GENEVA, April 23 (Xinhuanet) -- The United Nations Commission on Human Rights concluded on Friday its six-week session for 2004 with the adoption of 88 resolutions, 28 decisions, and five Chairman's statements.

    Issues that surfaced repeatedly during the Commission's 60th session were the situation in Iraq, the situation in the occupied Arab territories, the challenges posed to human rights both by terrorism and by government measures to prevent terrorism, the continuing threat of genocide around the world, and trafficking in women and children.

    The Commission held a special meeting to discuss the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory resulting from the assassination of Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin on March 22 by an Israeli missile.

    In a resolution adopted at the meeting, the Commission condemned continuing grave violations of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, and noted with grave concern the implications of targeted assassinations, liquidation and murder of political leadership by the Israeli occupation forces on the overall situation, particularly the possibility of a fresh wave of violence.

    UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in an April 7 address to the Commission on the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda, said all should acknowledge their responsibility for not having done more to prevent or stop the genocide, and he was launching an Action Plan to Prevent Genocide which involved the entire UN system.

    The 2004 session was also noteworthy for criticism by national delegations -- especially those of developing countries -- of the Commission's agenda item on the "question of the violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms in any part of the world," which annually features the tabling of resolutions on the human rights situations in specific countries.

    Islamic, African and Asian nations, along with Cuba, said repeatedly that the Western countries "politicized" their criticism of other countries' human rights performances, paid more attention to civil and political rights than to economic and development rights.

    The Western countries were trying to impose their own cultural standards and governmental systems on the rest of the world, and were more interested in confrontation than in dialogue and cooperation in human rights matters, they said.

    The Commission rejected draft resolutions on human rights situations in China, Zimbabwe, and the Chechen Republic of the Russian Federation, in the first two cases on no-action motions.

    The Commission did adopt resolutions under this agenda item on human rights situations in Belarus, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Cuba, Turkmenistan, and Myanmar. The mandate of Special Rapporteur on the situation in Myanmar was extended for a further year.

    In closing remarks at the session, Acting High Commissioner for Human Rights Bertrand Ramcharan noted the perplexing omission, among the decisions on several country situations that had been adopted, of the situation in Iraq. At present, there was no international monitoring of the human rights situation in Iraq, whether in respect of terrorism or of the use of force and the treatment of civilians.

    Commission Chairperson Mike Smith, the ambassador of Australia, said in closing remarks that the last six weeks had underlined to all, as to the world more broadly, that human rights was a subject of passionate interest and debate in the international community, and that there was a broad consensus amongst governments and civil society that the promotion and protection of human rights was a priority responsibility for everyone.

    The Commission will hold its 61st session from March 14 to April 22, 2005. Enditem