The Chamber approved yesterday an amendment to the bill on conscientious objection whereby conscientious objectors will be used in U.N. peacekeeping missions. The amendment of the Defense committee was drafted on the basis of another amendment which had previously been submitted by the European federalist group.

Following is the text:

» 7. Objectors who request so may be sent outside the national territory by the agency they are serving in for a period to be agreed with the agency itself, to participate in humanitarian missions directly run by the agency itself.

8. Objectors who request so may be detached, also temporarily, by the agency they are serving in to participate in humanitarian missions outside the national territory that are run directly by other agencies, by the United Nations or by NGOs that are recognized by the United Nations. The assignment of an objector or of contingents of objectors to such missions is decided, subject to the opinion of the agency the objector is serving in, jointly by the civil service office and the agency concerned or the U.N. agency concerned or the NGO in charge of the mission.

9. When applying to participate in humanitarian missions outside the national territory described at commas 7 and 8, objectors must indicate the specific humanitarian mission they wish to participate in as well as the agency or NGO or UN agency that are in charge of it. Objectors will be notified of the acceptance or rejection of the application, with the relative motivation, within a month. Failure to answer within such terms implies acceptance of the application.

10. For all cases described under commas 7 and 8, objectors should in any case be used for unarmed services, excluding any support in military missions, and placed under the command of civilian authorities.