Just days after the United Nations reprimanded Iran for its nuclear program, a U.N. body elected the Islamic Republic as chairman of its next year-long session.

The chairmanship is just one of a number of leadership positions Iran holds in the world body, despite its stubborn flaunting of demands to halt its uranium enrichment efforts.

On Friday, Nov. 27, the U.N. nuclear agency's board censured Iran, with 25 nations backing a resolution that calls on Tehran to immediately mothball its newly revealed nuclear facility and heed U.N. Security Council resolutions calling on it to stop uranium enrichment.

Iran is already under three sets of Security Council sanctions over its nuclear program.

Iran remained defiant after the censure, with its chief representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) declaring that his country would resist "pressure, resolutions, sanction(s) and threat of military attack."

Then on Wednesday, the Vienna-based, 53-member Commission on Narcotic Drugs — the U.N.’s central policy-making body on drug-related issues — elected Iran chairman of its next session.

Iran will be represented by Ali-Asghar Soltanieh, the diplomat who represents Iran at the IAEA, according to CNSNews.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., an outspoken critic of the Iranian regime, declared: “The U.N. allowing Iran to chair any agency should cause the U.S. to reconsider how much of a commitment we have to the U.N.”

Iran is also expected to be picked to chair a conference of another Vienna-based U.N. agency, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

The U.S. withdrew from the UNIDO 13 years ago over differences with its policies, but the Obama administration is said to be considering rejoining the organization, CNSNews reported.

Rep. Rohrabacher said: “We should not be a part of any agency the U.N. permits Iran to lead considering that decision reconfirms what the U.N. is really all about.”

Other U.N. leadership positions held by Iran include:

• President of the executive board of the U.N. Development Program for 2009.

• President of the executive board of the U.N. Population Fund for 2009.

• Vice-chairman of the U.N. General Assembly’s Committee on Information for 2009-2010.

In the height of irony, Iran in 2007-2008 was vice-chairman of the U.N. Disarmament Commission, which deals with nuclear and conventional arms reduction and non-proliferation.

http://community.comcast.net/comcastportal/board/message?board.id=news&message.id=1277310

permanent link