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Briefing note, 20 March 1998

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20 March 1998



20 March 1998


John Mills, media officer for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said Mrs. Robinson's programme for today included meetings with the Secretary for Relations with States of the Holy See and the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden. She would attend the commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and be at the podium when the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Cuba addressed the Commission. This morning she would be present in the Commission during addresses by dignitaries from Holy See, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Zambia.

The Chairman of the Commission would hold a press briefing at noon on Monday, he continued. The Commission today was taking up agenda items on organization of work (item 3), violation of human rights in the occupied Arab territories, including Palestine (item 4), the right of peoples to self-determination (item 7) and racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance (item 12). He had asked the Special Rapporteur on racism, Maurice Glèlè-Ahanhanzo, whether he would be available for a press conference early next week.

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination would conclude its session today, Mr. Mills said. The concluding observations on country reports should be available by the end of the afternoon. The press releases of the last few days had been providing quited a detailed outline of concluding observations as they were adopted.

Had there been any new contacts with the Algerian Foreign Minister during his stay in Geneva? asked a correspondent. Mr. Mills said the High Commissioner had met with Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf yesterday. The High Commissioner had characterized the meeting, which had gone on for slightly longer than expected, as constructive. However, the meeting did not make tangible progress in terms of a visit to the country by the Special Rapporteur on Torture and the Special Rapporteur on summary, arbitrary or extradicial executions. The Foreign Minister did not believe that a visit by the Special Rapporteurs at this stage would be helpful, while the High Commissioner argued that it would be indeed be helpful. The Foreign Minister's view was that the next step should be the July meeting of the Human Rights Committee at which Algeria's second periodic report would be taken up.

In response to another question, Mr. Mills said he would see whether there would be contacts between the two Special Rapporteurs and the delegation of the Justice Ministry coming to Geneva the week after next. He would imagine there would be such contacts, as the Special Rapporteurs, as independent experts, intended to pursue their requests to visit Algeria.

Asked whether there was an official request by the Special Rapporteurs, Mr Mills said there was an official request. In early December 1997, the Rapporteurs had meetings with the Algerian Mission in Geneva during which they had expressed their desire to visit the country.

Asked for information on the forthcoming international conference against racism, to be held no later than the year 2001, and on the status of the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination, Mr. Mills he said he would get more information and get back to the correspondent. He could say however that the situation regarding to the ratification of the convention on the human rights of migrant workers and their families remained unsatisfactory -- there were only nine States parties whereas twenty were needed for the convention to enter into force. One of the speakers at this afternoon's commemoration of the Day against racial discrimination, Patrick Taran, was the organizer of a group launching a campaign to intensiy efforts for the ratification of the convention.

In her remarks at commemorative event, the High Commissioner would be offering her full support to that effort.

The Director of Information for the UN at Genva, Ms. Gastaut added that in his message on the Day, the Secretary-General recalled that article 14 of the International Convention on the Ellimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination, allowing individuals to petition the Committee, had been accepted by only 25 States.

Asked about individual communications from Algeria, Mr Mills said he would check but he said that as of December 1997, no individual complaints from Algeria had been received under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights or under the other two treaties allowing individual petitions. He would check whether any complaints had been received since.
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