The United States said on Tuesday that it has no plan to run a seat on the new UN Human Rights Council, claiming it was not a "credible" body.

"We believe that the Human Rights Council has thus far not proved itself to be a credible body in the mission that it has been charged with," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said at a news briefing.

Accusing the UN organization of having an anti-Israeli bias, McCormack said "Our decision is that we do not plan to run (for a seat)."

However, he said the United States will "remain a forceful advocate in the promotion of human rights."

McCormack made the announcement when the State Department released its 2006 report on human rights worldwide.

Source: Xinhua