
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, June 26, 1993                   TAG: 9306260131
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: C-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: The New York Times
DATELINE: VIENNA                                LENGTH: Medium

HUMAN RIGHTS CONFERENCE `SUCCESSFUL'

After dire predictions that it could mark a serious setback for the human rights movement, the World Conference on Human Rights ended on a surprisingly optimistic note Friday night as delegates called on the U.N. to play a larger role in denouncing abuses.

Western delegations were particularly pleased that, after lengthy bargaining, the conference endorsed an American proposal for the creation of a new post of High Commissioner on Human Rights.

More than anything, though, the United States and other Western nations were relieved that their worst fears were not realized - a retreat from the basic tenets of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the result of a bitter North-South clash.

"We came to Vienna with less than high expectations," John Shattuck, the chief American delegate, said Friday night of the two-week meeting. "But we worked with other delegations to stop any backsliding on human rights. And, on balance, it was a successful event. It has produced a strong, forward-looking document."

The West's main concern was that a bloc of mainly Asian nations, led by China, Iran and Syria, might succeed in their attempt to challenge the universality of human rights by arguing that they existed as a function of a country's history, level of development, cultural tradition and religion.

While the conference's final declaration does take note of these variables, it commits states to promote and protect all human rights "regardless of their political, economic and cultural systems."

Conversely, because the conference had agreed to work through consensus, only days ago it seemed unlikely that a High Commissioner on Human Rights would be approved. In the end, though, the conference recommended that the General Assembly consider the idea "as a matter of priority" at its annual session this fall.

The conference itself had no legislative authority, leaving crucial decisions to be made later by other U.N. groups. But it nonetheless broke new ground by extending the definition of human rights to embrace the special rights of children, minorities, indigenous people and, particularly, women.

by CNB