Briefing note, 3 March 1998

3 March 1998


John Mills, the media officer for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that Mrs. Mary Robinson spent the weekend in Tehran where she opened the sixth workshop on Regional Human Rights Arrangements in the Asia Pacific region.

The Office this morning received a fax which indicated that the workshop, which brought together representatives from 33 governments along with representatives of national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations active in the region, did adopt a framework regional programme on technical cooperation in human rights. This was the first Asia-Pacific regional agreement on human rights, a small but significant step, Mr. Mills said.

The High Commissioner spoke at the beginning of the workshop, as did the Foreign Minister of Iran, Mr. Khamal Kharrazi. Both expressed their hope that the workshop would agree on the framework regional programme which was what had happened.

Mr. Mills said that the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination started its work yesterday and elected a new Chairman, Mr. Mahmoud Aboul-Nasr of Egypt. It also welcomed two new members, Mr. Peter Nobel of Sweden and Ms. Gay Mcdougall of the United States.

Yesterday and this moring, the Committee was looking at the report of the Russian Federation. This afternoon, it would take up the report of Switzerland and tomorrow it would consider the report of Israel. The Committee was also considering the situation in Congo, Mauritania, Haiti and Ghana in the absence of reports by those States. Two of those States had asked for a postponement, and were promising reports.

The Office of the High Commissioner was disturbed at the latest violence and developments in Kosovo. It was studying the situation carefully. Mr. Mills said that he hoped he would have a statement on that situation by the end of the day.

A correspondent asked if Mr. Mills had made a comment last Friday on the situation in Afghanistan which was increasingly deteriorating, especially regarding women. Mr. Mills said that he had not made a statement but agreed that the situation in Afghanistan was very serious. The High Commissioner had met last Thursday with Mr. Sergio Vieira de Mello, the Under-Secretary-General for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs who was returning from a visit to Afghanistan. They had a detailed discussion on the human rights dimension of the situation in Afghanistan with a view to seeing how their Offices could cooperate.

Concerning the Commission on Human Rights, a reporter asked if it was confirmed that Mr. Annan would open the meeting and requested a list of speakers. Mr. Mills said that as to whether the Secretary-General would attend or not, he would leave that to either Mr. Fred Eckhard in New York or to Ms. Thérèse Gastaut to announce his movements. As for the list of speakers, Mr. Mills said that there were about 30 foreign ministers and a couple of prime ministers who were on the list of dignitaries expected to speak. There was a provisional list which he believed would be available shortly.

A correspondent requested that the statement on Kosovo be placed in the press room this afternoon and Mr. Mills said that he would announce it as soon as it was available.

Asked if Mrs. Robinson, during her talks in Tehran, had addressed the issue that was raised at the beginning of the year at the Islamic Summit concerning the wish of the Islamic world under the leadership of Iran to elaborate an Islamic Declaration of Human Rights, Mr. Mills said that the High Commissioner had had a very constructive meeting with Dr. Zarif, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran. He recalled that Iran was currently the Chair of the Organization of Islamic Conference, and said they discussed the issue of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights from the viewpoint of Islam. Dr. Zarif spoke of the possibility of the OIC providing a commentary on the Universal Declaration. Mr. Mills noted that a commentary was not quite the same as the Declaration suggested in the journalist's question. The High Commissioner offered the cooperation of her Office in providing expert or technical assistance to the OIC's effort. Mr. Mills recalled that the High Commissioner had encouraged debate during the anniversary year on the continuing relevance of the Universal Declaration, and it was in that context that the discussion took place.

Responding to a question on whether the High Commissioner addressed the issue of Salman Rushdi and how did she think collaboration between Iran and the Human Rights Commission should continue since Iran was a destructive element in the work of the Commission, Mr. Mills confirmed that the issue of Salman Rushdi was raised with the Deputy Foreign Minister. Mrs. Robinson told the press on Sunday evening that Dr. Zarif had assured her that although the fatwa on Salman Rushdi could not be revoked, the position of the Government of Iran was that it did not intend to take any measures to encourage the implementation of that fatwa.

Regarding the question on relations between the Commission and Iran. Mr. Mills said that he was not a spokesperson for the Commission for Human Rights which was an inter-governmental body. What the High Commissioner had said about this issue was that she was trying to assist a visit to Iran of the Special Representative of the Commission on the situation of human rights in Iran, Mr. Maurice Copithorne of Canada. This issue was raised during her meetings in Iran. Mrs. Robinson had received assurances before she went to Iran that such a meeting would be possible in May or more likely June.

A correspondent said that she believed that there was a bounty of $2 million on Salman Rushdie's head and asked if the money came from private sources or from religious or government sources in which case, if Iran could not do away with the fatwa, could it not at least discourage anyone making money out of killing him. Mr. Mills said that this was a question to ask the Iranian side. He said he was simply reflecting the outcome of the High Commissioner's meeting when she raised this issue with the Deputy Foreign Minister.

Another reporter asked that when Mr. Mills referred to the Iranian Government not wanting to implement the fatwa, did this include the Government side represented by Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei. Mr. Mills reiterated that he preferred not to go beyond what the High Commissioner had already said regarding her meeting with the Deputy Foreign Minister.