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The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, distanced himself from UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese on Thursday after several member states criticized her recent speech at the Al Jazeera Forum in Doha, Qatar.
“We’ve always believed that the institution of Special Rapporteurs, while being completely separate from the Secretary General, is an important part of the international human rights architecture. We don’t always agree with what they say, and that includes Ms. Albanese,” said Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson of the Sec. Gen. Guterres.
Dujarric also explained that Guterres office “doesn’t agree with much of what she says, and wouldn’t use the language that she uses to describe the situation in the region.”
When asked again about Albanese’s comments during the Al Jazeera Forum, Dujarric said, “I’m not here to defend what she says or criticize what she says, right? She has a right, as a special rapporteur, to speak within her mandate. People have a right to criticize her. People have a right to support her.”
He then explained that if someone is not happy with Albanese’s work, then there are mechanisms to address that, referring to France’s request to oust Albanese from her position.
Finally, he refused to comment on whether Guterres had listened to Albanese’s speech, telling reporters, “You should ask him instead.”
Albanese under heavy fire for antisemitic speech
Italy and Austria supported France’s calls for ousting Albanese from her position as a UN Special Rapporteur, citing her speech during the forum, which was attended by representatives of Hamas and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Vice President of the Council of Ministers of Italy, Antonio Tajani, announced on X/Twitter on Thursday that Albanese’s comments do not reflect the Italian government’s position.
“Her behaviors, statements, and initiatives are not appropriate for the position she holds within a body of peace and guarantee such as the United Nations,” he wrote.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria, Beate Meinl-Reisinger, claimed that Albanese branded Israel an “enemy of humanity,” chastising her for using language that “undermines the impartiality and highest standards that the role of a UN representative requires.”
France, meanwhile, will demand Albanese’s resignation during the United Nations Human Rights Council session set for February 23, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced during a parliamentary meeting earlier this week.
Her comments, Barrot said, “target not the Israeli government, whose policies can be criticized, but Israel as a people and as a nation, which is absolutely unacceptable.”
In a response to the accusations against her, Albanese lashed out against her critics for not criticizing Israel with the same conviction.
She also claimed to have been misinterpreted and had her words taken out of context, releasing the full video of her statement in which she claims that the common enemy of humanity is the broader system she blames for Israel’s actions, and not explicitly the country itself.
Miriam Sela-Eitam contributed to this report.
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