A/52/498 English Page 12 Kurdish ethnic origin in Turkey; and ethnic Albanians in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions 47. The Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Mr. Bacre Waly Ndiaye, referred in his report (E/CN.4/1997/60) to violations of the right to life of persons belonging to national, ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities. He transmitted allegations to some 10 Governments regarding persons belonging to national, ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities, on behalf of, among others: Aboriginals in Australia; Chakmas in Bangladesh; members of the Guarani-Kaiowa indigenous community in Brazil; members of the Roma ethnic group in Bulgaria; Hutus and Tutsis in the Great Lakes region; Baha'is in Iran; Palestinians in Israel; members of the Kayin ethnic minority in Myanmar; Tamils in Sri Lanka; people of Kurdish ethnic origin in Turkey; detainees of Afro-Caribbean origin in the United Kingdom; Black Americans in the United States and Banyamulengues in former Zaire (para. 27). 48. In his concluding remarks and recommendations, the Special Rapporteur stated that one of the most prevalent targets of extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions continued to be persons involved in struggles, such as struggles to prevent or combat racial, ethnic or religious discrimination and ensure respect for social, cultural, economic, civil and political rights. He urged that the international community assist in the establishment of a coherent multifaceted system of prevention of conflicts that would embody a rapid intervention component to avert the degeneration of situations where the threat of massive human rights violations existed. Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances 49. The main task of the Working Group is to act as a channel of communication between families of disappeared persons and the Governments concerned, as well as to monitor States' compliance with their obligations deriving from the Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. 50. In its report (E/CN.4/1997/34), the Working Group reported cases of disappearances of persons belonging to minorities in, inter alia: China of Tibetans; Indonesia of East Timorese; Iraq of ethnic Arabs and Kurds of the Shi'a faith; Morocco of persons of Saharan origin; Pakistan of the Mohajirs; the Russian Federation of persons of ethnic Ingush and Ossetian origin; and Sri Lanka of Tamils. In its conclusions and recommendations, the Working Group again urged Governments to cooperate with and assist the Working Group so that it might perform its function without hindrance. 51. Further information on the situation of minorities is contained in documents E/CN.4/1997/51 and E/CN.4/1997/10 on the situation in East Timor and in the Republic of Chechnya, Russian Federation, respectively. Notes 1 With reference to some countries where indigenous populations rather than minority groups are affected by human rights violations, the Committee has invoked article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. -----