E/CN.4/1990/46 page 2 impediment to the implementation of the provisions of the Declaration; to make a general inventory of incidents and measures inconsistent with those provisions; to emphasize their adverse consequences in respect of the enjoyment of fundamental rights and freedoms; and to recommend a number of remedial measures. In a second phase, the Special Rapporteur deemed it useful to take a more specific approach and to endeavour to identify more precisely particular situations where inconsistencies with the provisions of the Declaration might have been reported. For this purpose he specifically approached a number of Governments and requested clarification of allegations concerning their country in particular. He noted with satisfaction that most of the Governments in question had replied. He deems it essential at the present stage to continue with and to develop this dialogue, which clearly demonstrates a genuine interest in the issues raised in the context of his mandate, and sustains the hope of further mobilization with a view to reaching a solution. There is no question for the Special Rapporteur of making any judgement on those allegations; in accordance with the mandate entrusted to him, his task is, rather, to consider and draw attention to incidents and practices inconsistent with the provisions of the Declaration and recommend remedial measures. 11. This method of direct dialogue with Governments, used experimentally during his previous mandates, has been backed up to some extent during the last two years by the actual terms of Commission on Human Rights resolutions 1988/55 and 1989/44, adopted at the forty-fourth and forty-fifth sessions, which invite the Special Rapporteur "to seek the views and comments of the Government concerned on any information which he intends to include in his report ...". 12. As in his previous reports, the Special Rapporteur has endeavoured, as the terms of Commission on Human Rights resolution 1989/44 require, to respond effectively to credible and reliable information coming before him, and to carry out his work with discretion and independence. In order to do so, he drew on a very broad range of governmental and non-governmental sources} of very varied geographical origins, stemming both from organizations and from individuals. Among such sources, the Special Rapporteur endeavoured to take due account of information coming from religious groups and denominational communities. He gave 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 into the past, he has sometimes made use of earlier information or referred to it. 13. As regards the interpretation and scope of his duties, the Special Rapporteur wishes to reflect here 9 as in his previous report (E/CN.4/1989/44, paras. 14-18) 9 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-fifth 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