United Nations Daily Highlights, 99-05-07

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

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Friday, 7 May, 1999

HEADLINES

• UN Secretary-General names two special envoys for Balkans.
• Advance team of UN assessment mission set to leave for Kosovo.
• UNHCR repeats call for donations to help cover emergency operations in Kosovo.
• Accords on future of East Timor welcomed by Security Council.
• Security Council sets up panels to probe violations of sanctions against UNITA.
• Security Council urges wider commitment to peace process by both sides to conflict in Abkhazia, Georgia.
• Renewed fighting in Guinea-Bissau draws expressions of concern from Security Council members, Secretary-General.
• Commitment to eradication of landmines reaffirmed at Maputo meeting of State Parties to Ottawa Convention.
• Importance of foreign news coverage stressed as CNN World Report conference meets at UN headquarters.
• UN commission takes major steps to boost crime prevention.

The two envoys will assist the Secretary-General in the search for peace in the Balkans but "above all will work very effectively and actively on the implementation of any agreement that would be obtained," Mr. Annan said in an exchange with the press after the announcement.

"We have lots of work to do, lots of planning and I would expect them to begin immediately working full time on these issues," the Secretary-General said.

Both men have considerable experience and knowledge of the issues in the Balkans and the appointment of two envoys is necessary because "it is a big, complex problem which requires a strong team," Mr. Annan said. "Both are very experienced and very good negotiators."

In a separate statement issued on the appointment, the Secretary- General underscored that the ministerial discussions in Bonn on Friday had highlighted the importance of selecting at least one envoy with particular experience in the area of post-conflict peace-building. After the Dayton Peace talks, Mr. Bildt had served as the High Representative of the International Community for monitoring the implementation of the peace agreement and coordinating its civilian aspects.

The dispatch of the advance team led by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) followed a meeting Thursday afternoon between Sergio Vieira de Mello, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, and Ambassador Vladislav Jovanovic of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, who relayed his country's acceptance of the mission proposed by the Secretary-General.

Speaking at a news conference in New York today, Mr. Vieira de Mello, who is also UN's Emergency Relief Coordinator, said the proposed mission would particularly focus on a positive scenario for a change -- the possibility of the return home of all the Kosovars, Serbs and others who had been displaced by the conflict. As the situation permits, immediate rehabilitation needs would also be examined and there were no apparent preconditions attached to the mission.

The purpose of an advance team that would precede the mission would be to work out the modalities of the mission, the logistics, the itinerary and security arrangements, he continued, Mr. Vieira de Mello said. As for questions raised about freedom of movement, he noted that it had been confirmed to me by the Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, stressing that "freedom of movement is obviously our precondition for a credible assessment of needs."

UNHCR has so far received about half of a $143 million appeal issued in April to cover the Kosovo refugee emergency for three months. The agency said it needs a minimum of $40 million for May to cover an operation that has grown in just four weeks to a target population of 950,000, up from 100, 000.

Of the $77.4 million that had been received, $11.8 million was available yesterday but has since been used to pay bills, UNHCR said.

Meanwhile, UNHCR reported no refugees have crossed the border into the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia since receiving assurances from the Interior Minister that the border would remain open. UNHCR said it was not clear whether the refugees were being held up by the Serb side or the Macedonian side.

In a unanimously adopted resolution, the Council also welcomed the agreements between the United Nations and the two governments on security arrangements and on the modalities for the direct ballot consultation, as well on the deployment of United Nations civilian police to advise Indonesian police and to supervise the escorting of ballot boxes and papers to and from polling sites.

The Council stressed the importance of the Secretary-General reporting the outcome of the consultation -- either autonomy within Indonesia or independence -- to the Council and the General Assembly, as well as to the East Timorese people and the Governments of Indonesia and Portugal. It also underscored the need for an adequate United Nations presence between the consultation and implementation of its outcome.

The resolution stressed the responsibility of the Indonesian Government to ensure the safety and security of international staff and observers in East Timor, and to maintain peace and security in East Timor to ensure the consultation is fair and peaceful. The Council also welcomed the Secretary- General's establishment of a trust fund to support the United Nations presence and urged Member States to contribute.

In a resolution adopted by a unanimous vote, the Council said that the expert panels, through visits to the countries concerned, would identify parties aiding and abetting those violations and would recommend measures to improve the implementation of the sanctions.

The Council stressed the need for the States in which the panels would carry out their mandate to respond positively to requests from the panels for security, assistance, and access in pursuing investigations. Such cooperation included freedom of access and movement for the personnel of the expert panels, and the provision by the Governments concerned of information requested by the panels. All concerned parties, including non- governmental organizations and enterprises, were urged to provide needed information to the panels.

The resolution also contained condemnation by the Council of "the continued, indiscriminate attacks by UNITA against the civilian population", particularly in the cities of Huambo, Kuito, and Malange. In that context, the Council reiterated its call for cooperation with United Nations humanitarian assistance activities and urged unconditional guarantees for the security and freedom of movement of humanitarian personnel.

