United Nations Daily Highlights, 99-01-08

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

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Friday, 8 January, 1999

HEADLINES

• United Nations search-and-rescue team arrives at crash site of UN aircraft in Angola.
• Sanctions Committee approves waiver to air embargo to allow envoys to resolve Lockerbie issue in Libya.
• UN High Commissioner for Refugees welcomes news of ceasefire in Sierra Leone.
• Secretary-General recommends two-month extension of UN mission in Sierra Leone.
• The UN refugee agency alarmed by violent inter-ethnic incidents in Kosovo.
• Secretary-General recommends six-month extension of UN mission in Prevlaka.
• Chief UN arms inspector denies that U.S. assumed lead role in UNSCOM operations in Iraq.

United Nations Spokesman Fred Eckhard said that the team, assisted by the Angolan army, travelled to Vila Nova and the site by road. Mr. Eckhard added that on Thursday Mr. Benon Sevan, the Secretary-General's Special Emissary and United Nations Security Coordinator also communicated by telephone with the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA).

Mr. Sevan is in Angola to investigate the downing of two United Nations- chartered planes and assessing the growing security threat to UN personnel in Angola. Earlier this week, he met with Angolan officials and handed over a letter from Secretary-General Kofi Annan appealing for cooperation in the search-and-rescue operation.

The request for the waiver, approved on Thursday, had been made by the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the United States, Prince Bandar bin Sultan. The delegation led by the Prince and Professor Jakes Growel of South Africa will be flying from London to Tripoli and then to Sirte on 12 January and is expected to leave Libya the following day.

The trip to Libya is part of efforts to resolve the issue of the surrender of two Libyans suspected in the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, on 21 December 1988.

In December last year, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan went to Libya and discussed the Lockerbie affair with the country's leader, Muammar Al-Qadhafi and the Foreign Minister, Omar Mustafa Muntasser. Following those meetings, the Secretary-General said that Libya confirmed its willingness and readiness to find a solution to the Lockerbie problem.

Ms. Ogata said she had been following the upsurge in fighting in Sierra Leone with alarm. A political solution supported by all African nations affected by the crisis was the only way to put an end to the tragic cycle of violence and refugee flows which had plagued Sierra Leone for years, she added.

So far, UNHCR had not seen a major new outflow of refugees from Sierra Leone of the kind seen last year. However, the Agency said that unless the violence stopped there would be a new refugee crisis. There were already 440,000 Sierra Leonean refugees in Guinea and Liberia making them Africa's largest single refugee population.

In a special report to the Security Council, the Secretary-General says that although the future of UNOMSIL appears much less clear than it did only a matter of weeks ago, he believes there is much that the mission can do. He says that UNOMSIL can facilitate discussions between the Government and the rebels as required, help reactivate the programme to disarm, demobilize and reintegrate into society former Sierra Leonean fighters, continue to support initiatives for the reconstruction of a national army and reform the national police, and continue to monitor the human rights situation in the country.

The Secretary-General notes that Sierra Leone has suffered a serious setback and deplores the recent intensification of hostilities and the rebel attacks on Freetown. Mr. Annan reminds the rebels that military successes will not win them legitimacy or recognition and calls on them to open discussions with the Government on any legitimate demands or grievances they or their supporters may have.

The Agency said that demonstrations by Serbian civilians on Thursday over the killing of Serbians disrupted relief activities and alarmed aid agencies. Three convoys were prevented from returning to the provincial capital of Pristina and were returning there on Friday.

The UNHCR said utmost restraint was required from both Serbs and Albanians to preserve the fragile truce while political efforts to resolve the conflict continued.

The mission, whose current mandate expires on 15 January, consists of 28 UN military observers who monitor the demilitarization of the disputed Prevlaka Peninsula and the neighbouring areas in Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The observers carry out vehicle and foot patrols on both sides of the border, except when prevented from doing so by one party or the other.

In his report to the Security Council, the Secretary-General says that the Republic of Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia have not yet made substantiative progress on the settlement of their dispute over the Prevlaka Peninsula in the last round of negotiations. He adds that given the current stage of the negotiations, it would be premature to conclude that a final agreement between the parties is close at hand.

The Secretary-General says that the continued stability in the area, under the monitoring of the United Nations military observers, has contributed to a constructive atmosphere in which discussions are continuing, albeit slowly. He urges the parties to take full advantage of the currently favourable conditions for progress on this issue and to pursue their negotiations to secure a mutually acceptable and lasting solution to their dispute.

Mr. Annan suggests that in the event that the parties are unable to resolve their dispute or make substantial progress during the next six months, the Security Council may wish to consider alternative mechanisms such as an international mediation or arbitration group.

In a statement, Richard Butler, the Executive Chairman of UNSCOM reiterated his concerns expressed on 6 January about recent media reports touching on cooperation between UNSCOM and the United States. He said the U.S. was one of 40 UN Member States that provided assistance to UNSCOM for the conduct of its work. At no point, he continued, had he given authorization to place any part of UNSCOM's operations under the control of the United States or any other supporting Government.

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

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