A/HRC/13/31 information to any international body. The Government of Poland disagrees with statement included in the general allegation that it was reluctant to investigate thoroughly the cases of enforced disappearances connected to renditions and that it reportedly failed to undertake effective, independent and impartial investigation into the role of the state officials and the use of state territory in connection with enforced disappearances. Observations 431. The Working Group calls upon the Government to sign and ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and accept the competence of the Committee under articles 31 and 32. Portugal Number of outstanding cases at the beginning of the period under review Cases transmitted to the Government during the period under review: 0 Cases clarified during the period under review: 0 Cases sent under the urgent action procedure Cases sent under the standard procedure 0 0 0 Number of cases on which the Government has replied 0 Government Nongovernmental sources Number of outstanding cases at the end of the year under review 0 0 0 Multiple replies on some cases Number of cases of possible clarification by Government (6month rule) N/A 0 General allegation Yes Government response Yes Prompt intervention letter N/A Government response N/A Working Group request for a visit N/A Government response N/A General allegations Summary of the allegations 432. Information was submitted by sources concerning obstacles reportedly encountered in the implementation of the Declaration. This information was transmitted to the Government after the Working Group’s eighty-seventh session. 433. It was reported that the Government of Portugal was involved in 2003 in a practice of renditions and secret detention. The role of the Government in this practice allegedly consisted of allowing the use of the airports of Portugal by planes operated that transported victims of rendition. Those planes stopped over in those airports during the process of transferring, taking, delivering, or returning detainees from the rendition. It is believed that the use of these planes, without the control and scrutiny of the Governments, was essential to facilitate and implement the rendition programme. In some cases, these planes were used to detain individuals in Europe, while in other cases victims of enforced disappearances 92 GE.09-17704