A/61/335 of discrimination felt deeply and underlined by the representatives of civil society: security and environmental discrimination viewed as penalizing the population as a whole and arising from the excessive concentration of American military bases when compared to other regions of Japan, and cultural and historical discrimination in relation to the identity of the people of Okinawa. The Special Rapporteur, who intended to pay, a courtesy call at the outset to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to inform it of the objectives and schedule of his visit, took note of the expression by the Government, at the end of his stay, of its displeasure with respect to his visit to Okinawa and its disagreement concerning its organization and sponsoring by civil society. The Special Rapporteur conveyed to the Japanese Government his different views on these two points. He believes that the effectiveness and objectivity of his mandate are linked to respect for two essential principles: on the one hand, his ability to continuously follow-up on the situation regarding racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia in countries both for his general report on the global situation and for specific reports on countries visited, and on the other hand, direct, balanced and independent relations with Governments and civil society organizations. Respect for these principles enables the Special Rapporteur to accept invitations and cooperation on the part of Governments, intergovernmental organizations, and national or international non-governmental organizations, both for field visits and for participating in diverse meetings concerning his mandate. 47. In this regard, bearing in mind the particularly sensitive nature of his mandate in the current international context, the Special Rapporteur, who dedicates a great portion of his time to the exercise of his mandate and is aware of the limited resources of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, would like to thank the Governments and civil society institutions that have sent him invitations and have assumed the cost (transportation and lodging) of a number of activities. He hopes that the respect for and implications of these principles will be taken into account in the review of the issue of special procedures by the Human Rights Council. 2. Mission to Brazil 48. From 17 to 26 October 2005 the Special Rapporteur visited Brazil with the objective of assessing the progress achieved in the implementation of the recommendations of his predecessor, who had visited the country in 1995, as well as the current situation of racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia. He visited Brasilia, Salvador de Bahia, Recife, Pesquiera, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo. He met President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who wished to inform him directly of his efforts to combat racism and of his vision of a multiracial, egalitarian and democratic Brazil, representatives of the Government at the national and local levels (in particular Ms. Matilde Ribeiro, Minister of the Special Secretariat for the Promotion of Racial Equality), members of the legislative and judicial branches (in particular two Afro-Brazilian women members of the Supreme Court), as well as a number of representatives of civil society and indigenous communities of African, Japanese and South American origin. 49. The report of the Special Rapporteur (E/CN.4/2006/16/Add.3) focuses on two principal conclusions: the historical and cultural depth of racism and racial discrimination in Brazilian society and the recognition of the political will of the Government to combat it. Brazilian society is profoundly structured at the political, 06-51904 17