A meeting between Raji Sourani, Director of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights and Mr Adama Dirang, Secretary-General of the ICJ, took place in Geneva.

 

23^rd April 1998

The meeting was concerned primarily with the relationship between the ICJ and the PCHR which is an affiliate of the former. They discussed coordination and cooperation between the two organisations now and in the future, and an evaluation of past experiences. This was of vital importance as the ICJ has the oldest and long-standing professional relationship with the Palestinian human rights organisation. From the outset there was also a discussion on the deterioration of the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) – this discussion was particularly focused on the human and legal aspects. There was also a discussion about the forthcoming triennial meeting of the ICJ to be held in Cape Town, South Africa, in July.

The ICJ is the most important NGO body in the world – including more than 120 non-governmental, legal and human rights organisations, coming from every corner of the globe. For the last two decades it has adopted its Palestinian affiliate organisations in international circles.

At the end of the meeting Sourani invited the Secretary-General to head an ICJ delegation to the OPT, with the aim of this trip being to focus on the deterioration of the human rights situation there.

In Geneva, Sourani also met with the office of the UN Special Rapporteur to the Occupied Territories, and discussed Mr Halinen’s last report, presented to the last Un Human Rights Commission. Sourani criticised the attempt to expand the remit of the Special Rapporteur to the PNA, and strongly suggested that this would cause serious confusion within his mandate.

In addition Sourani also held talks with Mr Nabeel Ramlawi, the PLO Ambassador in Berne, also accredited to the UN in Geneva, in which there was an exchange of views regarding different subjects on human rights in the OPT, and in the UN.