Friday, April 7 2006 09:56 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

United Nations: Under fire from human rights groups for its treatment of detainees at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay prisons, the US has decided against contesting for the newly established 47-member UN Human Rights Council.

Announcing yesterday that it would not contest the May 9 elections for the body, the United States held out the hope it might do so next year even as its diplomats said that the US could be more effective from the outside.

Diplomats and human rights group closely watching the developments leading to the formation of the Council suggested that the US had calculated it might not win in the elections, which are being conducted through secret ballot.

The country's Ambassador to the UN, John Bolton, acknowledged that this was a concern but asserted that it would have better leverage by not being in the Council.

Although the decision did not come as a surprise, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he was disappointed and said he hoped that Washington would continue to support the Council, which replaces the much criticised Human Rights Commission, and fight the elections next year.

India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Iran and Jordan are among 42 candidates who have so far officially made it known that they would contest the elections in which each candidate requires 96 votes in the 191-member General Assembly to get elected.

With the exception of the United States, all other permanent members of the Council Britain, France, Russia and China are in the fray.