Former Spanish PM, ANC leader to join Robinson on Middle East mission

Mary Robinson, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, today announced that a former Prime Minister of Spain and a former head of the African National Congress (ANC) would join her on a forthcoming visit to the Middle East.

Former Spanish Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez and former ANC Secretary-General Cyril Ramaphosa are both widely recognized for the their national and international public service, including in the human rights field.

According to a statement released by Mrs. Robinson today, the members of the visiting mission will be holding consultations in Geneva – among themselves and with others, including the Israeli authorities – “with a view to departing to the area immediately.”

Mrs. Robinson’s mission was requested last week by the Geneva-based UN Commission on Human Rights, which mandated her to travel immediately to the area and return expeditiously to submit findings and recommendations to the body’s current session.