A special unit of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights acted Friday to begin carrying out a Commission request for investigation of alleged violations by Israel of the Geneva convention in the occupied Arab territories. The unit, known as the ad hoc working group of experts, was set up by the Commission in 1967. A two meetings here Friday, the ad hoc group decided to send letters on the alleged violations to Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Egypt, and to the UN representative of the League of Arab States, as well as to Laurence Michelmore, the commissioner-general of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees. The letters will ask the recipients for cooperation in fulfillment of the Commission’s mandate to the ad hoc group.
The Commission also asked the unit to receive communications, hear witnesses and use such procedures as it considered necessary to report conclusions and recommendations to the 26th session of the Commission, tentatively scheduled for February-March, 1970. The unit agreed that, in the letters, it would be pointed out to the recipients that the cooperation was being asked subject to approval by the Economic and Social Council of the resolution under which the unit was instructed to proceed. The unit agreed that, assuming such approval, members of the unit might make a trip to the countries involved next July or August. The Economic and Social Council will hold its 46th session from May 12 to June 6.
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