United Nations Daily Highlights, 98-12-02

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

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Wednesday, 2 December, 1998

Latest Developments

HEADLINES

• Secretary-General warns that Taliban's success on battlefield could deepen regionalization of Afghan conflict.
• Suspected Bosnian Serb war criminal detained for transfer to International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia.
• Secretary-General calls attention to"grave and persistent" problem of slavery-like practices.
• Asia needs "a new and better social contract", says the International Labour Organization.

The Secretary-General says he remains convinced that a durable settlement could be achieved only through a ceasefire and the start of a political dialogue among Afghans leading to national reconciliation and the establishment of a genuinely broad-based, multi-ethnic and representative government. But, he adds, "it is clear that these goals cannot be attained without a concerted effort by all the outside powers concerned."

The six plus two group of countries -- comprising Afghanistan's six neighbours: China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan plus the Russian Federation and the United States -- has provided a useful forum in which to discuss the Afghan issue, according to the report. But the Secretary- General said he is "somewhat disappointed" by the failure of some of those countries to narrow their differences and to cease supplying the weapons and other war materiel that fuel the conflict in Afghanistan. "While I appreciate that they have legitimate interests to protect in Afghanistan, I find it paradoxical that, instead of genuinely promoting the establishment of a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, these countries continue their clandestine military support for their favoured Afghan factions, despite their professed recognition that the prolongation of the conflict poses a threat to their own stability."

The Secretary-General welcomes the success of his Special Envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi, in defusing a possible military confrontation between Iran and the Taliban following the "shocking" murder of eight Iranian diplomats and one journalist in Mazar-i-Sharif in August. In order to build on Mr. Brahimi's achievements, the Secretary-General calls for the prosecution of those responsible for the murders and for the release of any remaining Iranian prisoners. "It is essential for the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Taliban to open a bilateral dialogue at an early date with a view to a further reduction of tensions, particularly along the border," he stresses.

Reports of mass killings and other gross violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in Afghanistan have become a major source of international concern, according to the report. In response, the Secretary- General says he intends to add new monitoring functions to the United Nations Special Mission to Afghanistan (UNSMA) with the aim of promoting respect for minimum humanitarian standards and deterring massive and systematic human rights violations in the future.

"To this end, I propose to establish a separate civil affairs unit, initially composed of 12 monitors who, security conditions permitting, would be deployed in major centres in Afghanistan," the Secretary-General writes.

The Secretary-General says that he will continue to convene informal meetings of the six plus two group, and that he will continue to consult with the Group of 21 countries with influence in Afghanistan.

Mr. Annan also expresses hope that United Nations staff will be able to return to Afghanistan shortly. He points out, however, that before this can happen, it will be necessary for the Taliban authorities to provide credible assurances that the United Nations agencies will be able to carry out their vital humanitarian work free from the obstacles and harassment they have regrettably faced in the past.

The indictment alleges General-Major Krstic, as the Commander of the Drina Corps of the Bosnian Serb Army, committed genocide during and after the fall of the United Nations "safe area" of Srebrenica between 11 July 1995 and 1 November 1995.

"Having regard to the gravity of the charges and the position of the accused, the Prosecutor considers this indictment to be important and the detention of the accused by SFOR to be very significant for the continuing work of the Tribunal," Prosecutor Louise Arbour said in a statement issued at The Hague.

Mr. Krstic is also charged with five other counts in the indictment, all relating to the events which surround the fall of Srebrenica, namely complicity to commit genocide; extermination, a crime against humanity; murder, a crime against humanity and a violation of the laws or customs of war; and persecutions, a crime against humanity. The accused is charged in respect of his direct personal involvement in the commission of these crimes and also as a commander for the actions of those under his authority.

The indictment was confirmed on 2 November by Judge Florence Mumba who also ordered that there be no public disclosure of the indictment or arrest warrant until the warrant had been served on the accused.

Arrangements are currently being made to transfer Mr. Krstic to the seat of the Tribunal.

"The Prosecutor wishes to express her appreciation to SFOR troops and their commanders for their professionalism and for the support they are giving to the fulfilment of the mandate of the Tribunal," Justice Arbour said.

In his message on the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, the Secretary-General pointed out that slavery included not only the slave trade, but also such human rights violations as bonded labour, trafficking in women and the forced conscription of children into military service. While those abuses were often clandestine and thus difficult to identify, there was enough evidence to show that violations are vast and widespread.

The Secretary-General stressed that governments bear the primary responsibility for eradicating contemporary forms of slavery. But he also pointed out that long experience had shown that official action is not enough by itself. Therefore, civil society must "do what it does best: pressing governments to pass and enforce legislation; conducting consumer campaigns where appropriate; and raising public awareness."

The United Nations, for its part offers mechanisms for monitoring State compliance and channels for receiving complaints of violations, the Secretary-General observed. "Let us, on this International Day, resolve to build societies in which slavery, in all its modern or age-old manifestations, is no longer tolerated."

In a report published on Wednesday, the ILO warns that the deepening economic and social troubles in the region are unlikely to be reversed in the near future. The report, entitled The Asian Financial Crisis: The challenge for social policy, urges governments and policy-makers to take unprecedented emergency and long-term measures to protect workers. In particular, the ILO calls for the establishment of unemployment insurance for the mounting number of newly unemployed.

According to the ILO, although the social dimensions of the Asian crisis have been receiving increased attention, socially provided relief still falls far short of requirements. It notes that only a small proportion of the unemployed can expect relief through public employment-creation schemes. The ILO questions whether such schemes can properly be called social safety nets.

The ILO says that the potentially constructive role of unemployment insurance in the current reform process is so strong that it is a puzzle why no country, apart from the Republic of Korea, has introduced any form of employment insurance. It notes that the required contribution for such insurance is very low, ranging from 1 to 4 per cent of the payroll.

The United Nations labour agency points out that an imaginative response to the new social agenda need not detract attention or resources from other aspects of dealing with the Asia crisis. It insists that strengthening the financial system is of key importance and indispensable for ensuring a return to high and stable growth in the post-crisis period.

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

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