United Nations Daily Highlights 96-04-18

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

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Thursday, 18 April 1996

HEADLINES

• Secretary-General deplores and condemns Israeli shelling of UNIFIL which kills 75 civilians and injures 100, including 3 peace keepers.
• Secretary-General appalled by terrorist attack in Cairo which kills at least 15 tourists and injures at least 12.
• UN programmes and agencies prevented from travelling to work as result of closures, Secretary-General tells Minister of Palestinian Authority.
• Deep concern over deterioration of Palestinian economy expressed by Secretary-General to Israeli Minister.
• Commission on Sustainable Development begins fourth session at Headquarters.
• International Law crucial for peace, freedom and security, General Assembly President says at 50th anniversary of International Court of Justice.
• New UN Office to be established in Rwanda, Secretary-General reports.
• Second WFP food shipment arrives in North Korea.

In a statement today, UN Spokesman, Sylvanna Foa, said the Secretary- General learned with shock and horror of the Israeli shelling. The Spokesman said that 560 people from the area were sheltering in the headquarters of the Fijian battalion when the shells exploded. The Israeli shelling killed at least 75 people and wounded 100 others - including three Fijian peace keepers. There were 5,200 people who had taken refuge in UNIFIL positions in Southern Lebanon, she added.

Dr. Boutros-Ghali was dispatching a senior military officer, Major- General Frank Van Kappen of Holland, to conduct an immediate investigation into the shelling, Ms. Foa said. UNIFIL Force Commander Major-General Stanislaw Wozniak of Poland, who was currently in the region, had confirmed that about 15 minutes before the Israeli shelling, Hezbollah forces had fired two Katiushas and 8 mortars from a position about 300 meters from the Fijian headquarters, Ms. Foa said.

Hiding behind a civilian position was a typical guerrilla tactic, the UN Spokesman said. In order to avoid such tactics, General Wozniak had been in direct touch with the Israeli Commander in northern Israel, General Levine. Over the past few days, General Wosniak had repeatedly and strongly objected to Israeli commanders on the increasing number of air and artillery attacks close to UNIFIL positions. In addition, Israelis had been informed on the precise locations of all UNIFIL positions as well as all humanitarian convoys, Ms. Foa added.

The Israelis were said to have strict orders to avoid any casualties to UNIFIL and to be using precision weapons, the UN Spokesman said. Several of the incidents that ocurred close to UNIFIL positions had been termed as "accidental" and blamed on equipment failure. There are currently 4,568 troops serving in UNIFIL who are from: Fiji, Finland, France, Ghana, Ireland, Italy, Nepal, Norway and Poland, she added.

The Secretary-General condemned terrorism in all its forms and urged an end to wanton slaughter as a means to achieve political ends, Ms. Foa said. He has also expressed his condolences to the families of the victims.

Mr. Husseini focused on the seriousness of the closures, particularly on East Jerusalem, to which Palestinian residents of the West Bank and Gaza were denied access, even on humanitarian grounds. On the other hand, Dr. Boutros-Ghali expressed his deep concern on the situation, noting that staff of United Nations programmes and agencies have been prevented from travelling to work as a result of the closures, the spokesman said.

At a meeting with Mr. Beilin, the Secretary-General expressed his concern over the Israeli closures and the continuing hostilities along the Israel- Lebanon border and inside Lebanon. He also expressed his concern over the impact of those situations in the Middle-East peace process.

Mr. Beilin informed the Secretary-General that his government had decided to open the borders between Gaza and Egypt, and the West Bank and Jordan. In addition, the Israeli Government had permitted 10,000 Palestinians to work in Israel. He added that the issue of the closures would be further discussed at a meeting between Prime Minister Shimon Peres and Chairman Yasser Arafat.

Reflecting expanding international interest in the work of the Commission, this year's session will feature participation by a number of government ministers and other high-level officials with diverse portfolios. It will also bring together ministers of economic development, energy, transport and education, along with five ministers of finance. In addition, the private sector will be represented by senior executives from such companies as FIAT Auto, DOW Chemical, Chevron, NatWest Bank, Waste Management International, among others.

Expressing his satisfaction at the actions of the International Court of Justice throughout the past 50 years, Mr. Freitas do Amaral said more than any other Organization, the United Nations had contributed to establishing the primacy of international law. However, submission to international jurisdiction and international law by all States needed to be left out of the defining parameters of the modern States' sovereignty. He regretted that of the five permanent members of the Security Council, only the United Kingdom has accepted compulsory jurisdiction.

In his report on the implementation of resolution 1050 (1996) - under which the Secretary-General would report to the Security Council on the arrangements agreed with the Government of Rwanda for the protection of the personnel and premises of the International Criminal Tribunal in that country - the Secretary-General decided that the new Office will be headed by a Special Representative at the Assistant Secretary-General level. In addition, a UN Resident Coordinator in Rwanda will serve as his deputy.

The Office will also include four other international Professional staff, its support staff will consist of 10 international and locally recruited General Service staff and 2 security officers. Furthermore, a UN radio station will be established as part of UNOR and will be headed by an international staff member who will also be the Office spokesman and media contact.

The 8,265 metric tonnes of rice will be distributed to some 918,000 North Korean flood victims, Ms. Foa said. A third shipment - comprising 5,750 tonnes of WFP rice, 903 tonnes of Caritas rice and 500 tonnes of rice from World Vision International - is also heading for North Korea.

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

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