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By William M. Reilly
UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL
UNITED NATIONS, April 26 (UPI) -- The U.N.
Jenin fact-finding mission is now expected to arrive in the Middle East Sunday,
a day later than originally scheduled and reflecting a delay granted in face of
the Sabbath and a positive response from a special Israeli delegation at U.N.
talks.
The Israeli delegation began talks
Thursday with a team of senior U.N. officials led by Undersecretary-General for
Political Affairs Kieran Prendergast.
At the
conclusion of the talks and after briefing the Security Council the usually
tight-lipped Prendergast told reporters only the talks had been "positive" and
that there would be a delay of one day for the Sabbath.
"These discussions took place in a cordial and
constructive atmosphere," said a spokeswoman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
"Clarifications on the upcoming mission were provided by the United Nations.
"The United Nations has been informed that the
Israeli Cabinet will take a formal decision on the matter on Sunday morning,
April 28," said the spokeswoman, Marie Okabe. "The Foreign Minister (Shimon
Peres) has requested that due to the Israeli Sabbath, the team arrive on Sunday.
Given those circumstances the secretary-general has agreed to this request."
Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for the
fact-finding team now in Geneva, Switzerland, said it would arrive in Tel Aviv
Sunday evening.
Council president for April,
Ambassador Sergei Lavrov of Russia, said, "I'm sure that if something develops
different than what is contained in the statement we will look at it."
Some members of the council said privately
there was a possibility of a council session Sunday if the Israeli cabinet fails
to deliver a formal go-ahead for the U.N. mission.
The deadliest fighting in the recent Israeli
re-occupation of Palestinian territory took place in the Jenin Refugee Camp,
where officials of the Palestinian Authority have said hundreds of civilian
residents were killed. Amnesty International has said that it has found
preliminary evidence that Israeli soldiers violated the Geneva conventions and
other laws of war.
The Israeli military has
denied there was a massacre and says its three-week incursion into to the camp
was necessary to "uproot an infrastructure of terror." It said it tried to
minimize civilian casualties, even putting the lives of its soldiers at risk by
not using air cover. It says that the camp was a legitimate military target, and
that armed Palestinians broke the laws of war by booby trapping homes, and
deliberately taking shelter among civilians.
Israel said it lost 23 soldiers. About 100
bodies of Palestinians have been recovered.
The Security Council endorsed one week ago
Annan's initiative to send a fact-finding mission and Israel agreed. But after
he announced a three-member team, with two advisers earlier this week, Israel
balked.
Annan chose Marti Ahtisaari, a former
president of Finland to head the team, Sadako Ogata, former U.N. High
Commissioner for Refugees, and Cornelio Sommaruga, former president of the
International Committee of the Red Cross. The first advisers were retired U.S.
Army Gen. William Nash and former Irish Police Commissioner Peter Fitzgerald.
Additional military advisers were added later but have not yet been named. A
Danish legal adviser and Finish forensic specialist were also added later.
Mission members first gathered in Geneva
Wednesday and were to have departed for the Middle East Friday.
The Israelis voiced displeasure at the
composition of the mission and wanted to broaden its makeup. Annan said while he
would not remove any members some more could be added and talks were scheduled
for Thursday at U.N. headquarters in New York.
Ambassador Yehuda Lancry, Israel's permanent
representative at the United Nations, first brought the four-member team that
had flown from Israel to headquarters Thursday afternoon. They returned again
Friday to conclude the discussions.
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