United Nations Daily Highlights, 99-03-25

United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Thursday, 25 March, 1999

HEADLINES

• Russia submits draft resolution to Security Council demanding immediate end to NATO airstrikes.
• Members of Security Council voice concern at worsening situation in Angola.
• Vital role of Economic and Social Council highlighted as it meets to discuss work ahead.
• UN narcotics commission concludes session with agreements on boosting efforts to meet drug control targets.
• UN human rights envoy in Democratic Republic of the Congo condemns recent surge of violence.
• UN environment agency issues first global guide on disposal of ecology- destroying pollutants, PCBs.
• Meeting in Geneva, head of UN refugee agency, Nigeria's President-elect focus on plight of African refugees.
• UN agricultural agency warns of threat to freshwater fish supplies from environmental degradation.

The draft text released at UN headquarters calls the NATO action a "unilateral use of force" in "flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter".

Russian Ambassador Sergey Lavrov told reporters that he hoped the Council would discuss the draft text on Friday after other delegations had received instructions from their capitals.

Reacting to Russia's moves, US representative Peter Burleigh told the press that his Government would oppose the resolution, which if adopted, would only prolong the crisis in Kosovo. For his part, Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock of the United Kingdom said introduction of the draft resolution was not a constructive move.

Meanwhile, the United Nations has reduced its presence in Belgrade to 10 personnel from key humanitarian agencies, a UN spokesman said.

The UN High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR) -- the lead agency assisting war victims in Kosovo before the NATO strikes began -- has set up an operations centre across the border in Skopje in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. UNHCR reported that the border with Kosovo was quiet on Thursday and there was no significant movement of refugees.

According to UNHCR, since the beginning of the conflict in Kosovo a year ago, 450,000 people have been displaced by the fighting. More than 260,000 are in Kosovo, 25,000 in Montenegro, 30,000 in Serbia, 16,000 in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, 10,000 in Bosnia, 18,500 in Albania and another 100,000 refugees in countries throughout Europe.

In a statement to the press, Council President Qin Huasun of China said Council members had reiterated that the primary cause for the current situation was UNITA's failure, under the leadership of Jonas Savimbi, to comply with its obligations under the Lusaka Protocol. They also reaffirmed that lasting peace and national reconciliation could only be achieved through political means.

Council members were particularly concerned about UNITA attacks on civilian population centres and the growing number of internally displaced persons which has increased by 650,000 since April 1998. They emphasized that humanitarian assistance to civilians should be unconditional.

Through the President's statement, Council members urged all concerned to cooperate with UN personnel so they could return to the crash sites of two UN-chartered aircraft that went down over Angola on 26 December and 2 January. They stressed the need for an urgent investigation into the causes of the crashes of those and other commercial aircraft.

On the issue of sanctions against UNITA, the statement called for full implementation of Security Council decisions by countries both inside and outside Africa. Council members expressed particular concern at the growing difficulties between Angola and Zambia and urged both Governments to continue to use diplomatic instruments to resolve allegations of sanctions violations. They also expressed support for the Secretary-General's consultations with the Government of Angola regarding a future UN office in the country.

Noting that the Council could play a pivotal role in promoting effective cooperation both within and beyond the United Nations system, Secretary- General Kofi Annan stressed in his opening remarks the need to restore "a clear identity to a key organ of the United Nations, so that it can give the world's peoples the service they are entitled to expect."

Stressing the importance of building partnerships between ECOSOC, as the Council is popularly known, and other players on the international scene, including the private sector and civil society, the Secretary- General put special emphasis on the need for various UN bodies to work "in tandem" toward common goals. In that context, he pointed to "considerable potential" in ECOSOC's cooperation with the Security Council which could help the United Nations to respond to the challenges of peace-building and long-term development.

The benefits of building partnerships were also underscored by ECOSOC's newly elected President, Ambassador Francesco Paolo Fulci of Italy. Reporting on a number of contacts between the Council and the international financial institutions and the World Trade Organization, he said partnership was flourishing at an unprecedented speed and level.

