UNITED NATIONS, Feb 27: The United States announced on Monday that it will vote against the proposed new UN Human Rights Council unless negotiations are reopened to address what it considers serious deficiencies, setting a stage for another contentious debate on the issue, pitting the majority of UN members against US.

The UN General Assembly President Jan Eliasson presented a compromise proposal last Thursday to create the new council and called for a quick vote, preferably this week, but that has become an issue now.

Rejecting his proposal on Monday US Ambassador John Bolton said: “I say this more in sorrow than in anger, but we’re very disappointed with the draft that was produced last Thursday,” Bolton told reporters on Monday. “We don’t think it’s acceptable.”

“My instructions are to reopen the negotiations and to try and correct the manifold deficiencies in the text of the resolution or alternatively to push off consideration of the resolution for several months to give us more time,” he said.

Mr Bolton said it was his understanding that Mr Eliasson would bring the matter to the General Assembly floor for a vote within the next two days. “If he continues on that course, we will call for a vote and vote no,” Mr Bolton said.

On Monday Mr Eliasson’s spokesperson said that “the President will call for a vote and is awaiting replies from most member states including the United States.”

Although supporters of a major overhaul of the UN human rights machinery were not happy with all the provisions in Mr Eliasson final draft, human rights groups and a dozen Nobel Peace prize winners urged the United States to support the new council, calling it a significant step forward.

Most Human Rights bodies the world over expressed support for the proposal while expressing doubts over certain elements of the proposals. But all asked US to not to block the new council.

The primary US goal in the negotiations has been to ensure that human rights offenders are barred from membership on a new council, and it wanted a small, permanent body.