United Nations Daily Highlights 96-06-24

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

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Monday, June 24, 1996

HEADLINES

• Iraq undertakes to cooperate with UN Special Commission and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
• International community pledges $617 million towards Rwanda.
• Comprehensive nuclear test ban with eventual world-wide nuclear disarmament essential, Disarmament Conference told.
• No evidence of diversion of nuclear material, says IAEA.
• Secretary-General expresses condolences at death of former Greek Prime Minister.
• Japan to chair mid-term review of UN New Agenda for Development of Africa in the 1990s.
• UNICEF announces increase in number of Baby-Friendly Hospitals.
• Photographic exhibition illustrates value of sports in prevention of drug abuse.

Addressing journalists, following a special mission to Baghdad in the wake of Iraq's refusal to provide access to Special Inspectors, Rolf Ekeus, Chairman of the Special Commission said Iraq and the Commission agreed to intensify their work with the aim of making it possible for the Commission to report as soon as possible to the Security Council that Iraq has met its obligations under Resolution 687 (1991).

Mr. Ekeus said Iraq and the Special Commission also agreed to conduct regular meetings every two months in Baghdad to focus on fundamental issues, review progress and decide on future efforts.

The Special Commission Chairman added that, in furtherance of a forward- looking dialogue, Iraq and the Special Commission agreed on a Joint Programme of Action.

Rwandan Prime Minister, Pierre-Celestin Rwigema said the meeting provided his country with an opportunity to "show to the international community our will to resolve some of the challenges which face us today."

The positive donor response includes $228 million from the European Union, $100 million from the Netherlands, $33 million from Belgium, $50 million from the World Bank and $40 million from the United States.

The donor countries called for an early establishing of a justice system which can begin trials of individuals suspected of participating in the genocide. This, the conference said, would create a climate conducive to the return of the 1.6 million refugees who still live outside the country.

The representative of India, Arundhati Ghose said the treaty that was emerging appeared "to be shaped more by the technological preferences of the nuclear-weapon States...than by the imperative of nuclear disarmament". India, she said, could not be expected to accept such a treaty; nor could it accept the legitimacy of some countries relying on such weapons for their security while denying that right to others.

Expressing Iran's position, Sirous Nasseri of Iran said the ban should not be an end in itself, but a means to achieve nuclear disarmament. "A treaty that did not prohibit testing and end the qualitative development of nuclear weapons was not comprehensive. If the treaty was not placed in the context of nuclear disarmament, it could have no meaning," he said.

The Disarmament Conference admitted 23 countries to full membership with calls made for admitting 13 other States whose applications are still pending.

The Board of Governors of the Agency, at its meeting in Vienna, concluded that nuclear facilities and equipment remained in peaceful use or were otherwise accounted for. At the end of 1995, Agency safeguards agreements were in force with 125 States and in Taiwan province of China. Of these, 66 States and Taiwan province of China, had nuclear activities and were inspected. The Agency says it carried out a total of 2,285 inspections during 1995.

In a message to the family of Mr. Papandreou, the people and the Government of Greece, the Secretary-General said the United Nations had lost one of its faithful supporters.

Describing Mr Papandreou a great humanist in the service of the ideals of social justice and democracy, the Secretary-General said Mr. Papandreou had worked without respite for the happiness of the Greek people. "During his three mandates as Prime Minister he has strived to resolve peacefully, through mediation and dialogue, regional conflicts and major international problems."

Stressing that "Africa is crucial to the future of us all in the international community", Mr. Owada said that Japan is trying to make "greater efforts in support of African development". He expressed confidence that the findings of the past five years would provide a good basis for the Ad hoc committee "to engage in a concrete discussion of the strategy that Africa, in partnership with the whole world, should undertake for development."

The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) is a UNICEF\WHO joint effort that encourages hospitals to promote exclusive breastfeeding through specific practices such as rooming-in and the prohibition of free and low- cost supplies of breastmilk substitutes. To qualify for Baby- Friendly status a hospital must convince a team of assessors that all hospital practice is in accordance with the UNICEF\WHO Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding.

UNICEF estimates that over 1 million infants die every year and millions more succumb to illness and malnutrition because they are not adequately breastfed.

The exhibition illustrates the value of sports in the prevention of drug abuse among young people. It features contrasting images of the negative impact of drugs and the positive effects of sports including action photographs of athletes from around the world.

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

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