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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


This 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

  • 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.


The Government of Iraq reiterated its commitment to continue cooperation with the UN Special Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In a joint statement issued by Iraq and the UN Special Commission, Iraq undertook to provide immediate, unconditional and unrestricted access to all sites which the Commission or the IAEA may wish to visit.

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.


The International community has pledged $617 million towards the 1996-98 medium-term development plan of Rwanda. Demonstrating their willingness to provide further assistance to the Central African country in the aftermath of the conflict of 1994, representatives of more than 30 donor countries met in Geneva at a meeting co-organised by the UNDP and the Rwandan Government.

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.


Late-hour negotiations on a comprehensive nuclear-test ban came under focus at the Disarmament Conference in Geneva when representatives of India and Iran highlighted areas of disagreement on several basic issues. They said the scope of the Treaty no longer seemed comprehensive, and the underlying goal no longer seemed to be an eventual world-wide nuclear disarmament.

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 International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has found no indication of the diversion of nuclear material nor of misuse of any facility, equipment or non-nuclear material placed under safeguards.

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.


UN Secretary-General Dr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali has expressed his condolences at the death of the former Prime Minister of Greece, Mr. Andreas Papandreou.

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."


The Ad hoc Committee on the preparation of mid-term review of the UN New Agenda for Development of Africa in the 1990's elected the Permanent Representative of Japan, Hisashi Owada, to serve as chairman of the review which is scheduled to be held in September.

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 number of Baby-Friendly Hospitals around the world has almost doubled since the beginning of the year. According to figures released by UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) today, the number of hospitals which are officially designated Baby Friendly now totals 7,779 - up from 4,282 recorded at the end of 1995.

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.


A photographic exhibition on the theme "Sports against Drugs" is to open at Headquarters on Tuesday, 25 June, in the General Assembly lobby. The exhibition, sponsored by the UN International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) and produced by the UN Department of Public Information (DPI) was recently at display at the Vienna International Centre and will travel in July to Atlanta, Georgia, to be shown at the site of the summer Olympics.

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.


For information purposes only - - not an official record

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


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