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United Nations Daily Highlights, 96-11-19United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The United Nations Home Page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.orgDAILY HIGHLIGHTSTuesday, 19 November 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
The Security Council has considered the question of the recommendation for the appointment of the Secretary-General of the United Nations. In a vote taken by secret ballot, the draft resolution which called for the appointment of Dr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali for a second term of office received 14 votes in favour, one vote against and no abstentions, the President of the Security Council said today. The Council President, Ambassador Nugroho Wisnumurti of Indonesia said "since the negative vote was cast by a permanent member, the draft resolution was not adopted". He added that the Council will continue its consultations on the matter. The Secretary-General said that he was gratified and really appreciated the overwhelming support that the Member States of the United Nations had shown for him, the Spokesman for the Secretary-General Sylvana Foa said. The General Assembly has paid tribute to the memory of late Ambassador Ahmed Zaki of the Maldives and former representative of Zambia to the United Nations, Mr. Paul Lusaka. The late Ambassador Lusaka was the President of the thirty-ninth session of the General Assembly. UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali said Ambassador Zaki gave a lifetime of public service to his country, with a domestic civil service and political career spanning more than forty years. Dr. Boutros- Ghali noted that Mr. Zaki was appointed Permanent Representative of the Maldives to the United Nations in 1994, having also served in that capacity from 1979 to 1993, adding that his death was a loss to the Maldives and to the entire international community. The Secretary-General stated that Mr. Lusaka was a man of great vision and honour, whose dedication and commitment to the cause of peace and development in Africa was an inspiration to all. He pointed out that Paul Lusaka's diplomatic career spanned more than two and a half decades, adding that he was universally respected and admired by all those who worked with him. Nineteen Member States and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference met in New York to discuss the crisis in Afghanistan and what actions the United Nations could take to achieve peace in Afghanistan, the Secretary- General's Spokesman Sylvana Foa said today. UN Secretary- General Boutros Boutros-Ghali said that this meeting sent a resounding message to the Afghan factions, the Spokesman added. The countries that attended the meeting, including those with influence in Afghanistan, expressed their conviction that there was no military solution to the conflict, the Spokesman for the Secretary- General indicated. Those countries wanted an immediate cease fire and the demilitarisation of Kabul, Ms. Foa said, pointing out that they also wanted the Afghan parties to join in an genuine effort to find a political settlement to the conflict. All of the delegations said the present situation could not be allowed to continue because of the immense suffering it imposed on the Afghan people and the intolerable threat of regional destabilisation, according to the Spokesman. The delegations indicated they would use their influences with the various factions to persuade them to give up the military options and join in the common search for negotiated peace. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General to Afghanistan, Norbert Hall, while briefing UN correspondents on the situation in Afghanistan, stated that for the last five weeks he had only been shuttling between the parties for a cease-fire and added he could claim that, after many difficulties, he could bring both parties together for the first time. The Special Representative outlined three crucial issues necessary to make headway in the Afghan conflict. The first one was the demilitarisation of Kabul, he pointed out. The second was that the vacuum which was created by demilitarising the capital should be filled by a neutral force. The third was that the cease-fire should be the beginning of the political dialogue and the political process. The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) of the General Assembly said it would ask the Assembly to invite the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to continue devising concrete measures and actions to address the problems faced by indebted developing countries, including the possibility of selling part of its gold reserve. The draft, which was sponsored by the Group of 77 developing countries and China and the countries of the Non- Aligned Movement, was introduced by the representative of Costa Rica. By the draft's provisions, the Assembly would stress the need to ensure an expeditious, flexible, constructive and full implementation of the new debt initiative for heavily indebted poor countries of the IMF and the World bank. The draft resolution also stressed that the debt initiative should not be pursued through the reallocation of resources already designated for development purposes. The Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Rwanda, Rene Degni- Segui has called for the immediate deployment of international forces to ensure the delivery of emergency relief and the repatriation of refugees with dignity and safety. During his presentation to the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural), Mr. Degni-Segui told the Committee that the number of human rights observers along return routes and at receiving centres should be increased. The Special Rapporteur said the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) must be given the resources to carry out its work. He added that the Rwandan Government should receive substantial international assistance to root out the culture of impunity and ensure fundamental respect for human rights and freedoms. Mr. Degni-Segui told the Committee that at the end of September, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda had handed down only 25 indictments and no trials had begun, largely because of the lack of cooperation of States, who gave sanctuary to the alleged perpetrators of genocide. Failure to bring to justice those guilty of genocide was morally and socially untenable, he added. The representative of Malaysia has told the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonisation) of the Assembly that the increased dependency of the Department of Peace-keeping Operations on loaned personnel had reached alarming proportions. The representative said that as of 30 September, one hundred fourteen out of one hundred thirty-three military personnel in the Peace-keeping Operations Department were loaned personnel. The Committee was discussing the expansion of the membership of the Special Committee on Peace-keeping Operations, securing the financing of peace- keeping staff, and improving consultations between the Security council and troop contributing countries. The General Assembly would express concern that the goal of 50/50 gender distribution in UN Secretariat staff by the year 2000 might not be met, especially at policy and decision making levels, according to the terms of a draft resolution approved without a vote by the Third Committee (Humanitarian, Social and Cultural). According to the text, the Assembly would call on the Secretary-General to ensure full and urgent implementation of the strategic plan of action to improve the status of women in the Secretariat (1995-2000). Other draft resolutions approved by the Committee included a text on violence against migrant women workers, and the establishment of a permanent United nations forum for indigenous people. The Under-Secretary-General for Peace-keeping Operations, Kofi Annan has told the Special Political and Decolonisation Committee that when the parties to a conflict are genuinely interested in achieving settlement, mountains can be moved in the interest of peace. The Under-Secretary- General reviewed major lessons learned from recent peace efforts. He said the conflicts of recent years had called for new ways of understanding how to solve the problems of international peace and security. The Angolan Government and Union for the Total Liberation of Angola (UNITA) have agreed on a timetable that includes a list of outstanding tasks to be completed by 20 November, the Spokesman for the Secretary- General Sylvana Foa said. These tasks included the completion of quartering of UNITA soldiers and the selection of UNITA soldiers for the incorporation into a new Angolan army; and the dismantling of UNITA's command post. UNITA initially indicated its readiness to complete these tasks by last Friday, 15 November, Ms. Foa added. However, they said they will complete the tasks by 20 November. 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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