UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Friday agreed to Israel's request to postpone by one day the arrival of the UN fact-finding team probing in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank.
The agreement was reached at the end of talks between a three-member Israeli delegation and UN Under-Secretary-General Kieran Prendergast, according to a statement issued here by Annan's spokesman.
The discussions "took place in a cordial and constructive atmosphere," the statement said, adding that clarifications were done by the UN side.
The Israeli cabinet will take a formal decision on the matter on Sunday morning and the Israeli foreign minister requested that the team arrive on Sunday due to the Israeli Sabbath.
"Given these special circumstances, the secretary-general has agreed to this request," the statement added.
The team was established with Annan's initiative and supported by UN Security Council resolution 1405 adopted on April 19 to gather accurate information on the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian refugee camp in Jenin, where Palestinians have reported heavy losses of lives following the Israeli incursion since March 29.
Israel originally gave its green light to the mission but balked later, asking the UN to clarify on the composition of the UN probe team and its scope of action. No substance of the talks since Thursday has been revealed.
(Xinhua News Agency April 27, 2002)
