REPORT ON REFUGEE WORKING GROUP INFORMAL COORDINATION MEETING

PRESS BRIEFING by Andrew Robinson,
RWG Gavel-holder

AMMAN - NOVEMBER 26, 1996

I HAVE JUST COME FROM PETRA WHERE, ON BEHALF OF CANADA I CHAIRED, AS GAVEL-HOLDER, AN INFORMAL MEETING OF THE TWELVE PARTIES MOST IMPLICATED IN THE WORK OF THE REFUGEE WORKING GROUP. THE GROUP WAS ESPECIALLY PLEASED TO MEET IN THE HASHEMITE KINGDOM OF JORDAN, TAKING OUR INSPIRATION FROM THE GENEROUS AND HUMANITARIAN JORDANIAN POLICIES TOWARDS PALESTINIAN REFUGEES AND THE KINGDOM’S INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED LEADERSHIP AND COMMITMENT IN THE MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS. THE POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE OF JORDAN’S POLICIES ON PALESTINIAN REFUGEES WERE NOTED BY THE RWG MISSION WHICH VISITED PALESTIANIAN REFUGEE CAMPS IN JORDAN LAST MAY.

I WOULD ESPECIALLY LIKE TO EXPRESS THE GRATITUDE OF THE GROUP FOR THE HOSPITALITY AND CONSTRUCTIVE PARTICIPATION OF THE JORDANIAN DELEGATION, LED BY HIS EXCELLENCY MR. MARWAN DUDIN. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO RECOGNIZE THE POSITIVE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE ISRAELI, PALESTINIAN AND EGYPTIAN DELEGATIONS. THE FACT THAT THESE PARTIES WERE WILLING TO COME TO THIS MEETING AT THIS PARTICULAR JUNCTURE OF THE PEACE PROCESS, AND THEIR SERIOUS AND RESPONSIBLE APPROACH TO THE MEETING, DEMONSTRATED BOTH THEIR COMMITMENT TO THE MULTILATERAL PROCESS AND TO THE IMPORTANCE THEY ATTACH TO THE REFUGEE ISSUE.

THE PURPOSE OF THIS MEETING WAS TO TAKE STOCK OF OUR ACHIEVEMENTS, REVIEW THE WORK PLAN AND DISCUSS FUTURE PLANS.

THE FACT THAT THIS MEETING WENT AHEAD, WHEN MANY OTHER ASPECTS OF THE PEACE PROCESS ARE MOVING SLOWLY, UNDERLINES THE IMPORTANCE ALL THE PARTIES ATTACH TO THE REFUGEE ISSUE AND THE REALIZATION OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THE WORK OF THE REFUGEE WORKING GROUP IN THIS CONTEXT.

I REMIND YOU OF COURSE THAT THE PURPOSE OF THE MULTILATERAL WORKING GROUPS IS TO COMPLEMENT AND SUPPORT THE BILATERAL PROCESS AND TO HELP ADDRESS ISSUES OF A REGIONAL NATURE WHICH LEND THEMSELVES TO A MULTILATERAL APPROACH. WHILE THE GOAL IS A COMPREHENSIVE PEACE, WHICH MUST INCLUDE A RESOLUTION OF THE REFUGEE PROBLEM, WE DO NOT TRY TO SUBSTITUTE FOR THE BILATERAL NEGOTIATIONS.

OUR MEETING IN PETRA WAS AN INFORMAL CONSULTATIVE MEETING. THE PURPOSE WAS NOT TO TAKE POLICY DECISIONS OR MAKE ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND THERE WAS NO STATEMENT ISSUED. WE USED THE OCCASION TO TRY TO ADVANCE OUR UNDERSTANDING ON THE ISSUES RELATED TO HELPING PALESTINIAN REFUGEES AND RESTORE MOMENTUM TO OUR WORK. THIS WAS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT IN THAT IT WAS THE FIRST SUCH MEETING OF THE RWG SINCE THE INSTALLATION OF THE NEW ISRAELI GOVERNMENT.

WE BEGAN WITH A REVIEW OF THE STATE OF THE PEACE PROCESS, AS THE CONTEXT IN WHICH OUR DISCUSSIONS WOULD TAKE PLACE. THE CORE PARTIES, ALL EXPRESSED THEIR CONTINUED COMMITMENT TO THE PROCESS.

IN ADDITION TO THE CORE PARTIES AND THE TWO CO-SPONSORS, THE MEETING INCLUDED REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE “SHEPHERD” COUNTRIES (EUROPEAN UNION - ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE; ITALY - PUBLIC HEALTH; NORWAY - DATA BASES; SWEDEN - CHILD WELFARE; USA - JOB CREATION, VOCATIONAL TRAINING AND HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT) . THESE ARE THE MEMBERS OF THE REFUGEE WORKING GROUP WHO HAVE A SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITY WITH RESPECT TO THE INDIVIDUAL THEMES OF THE REFUGEE WORKING GROUP. THE CORE PARTIES EXPRESSED THEIR GRATITUDE FOR THE CONTINUING WORK OF THE SHEPHERDS TO ASSIST PALESTINIAN REFUGEES AND THE MEETING RECOGNIZED THE IMPORTANCE OF ASSURING PROPER COMMUNICATION AND COORDINATION AMONG THE SHEPHERDS.

THE CENTRAL ROLE OF UNRWA IN ASSISTING REFUGEES WAS UNDERLINED BY ALL MEETING PARTICIPANTS AND DELEGATIONS HIGHLIGHTED THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE UNRWA FINANCIAL CRISIS.

SWEDEN REPORTED ITS CONTINUING CONCERNS ABOUT THE DIFFICULT SITUATION FACING PALESTINIAN REFUGEE CHILDREN IN LEBANON AND THE NEED FOR SPECIAL EFFORTS BY THE REFUGEE WORKING GROUP TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM.

SWITZERLAND, WHICH IS SHEPHERD FOR THE HUMAN DIMENSION IN ALL THE MULTILATERAL WORKING GROUPS, PROVIDED A STATUS REPORT ON A RANGE OF ONGOING ACTIVITIES INCLUDING THEIR PLAN FOR A SYMPOSIUM ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD.

FRANCE, WHICH IS SHEPHERD FOR FAMILY REUNIFICATION, DID NOT ATTEND.

AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE MEETING WAS OUR REVIEW OF WORK IN THE GROUP SINCE OUR LAST SUCH COORDINATION MEETING IN MAY. I BRIEFED THE GROUP ON MY ACTIVITIES AS GAVEL SINCE OUR MAY MEETING, INCLUDING MY RECENT CONSULTATIONS IN LEBANON. WE LOOKED AT THE STATUS OF THE ACTIVITIES MANDATED BY THE LAST PLENARY MEETING, AND ESPECIALLY THOSE STILL TO BE CARRIED OUT.

* THE NORWEGIAN SHEPHERD TOLD THE MEETING, THAT SINCE THE SUCCESSFUL INTER-SESSIONAL ACTIVITY ON THE THEME OF DATA BASES IN OSLO LAST JUNE, NORWAY HAD STARTED THE PROCESS OF ANALYZING THE DATA WHICH HAD BEEN COLLECTED IN THE CONTEXT OF THE JORDAN LIVING CONDITION SURVEY.

WE ALSO REVIEWED A NUMBER OF OUTSTANDING ACTIVITIES AND FINALIZED PLANS FOR THEIR IMPLEMENTATION.

* ITALY INFORMED US ABOUT THE PLANS FOR HOLDING THE INTER-SESSIONAL ON PUBLIC HEALTH FOR PALESTINIAN REFUGEES IN JANUARY, AND ON OTHER ACTIVITIES IN THE PUBLIC HEALTH FIELD.

* WE AGREED TO HOLD A MEETING ON FAMILY REUNIFICATION EARLY IN THE NEW YEAR, WHICH THE GOVERNMENT OF SWITZERLAND KINDLY OFFERED TO HOST.

* I BRIEFED THE GROUP REGARDING A FUTURE INTERNATIONAL MISSION TO THE PALESTINIAN CAMPS IN LEBANON.

ALL THE PARTIES FELT THAT IT WAS USEFUL TO HAVE THIS MEETING AT THIS TIME. IT PROVIDED A FORUM FOR A THOROUGH REVIEW OF THE WORK OF THE GROUP. WE EXCHANGED VIEWS, IN AN INFORMAL ATMOSPHERE, ABOUT HOW THE REFUGEE WORKING GROUP COULD BE MORE HELPFUL TO THE PEACE PROCESS AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE PROCESS OF ACHIEVING A VIABLE AND COMPREHENSIVE SOLUTION TO THE REFUGEE ISSUE. THE PARTIES PARTICIPATING ALL RECOGNIZED THAT A RESOLUTION OF THE REFUGEE ISSUE IS A FUNDAMENTAL AND NECESSARY ASPECT OF THE MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS. THEY ALSO RECOGNIZED THE CONTINUING IMPORTANCE OF ACTIVITY WITHIN THE WORKING GROUP AND OF HOLDING OUR NEXT PLENARY AS EARLY AS PRACTICALLY POSSIBLE, GIVEN THE NUMBER OF OUTSTANDING ACTIVITIES.

I WISH TO CONCLUDE BY EMPHASIZING THAT THE REFUGEE WORKING GROUP IS CONTINUING TO IMPLEMENT ITS PLANNED ACTIVITIES TO ASSIST PALESTINIAN REFUGEES IN THE MIDDLE EAST.