UNITED NATIONS, March 15: The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly to create a new Human Rights Council, replacing the Geneva-based Human Rights Commission over the objections by the United States.

Some 170 members out of 191-member states voted in favour of the resolution only four countries United States, Israel, Marshall Islands and Palao voted against, and abstaining were (3) Iran, Venezuela and Belarus.

The Bush administration refused to back the new council, saying it was not the radical reform Washington wanted to ensure that countries like Cuba, Sudan, Myanmar and Zimbabwe — known as rights abusers — are barred from membership.