ANTI-DISCRIMINATION COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS EXTENSION OF MANDATE OF ARUSHA TRIBUNAL TO INCLUDE JURISDICTION OVER CRIMES IN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

HR/CERD/98/28
19 March 1998


Adopts Conclusions on Report of Lebanon and Decisions on Bosnia and Herzegovina and Papua-New Guinea

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination recommended this morning the extension of the mandate of the International Criminal Tribunal in Arusha to include jurisdiction over war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In a decision adopted following the examination of the situation in the former Zaire under its prevention of discrimination procedure, the Committee expressed alarm over reports of massacres and other grave human rights violations in the country. It emphasized the importance of continuing United Nations investigations into these reports in order to identify the persons responsible for violations, particularly those associated with ethnic differences, and to hold them accountable.

The Committee also recommended that the Congolese Government be assisted as a priority in creating an independent judiciary.

Also this morning, the Committee, in charge of monitoring the implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination, adopted decisions on the situations in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Papua New Guinea.

In its comments, the Committee decided that Bosnia and Herzegovina should remain under its active scrutiny, and it urged Papua New Guinea, once again, to submit its report and supply information, specifically on the situation in Bougainville. The situations of both States parties will be examined at the Committee's annual summer session under its preventive action procedure.

In other action, the Committee adopted concluding observations on the situation in Lebanon, expressing concern at resistance to the progressive elimination of the political system of confessionalism which could impair the State party's implementation of certain provisions of the Convention. The panel noted that whereas Lebanon recognizes Syrians, Greeks, Armenians, Copts, Kurds, Jews and others as 'communities' and religions, there is no recognition of the different ethnic origin of some of them, which might constitute grounds for different treatment of these communities, including, in some instances, racial discrimination.

Among other recommendations, the Committee called on Lebanon to adopt appropriate measures to prevent and combat all forms of racial discrimination, and to ensure that all persons, including members belonging to ethnic groups, refugees, displaced persons and foreign workers, be given equal treatment before the law. It also recommended that Lebanon take all appropriate measures to fully guarantee access to work and equitable conditions of employment to all foreign workers, including Palestinians. The practice used by some Lebanese employers of withholding passports of foreign workers should be prohibited, the Committee concluded.

As part of 150 States parties to the Convention, Lebanon is required to report periodically to the Committee on measures adopted to eliminate bias.

The Committee will reconvene at 3 p.m. today to continue work on concluding observations. Official, printed versions of all concluding observations and decisions will be issued towards the end of the Committee's three-week session on Friday, 20 March.