E/CN.4/1999/58 page 13 restitution and compensation involving Jewish and Christian communities: Golgotha Evangelical Baptist Church, Catholic Church and Orthodox Church. Several religious communities enjoy advantages, such as tax exemption, with respect to the reconstruction or renovation of restituted places of worship. Material and financial aid is also provided by the local authorities. The reply states, “It should be noted that the restitution process, certain aspects of which involve relations between nationalities, is by definition sensitive and delicate. The Belarusian Government considers that this question should be settled through consultation between the authorities and the representatives of various national and religious minorities, which should be guaranteed equal rights and resources, care being taken not to violate the fundamental rights and freedoms of the majority. Another challenge is to avoid any action which might provide a particular religious community or congregation with a dominant or special position in society, which could give rise to conflicts between nationalities or religious conflicts.” 40. The Special Rapporteur expresses his appreciation of this policy and understands the difficulties encountered; he hopes that it will have the maximum impact in promoting human rights in general and freedom of religion and belief in particular. Belgium 41. New legislation reportedly establishes a “sect oversight organization”. However, a report covering 189 organizations, including Baha’is, Hasidic Jews, Evangelists, Pentecostalists and Adventists, is said to be based on rumour rather than serious inquiries. Some communities were allegedly not invited to the hearings of the Parliamentary Commission on Sects or were not given an opportunity to defend themselves in time. Their inclusion in the above-mentioned report has apparently caused difficulties for some communities (in renting public premises, for example). 42. Belgium presented a detailed explanation of the functioning and mandate of the Parliamentary Commission responsible for producing a policy to curb sects and the dangers they represent to individuals, and in particular minors; it provided definitions of the terms “secte” (“organized group of individuals espousing the same doctrine within a religion” - the Commission considers sects in this sense to be respectable and to reflect the normal exercise of the freedom of religion and assembly guaranteed by fundamental rights) and “organisation sectaire nuisible” (harmful sectarian organization) (“group having or claiming to have a philosophical or religious purpose whose organization or practice involves illegal or injurious activities, harms individuals or society or impairs human dignity”). The synoptic table of 189 groups in the Commission’s report indicated that (a) the information in question was provided either by official agencies (gendarmerie, judicial police, State security police, general information and security service, prosecution services) on the basis of interviews, or by direct or indirect witnesses questioned under oath; (b) the group listing represented neither the Commission’s position nor a value judgement on its part; (c) a thorough investigation was conducted of all movements and the table updated accordingly. During the plenary debate in the House, the rapporteur explained that the Commission had limited itself to a record-keeping role. In the course of follow-up action, a law was adopted establishing an independent