The Council expressed concern at the delays in the investigations into the downing some five months ago of two UN-chartered aircraft and the loss under suspicious circumstances of other commercial aircraft over UNITA- controlled areas, as well as the 1988 crash in Cote d'Ivoire of the aircraft carrying the Special Representative of the Secretary-General to Angola. The Security Council reiterated its call upon all concerned to facilitate an immediate and objective international investigation of those incidents.

In a presidential statement adopted unanimously in a formal meeting, the Council demanded that both sides ensure a full separation of forces from the ceasefire line and move speedily to establish a joint investigation mechanism.

The statement urged both sides to widen their commitment to the United Nations-led peace process and to continue to seek dialogue by expanding their bilateral contacts and displaying the will to achieve results on the key issues of the negotiations. The Council underlined the necessity for reaching an early and comprehensive political settlement, including resolution of the political status of Abkhazia within the State of Georgia and with full respect of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Expressing deep concern at the failure of the parties to reach an agreement on the return of refugees and displaced persons to the Gali region and measures for economic rehabilitation, the Council underscored an urgent need for such an accord that would enable the international community to participate in the effort. It also reaffirmed what it called "the imprescriptible right" of all refugees and displaced persons affected by the conflict to return to their homes in secure conditions.

The Council welcomed the continued contribution of the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) and the CIS Peacekeeping Force to stabilizing the situation in the zone of conflict, but reaffirmed the importance it attached to UNOMIG's security.

In a press statement by Council President Ambassador Denis Dangue Rewaka of Gabon, members of the Council condemned the attacks against the diplomats and diplomatic missions and their staff. They called for the continuing implementation of the Abuja and Lome agreements, in particular the provision relating to the organization of free and fair elections. Council members also recalled the commitment made by the two parties in February in 1999 never again to resort to arms.

Echoing that sentiment, Secretary-General Kofi Annan called upon the parties to create "the propitious environment" for the peaceful management of the transition and for the organization of free and transparent elections. A statement issued by Secretary-General's spokesman said that Mr. Annan was deeply dismayed about the resumption of fighting at a time when the UN had just concluded a series of meetings where the international community had pledged financial support to assist Guinea-Bissau with its peaceful transition and with its reconciliation, reconstruction and recovery programmes.

In the "Maputo Declaration," adopted by acclamation at the conclusion of the five-day conference, the State Parties appealed to "those who can offer technical and financial assistance" to intensify their efforts in helping to build the capacity of mine-affected countries to take on the tasks of humanitarian mine action. Describing landmines as "a major public health threat", the Declaration stressed the importance of assistance to victims and expressed "outrage at the unabated use of antipersonnel mines around the world.

Addressing the closing plenary session, the President of the meeting, Mozambique's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Dr. Leonardo Santos Simao, stressed that eradication should be considered a priority because anti-personnel landmines continued to kill and maim thousands of defenceless civilians, particularly women and children. He expressed the hope that the effective commitments assumed in Maputo would be priorities for all Governments, international and non-governmental organizations, and civil society in general.

The States Parties will next meet in Geneva from 11 to 15 September 2000. The Declaration outlined an intersessional work programme and set up Standing Committees which would meet to discuss thematic issues under the Convention and build on the work in Maputo.

"At a time when understanding the world is increasingly important, the public is given less and less international news because of budget restraints, or because market research says that no one is interested in world affairs," UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the forum which takes its name from "CNN World Report" -- a news programme comprised of uncensored and unedited news reports from around the world.

Warning that even in a free press there are limitations to what the public will learn because of space, time, or subject matter, the Secretary-General said that each editorial decisions was critical and could have a profound impact on public perception and understanding.

"CNN World Report", which is shown daily on CNN International and weekly on CNN/United States, has the dual mission of providing television viewers with the opportunity to see other countries as they see themselves and to provide broadcasters with a global forum for presenting news from their own perspective to the rest of the world. United Nations Television was a founding contributor of "CNN World Report" and has contributed to virtually every edition of the programme.

Concluding on Friday its annual meeting in Vienna, the 40-nation Commission urged the Vienna-based Centre for International Crime Prevention to complete the treaty -- the Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime -- and its protocols in time for the Millennium General Assembly in 2000. Once an ad hoc committee completes preparatory work, the text will be finalized at a conference in Palermo, Italy, for adoption by the Assembly.

In another milestone, the Commission approved a draft political declaration to be submitted to political leaders at the Tenth Crime Congress, which the Centre will be hosting in Vienna from 10 to 17 April 2000. The declaration commits nations to agree to speedily ratify the Convention against transnational crime and its protocols and lay down target dates for specific actions to fight crime worldwide. Specifically, illicit trafficking in human beings, the smuggling of migrants and the illicit production and trafficking in firearms -- crimes also targeted by the Convention protocols -- should be significantly reduced by 2005.

The Commission also approved measures to boost juvenile justice and penal reform, combat corruption and money-laundering and provide technical assistance as well as international advisory services to requesting countries.

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

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