US Voted off UN Drug Monitoring BoardThe United States was voted out of an international drug monitoring body on the same day it lost its seat on the UN Commission on Human Rights, the Associated Press quoted US officials as confirming here Monday.The US defeat in the secret balloting was another humiliating blow after it was voted off the UN human rights body last Thursday. The United States has run for a third term for US Ambassador Herbert Okun, who has served as vice president on the International Narcotics Board. But Okun, 70, was voted off on Thursday last week in the same secret ballot procedure by the 54- nation UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), which oversees both the human rights commission and the drug policy body. "That, we find, very regrettable," said Richard Boucher, the spokesman for the U.S. State Department. "We intend to continue our engagement on the international narcotics issues. We'll continue our cooperation with and strong support for the UN international drug control program as well as with the International Narcotics Control Board." Seven members were elected into the 13-member International Narcotics Control Board which monitors compliance with UN drug convention on substance abuse and illegal trafficking. The elected included candidates nominated by Austria, the Netherlands, France, Peru, and India, who will have five-year terms on the UN board, beginning January 1, 2002. |
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