sponsored by 55 other countries. The United States, which had held back until this week, said it had joined the co-sponsors. «While countering terrorism, the United States remains committed to the protection of human rights,» said Sasha Mehra, a member of the U.S. delegation. «The protection of human rights while countering terrorism is not a slogan.» The resolution called for «an individual of recognized international standing and demonstrable expertise in human rights law» to be appointed to the post. The expert will have a mandate to gather information from «all relevant sources,» including governments and individuals on alleged violations of human rights, according to the text of the resolution. It wasn't clear from the text whether the expert will be able to visit detention centers such as the U.S. military lockup in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and Abu Ghraib in Iraq, which campaigners have called for.
