stiff opposition from the European Union and Latin American countries as it tried to block a draft treaty which would allow independent inspection of prisons and detention centres worldwide by international and national experts to check abuses and torture of detainees.

India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Japan, Libya, Egypt and Australia, were among those who voted with the United States in the 54-member United Nations Economic and Social Council on the proposal which fell through by 15 votes to 29.

Those opposing Washington included the entire European Union and most of the Latin American, Caribbean and African nations.

After the American motion was lost, the Council approved the treaty by 35 to 8 votes with 10 abstentions.

China, Egypt, Australia, Cuba, Japan, Libya, Nigeria and Sudan cast negative votes. But India joined the U.S., Russia, Pakistan, Bhutan, Cameroon, Ethiopia and Qatar in abstaining.

India condemned the practice of torture and asserted that importance of the Convention Against Torture could not be overemphasised.

But it wanted more time to be given for negotiations on the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture and said the Council should work for an instrument acceptable to the widest possible representation of U.N. Washington sought to reopen negotiations fearing that it could lead to a possibility of independent inspectors looking into prisons like the one in Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba where it is holding about 500 Al-Qaeda and Taliban suspects.

PTI

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