United Nations Daily Highlights, 97-01-13

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

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Monday, 13 January 1997

HEADLINES

• UN Security finds two letter bombs addressed to newspaper at Headquarters in New York.
• China prevents Security Council from authorising deployment of UN military observers to verify implementation of cease-fire agreement in Guatemala.
• UN Secretary-General deplores killing of 122 in Burundi.
• UN Development Programme restates promise to combat desertification.

The first letter bomb was detected in the morning. It matched the description of others that had come into the United States during the past week, the Spokesman said. Since a similar letter bomb addressed to Al-Hayat exploded earlier at the newspaper's office in London injuring two people, UN Security increased its surveillance of the incoming mail, particularly for the press floors, the Spokesman stated. He added that the Al-Hayat correspondent had also informed United Nations that she felt at risk because of the incident in London.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the bomb threat at the United Nations aimed at the office of the Al-Hayat newspaper was a reminder of the dangerous conditions under which many journalists must work, according to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General. Mr. Annan unreservedly condemns this cowardly act which is an assault on the United Nations itself and on the principle of free expression for which the United Nations stands, the Spokesman said.

Since the UN Headquarters does not have bomb squad, the Organisation relies on its host country for primary security, the Spokesman noted adding that United Nations Security informed New York City Police, which has a joint terrorist task force with the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

After the letter was discovered and X-rayed, the squad confirmed it was a live explosive device, the Spokesman stated. They secured it and brought it down into the basement of the building where they rendered it safe, as defined by the specialists. An investigation on the incident will be conducted, the Spokesman added.

Later in the afternoon, a second letter bomb in a similar envelope was found, according to the UN Spokesman. The letter was detected when the mail was being double-checked. Mr. Eckhard said the police also rendered this device safe in the building.

The letter was described as a greeting card-size envelope, although thicker than normal, according to Mr. Eckhard. The number of pieces of mail that come into the building ranges between 15,000 and 20,000 a day, he said. The mail is processed by the US postal service, and after being delivered at UN Headquarters, it undergoes several procedures, one of which is passing through an X-ray device.

By a vote of 14 in favour to 1 against, of China, with no abstentions, the Council failed to adopt a 12-Power draft resolution that would have established a United Nations verification mechanism which, when fully deployed, would have facilitated the cease-fire's entry into force. Such a provision is part of the definitive cease-fire agreement, which went into effect with the 29 December 1996 signing of the Agreement on a Firm and Lasting Peace by the two parties in Guatemala City.

"No country's peace process should be at the expense of another country's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Qin Huasun, the representative of China said after the vote, adding that, regrettably, the Guatemalan Government had for four years supported activities aimed at splitting China in the Organisation in violation of the United Nations Charter. He pointed out that it disregarded China's warnings and invited Taiwan authorities to the signing ceremony of the peace agreement in Guatemala.

Addressing the Council before the vote, Julio Armando Martini Herrera, the representative of Guatemala had said his country had never intended to interfere in the internal affairs of any other State and its conduct was guided by the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter. However, he added, bilateral matters should not be injected into the Council's deliberations.

The representative of the United States, Edward W. Gnehm said it was most unfortunate that the draft resolution had not been adopted. The representative of Costa Rica, Fernando Berrocal Soto, also described as unfortunate the Council's failure to adopt the draft resolution, adding that the non-deployment of the observers would cause damage to the United Nations.

Mr. Annan welcomes the fact that the authorities in Bujumbura seem to have taken action against some of the perpetrators of this killing, the Spokesman noted, adding that the Secretary-General strongly urged the authorities to ensure that the rule of law was scrupulously followed and to prevent further massacres by the Army.

This latest tragedy underscores the pressing need for an immediate ceasefire followed by negotiations among all the interested parties to restore peace in Burundi, the Spokesman said. The Secretary-General strongly urges the parties to sit at the negotiating table in order to put an end to this abhorrent circle of violence whose first victims are the innocent civilian population.

Ms. Johnson Sirleaf said the support will continue into 1997-2001, noting that actions to prevent or control desertification were underway in all developing regions and in countries not usually considered at risk. In Brazil, for instance, at least 15 per cent of the country, which is inhabited by about 30 million people, is dryland vulnerable to desertification.

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

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