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United Nations Daily Highlights 96-04-30United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The United Nations Home Page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.orgDAILY HIGHLIGHTSTuesday, April 30, 1996This document is prepared by the Central News Section of the Department of Public Information and is updated every week-day at approximately 6:00 PM. HEADLINES
The United Nations will not abandon Somalia and will continue its assistance to that country, Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali told representatives of Somali factions today in a meeting in Nairobi, UN Spokesman Sylvanna Foa said. The Secretary-General requested the Somali factions for suggestions on how the UN could assist them better, while emphasizing the Organization's commitment to finding solutions to their problems. Later today, Dr. Boutros-Ghali met with the Special Representative for Burundi, Marc Faguy, to discuss the importance of national reconciliation in that country as well as the on-going efforts for peace there, Ms. Foa said. Through Mr. Faguy, the Secretary-General sent messages to both, the President and the Prime Minister of Burundi, stressing his appeal to stop the violence in their country. Also in Nairobi, Dr. Boutros-Ghali has chaired the meeting of the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC), Ms. Foa said. The Secretary- General will be back in New York on Thursday, she added. The five-year mandate of the Mission of the United Nations in El Salvador, MINUSAL, expired today, UN Spokesman Sylvanna Foa said. MINUSAL, which at its height, had as many as 16,000 UN personnel including police and electoral observers, had performed really well, she said. Throughout MINUSAL's mandate, developments within the public security sector - especially consolidation of the National Civil Police - had held an important place on the agenda of the Government of El Salvador, according to a report on the mission, by Secretary-General Boutros Boutros- Ghali. The National Civil Police was designed to include strong internal mechanisms to monitor professional and ethical standards. On the other hand, the office of the National Counsel for the Defence of Human Rights had achieved steady consolidation in the last year. Furthermore, many of the technical and legal problems which had caused delays in the land transfer programme had been overcome. In spite of the improvements in the country, the Secretary-General still had concerns about the public security situation, the failure of the Legislative Assembly to approve the constitutional reforms and the implementation of the land reform process, Ms. Foa said. For that reason, Dr. Boutros-Ghali had proposed the establishment of a mechanism that would combine regular visits by a high-level envoy from New York with the retention in the field of about 5 experts. Their work would consist on following up the implementation of pending agreements in El Salvador. The mechanism, to be called the United Nations Office of Verification (ONUV), would be in place until the end of 1996, the UN Spokesman said. The Secretary-General hoped that the proposal - with an approximate cost of $1 million - would be welcomed by the General Assembly and that funds for it would be provided. Both, the Government of El Salvador, as well as the Frente Farabundo Marti para la Liberacion Nacional (FMLN) had requested the establishment of such mechanism, Ms. Foa added. On the basis of contacts held last week, the UN Moderator has convened the delegations of the Government of Guatemala and the Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca (URNG) to a "Petit Comite" meeting which began in Mexico City today, UN Spokesman Sylvanna Foa said. In view of the progress achieved so far, the parties have agreed that their aim should be to draft the final text of the Agreement on "Socio-economic aspects and the agrarian situation", she said. Food security issues and the preparation of the World Food Summit of Heads of State - to be held in Rome in November - are the main topics for discussion at the Regional Conference for Europe of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The Conference which is taking place in Tel Aviv, began on 29 April and will continue until 3 May. According to a FAO statement, Ministers of Agriculture and senior officials from more than 50 countries are attending the Regional Conference which was preceded by a Consultation for Non-Governmental Organizations on the World Food Summit. The Regional Conference for Europe is a biennial gathering of ministers of agriculture from the 40 member countries of FAO in the European region, and of 10 observers - the United States, Russia and others. It is organized in cooperation with the UN Economic Commission for Europe. For information purposes only - - not an official record From the United Nations home page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.orgUnited Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |