01 May 2002
UN Secretary General to Disband Jenin Mission
(Says time a critical factor in getting accurate information) (740)
By Judy Aita
Washington File United Nations Correspondent
United Nations -- Secretary General Kofi Annan told the Security
Council May 1 that he intends to disband the Jenin fact-finding
mission.
In a three-page letter outlining his efforts to launch the mission
after being given the mandate to do so by the council's resolution
1405, Annan said that after many days of talks between Israel and the
United Nations "it seems evident that the team will not be able to
proceed to the area to begin its mission in the near future."
He said that he intended to disband the team on May 2.
The secretary general cited Israel's decision not to accept the terms
of the mission or allow the mission into Israel as the reason for his
decision. "In my telephone conversations from the Israeli government
over the past two days high-level Israeli officials have broached
issues additional to those raised by the delegation that came to New
York last week, and there have been indications that this list may not
be exhaustive," he said.
"Clearly, the full cooperation of both sides was a precondition for
this, as was a visit to the area itself to see the Jenin refugee camp
at first hand and to gather information," Annan said.
"Time is also a critical factor," the secretary general said. "With
the situation in the Jenin refugee camp changing by the day, it will
become more and more difficult to establish with any confidence or
accuracy the 'recent events' that took place there."
"I regret being unable to provide the information requested by the
council in resolution 1405, and especially that the long shadow cast
by recent events in the Jenin refugee camp will remain in the absence
of such a fact-finding exercise," he said.
As the secretary general was awaiting word from Israel that the team
could proceed and was making his final decision April 30, US
Ambassador John Negroponte said that the United States "will fully
respect" Annan's decision.
The United States was the sponsor of resolution 1405.
"You will recall that our resolution, in the first instance, was one
of expression of support for the secretary general's initiative. This
was his initiative, as mentioned, in resolution 1405," Negroponte told
journalists April 30.
The team, which has been working in Geneva since April 24 while
awaiting the green light to travel to the Middle East, is headed by
former Finish President Martti Ahtisaari. The two other principals are
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata and Cornelio Sommaruga,
the former president of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
General William Nash, a retired US Army Major General who commanded
peacekeeping units in Bosnia and Kosovo, is military advisor; Tyge
Lehmann, a legal adviser for the Danish government and a human rights
expert, legal adviser; Deputy Commissioner Peter Fitzgerald of
Ireland, police adviser; and Helena Ranta, a forensic expert at the
University of Helsinki, is medical/legal adviser.
After Israel expressed concerned about the composition, mandate and
procedural matters of the mission, senior UN officials met with a
delegation from Israel April 25 and 26 to clarify the process.
As discussions with Israel progressed, military and police specialists
were added to the staff: Col. Miles Wade of the United Kingdom, who
worked with Gen. Nash in the Balkans; Major Francois Xavier Thomas, a
planning specialist with the French Army; Inspector Patrick Leahy of
the Irish Police, who has experience in UN operations in Bosnia,
Cambodia and Namibia; and Assistant Commissioner Dermot Jennings of
Ireland, who has extensive experience in counter-terrorism work. Three
other forensic experts from the University of Helsinki were also
scheduled to join the team.
The Security Council was holding consultations on how to respond to
the secretary general's letter in the evening May 1.
Talking with journalists before announcing his decision, the secretary
general said that the May 2 meeting in Washington of the diplomatic
Quartet -- the US, Russia, European Union, and the UN -- which is
trying to restart peace talks, would be an opportunity to review
"where we are and where we go from here, and what steps have to be
taken to press ahead with the peace issue."
"I hope that in Washington all of us will have a chance to speak
frankly and share ideas and decide what happens next," Annan said.
(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International
Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site:
http://usinfo.state.gov)
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