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United Nations Daily Highlights 96-05-03United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The United Nations Home Page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.orgDAILY HIGHLIGHTSFriday, May 3, 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
A free press was the truest protector of people's desire for greater participation in their societies, Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali said in his message on World Press Freedom Day. The designation by the General Assembly in 1993 of 3 May as World Press Freedom Day, expressed the dedication of the UN to a free and pluralistic media. Such media will make possible the unhindered flow of information between, and within nations, Dr. Boutros-Ghali said. The Secretary-General paid tribute to the many journalists who had died or had been imprisoned in the defence of the freedom of press. Freedom of the press should not be precious only to those who could not enjoy it, but also to those who could, he emphasized. World Press Freedom Day was commemorated by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) at the Organization's Headquarters in Paris. A day-long ceremony there, featured messages from Heads of States and debates by media professionals on issues ranging from opportunities in journalism for young people to ways of dealing with violence against journalists. There would be widespread disappointment in that while the international community recognized the need for the eventual elimination of anti- personnel mines, it was not ready to prohibit their supply, Secretary- General Boutros Boutros-Ghali has said. In his statement to the 1996 Review Conference of the 1980 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons in Geneva, read out by the Director-General of the UN Office in Geneva, Vladimir Petrovsky, the Secretary-General said there had been attempts to differentiate between "smart mines" or "good mines", and bad ones. Yet, no mechanism could legitimize a weapon that inflicted such suffering on so many societies. By the time of the next Review Conference of the Convention in 2001, it was estimated that an additional 50,000 human beings would be killed and a further 80,000 injured by land-mines, Dr. Boutros-Ghali said. He encouraged all States to immediately enact national legislation prohibiting the manufacture, stockpiling, use or sale of land-mines. Progress in implementing the Lusaka Protocol has been disappointingly slow and many of the tasks which the parties themselves agreed to carry out in April, remained unfulfilled, Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali said in his report on the UN Angola Verification Mission (UNAVEM III). According to the report, the overall achievements in Angola fell well short of what the Security Council had been led to expect, UN Spokesman Sylvanna Foa said today. For that reason, the Secretary- General had recommended that the mandate of UNAVEM III be extended for a period of two months only, until 8 July 1996. As of 2 May, 912 soldiers from the Uniao Nacional para a Independencia Total de Angola (UNITA) were registered, Ms. Foa said. The overall registration so far was 27,928 of the total expected of 60,000. Under his command, there had been a force of 6,000 soldiers from 21 countries in Haiti, Major-General Joseph Kinzer, former Force Commander of the UN Mission in Haiti (UNMIH) said today at Headquarters. The force's task was to assist the Government of Haiti in maintaining stability and security, creating an environment conducive to free elections, and establishing a new police force. Instead of asking what the United Nations did for Haiti, it was more accurate to ask what did Haiti do for itself while having the support of the Organization, Major-General Kinzer said. While emphasizing that he did not have a crystal ball to foresee the future, he had hope that the situation in Haiti would progress. However, for that to occur, the undivided attention of all the parties involved, including the UN agencies, was necessary. Major-General Kinzer said he departed from Haiti on 1 March to return to his military duties in the United States. He was currently in the process of writing a review of his operations in Haiti. There was still great concern over the depletion of fish-stocks, world-wide, and correction of the damage made was necessary, Chairman of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, and Deputy Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Rumen Gechev said today at a Press Conference today at UN Headquarters. The Fourth Commission on Sustainable Development had made a recommendation to periodically review all aspects of the marine environment, Mr. Gechev said. In addition, it had recommended that the results of the review be presented to the General Assembly under a new consolidated agenda called "Oceans and the Law of the Sea". The Commission concluded today its initial review of progress made following 1992 Earth Summit and looked forward to the 1997 Special Session of the General Assembly to assess the future course of sustainable development. This year's session of the Commission had been disappointing, at least from a non-governmental organization point of view, Clifton Curtis of Greenpeace said today at Headquarters. For example, aqua-culture had not been given its deserved attention due to the fighting between the "coastal States" and the "distant water States", he said. The Presidential Commission for Peace of the Government of Guatemala, the General Command of the Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca (URNG) and the United Nations have announced that the agreement on Socio-Economic aspects and the Agrarian Situation will be signed on Monday 6 May at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Mexico City. According to a statement by the UN Moderator in the Guatemalan Peace Talks, the parties believe that the agreement is a decisive step towards the signing of a firm and lasting peace agreement. They hope that its implementation will give impetus to social and economic development with the participation of all in the Guatemalan society. 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 |
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