A top United Nations diplomat says Secretary-General Kofi Annan is considering abandoning a U.N. fact-finding mission to the Palestinian refugee camp at Jenin. 

Undersecretary-general Kieran Prendergast says Mr. Annan is leaning towards disbanding the team because of Israel's objections over the mandate and make-up of the U.N. probe. The Israeli government says it will not cooperate with the mission until Israeli conditions have been met. 

Mr. Annan told reporters Tuesday that the U.N. has "really done everything to deal with their concerns." He said he was waiting for a formal notification from Israel before deciding the next step. 

Mr. Annan recalled that Israel's Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer had told him that a U.N. probe would be welcome and that Israel has nothing to hide. 

Palestinians accuse Israeli forces of carrying out a massacre in the Jenin camp, which was the scene of heavy fighting during Israel's West Bank offensive. Israel denies the charge. 

The U.N. investigation team has been gathered in Geneva waiting for a green-light on its fact-finding mission since last week. 

The U.N. team is led by former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari and includes former International Red Cross President Cornelio Sommaruga, and the former U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Sadako Ogata. 

Some information for this report provided by AFP and Reuters. 

Email this article to a friend.
Printer Friendly Version