United Nations Daily Highlights, 98-05-14

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From: The United Nations Home Page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.org

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Thursday, 14 May, 1998

HEADLINES

• United Nations Security Council "strongly deplores" underground nuclear tests by India.
• Security Council welcomes improved access provided by Iraq to UN weapons inspectors.
• Security Council extends mandate of UN Mission of Observers in Tajikistan until 15 November.
• Delegates to UN Conference on Disarmament condemn Indian nuclear tests.
• Renewed fighting in Somalia could plunge country into civil war, warns top UN official.
• UN negotiators and Taliban reach agreement on humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan.
• Head of UN environment agency appeals for urgent funds to prevent repetition of forest fire disaster in Asia.
• Cuba proposes expansion of membership of Host Country Committee.

In a Statement, read out by Council President, Njuguna M. Mahugu of Kenya, the Council strongly urged India to refrain from any further tests. The Council viewed such testing as contrary to the de facto moratorium on the testing of nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, and to global efforts towards nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament. It also expressed its concern at the effects of this development on peace and stability in the region.

The Council affirmed the crucial importance of the Treaty on the Non- Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). It appealed to India and all other States, which had not yet done so, to become parties to the NPT and the CTBT without delay and without conditions.

The Council also encouraged India to participate, in a positive spirit, in the proposed negotiations with other States for a fissile material cut-off treaty in Geneva with a view to reaching early agreement.

Furthermore, the Council urged States to exercise maximum restraint in order to prevent an escalation in the arms race -- particularly with regard to nuclear weapons and their delivery systems -- and to preserve peace and security in the region. It underlined that the source of tension in South Asia should only be resolved through dialogue and not by military build-up.

It called for continued implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding signed on 23 February in Baghdad by Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister, Tariq Aziz, and United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

In a statement read out by Council President Njuguna M. Mahugu of Kenya, the Council expressed the hope that Iraq's agreement to fulfil its obligations to provide immediate, unconditional and unrestricted access to UNSCOM and the IAEA would reflect a new Iraqi spirit to provide accurate and detailed information in all areas.

The Council expressed concern at UNSCOM reports that Iraq has not provided full disclosure in a number of critical areas, in spite of repeated requests, and called on Iraq to do so.

It noted that investigations over the past several years have yielded a technically coherent picture of Iraq's clandestine nuclear weapons programme, although it had not supplied full responses to all IAEA questions and concerns.

The Council affirmed its intention, given the IAEA progress, to agree in a resolution that the IAEA dedicate its resources to implement ongoing monitoring and verification activities, when it receives a report from the Agency's Director-General that outstanding questions had been answered. It asked him to provide this information in his report due on 11 October and to submit a status report by the end of July for possible action at that time.

The Council acknowledged that the IAEA was focusing most of its resources on implementing and strengthening its monitoring and verification activities. It noted that the IAEA will continue to exercise its right to investigate any aspect of Iraq's clandestine nuclear programme, particularly through follow-up of any new information. The Agency will also destroy, remove of render harmless any prohibited items discovered through its investigations.

UNMOT was established in 1994 to help the Tajik parties end the civil war which broke out in 1992, a year after Tajikistan became independent following the breakup of the Soviet Union.

The Council unanimously adopted a resolution, calling on the Tajikistan Government and the United Tajik Opposition (UTO) to take "vigorous efforts" to fully implement the General Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and National Accord in Tajikistan, signed on 27 June 1997, including the Protocol on military issues. It also called on them to create conditions for elections at the earliest possible time.

Further, the Council called on the parties, with the involvement of UNMOT and the Contact Group of Guarantor States, to implement the timetable of measures adopted by the Commission on National Reconciliation on 29 April. The most notable measures include implementation of the Protocol on military issues and the amnesty law and appointment of UTO representatives to the remaining government positions allocated to them.

It condemned renewed fighting in violation of the ceasefire resulting from attacks by local UTO commanders, and called on all concerned to refrain from acts of violence. The Council called on the parties to bring into operation, as soon as possible, a joint unit to provide security for UNMOT personnel. It also called on them to cooperate further to ensure the safety and freedom of movement of personnel from the United Nations and the peacekeeping force of the Commonwealth of Independent States and other international personnel serving in the country.