Mr. Fulci recalled that on assuming the presidency, he had promised an action- and results-oriented Economic and Social Council. Step by step, that was becoming the reality. While more work needed to be done, real productive change was possible and feasible, he said.

The Commission on Narcotic Drugs adopted a multi-faceted action plan aimed to support drug control targets set at a 1998 special session of the General Assembly. The cornerstone of the plan was to make reducing the demand for illegal drugs as crucial as eradicating supply.

"This session will be remembered as the occasion when the action plan to implement the Special Session declaration on drug demand reduction was negotiated and adopted," Commission Chairman Mohammed Amirkhizi said. "This is a very significant achievement."

The action plan calls for the UN International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) to assist countries in various aspects of demand reduction, including investigating the causes and consequences of drug abuse, setting up national systems to monitor drug abuse problems and assessing the impact of intervention programmes.

In tackling the problem of drug supply, the Commission previously announced an agreement to use a worldwide network of satellites to help monitor the cultivation of illicit drug crops.

During its 10-day session, the Commission agreed that UNDCP financing should be strengthened and approved a revised budget for 1998- 99 to reflect a 35 percent increase in UNDCP's income. The budget was based on the recommendations of a high-level expert group appointed by Secretary- General Kofi Annan.

The Commission also announced the creation of a Vienna Civil Society Award to honor outstanding contributions in combating drug abuse, crime and terrorism.

In a statement issued out of Geneva, Roberto GarretĒn described one incident at the end of February in Rutsuru, where some 70 people, including seven women and two children, lost their lives during military operations led by the forces of the "Congolese Rally for Democracy" and their allies.

The Special Rapporteur called on all regular armies and armed groups fighting in the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to respect international humanitarian law. He urged the parties to take urgent measures to end, as quickly as possible, the cycle of violence in which civilians are the principal victims.

He also expressed deep concern at the reported massacre of 200 civilians between 19 and 21 March in various villages in Kivu.

In a statement released on Thursday in Geneva and Nairobi, the agency said that the inventory provided options for PCB destruction in all regions of the world, giving Governments and others responsible for managing PCB wastes a valuable first guide for evaluating disposal options and identifying suitable facilities.

PCBs, which present a serious threat to public health and the environment, were widely used for decades before risks became understood. The problem is particularly acute in many developing countries since they lack the technical capacity to identify and destroy all the PCB wastes that have been accumulating, according to UNEP Executive Director Klaus Toepfer.

"We must take rapid action before rusting and leaking equipment exacerbates the damage already done to our fragile Earth," Mr. Toepfer said. He stressed that successful conclusion by the year 2000 of an international convention targeting PCBs that is being currently negotiated through UNEP, would "contribute substantially to resolving the toxic legacy of the 20th century."

Commending Nigeria's efforts to restore peace in several West African countries, Mrs. Ogata expressed hope that nations in the region would continue their pursuit of peace. She warned that a backslide in many areas would be "catastrophic". "Hundreds of thousands of people have had to leave their homes and many more could be chased into exile," she noted.

Mr. Obasanjo blamed economic deprivation for many of Africa's refugee crises, and urged that initiatives to prevent and resolve conflicts should go hand in hand with steps to address poverty and justice. He also emphasized the importance of "strong and moral leadership" in resolving Africa's problems.

In a statement released at its headquarters in Rome, FAO blamed human activities for adversely affecting lakes, rivers and other inland sources where the fish are caught.

According to the agency, "industrialization, urbanization, deforestation, mining and agricultural land and water use often cause degradation of aquatic environments, which is the greatest threat to inland fish production."

The UN agency recommended that inland fisheries be better integrated into water and land management programmes.

FAO said most freshwater fish were consumed locally, marketed domestically and often contributed to the subsistence and livelihood of poor people. In many rural areas, inland fish also constituted a significant portion of animal protein in people's diets.



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

United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next Article