United Nations Daily Highlights, 99-05-17

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

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Monday, 17 May, 1999

Latest Developments

HEADLINES

• Security Council calls for access for UN and other aid workers in Kosovo and other parts of Yugoslavia.
• Security Council expresses profound regrets over NATO bombing of Chinese embassy in Belgrade.
• Security Council extends UN missions to Western Sahara and Tajikistan, adopts statement on Sierra Leone.

China and the Russian Federation abstained in the vote, while the other 13 Council members voted in favour of the resolution, which was adopted one minute before midnight.

By the terms of the resolution, the Council invited the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other international relief organizations to extend assistance to the internally displaced persons in Kosovo, the Republic of Montenegro and other parts of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, as well as to other civilians being affected by the crisis.

Emphasizing that the humanitarian situation would continue to deteriorate in the absence of a political solution to the crisis, the Council urged all concerned to work towards that aim consistent with the principles adopted by the G-8 Foreign Ministers -- Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Those principles include a call for an immediate and verifiable end to the violence and repression in Kosovo and a withdrawal of military, police and paramilitary forces. They also call for deployment of an effective international civil an security presence endorsed by the United Nations and establishment of an interim administration for Kosovo decided by the Security Council.

In a statement read out by its President, Ambassador Denis Dangue Rewaka of Gabon, the Council noted that regrets and apologies were expressed for the tragedy by members of NATO. It reaffirmed that the principle of the inviolability of diplomatic personnel and premises must be respected in all cases in accordance with internationally accepted norms.

Voicing its "deep distress and concern" over the bombing of the Embassy and its deepest sympathy and profound condolences to the Chinese Government and families of the victims, the Council stressed the need for a complete and thorough investigation of the bombing by NATO.

At the beginning of the meeting, the President extended condolences to the Government and people of China, as well as to the families of the three victims of the "tragic incident". The Council then observed a minute of silence in memory of the victims.

By adopting unanimously a resolution on the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), the Council decided to extend the Mission to 14 September in order to resume the identification process, start the appeals process and conclude all outstanding agreements needed to implement the Settlement Plan.

The Council's action comes on the heels of the announcement earlier this week that the Government of Morocco and the POLISARIO Front had formally accepted key provisions of a United Nations package designed to accelerate the referendum process on Western Sahara. MINURSO was established under the Settlement Plan of August 1998 to monitor a ceasefire and identify and register qualified voters for a referendum to decide whether the former Spanish colony of Western Sahara will gain full independence or become part of Morocco.

By another unanimous action, the Security Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan (UNMOT) by six months until 15 November and called on the parties in the country to speed up implementation of the peace agreement and create conditions for a constitutional referendum, as well as timely presidential and parliamentary elections.

The Council's resolution called for the parties to cooperate in ensuring the security and freedom of movement of all international personnel in Tajikistan, and reminded them that continued assistance was linked to the security of the international workers.

On Sierra Leone, a statement read out by Security Council Denis Dangue Rewaka of Gabon urged the country's Government and rebel representatives to ensure "that there are no further obstacles to a start to direct talks without delay."

The presidential statement urged both parties to commit themselves to a cessation of hostilities for the duration of the Lome talks and to work constructively and in good faith for a ceasefire agreement. It called upon both sides to refrain from any hostile or aggressive act which could undermine the talks process.

The Council welcomed the intention of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to increase the presence on the ground of the United Nations Observer Mission in Sierra Leone (UNOMSIL) within currently authorized levels, in anticipation of a cessation of hostilities. It also welcomed the Secretary- General's intention to send an assessment team to Sierra Leone to examine how an expanded UNOMSIL with a revised mandate and concept of operations might contribute to the implementation of a ceasefire and peace agreement.

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