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Posted on 04/08/2002 8:00:46 PM PDT by RippleFire
MIDDLE EAST: UN Rights Mission Heads to Zone of Conflict
Mon Apr 8, 7:00 PM ET
Gustavo Capdevila,Inter Press Service
GENEVA, Apr 8 (IPS) - The Middle East mission headed by the United Nations (news - web sites) High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, is slated to begin investigating the humanitarian situation in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories Tuesday.
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The Geneva-based UN Commission on Human Rights has entrusted the envoys with visiting the zone of the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians to evaluate the situation and then present their conclusions and recommendations to the body prior to Apr 26.
Veronique Taveau, Robinson's spokeswoman, estimated that the endeavor would require a stay of three to five days in the area, where armed clashes have intensified since Mar 29, when the Israeli armed forces began to occupy cities controlled by the Palestine National Authority.
The mission's report is expected to corroborate the assessments Robinson has made in recent days, based on a context of "growing anxiety," predict sources close to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The most difficult duty facing the mission will be to draw up recommendations to present before the Commission on Human Rights, the UN's top body specialized in the matter, before it wraps up its annual six-week sessions in late April.
Robinson, in her initial comments to the Commission on the Middle East question, expressed her support for sending independent observers, under the protection of the UN, to monitor respect for human rights in the region, and even mentioned the idea of sending an international peacekeeping force.
That two-pronged formula, which coincides with the publicly declared aspirations of the Palestinian leaders, runs counter to the policy favored by the United States, a powerful player in the international arena, but which apparently seeks to prevent the Israeli-Palestinian troubles from turning into an international conflict.
Sources from the UN Commission on Human Rights pointed to the possibility that Robinson, former president of Ireland, might present a less controversial proposal, such as establishing permanent representation of the Office of the High Commissioner in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The creation of an office to monitor the human rights situation in an area is an option the UN utilizes in the gravest of cases, such as the office that was set up in Colombia, which was done so with the go-ahead of that country's government.
In contrast, Robinson did not win approval from the Indonesian authorities when she proposed creating a similar office in that country during the tumultuous period that preceded the end of the authoritarian government of Suharto (news - web sites) (1968-1998).
Taveau said the mission's goal is to study the human rights situation and the living standards in the region. "We are optimistic with respect to the outcome of the endeavor," she said.
The High Commissioner, said Taveau, hopes to meet with both the president of the Palestine National Authority, Yasser Arafat (news - web sites), and with Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites).
The departure of the mission is not conditional on a ceasefire accord, said the spokeswoman, but nor is it the intention to put the lives of its members in danger.
In addition to Robinson, González and Ramaphosa, the mission is to include three officials from the Office of the High Commissioner, a UN security agent and two assistants for González and Ramaphosa.
The UN Commission on Human Rights, which last Friday approved the mission in a vote of 44 in favor, two against (Canada and Guatemala) and seven abstentions, estimated that costs will run to more than 35,000 dollars.
Ramaphosa, serving as an independent member of the mission, belongs to the African National Congress (news - web sites), a group born in 1912 in South Africa as a national liberation movement to fight the segregationist government, and now the country's leading political party.
Trained as an attorney, Ramaphosa is currently a top business executive and has participated in peace process monitoring efforts in Northern Ireland.
The other independent member of the mission, González, Spain's prime minister from 1982 to 1996 and leader of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) from 1974 to 1997, hosted the Middle East peace talks in Madrid in 1991.
Taveau said the designation of González and Ramaphosa, chosen because they are highly respected within the international community, had been approved by the Palestinian and Israeli leaders alike.
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