Washington, D.C., Oct 14 (OneWorld) With the notable exception of U.S. President George W. Bush (news - web sites), more than 250 global leaders, including former President Bill Clinton (news - web sites) and British Prime Minister Tony Blair (news - web sites), reaffirmed their commitment to a ten-year-old UN plan to ensure the rights of women around the world.
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But the Bush administration, which has cut off funding of UNFPA and repeatedly voiced reservations about the ICPD’s commitment to sexual and reproductive rights, declined to sign on to the statement.
In a letter to the organizers, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Kelly Ryan said Washington was committed to “goals and objectives” of the ICPD, but that it was “unable” to endorse the statement. “The statement includes the concept of ‘sexual rights,’ a term that has no agreed definition in the international community, goes beyond what was agreed to at Cairo, and is not a component of the ICPD,” the letter asserted.
The United States, which helped draft and strongly supported the Cairo plan of action, as well as the UN women s conference in Beijing in 1995, abruptly changed course after Bush became president six years later.
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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=655&e=17&u=/oneworld/4536960091097762571There are no words for how despicable these people are. Love the headline though!