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May 1, 2002
UNITED NATIONS -- U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is considering canceling a U.N. fact-finding mission to the Jenin refugee camp because of Israeli complaints and was looking for advice from the Security Council on Wednesday before deciding the fate of the investigation.
The three-member team, which has been waiting in Geneva for four days, was appointed by Annan on April 19 to look into Israel's eight-day military operation in the refugee camp. The Palestinians say the Israeli army massacred civilians, while Israel says its army fought against entrenched Palestinian gunmen.
The mission has met strong objections from Israel, which opposes the mandate and composition of the inquiry team, saying it is biased against Israel.
Israel's security Cabinet decided Tuesday not to cooperate until six Israeli demands are met, including a promise that activities by Palestinian militants in the camp will also be scrutinized and that Israeli soldiers will be protected from prosecution.
"Given the team's inability to proceed and the difficulties we have had, I was inclined to disband it," Annan said Tuesday.
The secretary-general said he will listen to the Security Council, which will meet late Wednesday, before deciding whether to call the team and its advisers back from Geneva.
The mission is headed by former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, along with Cornelio Sommaruga, former president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, and Sadako Ogata, former U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.
The team members left busy jobs to be part of the mission, Annan said. "In these circumstances, I cannot keep these gentlemen and women sitting in Geneva, and we will have to draw the consequences and take action."
The secretary-general said the United States and other nations were trying to unblock the impasse between the United Nations and Israel over the fact-finding mission.
After two days of meetings with an Israeli delegation, Annan said he had written a letter to Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres which "I felt clarified the issues and dealt with their concerns, but evidently that was not the case."
Annan said he chose the three-member team with the view "that it was extremely important to find out what happened (in Jenin)."
Israel's Peres on Tuesday denied again that there was any massacre of civilians in the camp.
"Forty-five armed Palestinians lost their lives, 26 Israeli soldiers lost their lives, but when it came to civilians, we are talking about seven persons," he told the MSNBC cable news channel.
But Ahmed Abdel Rahman, secretary of the Palestinian Cabinet, said: "What happened in Jenin was a crime during the day in front of the eyes of the whole world."
U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte said the United States will "fully respect" the secretary-general's decision. U.S. officials said the Bush administration would still like to see a fact-finding mission.
Arab nations circulated a new draft resolution late Tuesday which demands that Israel immediately receive the fact-finding team and authorizes the council "to take adequate measures it may deem necessary" if its previous resolution isn't implemented.
The draft resolution declares that the situation in the region constitutes "a threat to international peace and security" and would authorize the council to use military force.
A resolution in this form would almost certainly be vetoed by the United States, Israel's closest ally.