The Council called on Member States and others to respond promptly and generously to the 1998 consolidated appeal for Tajikistan for 1998, launched in Geneva in March. It also expressed the hope that the meeting of the Consultative Group to be held by the World Bank on 20 May would bring positive results.

Over 30 countries expressed regret over India's decision, which many said broke the international norm against test explosions established by the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) negotiated at the Conference.

The five tests conducted on 11 and 13 May, risked plunging the South Asia region into a nuclear arms race, delegates said as they urged restraint on India's neighbours. They called on India to abstain from any further testing and to adhere to the CTBT and the Treaty on Non- Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

But the representative of Pakistan, Munir Akram, said it was extremely disingenuous for anyone to call on his country to exercise restraint. His Government would accept obligations and commitments in the field of nuclear non-proliferation only "if these are equitable and non-discriminatory," he added. In this context, he quoted Pakistan's Foreign Minister, who said yesterday, "Indian actions, which pose an immediate and grave threat to Pakistan's security, will not go unanswered".

The Indian representative, Savitri Kunadi, said her country remained committed to the complete elimination of nuclear weapons. India believed that universal, non-discriminatory and effectively verifiable disarmament agreements offered the best means for approaching the issue of nuclear disarmament and remained ready to participate in such efforts with other countries, she added.

Meanwhile, at United Nations Headquarters in New York, Secretary- General Kofi Annan scheduled separate meetings on Thursday with the Ambassadors of Pakistan and India.

The UN Resident Coordinator for Somalia, Dominik Langenbacher, said on Thursday at a press conference at UN Headquarters in New York that fighting around the Somali city of Kismayu could set off a larger conflict. Although the humanitarian situation had improved following a bumper harvest, new clashes could set the country back, he added.

Mr. Langenbacher said that the fighting was of a level that could lead to population displacement, as people tried to avoid the hostilities. Taking into account the numbers of already internally displaced, he said, these people would create a humanitarian situation which the UN agencies would need to address.

A recent hostage situation in the Somali capital of Mogadishu had prompted the UN to suspend its operations there. Although the hostages were released, the city remained closed. Mr. Langenbacher said past experience had shown that this situation could lead to a further deterioration of the humanitarian situation.

While details of the plan are still not public, a UN spokesman said on Thursday that the UN team which negotiated the agreement described it as a "real step forward". The team, which was led by the UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffith, left Kabul on Wednesday for Islamabad.

Reacting to reports of sporadic rainfall in East Kalimantan, Indonesia, Mr. Toepfer, who was asked by Secretary-General Kofi Annan to coordinate United Nations response to the fires, said that "a repetition of the emergency of 1997 is quite possible. This is not the time to be complacent".

Mr. Toepfer said the recent rainfall has not been adequate and the issue must stay at the top of the international agenda, "or we may be faced with a disaster of extreme proportions". Fires are still burning in many locations and with the imminent start of the dry season new fires can be expected at any time.

Last month in Geneva, Mr. Toepfer presented a $10 million short-term action plan to donor countries to provide training for fire fighters and assistance to Indonesia. So far, the response has been inadequate. Over 300, 000 hectares have burned in East Kalimantan this year. Most of the fires were set by people clearing land, but some of the problem has been blamed on the drought caused by the El Nino phenomenon.

The Committee was established in 1971 to deal with relations between the United States and the United Nations diplomatic community. Current members include Bulgaria, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Cyprus, France, Honduras, Iraq, Mali, the Russian Federation, Senegal, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The Cuban representative, Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, told the Committee on Wednesday, that the proposal reflected the increase in United Nations membership since 1971, as well as the principle of equitable geographic composition.

Mr. Parrilla said that in addition to the United States, Cuba's proposal would also ensure membership for seven African countries, six Asian, four from Latin America and the Caribbean, three from Eastern Europe and five from Western Europe.

Betty King, speaking for the United States, said the Committee had worked well over the years and taken decisions quickly and efficiently, partly because its membership was limited but representative. The United States would like to keep it that way, she added.

No observer had ever been denied access, and many of the Committee's most important decisions were taken after requests from observer delegations, she said. The United States supported the principle of voluntary rotation, but not expansion of the Committee's membership.



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