Credits: (REUTERS/Jason Lee)


OTTAWA -- Now this is rich.
Canada has been blasted at the United Nations by none other than the brutal and dangerous dictatorship of North Korea for boycotting the Conference on Disarmament while the backwards terrorist state is the temporary chair.

But Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said he'll wear North Korea's criticism of Canada's principled foreign policy as a "badge of honour."

At a meeting of the General Assembly in New York Thursday, Canada voiced its concern that the disarmament body of the UN is "effectively broken" and again was critical of the move to make North Korea the body's chair.

But the North Korean delegate shot back, saying they have every right to chair the disarmament conference because they are a member of the UN, which should be a place for dialogue and multilateralism, not for Cold War-type "confrontation."

The North Korean delegate also blasted Canada for taking similar principled stances in the past, saying Canada has set a "very disgraceful precedent."

"It is not the first time by a Canadian delegate boycotting international forums "¦ and (setting) a very disgraceful precedent in the practice of international multilateralism," the North Korean delegate said. "This is the third time by a Canadian delegate to take such an action in the (Conference on Disarmament) in Geneva, and therefore the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) strongly condemns this behaviour of the Canadian delegate."

Baird said Saturday it's "absurd" and "ridiculous" to allow North Korea to chair the international Conference on Disarmament, and somebody had to stand up against it.

"Their record in arms proliferation is terrible. Their uranium enrichment program going on in the country now is of deep concern to Canada, and of course they pulled out of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty," Baird told QMI Agency Saturday. "Canada is speaking up and sending a message. It certainly has received the anger of the North Korean regime in Pyongyang, and we hope that others take note."

"The fact that the North Korean regime is attacking Canada, frankly, I believe is a badge of honour."

Earlier in July, Baird announced Canada would boycott the conference until mid-August when North Korea will no longer be chairing the Geneva-based meetings. The chairmanship of the Conference on Disarmament is rotated alphabetically among the 65-member states, though Canada has pledged to try and change the way the chair is selected to avoid presidencies of aggressive states like North Korea and Iran.

North Korea has repeatedly defied UN resolutions on arms control and continues to enrich uranium to develop a nuclear arms program. Last year, it sunk a South Korean naval vessel with a torpedo.

"North Korea chairing the disarmament conference make just as much sense as having Saudi Arabia on the UN's committee for women's rights, or Iran on the human rights council. It's proof that the United Nations is not just useless -- it's actually a force for evil," said author and commentator Ezra Levant, a long-time critic of the UN. "Taking lessons on disarmament from North Korea is like taking lessons on chastity from Hugh Hefner. Except that it's not funny -- besides threatening its neighbours with nuclear attacks, North Korea's dictator has created a man-made famine for his own people, and jails democracy activists in hard labour camps."

North Korea will cease chairing the Conference on Disarmament on August 19, when the feds say Canada will resume its participation.

The UN Conference on Disarmament was created in 1979 as the world's main forum for negotiating disarmament treaties and arms control measures, but critics have warned the body has lost its way and is no longer capable of achieving meaningful results.

But the North Korean delegate shot back, saying they have every right to chair the disarmament conference because they are a member of the UN, which should be a place for dialogue and multilateralism, not for Cold War-type "confrontation."

But the North Korean delegate shot back, saying they have every right to chair the disarmament conference because they are a member of the UN, which should be a place for dialogue and multilateralism, not for Cold War-type "confrontation."

It's almost like the UN is trying to put the worst offenders on the council for everything. Womans rights, Saudi Arabia. Weapons disarmament, oh yeah give that one to North Korea. They've been good for a whole 2.7 hours so they deserve a award. What's next, we going to start a council for disarmament of radical terrorists and give it to Al Quada?