New U.N. human rights body faces moment of truth

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The chairman of the United Nations new human rights watchdog on Sunday presented members with "take-it-or-leave-it" rules of working to include periodic scrutiny of all states, even those on the Security Council.

The 47-state Human Rights Council, launched in 2006 to replace its discredited predecessor, the Human Rights Commission, has until Monday night to complete year-long negotiations on how it will operate.

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Washington, which can expect scrutiny in the future over its handling of the so-called war on terrorism, particularly the Guantanamo prison camp, did not seek election to the council because it says it is no improvement over its heavily politicised predecessor.

But activist groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, along with European countries, see retention of the right to appoint special rapporteurs for individual countries as a key test of the council's credibility.

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