Media Advisory

22 March 2001

AI Index MDE 15/014/2001 - News Service Nr. 53

Israel/ Occupied Territories/Palestinian Authority

"Developing a human rights agenda for peace"

Amnesty International's Secretary General, Pierre Sané, will be visiting Israel and the Occupied Territories including the areas under the Palestinian Authority, to launch a call to Israelis and Palestinians for human rights to be put at the heart of the agenda for peace.

A major flaw in the peace process which began with Oslo was that it was not founded on ensuring protection for human rights. The past months have shown more clearly than ever that if human rights are sacrificed in the search for peace and security there will be no peace and security. Human rights must be a part of the solution.

The delegation will include Martin O'Brien, Director of the Committee on the Administration of Justice in Belfast, who was involved in the Northern Ireland peace process.

At press conferences in Gaza on 24 March and Jerusalem on 26 March, Amnesty International will call for the development of a human rights agenda. Pierre Sané and Martin O'Brien will give a public lecture at the Hebrew University on 26 March and visit Bir Zeit University on 27 March.

Pierre Sané will also be attending the Annual General Meeting of the Israeli Section of Amnesty International and meeting Palestinian Amnesty International members in Gaza, Bethlehem and Ramallah.

For more information or requests for interviews please contact mission delegates Kamal Samari on mobile phone + 44 07778 472 126 or Liz Hodgkin on +972 82824311.

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For more information please call Amnesty International's press office in London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566

Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW web : http://www.amnesty.org