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10 March 2000
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10 March 2000
Morning
Discusses Situation of Ethnic Dimension to Some Contemporary Conflicts
The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination this morning concluded its review of a report presented by the Government of Malta on how that country was complying with the provisions of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
Lawrence Quintano, Senior Counsellor to the Republic of Malta, responded to a number of queries put by Committee member during the previous meeting. He said that all foreigners while in Malta were free to go to any place on the island except for security areas which were out of bounds for everybody.
The Committee will offer its final observations and recommendations on the report of Malta towards the end of its three-week session, which concludes on 24 March.
A two-person Maltese delegation was on hand to present the report and respond to questions raised by members of the Committee.
As one of the 155 States parties to the Convention, Malta is obliged to provide the Committee with summaries of the measures taken by the Government in its efforts to comply with the terms of the treaty.
Also this morning the Committee exchanged views on a draft statement on the ethnic dimension to some contemporary conflicts in which it stressed the need to identify situations which involved ethnicity. The draft reiterated the concerns expressed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights with regard to the Great Lakes region, Kosovo, East Timor, Chiapas and Chechnya, among others.
When the Committee reconvenes at 3 p.m., it will continue its discussion on the draft statement on the ethnic dimension to some contemporary conflicts. It will also consider communications which the Committee received from individuals or groups of persons claiming to be victims of a violation by a State party of any of the rights set forth in the Convention.
Discussion
LAWRENCE QUINTANO, Senior Counsellor to the Republic of Malta, responded to a number of queries put by Committee member during the previous meeting. He said that all foreigners while in Malta were free to go to any place on the island except for security areas which were out of bounds for everybody.
Referring to the case of torture mentioned by the country rapporteur, Mr. Quintano said that the case had already been raised by the Committee against Torture. He said that since November, there had been a fresh development as the last person involved in the case was acquitted when those who had made the allegations did not want to give evidence. The Government had set up a board of inquiry and brought the matter before the prison board. The case was finally brought before the courts.
There was no discrimination in the treatment of European and non-European refugees, Mr. Quintano said. The number of refugees had remained relatively stable since the report was submitted. During the Kosovo crisis, Malta accepted 105 refugees. The considerable number of Libyans, 500 of them, could be explained by the proximity of that country to Maltese shores. In addition, the relations between the two countries were very good, he said.
Answering a question on discrimination in adoption, Mr. Quintano said there was no provision of law which discriminated on grounds of race; anyone could adopt any child of whatever colour.
Discussion on Draft Statement on Ethnic Dimension to Some Contemporary Conflicts
Committee members exchanged views on the draft statement on the ethnic dimension to some contemporary conflicts around the world. Some experts stressed that certain ethnic conflicts were politically manipulated and they said that in some cases there had been exploitation of ethnic differences.
Underlining the exploitation of ethnic differences, many experts said that the leadership in some countries had been instrumental in fomenting and exploiting ethnic differences. They particularly referred to events that took place in Rwanda, where hundreds of thousands of persons had been victims of ethnic conflicts.
The recent ethnic and religious conflict in Nigeria was seen by some experts as potentially volatile to the region, where in the past the Biafra case had caused great suffering to the Nigerian population. An expert recalled that the conflict that took place in Nigeria last January was caused by the introduction of Islamic Sharia in some regions of the country.
Several experts also mentioned the situation in Austria where the far right political party, the "Freedom Party", had prompted an international outcry for its opinion against the rights of ethnic minorities and its reminiscence for Nazism. Many Committee members stressed that the situation in Austria should be thoroughly studied by the Committee which should carefully identify the situation in order to take appropriate measures under its early warning procedures.
One expert said that the situation in Austria did not have an ethnic dimension and might not fit into the text under discussion. However, the expert said, there had been a potential development in Austria which raised the Committee's concern. Another expert said that if the situation in Austria was to draw the attention of the Committee, particularly with the position expressed by Jörg Haider, the "Freedom Party" leader, then developments in Israel should also be examined with regard to some of its leaders.
The draft statement enumerated the concerns of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, with regard to conflicts still claiming lives in the Great Lakes region and other parts of Africa, the violence in Indonesia, continuing attacks against the Serb and Roma minorities in Kosovo, and the people of East Timor facing fresh evidence of mass killings perpetrated there.
Further, the draft referred to displaced persons in Chiapas, Mexico, and the situation in Chechnya. The draft expresses the Committee’s concern over situations in many of the regions where contemporary conflicts were taking place with ethnic dimensions. It believed that ethnic differences contributed to the inhumanity which was characteristic of so many abuses.
