United Nations Daily Highlights, 98-11-24

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

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Tuesday, 24 November, 1998

Latest Developments

HEADLINES

• Concerned about continuing crisis in Angola, Secretary- General recommends brief extension for UN mission in the country.
• United Nations human rights official condemns murder of member of Russian Parliament.
• United Nations refugee agency and the European Commission launch refugee integration campaign in Europe.
• Head of UN refugee agency and West African officials discuss regional cooperation and conflict prevention.
• Ministerial meeting in Cairo links climate change and ozone solutions.
• Dr. Assad Kotaite elected for ninth term as head of International Civil Aviation Organization' executive body.

In a just released report to the Security Council on the United Nations Observer Mission in Angola (MONUA), the Secretary- General recommends that the mandate of MONUA be extended for another short period of up to three months on the understanding that if the security situation were to become untenable, he would immediately revert to the Security Council and submit further recommendations, including, if necessary, the withdrawal of MONUA. Mr. Annan stresses that he is making these recommendations despite the absence of any progress towards the implementation of the Lusaka Protocol and the relevant Security Council resolutions.

In his analysis of the political, military and security developments in the country since early October, the Secretary- General says that the dialogue between the Government and Mr. Jonas Savimbi and his movement has ceased, while the joint mechanisms are not functioning and preparations for a military showdown continue. The security situation remains precarious, in particular in the northern and north-eastern regions where the Government and UNITA forces have continued to conduct extensive military operations.

As for the causes of the current crisis, Mr. Annan reiterates conclusions of his previous reports that UNITA and its leadership in Bailundo bear the primary responsibility for the deadlock. At the same time, the Secretary- General stresses that the rejection of all contacts with Mr. Savimbi is not likely to advance the cause of peace and national reconciliation. In this context, Mr. Annan says that it is important that all Member States concerned, in particular the countries in the region, make every effort to cooperate actively in the strict implementation of the measures imposed by the Security Council.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, High Commissioner Mary Robinson said that she was deeply saddened to learn of the murder last Friday of Galina Vasileyvna Starovoitova, a tireless defender of human rights. "Her killing is a despicable act of cowardice," Ms. Robinson said.

She recalled that she had met Ms. Starovoitova during a visit to Moscow earlier this year. Ms Robinson added that even before going to the Russian Federation, she had known Ms. Starovoitova as a consistent supporter of human rights in the State Duma and as an anti-war campaigner. "Ms. Starovoitova never tired of efforts to uphold the principles of democracy, a struggle for which she rightly became known in Russia and beyond," the Human Commissioner for Human Rights said.

Conveying her condolences to the victim's family and colleagues who gathered on Tuesday at the funeral in St. Petersburg, Commissioner Robinson said that Ms. Starovoitova would be remembered for her years of effort to establish democratic society in Russia and for her compassion.

The campaign was launched at a press conference in Brussels by senior officials of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the European Union (EU).

The campaign, which features television, radio and press advertisements, an educational pack for use in schools and printed materials in the eleven EU official languages will be distributed by UNHCR in all 15 Member States of the European Union.

Funding for the production of the materials has come from the European Commission. UNHCR said that broadcasters and publishers are being asked to run the advertisements free of charge as a public service.

Announcing the launch in Geneva, UNHCR said that the underlying message of the campaign is that refugees are ordinary people who are forced to cope with extraordinary situations. "We want people to understand that refugees deserve help and acceptance rather than mistrust and hostility," said Judith Kumin, a UNHCR Spokesperson.

The one-day meeting between United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the 16-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is aimed at preparing the ground for a possible a ministerial gathering in West Africa to tackle refugee issues and regional strategies for conflict prevention and resolution.

"It is vital that UNHCR and ECOWAS work together to prevent war and instability which are the root of displacement in the region," said High Commissioner Sadako Ogata. She added that in many areas, her agency and the regional grouping had the same concerns. Mrs. Ogata said that she was pleased with the ECOWAS desire to forge closer ties with UNHCR. "I am encouraged that population movements, conflict prevention and reconciliation preoccupy regional leaders as much as aid agencies."

The Geneva meeting also had on its agenda the fledging peace process in Guinea-Bissau, where West African peacekeepers are about to be deployed, and the difficulties encountered by humanitarian agencies in Liberia and Sierra Leone where both the ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) and UNHCR are present.

For the first time, the Tenth Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer tackled the challenge of how to make policies to protect the ozone layer consistent with ongoing efforts to reduce emissions of the greenhouse gases that cause climate change. Following a recommendation by its Working Group last July, the Meeting of the Parties agreed on a process for coordinating the work of the scientific and technology and assessment panels on ozone with similar panels and committees linked to the UN Climate Change Convention.

"For the first time we are seeing the emergence of an integrated approach to the global atmosphere", said Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). "We need to ensure that the scientific and policy responses underlying the two most important agreements on the global atmosphere -- the Montreal Protocol and the Kyoto Protocol -- are mutually supportive and fully coordinated."

Another key outcome from the Cairo forum was the strengthening of measures to close down CFC production facilities. In a related meeting in Cairo last week, the Executive Committee of the Multilateral Fund to Implement the Montreal Protocol noted the completion of a technical audit of production facilities for ozone-depleting substances in China and India. The Committee will shortly promote new projects to start phasing out such production facilities.

Following his re-election on Monday, Dr. Kotaite emphasized his long- standing belief that global cooperation was fundamental to providing the world community with the safest and most efficient civil aviation that his humanly possible to create.

"I am deeply convinced that the challenges of globalization and interdependency can only be met with a corresponding level of global cooperation in all areas of international civil aviation", he said. Dr. Kotaite stressed that over the next three years, the ICAO Council would address all of the issues that would shape civil aviation well into the twenty-first century.

A specialized agency of the United Nations, ICAO was established in 1947 to ensure the safe and orderly growth of international civil aviation. It sets international standards and regulations necessary for the safety, security, efficiency and regularity of air transport and serves as the medium for cooperation in all fields of civil aviation among its 185 Contracting States.

From the United Nations home page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.org

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