The United States will not run for a United Nations Human Rights Council seat this year, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said at a briefing on Thursday.

"The United States will not run for a United Nations human rights council seat in the council's first elections scheduled for May 9, 2006," McCormack said.

There are many strong candidates for the body created in March and "it's only fair they have the opportunity to run for a seat on the council for which they have voted," McCormack said.

Nonetheless, McCormack said that the United States is going to support the UN council "politically, diplomatically, as well as financially and "we will also be an observer."

"With a strong collective effort in the coming months to make the council effective, the United States will likely run for the council next year," McCormack added.

The United States has called for reform of the United Nations council and criticized the council as ineffective.

(Xinhua News Agency April 7, 2006)