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Morning
Discusses Situation of Ethnic Dimension to Some Contemporary Conflicts
The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination this morning concluded its review of a report presented by the Government of Malta on how that country was complying with the provisions of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
Lawrence Quintano, Senior Counsellor to the Republic of Malta, responded to a number of queries put by Committee member during the previous meeting. He said that all foreigners while in Malta were free to go to any place on the island except for security areas which were out of bounds for everybody.
The Committee will offer its final observations and recommendations on the report of Malta towards the end of its three-week session, which concludes on 24 March.
A two-person Maltese delegation was on hand to present the report and respond to questions raised by members of the Committee.
As one of the 155 States parties to the Convention, Malta is obliged to provide the Committee with summaries of the measures taken by the Government in its efforts to comply with the terms of the treaty.
Also this morning the Committee exchanged views on a draft statement on the ethnic dimension to some contemporary conflicts in which it stressed the need to identify situations which involved ethnicity. The draft reiterated the concerns expressed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights with regard to the Great Lakes region, Kosovo, East Timor, Chiapas and Chechnya, among others.
When the Committee reconvenes at 3 p.m., it will continue its discussion on the draft statement on the ethnic dimension to some contemporary conflicts. It will also consider communications which the Committee received from individuals or groups of persons claiming to be victims of a violation by a State party of any of the rights set forth in the Convention.
Discussion
LAWRENCE QUINTANO, Senior Counsellor to the Republic of Malta, responded to a number of queries put by Committee member during the previous meeting. He said that all foreigners while in Malta were free to go to any place on the island except for security areas which were out of bounds for everybody.
Referring to the case of torture mentioned by the country rapporteur, Mr. Quintano said that the case had already been raised by the Committee against Torture. He said that since November, there had been a fresh development as the last person involved in the case was acquitted when those who had made the allegations did not want to give evidence. The Government had set up a board of inquiry and brought the matter before the prison board. The case was finally brought before the courts.
There was no discrimination in the treatment of European and non-European refugees, Mr. Quintano said. The number of refugees had remained relatively stable since the report was submitted. During the Kosovo crisis, Malta accepted 105 refugees. The considerable number of Libyans, 500 of them, could be explained by the proximity of that country to Maltese shores. In addition, the relations between the two countries were very good, he said.
Answering a question on discrimination in adoption, Mr. Quintano said there was no provision of law which discriminated on grounds of race; anyone could adopt any child of whatever colour.
Discussion on Draft Statement on Ethnic Dimension to Some Contemporary Conflicts
Committee members exchanged views on the draft statement on the ethnic dimension to some contemporary conflicts around the world. Some experts stressed that certain ethnic conflicts were politically manipulated and they said that in some cases there had been exploitation of ethnic differences.
Underlining the exploitation of ethnic differences, many experts said that the leadership in some countries had been instrumental in fomenting and exploiting ethnic differences. They particularly referred to events that took place in Rwanda, where hundreds of thousands of persons had been victims of ethnic conflicts.
The recent ethnic and religious conflict in Nigeria was seen by some experts as potentially volatile to the region, where in the past the Biafra case had caused great suffering to the Nigerian population. An expert recalled that the conflict that took place in Nigeria last January was caused by the introduction of Islamic Sharia in some regions of the country.
Several experts also mentioned the situation in Austria where the far right political party, the "Freedom Party", had prompted an international outcry for its opinion against the rights of ethnic minorities and its reminiscence for Nazism. Many Committee members stressed that the situation in Austria should be thoroughly studied by the Committee which should carefully identify the situation in order to take appropriate measures under its early warning procedures.
One expert said that the situation in Austria did not have an ethnic dimension and might not fit into the text under discussion. However, the expert said, there had been a potential development in Austria which raised the Committee's concern. Another expert said that if the situation in Austria was to draw the attention of the Committee, particularly with the position expressed by Jörg Haider, the "Freedom Party" leader, then developments in Israel should also be examined with regard to some of its leaders.
The draft statement enumerated the concerns of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, with regard to conflicts still claiming lives in the Great Lakes region and other parts of Africa, the violence in Indonesia, continuing attacks against the Serb and Roma minorities in Kosovo, and the people of East Timor facing fresh evidence of mass killings perpetrated there.
Further, the draft referred to displaced persons in Chiapas, Mexico, and the situation in Chechnya. The draft expresses the Committee’s concern over situations in many of the regions where contemporary conflicts were taking place with ethnic dimensions. It believed that ethnic differences contributed to the inhumanity which was characteristic of so many abuses.
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