COMMITTEE ON THE ELIMINATION OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION CONCLUDES CONSIDERATION OF REPORT OF LEBANON

HR/CERD/98/16
11 March 1998


The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination this morning concluded consideration of a report presented by Lebanon and called on the Government to take active measures to combat prejudices which led to racial discrimination.

The Lebanese delegation, in response to questions raised by members of the Committee yesterday, said a far reaching programme was being implemented for the resettlement of persons displaced during the armed conflicts, however, funds were lacking.

In concluding remarks, Ivan Garvalov, the Committee member from Bulgaria who served as rapporteur for the report of Lebanon, said he was encouraged by the constructive dialogue and substantive replies of the delegation. The report lacked information on, among other things, measures taken to prohibit all dissemination of ideas based on racial superiority and on ethnic groups residing in Lebanon. Moreover, active measures should be carried out by the State to combat prejudices which led to racial discrimination and to promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among ethnic groups, he added.

The Committee will issue written conclusions and recommendations on the report towards the end of its three-week session, which concludes 20 March. Lebanon, as one of 150 States parties to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, has to present periodic reports to the Committee on how it implements the provisions of the treaty.

The Committee spent the latter part of the morning meeting in private session to discuss communications from individuals complaining of racial discrimination.
The panel of experts will reconvene at 3 p.m. to begin review of the report of Yugoslavia (document CERD/C/299/Add.17).

Discussion of Report

NABIL MAAMARI, Councillor of the Research and Documentation Centre at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lebanon, responding to questions raised yesterday by members of the Committee, said Lebanon was not a federal State. It had a single Constitution and legislature and was not made up of cantons or regions. Moreover, the members of the religious communities were not restricted or concentrated in particular areas. The personal status codes of the various religious communities were incorporated in the Lebanese legislation and it was this that had led some to describe the country as a personal federation. These personal status codes, however, only concerned matters regarding the family, affiliation and succession.

Concerning religious communities, Mr. Maamari said the majority of legislative acts referred to these groups as religious communities and not as ethnic groups. The Greek Catholics and Orthodox communities could not be considered as ethnic groups as they did not originate from that country. In general, these communities had more of a religious than an ethnic substance.

Mr. Maamari said that it was possible to change communities and this often happened for marriages. Members of Government and Parliament, although appointed according to their religious community, represented the entire population. The President of the Republic, a Masonite Christian, represented the entire nation. The heads of the various communities, on the other hand, were men of religion.

The aim of political confessionalism was to ensure the participation of all religious communities in political and administrative life. At present, the Government was intending to move beyond confessionalism towards a balanced development of the regions from a cultural, social and economic point of view. The first step for the elimination of political confessionalism was to ensure equality of distribution of parliamentary seats among Christians and Muslims. A national committee was established and chaired by the President to deal with this issue. There was some resistance to the elimination of confessionalism and this was being dealt with by the Committee. This was a fundamental change which would take years to accomplish. Progress in this matter would also depend on the resolution of political and military problems prevailing in the country. Part of the country was still occupied by Israel, which refused to withdraw from southern Lebanon.
Mr. Maamari said a far reaching programme was being implemented for the resettlement of persons displaced during the armed conflicts. The programme had received no resistance from the population, however, it lacked funds. Measures to be carried out under this programme included: reconstruction of the infrastructure of destroyed villages, financial grants to encourage the departure of persons living in illegal homes, and compensation to encourage the return of displaced persons. Housing was preserved by a register and was duly restituted, he added. A special Ministry of Displaced Person was also established to address these problems.

Concerning Palestinian refugees, Mr. Maamari said Lebanon, as other Arab countries, did not follow a policy of naturalisation or what was known as implementation. In fact, Palestinian refugees themselves rejected naturalisation. The refugees, living in the country, were protected by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). Lebanon contributed to 0.6 per cent of that organisation's budget and in addition, paid for the land on which Palestinian homes were established. In dealing with the refugees, Lebanon differentiated between the armed Palestinians and civil Palestinians residing in the country. The latter enjoyed all the freedoms allocated to foreigners and benefited from UNRWA assistance.

In concluding remarks, Committee member IVAN GARVALOV said he was encouraged by the constructive dialogue and substantive replies of the delegation. The report lacked information on measures taken to prohibit all dissemination of ideas based on racial superiority or hatred and organizations which promoted and incited racial discrimination. Moreover, additional information was needed on effective protection and remedies afforded to persons who were victims of racially motivated acts.

Mr. Garvalov said the Kurds were clearly not a religious community and more detailed information was needed in the next periodic report on the ethnic groups residing in Lebanon. Moreover, active measures should be carried out by the State to combat prejudices which lead to racial discrimination and to promoting understanding, tolerance and friendship among ethnic groups.