Since life began on earth, creatures have struggled against creatures. Through all ages, man has groaned under the sword and the yoke. The pages of history are stained with blood. Everywhere we see only slaughter, torture, oppression. Why?

The famous physicist, Albert Einstein, haunted by the spectre of war, asked this question of Sigmund Freud, the famous psychologist, another man of genius.

In the course of its meeting on 7 and 8 December 1983 the ICRC General Assembly decided to step up its efforts to promote the respect and development of international humanitarian law and of humanitarian principles.

The reasons for that decision and the projects intended to give it effect are outlined below.

At its meeting on 16 February 1984, the Assembly of the Internationaf Committee of the Red Cross elected Mr. Pierre Keller as a member ol the Committee.

The President of the ICRC, Mr. Alexandre Hay, went on a brief visit to Budapest, from 6 to 8 March 1984, at the invitation of the President of the Executive Committee of the Hungarian Red Cross and Vice-Chairman of the Standing Commission of the International Red Cross, Mr. János Hantos. The ICRC President was accompanied by Mr. Jacques Moreillon, member of the ICRC Directorate and Director for General Affairs, and by Mr. Thierry Germond, regional delegate for Europe.

We have the honour to inform you of the official recognition of the Belize Red Cross Society by the International Committee of the Red Cross. The recognition is effective as of 15 March 1984 and brings to 132 the number of National Society members of the International Red Cross.

On 24 February 1984, the French Republic deposited with the Swiss Government an instrument of accession to the Protocol additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 relating to the protection of victims of non-international armed conflicts (Protocol II), adopted in Geneva on 8 June 1977.

The Republic of Cameroon deposited with the Swiss Government, on 16 March 1984, 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.

The Sultanate of Oman deposited with the Swiss Government, on 29 March 1984, two instruments 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.

The fate of displaced persons in Angola continued to be of grave concern to the ICRC during the first weeks of the new year, all the more so as its efforts to provide food aid to the victims of the conflict situation were seriously hindered by the danger to which transport is exposed and by the impossibility of obtaining the authorities' agreement to allow the ICRC to work according to its customary procedure. The ICRC put forward concrete proposals both to the Government (in particular during the mission by the ICRC delegate-general for Africa, at the end of 1983) and to the directors of the “Angolan Red Cross”, with a view to resuming its normal assistance programmes. Unfortunately, these proposals had not produced any result by the end of February.