Britain: The British foreign office came under fire yesterday after omitting criticism of Israel's attack on Lebanon in its annual human rights report.
Foreign secretary Margaret Beckett told a press conference the omission was due to timing being "a little bit tight" for publication. She anticipated the war being dealt with more fully in next year's report.
But the authors found sufficient time to include criticism of the Lebanese-based Hizbullah, and one of its backers, Syria, over attacks on Israel and to provide a figure for Israeli, but not Lebanese, casualties.
Although Mrs Beckett said timing was a problem, the report includes a colour photograph of a Lebanese woman amid the rubble of Beirut, and refers to the ceasefire that ended the 34-day war on August 14th, and a speech by Syrian president Bashar Assad two days later.
The row overshadowed publication of the 356-page report, which lists countries the British government has major concerns about regarding human rights, including Burma, North Korea, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Zimbabwe and Israel, although only in so far as the occupied territories, rather than Lebanon, is concerned.
Israel was accused of attacking civilian areas and the use of cluster bombs. Well over 1,000 Lebanese civilians died in the conflict. At the time, prime minister Tony Blair and the US were accused of bias towards Israel for refusing to call for an immediate ceasefire. The report's omission is likely to further raise suspicions in the Arab world.
Tim Hancock, UK campaigns director of Amnesty International, said the organisation welcomed the report as a valuable tool for tracking human rights, but was concerned that key issues were omitted.
- (Guardian Service)