'Fault-finding India should learn to take criticism' >From Indo-Asian News Service
New Delhi, May 4 (IANS) India should not take exception to global criticism on the Gujarat sectarian violence because it has expressed similar concern over crises in other countries in the past, a former federal minister said. "India is an integral part of the world community and as such cannot avoid international scrutiny of such tragic events," Congress MP and former minister of state for external affairs Eduardo Faleiro said in a statement here Saturday. "In the era of globalisation India's stand that Gujarat is an internal affair is misconceived." The lawmaker said that human rights issues were not internal affairs as New Delhi was a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Faleiro pointed out that in 1946 India became the first country in the world to raise the issue of South Africa's apartheid in the United Nations. "The U.N. had then rejected South Africa's claim that apartheid was a matter of domestic jurisdiction and not international concern. "India has never missed an opportunity to haul up other nations in international forums for rights violations," he said. He added, "Whenever an opportunity arises our government comments on the condition of minorities in our neighbouring countries and issues diplomatic demarches." According to the former minister, human rights issues were reviewed and debated every year in the U.N. and countries that violated it were censured. Faleiro reiterated his party's demand for the removal of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for his alleged partisan handling of the communal fury that has claimed nearly 925 lives in the state since February-end. --Indo-Asian News Service ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ To unsubscribe from Goanews Send a mail message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: 'unsubscribe goanews'
