UN's top human rights official welcomes Iran's willingness to invite expert scrutiny

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has welcomed indications by Iran that it is willing to extend an open invitation to UN human rights experts to examine conditions in the country.

Mary Robinson, who met on Wednesday with Iran's Ambassador to Geneva, Mohammad Reza Alborzi, said she hoped the Government's move would pave the way for a process of long-term cooperation between Iranian authorities and the UN Commission on Human Rights.

Iran would be the thirty-ninth country to invite the Commission's experts, who work on thematic mandates, to operate in the country.

"Visits by the Commission's Special Rapporteurs and working groups could be very effective in improving the protection and promotion of human rights in a given country," Mrs. Robinson observed, adding that she would encourage these experts to plan their visits through direct discussions with the Iranian Government.