E/CN.4/1991/56 page 3 individuals. Among such sources, the Special Rapporteur has endeavoured to take due account of information from religious groups and denominational communities. He has given priority to the use of recent information for the period since the submission of his previous report to the Commission; however, particularly in the case of situations mentioned for the first time, or in order to take account of problems the origins or at least the manifestations of which go back a number of years, he has sometimes made use of earlier information and referred to it. 14. As regards the interpretation and scope of his duties, the Special Rapporteur wishes to reflect here, as in his previous report (E/CN.4/1990/46, paras. 13 and 1 4 ) , some comments and observations arising out of his mandate. Some of these comments concerned the determination of causes and responsibilities in the field of intolerance based on religion or belief. Although the Special Rapporteur deemed it advisable in his report to the Commission on Human Rights at its forty-sixth session to stress the responsibility which might devolve on Governments in respect of religious restrictions or repression, it cannot be denied, as he stressed in his initial report (E/CN.4/1987/35, paras. 29-45), that the factors hampering the implementation of the Declaration are extremely complex. While intolerance may in some cases be the result of a deliberate policy on the part of Governments, it may also frequently derive from economic, social or cultural tensions, and take the form of acts of hostility or conflicts between different groups. Behind phenomena of intolerance may also be found certain dogmatic interpretations which stir up misunderstandings or hatred between different religious communities or encourage dissension within them. 15. Given this multiplicity of responsibilities, the dialogue established with Governments by the Special Rapporteur and the transmission of allegations concerning their countries in no way implies any kind of accusation or value judgement on the part of the Special Rapporteur, but rather a request for clarification with a view to trying to find, along with the Government concerned, a solution to a problem which goes to the heart of human rights and fundamental freedoms. 1