The condition of cultural property through the armed conflicts which have succeeded one another from Antiquity to the eve of the Second World War is no easy subject to study.

The sources available have of course made it possible to establish that from the latter part of the nineteenth century onwards, domestic and international laws have been enacted to reduce somewhat rather than prevent damage to cultural property during hostilities.

Following the technical notes it has previously published, International Review of the Red Cross is now starting a series of synopses on various current topics in the field of international humanitarian law. The following is the first of such summaries, entitled “Protecting Power”.

The Assembly of the International Committee of the Red Cross, in its meeting of 14 March 1985, appointed Mr. Pierre Keller as a member of the Executive Board. Mr. Keller took up his duties at the meeting of the Executive Board on 21 March 1985.

Mr. Keller has been a member of the ICRC Assembly since February 1984.

The President of the ICRC, Mr. Alexandre Hay, accompanied by Mr. Jean Hoefliger, ICRC delegate general for the Middle East, visited Lebanon from 12 to 16 February. He was received in Beirut by the President of the Republic, Mr. Amin Gemayel, Mr. Rashid Karami, President of the Council of Ministers and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Dr. Selim Hoss, Minister for Labour and Education. Discussions on matters of mutual interest made it possible to strengthen even more the excellent relationship that exists between the ICRC and the Lebanese Government.

Following an invitation by the Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Javier Perez de Cuellar, the President of the ICRC, Mr. Alexandra Hay, represented the ICRC at the Conference on the Emergency Situation in Africa, which was held on 11 and 12 March, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

The Conference was aimed at drawing the attention of the international community to the distress prevailing in those African countries which are struck by drought and starvation, and at ensuring co-ordination of the efforts made by governments and organizations to face this emergency situation.

The ICRC has learned, with deep sorrow, of the sudden death of Mr Michel Zufferey, delegate to Sudan, in a road accident on 5 January 1985.

Michel Zufferey, 40 years old, unmarried, joined the ICRC in 1972. He undertook his first mission in Bangladesh, and then was posted successively to Angola, Lebanon, Israel, Pakistan and Chad. He started his mission in Sudan on 22 January 1983.

Michel Zufferey, having spent over twelve years in the service of the ICRC, made many lasting friendships, and his death is profoundly regretted by the whole organisation. The ICRC extended to his parents and friends its deepest sympathy and condolences.

We have the honour to inform you of the official recognition of the Red Cross Society of Cape Verde by the International Committee of the Red Cross. This recognition, which took effect on 14 March 1985, brings to 136 the number of National Society members of the International Red Cross.

The Republic of Vanuatu deposited with the Swiss Government, on 28 February 1985, an instrument of accession to the Protocols Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, relating to the protection of victims of international armed conflicts (Protocol I) and non-international armed conflicts (Protocol II), adopted in Geneva on 8 June 1977.

Pursuant to their provisions, the Protocols will enter into force for the Republic of Vanuatu on 28 August 1985.

This is the 50th State to become party to Protocol I and the 43rd to Protocol II.

The donation made in 1982 by Mr Paul Reuter, Honorary Professor for law, economics and social sciences of Paris University, member and former president of the U.N. Commission for International Law, enabled the ICRC to establish the Paul Reuter Fund. The revenue from the fund is to be used for the promotion of knowledge and understanding of international humanitarian law and for the award of a prize of 2000 Swiss francs every other year to reward a particularly deserving work in that field.

Dr. Athos Gallino, member of the ICRC, accompanied by Dr. Rémi Russbach, chief medical officer of the ICRC, went on mission from 20 January to 3 February, first to Mozambique and then to Zimbabwe, Ethiopia and Sudan. As head of the “Special Fund for the Disabled”, created by the ICRC in 1983, — Dr. Gallino visited the centres for care of war amputees and paraplegics which have been set up in these countries by the ICRC with the support of local authorities and National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The ICRC representatives went to Maputo (Mozambique), Bulawayo (Zimbabwe), Debre Zeit and Asmara (Ethiopia) and Kassala (Sudan).

Dr. Gallino and Dr. Russbach also visited the ICRC feeding centres in Axum and Mekele (Ethiopia).