US Sen. Boschwitz picked to be Ambassador to UN HR commission

WASHINGTON, Mar 5, 2005 (AP) — Former U.S. Sen. Rudy Boschwitz will be nominated to be ambassador to the U.N. Commission on Human Rights, the White House said on Friday

Boschwitz, a Republican senator from Minnesota from 1979 until 1991, said he would try to steer the Commission on Human Rights in a direction more favorable to the United States.

“In the 2004 session a terribly weak, watered-down resolution was all they passed regarding the Darfur region of the Sudan. It was disgraceful,” Boschwitz said of the commission’s response to allegations of genocide in Sudan. “We will try to do better this year.”

Boschwitz said the United Nations often opposes the United States, but it’s still a useful forum for working through differences.

“While the U.N. General Assembly and Security Council are often maddening, many of the agencies — including the World Health Organization, the World Food Program and others — serve useful roles and do wonderful work,” Boschwitz said.

The Senate would need to confirm Boschwitz in the position.