U.N. rights chief regrets lack of access to Xinjiang

GENEVA - The United Nations' rights chief lamented on Monday that efforts to gain access to China's Xinjiang region to probe reports of serious violations against Muslim Uyghurs have not succeeded, adding that she was finalising a report on the situation.

"I regret that I am not able to report progress on my efforts to seek meaningful access to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region," Michelle Bachelet said at the opening of the Human Rights Council on Monday in Geneva.

"In the meantime, my Office is finalising its assessment of the available information on allegations of serious human rights violations in that region, with a view to making it public."