Hot talks when President Warzazi meets NGO's representatives

As the new president of the Sub-Commission on Promotion and Protection and Human Rights, Ms Warzazi decided to open this second day by setting-up an informal meeting with the NGO's. The purpose was to discuss and solve logistical and technical matters in order to improve the efficiency of the Sub-Commission discussions, which has been reduced, as the president complained yesterday, due to financial and economical restrictions.

The meeting took a rather unexpected turn as a representative of the World Jewish Congress (WJC), the lawyer Daniel Lack, reproached to Ms Warzazi part of her speech addressed at the Opening Session. Her statement contained specific allusions to the war in Irak and the Human Rights abuses in Palestine : "(…) The massive attacks against the right to life, to self-determination, to freedom, to security, to the liberty of movement which victimized innocent Palestinians (...)". Through his reaction, Mr Lack outlined his "gravest concerns about the statement [which is] a unilateral extremist declaration", adding further: "It's inconvenient to express a personal statement not representing the institution of the UN". Ms Warzazi showed her surprise to be taken apart in such an aggressive manner, and waited until the end to precise rather calmly: " What I have said is the truth, we have seen it on TV, we are not the UN but a group of experts and I speak as an expert. I am not subject to any NGO's nor to any government authority; I am free, and until the last day of my life I will act as a free expert, in this free human rights sub-commission". As she was finishing her speech under the applause, the two members of the World Jewish Congress left the room. The meeting could go on in a more cordial atmosphere.

Many NGO's representatives were urged by the president to organize between themselves to group their interventions. Thus they could "consolidated their speeches" (that will be limited from 5 to 15mn for more than ten NGO's) in the most efficient way. On their side, NGO members were eager to prepare the frame of discussion, obtaining appropriate updated information and documents.

The president also made a strong appeal to NGO's to gather and intervene to the United Nations organs and governments to resolve the trend, which at the time being, leads to a limitation of the expression rights at the Sub-Commission. She gave the case of the Social Forum threatened by the Ecosoc (Economical Social and Cultural Committee) the latter making "maneuver" to put it down. She then answered a question from the Pax Romana delegate about the lack of implementation of what was achieved two years ago, like the 2001/01 Resolution released before the Durban Conference. Ms Warzazi granted that there were some difficulties but that the Sub-Commission was under pressure and critics coming from the Commission to respect the tight Agenda.

Ms Warzazi adjourned the talks by stating that experts as well as her self would remain open to discussion and will convene such meetings with NGO's on a regular basis.

By : Jérôme Gygax and John Auran-Clapot

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