United Nations Daily Highlights 96-06-27

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

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Thursday, June 27, 1996

HEADLINES

• UN Secretary-General gives optimistic assessment of the situation in Eastern Slavonia.
• Eighth round of talks on question of East Timor concludes.
• Contradictory agendas should be limited in favour of broad support for the Palestinian people, Symposium on Palestine told.
• Sweden becomes 100th party to Convention on law of the Sea.
• Top athletes declare support for UNESCO Sport Charter.

The report, according to UN Spokesman, Sylvana Foa, gives an optimistic assessment of the situation in Eastern Slavonia.

The demilitarisation of the region, the Secretary-General notes, has been completed with relative ease, even though quantities of small arms and ammunition have been retained by some of the local people nervous about their future security.

The Secretary-General would recommend an extension of the mandate of military observers until 30 January 1997, in order to build further confidence among the local population, the Spokesman said. The present mandate is due to expire on 30 July.

Noting that the demilitarisation process has been completed, the Secretary- General says the difficult part would be reconciling the former warring parties, bringing refugees back home, and rebuilding a multi- ethnic society.

The Secretary-General highlights the "precarious" financial situation, particularly with the closing of oil fields and call on member States to contribute to UNTAES to maintain public services, carry out demining and provide employment to ex-combatants.

In a joint statement, following discussions with the Secretary- General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, today, Indonesian Foreign Minister, Ali Alatas and Foreign Minister, Jaime Gama of Portugal said they considered the proposals of the All-Inclusive Intra-East Timorese Dialogue (AIETD) and agreed to proceed with consultations on issues relating to the establishment of an East Timorese cultural centre and to the development of human resources in East Timor.

The ninth round of talks will be held on 21 December in New York. In the meantime, talks will continue at the Permanent Representative level with the participation of the Secretary-General's Representative.

Citing the positions being advocated by the new Israeli Government, the Observer for Palestine M. Nasser Al-Kidwa said the coming period would be a difficult one in view of the positions being advocated by the new Government.

He told the annual Symposium, as it ended its three-day discussion, that contradictory agendas should be limited in favour of broad support for the Palestinian people. He called on non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to meet the task of preventing any political retreat by their Governments.

In his closing remarks, the Chairman of the Coordinating Committee for Non- governmental Organisations, Ibra Deguena Ka said an active network of non- governmental organisations which supported the United Nations goals was important. He noted that the Committee had expanded accreditation criteria and conducted a review of NGO participation. It had also increased the exchange of information between the Division for Palestinian Rights and the community of NGOs, in order to gain a better perspective on their activities.

During earlier discussions on Jerusalem, Stephen Zunes, Professor of Politics at the University of San Francisco, said the United States policy of supporting a united Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty jeopardized the peace process and was a direct challenge to the most basic tenets of international law. Addressing the Symposium, Professor Zunes stressed that no bilateral agreement could supersede the authority of the Security Council, which had declared Jerusalem to be an occupied city. He said the US position had emboldened hard-liners on both sides, created enormous suffering for thousands of Palestinians and threatened peace and stability throughout the region.

Stressing the need for equal partnership, Ziad Abu Zayyad of the Palestinian Council said the future of the peace process would rest on the negotiations concerning Jerusalem. "The question of what was meant by Jerusalem had to be defined, and the principle of sharing and partnership had to be accepted. Without equal partnership, there would be no compromise," he said.

The Symposium heard that the chances for a pragmatic solution on Jerusalem were slim since the recent Israeli elections. "New Israeli policies could stop the peace process, revive the intifada, cool Israel's relations with Egypt and Jordan and prevent an Israeli-Syrian agreement," said Moshe Maoz of the Harry S. Truman Research Institute at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

The theme of this year's Symposium was "Towards a just and comprehensive settlement of the Question of Palestine".

The annual North American NGO Symposium is part of a series of regional meetings sponsored by the Palestinian Rights Committee at the request of the General Assembly.

It aims at mobilising non-governmental action in support of Palestinian rights and at meeting the needs of reconstruction and nation- building during the transitional period.

Its underlying purpose is to define State's rights and obligations in the use of the oceans so as to avoid conflicts and promote stability in international relations.

The Convention is recognised by nearly all States, including those who have yet to formally adhere to it, as the main reference point in such areas as delimiting their zones of jurisdiction, defining navigational rights, managing fish stocks and settling maritime disputes.

The athletes, most of whom have been selected for the Summer Olympics, declared their support of the ideals contained in the UNESCO International Charter of Physical Education and Sport, and committed themselves to distributing the Charter during the Summer Olympic and other sports events.

In a text issued at the ceremony, the athletes mention their concern about the growing gap between high-level competitive sports and sports practiced by ordinary citizens, and recommend that governments devote more financing to sport for all "in order to encourage access to sport without discrimination and with complete equality."

The athletes also declared their adherence to the concepts and ideals in the International Charter of Physical Education and Sport, and committed themselves to doing everything they could "to promote and encourage respect for the universal message it contains."

Proclaimed by the UNESCO General Conference in November 1978, the Charter stipulates in particular that every human being has a fundamental right to physical education and sport, which are defined as indispensable for the fulfillment of the personality.

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

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