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US Bid For Cloning Ban Treaty Delayed Until Tuesday By Evelyn Leopold 08 Dec 2003 23:18:40 GMT UNITED NATIONS, Dec 8 (Reuters) - The Bush administration and its allies revived their bid in the U.N. General Assembly to enact a global treaty banning all forms of human cloning, including research on human cells. But the measure, scheduled on Monday, was postponed until Tuesday because of the assembly's heavy schedule. The campaign, led by the United States and Costa Rica and backed by some predominantly Catholic nations, seeks to overturn a recent vote in the assembly's legal committee to defer consideration of the treaty until 2005. The panel, which includes all U.N. members, voted 80 to 79 last month to postpone any debate on cloning for two years, virtually blocking the U.S.-led initiative. But encouraged by the one-vote margin, Costa Rica, Spain, Portugal and Italy are confident they can get a majority if another vote is held, diplomats said. The United States was less sure and did not want another defeat but officials said it was supporting another effort to get support for a treaty. More than 30 opponents of the U.S. position, including Britain, France, most of northern Europe, Japan, and South Africa, want a partial ban that would prohibit cloning of human beings but allow the use of cells cloned from human embryos for research. But supporters of a broad ban portray such "therapeutic" cloning as the taking of human lives. The motion to postpone the negotiations in the legal committee was introduced by Iran on behalf of the 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference. Islamic countries say they want more time to consider the issue. They have been more open to the practice of human cloning for medical purposes, as their religion does not believe life begins at conception. SOURCE: Reuters AlertNet, UK http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N08411309.htm * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn