United Nations Daily Highlights 96-06-13

United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Thursday, June 13, 1996

HEADLINES

• Secretary-General recommends 6-months extension of UNMOT mandate.
• Representatives of Greece and of former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia agree to continue talks.
• People are in a better position to lift themselves out of economic distress and social despair when they have jobs that pay them a living wage, Habitat II told.
• President of International Criminal Tribunal urges international community to take more robust action to bring indicted persons to justice.
• UNHCR identifies key target areas for Bosnia and calls for international commitment.

The Spokesman noted that the Organization had no first-hand information regarding the situation because the United Nations Observers in Tajikistan (UNMOT) was evacuated for security reasons. However, the Secretary- General's Special Representative was in contact with both sides, he said.

Meanwhile, the resumption of inter-Tajik negotiations, scheduled for 17 June, had been postponed till 8 July, at the Government's insistence, the Spokesman said. The Government had also indicated in a letter to UNMOT, that it was ready to guarantee the protection of the opposition members of the Joint Commission, mandated to supervise the ceasefire.

The Spokesman recalled that the Secretary-General had expressed concern at the deterioration of the situation in Tajikistan, which was "at its worst and most volatile since the end of the civil war, in 1992." He had said that he believed that his Special Representative should be given an opportunity to try and resolve the issue between the two parties, despite the deterioration of the situation, and his efforts be given time to show results. The Secretary-General had called for the support of the international community, the Spokesman said.

The Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Henry Cisneros, remarked that Habitat II had recognized the importance of sustainable economic growth as the best and only enduring antidote to the ills that plague the world's cities. Supporting that view, he said, "whether the problem is one of poverty, homelessness, or crime, people are in a better position to lift themselves out of economic distress and social despair when they have jobs that pay a living wage."

Denmark's Minister of Housing and Building, Ole Lovig Simonsen, pointed out that Habitat II had gone further than previous conferences in its involvement of national and international NGOs. He stressed that nevertheless, the main responsibility for the implementation of the Habitat agenda rested with the individual countries.

Meanwhile, Canada's Minister for Public Works and Government Services, Diane Marleau, expressed her country's commitment to fostering partnerships between key elements of Canadian society and their counterparts in developing countries in the area of human settlements development. The Federation of Canadian Municipalities, for the next three years, would "promote partnerships with municipalities in the southern hemisphere, helping them to better manage their affairs", she added.

Choo Kyung Suk, Korea's Minister of Transportation and Construction, said the objective of adequate shelter for all should be promoted in a manner consistent with human rights and social justice based on social equity.

The Habitat Agenda and Istanbul Declaration are scheduled to be adopted tomorrow afternoon, the last day of the conference. In the morning, President Fidel Castro of Cuba, is to address the conference.

Coming just before Atlanta, "this obviously will have some reverberations in the sports world", the Spokesman noted. The move was aimed at compelling the parties to the Dayton Agreement to arrest and turn over to the court, the 49 accused who were still at large, he added.

President Cassesse was to address the Mid-Term Conference on the Implementation of the Dayton Agreement convened in Florence, where he would state that "the co-operation of the Parties with the International Tribunal is -- far from satisfactory".

Addressing the Mid-Term Review Conference of the Peace Implementation Council in Florence, Italy, Ms Ogata warned that there has been little progress in finding solutions for the 2 million people uprooted during the war. "The figures say it all: to date, only 70,000 refugees and displaced persons have gone back home," she said.

According to the High Commissioner, the fundamental aspect of the war remains largely unresolved."Some leaders are still trying to pursue in peace the goals they pursued in war. While we want to assist people wishing to return to their home of origin, which will also help to bring the country back together again, they want ethnic division to prevail." It is expected that a concentrated effort in the coming weeks and months could lead to the return of 165,000 people to their homes.

While promoting returns to majority areas, Ms Ogata said UNHCR would also continue its efforts to help people wanting to go back to areas where they are in the minority. "UNHCR has a strategy, a plan and the determination to implement it. But without more political will from the parties and the unequivocal resolve from the international community, we cannot succeed," she noted.

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

United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next Article