MIDDLE EAST: Amnesty International has called on the UN Security Council to order an urgent investigation into alleged abuses at the West Bank refugee camp of Jenin.
In a statement, the human rights organisation urged the council to send in its own team of international experts.
"According to the principles of international law, when deaths have occurred in disputed circumstances there must be an impartial investigation with the cooperation of all sides," Amnesty said.
"We are calling for international experts to be deployed and permitted to enter Jenin now with a mandate to carry out a prompt, independent and thorough investigation and to report their findings publicly," the statement added.
The UN Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan, is to brief the Security Council tomorrow on his views about the need for an international peacemaking force to bring the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to an end. The briefing had originally been expected today.
Although Mr Annan has made no public comment so far on the efforts of the US Secretary of State, Mr Colin Powell, to convene an international peace conference, he had discussions by telephone yesterday with Mr Powell, who briefed him on the plan.
At its annual session in Geneva, the UN Commission on Human Rights (CHR) approved a draft decision by roll-call vote, expressing its deep dismay that an April 5th resolution on the human rights situation in the Middle East had not been implemented.
The resolution requested that the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights, Mrs Mary Robinson, lead a delegation to the Middle East right away and report back to the CHR before the end of its session on April 26th.
Up to time of writing, the Israeli government had not given permission for this visit. In the interim, the CHR has urged Mrs Robinson to report on the human rights situation in the West Bank on the basis of reports from all concerned organisations working there.
In a separate development, the deputy head of Ireland's UN mission, Mr Gerard Corr, told the UN Security Council that "the fight against terrorism can never be at the expense of human rights".
Ambassador Corr said Ireland was in "full agreement" with the recent statement by Mr Annan that "any sacrifice of human rights in the struggle against terror is not only wrong in itself, but will ultimately be self-defeating".
He said the legislative and administrative requirements in implementing the anti-terrorist Resolution 1373 were "complex and daunting" for many member-states and there should be "sustained appreciation" of this.
He added that "a realistic sense of the complexity of things" would continue to be the safest guide towards the UN's agreed goals.
Implementing Resolution 1373 posed particular challenges to many developing countries and this might involve the provision of expertise and assistance as appropriate, Mr Corr said.
Meanwhile the Palestinian information minister called for implementation of the UN resolution calling for an immediate withdrawal from all towns, villages and refugee camps occupied by the Israeli army.