United Nations Daily Highlights, 99-08-18

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

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Wednesday, 18 August, 1999

HEADLINES

• UN and KFOR act to protect minorities in Kosovo.
• UN mission in East Timor working with Indonesian authorities to control upsurge in militia activity.
• Secretary-General says time may be right for greater UN role in Somalia.
• Disaster management team from UN assesses needs in wake of earthquake in Turkey.
• UN to convene second Kosovo Transitional Council meeting on 21 August.
• People displaced by fighting in Afghanistan receive UN assistance.

In a joint statement issued in the capital, Pristina, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Dr. Bernard Kouchner, and KFOR Commander Lt. Gen. Mike Jackson said the primary aim of the international presence was to provide a secure environment for all Kosovars, regardless of ethnic origin. "We are continually reviewing the security situation and improving our response," they said.

They said soldiers were living in apartment blocks and at the Roma camp near Kosovo Polje to ensure round-the-clock protection. KFOR troops were also escorting convoys of Serbs returning to work and accompanying doctors on their rounds in high-risk areas.

At the same time, the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) continued to deploy international civilian police as part of its effort to restore civil order and normalcy. Some 700 UN civilian officers are already in Kosovo, with nearly 200 conducting patrols in the capital.

Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said it was evacuating Serb minorities in Kosovo only as a last resort in "urgent life- threatening" situations.

The UNHCR spokesman in Pristina, Ron Redmond, said the agency's policy was to provide safe passage, on a case-by-case basis, for people whose lives are in danger. "Though we have no intention of conducting any large-scale evacuation, sometimes we have little or no choice but to take some vulnerable individuals to safety and we will continue to do so when necessary," he said.

Only 13 people have been escorted out of Kosovo's capital, Pristina, so far and the overall number was only about 400, Mr. Redmond said, adding that half of them were Croatian or Bosnian Serb refugees who were settled in Kosovo during the fighting in their countries.

According to Mr. Redmond, the vast majority of the estimated 180,000 Serbs who have left Kosovo departed on their own. "Of the remaining minority population, the UN, KFOR and other organizations are still doing everything we can to provide the necessary conditions to allow them to stay in their homes," he said.

Ian Martin, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, told a press conference in Dili that there were two separate incidents Tuesday night and this morning and that he could not confirm reports that one person had been killed.

In response to the recent upsurge in militia activity, Mr. Martin, along with Ambassador Agus Tarmidzi, Chairman of the Indonesian Task Force, and senior Indonesian police officials early Wednesday visited Viqueque, Suai and Maliana, where they discussed additional security measures with local police, military and administration. Mr. Martin said threats to the UN's international and local staff had been particularly acute in Maliana.

According to a UNAMET spokesman, recent militia activity in those areas have left two young men dead, swelled the number of displaced people and threatened local staff members serving with the Mission.

Meanwhile, UNAMET continued its campaign to collect weapons from militia members. Another cantonment took place in Cassa, in the Cova Lima area, when 55 weapons -- mostly hand-made guns and some assault weapons -- were handed over. A third cantonment of weapons is due to take place in Dili tomorrow.

In a report to the Council released Wednesday, the Secretary-General says that while a negotiated settlement of the crisis has continued to be elusive, some important steps forward have been made. "Within Somalia itself, there is increasing evidence that ordinary Somalis are tired of violence and are pressuring their leaders to opt for peace," he says.

The Secretary-General says the United Nations, working impartially and objectively and within the Joint Intergovernmental Authority on Development, should do more to help bring about national unity and the restoration of a Somali national government. He suggests that the UN conduct a general review of its role in Somalia, including the possibility of relocating some UN programmes and agencies to the country, and that a trust fund be established "to provide financial support for the emerging process."

Mr. Annan further proposes that even before there is a political agreement on the formation of a national government, the international community could assist Somalia recover its sovereignty in certain limited fields such as the protection of offshore natural resources.

The Secretary-General also urges donor institutions to be flexible and creative in providing financial assistance to Somalia, in light of regulations that require many of them to cooperate only with established state institutions, such as ministries of finance or central banks, which the country lacks.

On the humanitarian front, the Secretary-General says that although United Nations agencies and their partners have continued to deliver much-needed food aid to Somalia, their operation capacities have been gradually eroded, primarily because of inadequate donor support. This was reflected in the weak response to the UN's 1999 Consolidated Appeal, which was "severely prioritized and focused in response to donor wishes."

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Wednesday that the Turkish Government had appealed to the UN for emergency relief assistance, indicating the urgent need for specialized Search-and- Rescue teams, including trained dogs and heavy equipment.

Following contacts with the donor community by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), a donor's coordination meeting with UN agencies and the Turkish Government was held in the UN premises in Ankara on Wednesday.

The earthquake, one of the most powerful in 20 years, hit the city of Izmit and the surrounding area with devastating effects on the provinces of Yalova, Sakarya, Istanbul, Bursa, Eskisehir, Bolu and Bandirma -- the most densely populated area of the country.

Nadia Younes, spokeswoman for the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), said Ibrahim Rugova, leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo who was absent at the first meeting in July, will attend the 21 August meeting, which will be chaired by Dr. Bernard Kouchner, who heads UNMIK.

Other participants will include political leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army, the United Democratic Movement, leaders from the Serb, Bosniac and Turkish communities and several independents.

While the UN holds executive authority over judicial, legislative and other civil activities, the Transitional Council is the highest political consultative body under UNMIK and gives political parties and ethnic groups direct input into the UN Mission's decision-making process. The Council is also a forum for achieving consensus on a broad range of issues related to civil administration, institution-building and essential services.

The Office of the UN Coordinator for Afghanistan reported on Tuesday that an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 displaced people have fled to Kabul since the beginning of August. Many displaced families say their homes and crops were deliberately set alight after they were forced to leave.

Given the volatile situation in the Shamali Valley and the continued fighting, the UN said it is difficult to estimate how many civilians might still be on the road to Kabul.

The majority of recent arrivals are staying with relatives in the city, but growing numbers of people are seeking shelter in a former diplomatic compound which authorities made available. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has been distributing food every day to 850 people in the compound.

The UN and non-governmental organizations in coordination with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) are monitoring living conditions in districts where the displaced people have settled and strengthening existing public services where necessary.

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

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