Iran rejects U.N. human rights resolution

TEHRAN, Iran (Reuters) -- Iran Tuesday rejected a U.N. resolution accusing the Islamic republic of human rights violations, saying the move was politically motivated.

"This resolution shows continued effort by certain countries to use international bodies to reach their political goals," foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said.

"The contents of the resolution are based on biased sources and (a) double standard. It is in contradiction with realities in Iran," he said, cited by the official IRNA news agency.

The U.N. General Assembly narrowly adopted the resolution Monday calling on the Islamic republic to end what it called human rights abuses, including torture and amputations. The vote was 67 in favor, 54 against with 46 abstentions.

The resolution chastised Iran for executions, a crackdown on freedom of speech and press, and alleged discrimination against religious minorities, such as the Bahais.

Asefi said the resolution was at odds with Iran's improving international standing.

"The resolution contains baseless allegations and judgments. Its passage by a narrow margin shows how far it is from Iran's real standing in world's public opinion," he said.

The resolution welcomed improvements in Iran since the 1997 election of moderate President Mohammad Khatami.

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