United Nations Daily Highlights, 99-07-28

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

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Wednesday, 28 July, 1999

HEADLINES

• General Assembly authorizes $200 million for financing of UN mission in Kosovo.
• UN officials outline cost of urgent humanitarian and reconstruction needs in Kosovo at donors conference.
• At funeral of slain Serb civilians, top UN official in Kosovo calls for an end to cycle of violence.
• Message by head of UN mission in Kosovo aired on Pristina radio in first broadcast since late June.
• New date set for UN-organized ballot on East Timor's future.
• Security Council members gravely concerned at renewed fighting in Afghanistan.
• Security Council recommends Tonga for United Nations membership.
• General Assembly pays tribute to late King Hassan II of Morocco.
• Chief of the UN mission in Cyprus submits resignation.

Approving UNMIK's funding on the recommendation of its budgetary committee, the Assembly decided that $125 million of that amount would be apportioned among Member States, as an ad hoc arrangement.

By its resolution, which was adopted without a vote, the Assembly, by adopting a resolution without a vote urged all Member States to make every effort to ensure payment of assessed contributions to the Mission in full and on time.

The Assembly also emphasized that all future peacekeeping missions shall be given equal and non-discriminatory treatment in respect of financial and administrative arrangements. It stressed that all peacekeeping missions shall be provided with adequate resources for the effective and efficient discharge of their respective mandates.

By other terms of the text, the Assembly emphasized that no peacekeeping mission should be financed by borrowing money from funds from other active peacekeeping missions.

Over 100 countries and international organizations attending the conference pledged more than $2 billion, including $245 million in emergency funds, to see returning refugees through winter.

The conference was convened by the World Bank and the European Union to begin the process of mobilizing funds to rebuild Kosovo.

According to the World Bank, urgent financial requirements over the next five months, include $45 million to cover a budget deficit presented by the Nations Interim Administration in Kosovo (UNMIK) and $200 million for immediate basic needs identified by UN agencies.

Addressing the conference, Jolly Dixon, who heads UNMIK's reconstruction arm, stressed that appropriate financing was needed to cover current expenditures, including salaries for local administration and public utilities. Donors shared his view that building up a local administration was of the utmost importance.

Dennis McNamara of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which leads UNMIK's humanitarian component, outlined the basic needs, including shelter, food, education in early fall and delivery of health services. He said as many as 500,000 Kosovars needed help rebuilding homes before winter.

Mr. McNamara said that UNHCR could only provide aid for basic emergency shelter and stressed that the emergency assistance must be complemented by long-term reconstruction programmes provided by other agencies.

After a comprehensive assessment in coming months, a more accurate figure of the cost of reconstruction, peace-implementation and recovery will be presented to the next donors conference in October.

Dr. Kouchner attended a funeral service for the Serbs at the village of Gracko near Lipljan, which is close to the site of the killings, south of the capital, Pristina. Several hundred Serbs attended the funeral, which was officiated by the Serbian Orthodox Church leader, Patriarch Pavle.

Before the service, Dr. Kouchner met with Bishop Artemije, of Prizren, at the historic Gracanica monastery, where Bishop Artemije has been staying with other Orthodox clergy members since June.

"Please receive my deepest regrets and sorrow regarding this horrible massacre," Dr. Kouchner told Bishop Artemije. "Let's wish that the Serbs and Albanians and all the communities can work and live together. It means working towards peace and dialogue and I know that it will take time."

"We are doing our best to find the people who committed these crimes," Dr. Kouchner said. "The investigations are going on, we must find the people and justice must prevail. We have to find a way to stop the cycle of violence."

In his statement, which was translated into Albanian, Serbian and Turkish, Dr. Bernard Kouchner, the head of the UN Interim Administration in Kosovo (UNMIK), said that the UN wanted to "put a new type of public information" at the disposal of everybody.

The first broadcast was a joint effort of UNMIK and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which prepared a segment for the programme.

