UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mrs Mary Robinson will head a fact-finding mission next week to investigate alleged human rights abuses in the Israeli military offensive into Palestinian areas, officials said today.
Mr Krzysztof Jakubowski, the Polish chairman of the UN Commission on Human Rights, announced the result of a vote after a heated three-hour debate in the 53-member state forum.
Forty-four countries voted in favour of the Arab-Muslim resolution, two were against (Canada and Guatemala) and seven abstained, including Britain, Germany and Russia.
"The resolution on the situation of human rights in the occupied territories, as amended, is adopted," the chairman said as delegates burst into applause after the public ballot.
The amendment to the Arab text, brought by Sweden, cites Security Council resolutions, appeals for a truce, a withdrawal of Israeli forces and a halt to violence and "terrorism".
Neither Israel, the Palestinian delegation nor the US have voting rights at this year's six-week session, but all took the floor in the Geneva debate.
But Israeli envoy Mr Yaakov Levy, signalling that the Jewish state may not cooperate, rejected the vote as "one-sided". He said the mission "could very well inflame the delicate situation".
The resolution, presented by Algeria and Pakistan on behalf of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), "condemns the frightening increase in the loss of life and the invasion of Palestinian cities" and asks Mr Robinson to head an urgent mission which would report back before the end of its six-week session.
Mrs Robinson, opening the special debate on the eighth day of the Israeli incursion into the West Bank, said she would require the "full co-operation" of Israeli and Palestinian officials.
"I am ready in principle to head the mission...," the former president of Ireland said, adding that she intended to invite two prominent international personalities to accompany her. In addition to those two, still to be named, the team would include two of her staff and two security officials.
AFP