United Nations Daily Highlights, 98-12-14

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

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Monday, 14 December, 1998

HEADLINES

• 1999 to be devoted to report on "The United Nations in the twenty-first century," says Secretary-General.
• Former Rwandan militia leader pleads guilty to genocide and other crimes but not guilty to rape.
• Secretary-General recommends mandate of UN Mission in Western Sahara be extended until 31 January 1999.
• UN Development Programme launches multi-million dollar projects for hurricane-devastated Central America.
• United Nations Secretary-General is relieved by release of Vincent Cochetel in North Ossetia.

In his end-of-year press conference on a wide range of issues, the Secretary-General said the report would be submitted to the Millennium Assembly -- the 55th session of the General Assembly -- in the Year 2000.

Giving an overview of 1998, Mr. Annan said that it had been an eventful year and that many of the headline events in which he had been personally involved were issues of war and peace in Africa, the Balkans, Afghanistan and, above all, Iraq. He also said that the world had been shaken by the nuclear tests in South Asia.

On the economic front, Mr. Annan said that the drama that had affected most people around the world had been the financial crisis which started in Asia. "But now we all realize that it's neither only Asian nor only financial," he said. He added that the crisis had affected almost the whole world, whole economies, whole societies, and the lives millions of people.

On a positive note, the Secretary-General said that 1998 had also been marked by more welcome events such as the agreement to establish the International Criminal Court, the entry into force of the Ottawa ban on landmines, the elections and formation of a new coalition government in Cambodia and last week's celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Looking ahead, Mr. Annan said that the world faced a double challenge of international peace and security and economic and social crisis which really meant the challenge of globalization and global governance. Noting that the issues of war and peace took up an enormous amount of the United Nations time, the Secretary-General cautioned against the temptation to leave economic and social issues to others. He stressed the connection between these issues saying that "unless we start to provide the kind of 'global governance' which is needed, we must expect more conflicts and even more intractable ones."

Mr. Annan said that a number of landmark events in 1999 would provide opportunities to make that connection. He said that next month he would propose new initiatives to the world business community in Davos, Switzerland. Another event would be the centenary celebrations of the first great peace conference in the Hague and the follow-up conference on world population in June.

Omar Serushago who is being tried by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, based in Arusha, Tanzania, entered a plea of guilty to the four counts including, murder, extermination and torture. The crimes were allegedly committed during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

The Rwanda Tribunal said that Mr. Serushago had confessed to the four counts against him freely and voluntarily with the full understanding of all the charges and the consequences of his plea. He also stated that his plea was unequivocal and that he had reached an agreement with the Prosecutor on all these considerations, the tribunal said. The Prosecutor withdrew the fifth count of rape.

According to the tribunal, Serushago's admission of guilt was the first time that a leader of Interahamwe, a paramilitary group which is alleged to have played a pivotal role in genocide, had acknowledged and affirmed such a role.

Omar Serushago is the second person to plead guilty to genocide and other crimes. Former Prime Minister Jean Kambanda pleaded guilty to such crimes on 1 May 1998 and was sentenced to life imprisonment on 2 September 1998. The pre-sentencing hearing for Mr. Serushago has been set for 29 January 1999.

He says that if prospects for completing the identification of voters eligible to vote in the referendum remain uncertain at that time he intends to revert to the Security Council and ask his Personal Envoy, James Baker III, to reassess the situation and the viability of MINURSO's mandate.

The referendum will decide whether the former Spanish colony of Western Sahara should gain full independence or become part of Morocco.

In a report to the Security Council, the Secretary-General says the mandate's extension will allow time for more consultations on his package of measures regarding the status of tribes eligible to vote. The identification of applicants from certain tribal groupings has been a constant source of contention between Morocco and the Frente Popular para la liberacion de Saguia el-Hamra y del Rio de Oro (Frente POLISARIO).

The package contains draft protocols on the appeals process for already identified applicants and identification of applicants from contested tribal groupings who want to present themselves individually. The measures also address preparations by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for the repatriation of refugees and other Saharans residing outside the territory who are eligible to vote. It proposes a December 1999 referendum date.

According to the Secretary-General, the package was accepted by the Frente POLISARIO and supported by Algeria and Mauritania, but Morocco is seeking clarification on some provisions of the draft protocols. He says implementing his proposal to launch the identification and appeals processes simultaneously would demonstrate both parties' willingness to compromise and to accelerate the referendum process. He confirmed that the measures would entitle applicants to an initial identification hearing and to be part of a comprehensive appeals process. The final list of voters would only be published after the end of the appeals process for applicants from all tribal groups.

The effective formalization of the UNHCR presence in the Territory and the conclusion of the refugee repatriation protocol were essential to the confidence-building activities needed for the return of refugees in safety and dignity, the report says.

One project, worth $26 million, will help reconstruct homes and schools, provide access to credit for micro-enterprises and reduce the risk of epidemics and contagious diseases. The second project budgeted at $3 million will help strengthen the newly-created Special Cabinet for National Reconstruction, which will coordinate reconstruction and recovery efforts in Honduras.

Mr. Speth, who arrived in Honduras on Sunday for a three-day visit to Central America, inspected UNDP-supported emergency clean-up operations on the northern coast. On Tuesday, he will tour disaster areas in Nicaragua, where he is also expected to sign project documents for the resettlement of displaced persons and the integration of environmental aspects into the recovery process.

A UNDP-financed study by the Economic Commission for Latin America estimates the direct and indirect costs of damage caused by Hurricane Mitch at $5.3 billion.

Mr. Cochetel, who is the head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in North Ossetia, was released during the night of 11-12 December after spending 317 days in captivity.

Speaking to reporters at United Nations Headquarters in New York, the Secretary-General said that the organization was expecting a full report once Mr. Cochetel had come out of hospital. He added that it appeared that Mr. Cochetel had been kept in "rather harsh circumstances" as reports indicated that during his captivity he saw daylight for only 20 minutes a day.

The Secretary-General thanked the Russian Prime Minister, Yevgeny Primakov for his efforts to release the United Nations staff member. Mr. Annan recalled that when he was in Paris last week, he had spoken to Mr. Cochetel's parents and promised them that he would contact the Prime Minister who confirmed that Mr. Cochetel was still alive. The Secretary- General said that he was very grateful to Prime Minister Primakov and the Russian Government for their efforts. He said that the release was "a great Christmas present" for Mr. Cochetel's family and colleagues.

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

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