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United Nations Daily Highlights, 97-03-04United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The United Nations Home Page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.orgDAILY HIGHLIGHTSTuesday, 4 March 1997This 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
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has learnt with sorrow of the devastation caused by the recent earthquakes which have struck Iran and Pakistan, Associate Spokesman for the Secretary-General, Juan Carlos Brandt said. The Spokesman said the Secretary-General is sending messages of condolences to the Governments of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Pakistan. The United Nations Secretary-General has asked the Government of the Netherlands to lead the European Union on negotiations with the United States on the scale of United Nations assessments. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Tuesday met with senior officials of the Government of the Netherlands, including the Prime Minister and the Speakers of the Upper and the Lower Houses of Parliament. During discussions with the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, the Secretary-General discussed UN reform, Zaire and the creation of a humanitarian multinational force, to facilitate humanitarian corridors for refugees. In his discussions with the various officials and groups, the Secretary- General touched on a wide-range of international issues including the Arusha Tribunal, the issue of seconded personnel to that tribunal, Zaire, the prospects of an international criminal court, financing of the UN and its reform. Despite widespread skepticism, United Nations conferences since the early 1990s, have had widespread impact, and had been valuable in advancing the understanding of important concepts and values, according to the General Assembly President, Ambassador Razali Ismail of Malaysia. Speaking at the American University in Washington D.C. Monday,on the subject of United Nations Conferences, the Assembly President said there were serious problems with the implementation of the decisions of United Nations conferences. He said, the Organisation, unless reformed and recommitted to by all governments, remained too weak to carry out its task of overseeing the implementation process. On the success of UN conferences he said the conferences had been extraordinarily successful in helping to define a common global agenda for the 21st century, especially in the social and environmental spheres, except in the economic sphere. "The ambitious agendas will come to nought if the resources from the national and international public sectors are not forthcoming, and if the rich and the powerful everywhere refused to be taxed, or if they use their control over State power to further reduce the fiscal burden on themselves, " he noted. Representatives from eight international and local humanitarian organisations have embarked on a four-day mission to assess the needs of war-isolated people in southern Liberia, according to the United Nations Humanitarian Assistance Coordination Office (UN-HACO) in Liberia. The mission marks the first time a humanitarian convoy has traveled to Greenville by road since about 1992, when the former warring faction took control of the route from Cestos, Rivercess County. "We were very pleased we were able to travel this distance without any incident," said Agnes Asekenye-Oonyu, UNDHA-HACO's senior humanitarian officer, adding, "this mission bodes well for future access into the southeast". Thousands of refugees are on the road halfway between Kisangani and Tingi- Tingi in a fifty kilometre-long column heading towards Kisangani, according to Associate Spokesman for the Secretary-General Juan Carlos Brandt. He said local Zairian authorities were trying to reroute refugees towards Ubundu, 100 kilometres south of Kisangani. The Spokesman said United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports indicated that the refugees seemed to prefer to proceed on to Kisangani. On the offer of humanitarian corridors that would allow the refugees to return to Rwanda, he said UNHCR was looking into practical measures on how this could be done. "Yesterday, UNHCR staff went to Kinkulube, 140 kilometres to the west of Kisangani to set-up a station for the refugees who may emerge from the forest. The station would provide them with emergency aid and help them go back to Rwanda, if they wish to do so," the Spokesman said. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has published the latest annual edition of its guide: "International Travel and Health: Vaccination Requirements and Health Advice". The publication, which is updated every January, gives advice on the precautions to be taken by travellers who wish to safeguard their health. Aimed at physicians, the tourism industry and airline and shipping companies, it contains the latest information on general precautions all travellers should take, on specific health risks in various parts of the world, on vaccinations recommended or deemed advisable by WHO, and on vaccinations legally required by countries of people entering their territory. The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia said in a statement that a joint international criminal trial will be held before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. The trial is scheduled to begin on 10 March 1997. The accused, Zejnil Delalic, Zdravko Mucio, Hazim Delic and Esad Landzo, are charged with committing serious violations of international humanitarian law at the Celebici detention camp in the Konjic municipality of Bosnia and Herzegovina during 1992. Their alleged crimes, which are said to have been perpetrated against Bosnian Serb victims from the Konjic area, include murder, acts of torture, including rape, beatings and inhuman treatment. The head of the military observers attached to the United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala (MINUGUA), Brigadier General Jose Rodriguez says he is firmly convinced that the demobilisation process would be concluded on time and with no problems. In an interview with United Nations Radio, General Rodriguez said the will among the parties was strong and that they were ready to reintegrate themselves into the political and civil life. According to General Rodriguez some 3,600 ex-combatants, including ex- guerrillas who participated directly in the conflict as well as children and women who provided support to Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca (URNG), would be demobilised. New technical cooperation approvals for the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) broke through $100 million mark in 1996, according to statistics released recently. UNIDO said in a statement that between 1993 and 1996, new projects approved increased by 40 per cent, from $72 million to $101 million. In particular, five high-impact programmes that draw on the Organisation's comparative advantage in the United Nations system and involve the private sector have boosted support considerably. In addition to the 1996 approvals, UNIDO forged its first agreement, worth $2.6 million, with the Common Fund for Commodities last December to develop and market sisal and henequen products from Kenya and Tanzania. 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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