"We want to open the dialogue with you in this way," Dr, Kouchner said, addressing his audience.

According to the spokesman, the Secretary-General was conveying this information to the Security Council, which is scheduled to meet tomorrow to discuss the situation in East Timor.

The ballot or popular consultation, as it is formally known, was originally scheduled for 8 August but was postponed until 21 or 22 August amid concerns over the security situation. The UN Mission in East Timor (UNAMET), which is organizing the ballot, began registering an estimated 400,000 eligible voters on 16 July.

Meanwhile, officials from the United Nations, Indonesia and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) met in the East Timorese capital of Dili on Wednesday to discuss the problem of internally displaced persons, including the planned return over the weekend of more than 1,000 people to Bobonaro and the plight of an estimated 3,500 persons in Faularan.

According to a UNAMET spokesman, many of the internally displaced people in Faularan are suffering from malaria, tuberculosis, stomach ailments and malnutrition. They told an UNAMET team that 100 people had died since moving to that settlement in January.

The UN mission estimates that there are approximately 50,000 to 60,000 internally displaced persons in the territory.

In a press statement, the Council members voiced concern at the deteriorating humanitarian situation, which they said, could undermine the international community's efforts to bring about speedy end to armed conflict in Afghanistan. They called for an immediate end to outside military support for all factions.

The Council members also expressed support for the peacemaking efforts by Secretary-General Kofi Annan and his Special Envoy for Afghanistan Lakhdar Brahimi and said the recent meeting of the so-called "six-plus-two" group in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, was an important step towards a political settlement of the Afghan problem.

Afghanistan's warring parties, the Taliban and the Northern Alliance, attended the meeting of the group, which consists of the Russian Federation, the United States and Afghanistan's six neighbours: China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Meanwhile, UN agencies operating in Afghanistan said today they were extremely concerned at the disruption of humanitarian activities by the rocketing of Kabul airport on Tuesday.

In a statement, the UN Coordinator for Afghanistan said that three rockets landed in or around the airport during the agreed time for humanitarian flights to take off and land.

Military activity at the time of agreed flights, puts staff security and the continuation of United Nations activities in jeopardy, said the UN Coordinator.

The UN has suspended its next flights to Kabul pending the reconfirmation of the agreed security guarantees.

In a presidential statement read by Council President Ambassador Agam Hasmy of Malaysia, the Council noted with great satisfaction Tonga's solemn commitment to uphold the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter.

The Council said it looked forward to the day in the near future when the Kingdom of Tonga would join as a member of the United Nations and to working closely with its representatives.

During the meeting, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said King Hassan's devotion to peace both in his country and within the wider region was known all over the world. "I am proud to remember him as a personal friend," the Secretary-General said, recalling the King as a wise man, a refined politician and a remarkable diplomat.

Expressing regret that King Hassan did not live to see a peaceful resolution of the issue of Western Sahara, Mr. Annan said he had "every hope that we shall be able to continue that work with his successor, King Mohammed VI."

Assembly President, Didier Opertti of Uruguay, said Morocco had lost a leader who consolidated the independence of his country, ensured the political stability of his reign and established the basis for Morocco's economic and social development.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) has suspended its operations for one week following the death of King Hassan.

MINURSO has been identifying and registering qualified voters for a planned referendum to decide whether Western Sahara will gain full independence or become part of Morocco.

The identification commission and the appeals process will resume on 2 August, a UN spokesman said.

In a statement by his spokesman, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he respects the reasons that have compelled Ms. Herkus to take this step, and he accepts her resignation with deep regret.

"The Secretary-General wishes to place on record his appreciation for Ms. Hercus' skilful and untiring efforts over the last 12 months in the conduct of his mission of good offices and of the UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus. He considers that Ms. Hercus has served with distinction in a difficult assignment," said the statement.

Ms. Hercus, who is currently with her family in New Zealand, has agreed to stay in her post until the end of September.

She was recently appointed as the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Cyprus after holding the post of Deputy Special Representative from July 1998.

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

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