United Nations Daily Highlights, 97-03-20

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

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Thursday, 20 March 1997

HEADLINES

• The President of the General Assembly proposes increase of the Security Council membership from 15 to 24.
• Security Council Committee on Libya gives the go-ahead to Egypt to transport Libyan pilgrims to Saudi Arabia to the perform Haj.
• First shipment of humanitarian supplies arrive in northern Iraq.
• United Nations Secretary-General meets with President Mandela of South Africa; exchange views on wide range of issues.
• The Secretary-General expresses regret about the lack of progress on the establishment of a government of unity in Angola.
• The Secretary-General says racial discrimination is an affront to the letter and spirit of the United Nations Charter.
• United Nations Children's Fund applauds the new World Health Organisations plan to accelerate elimination of female genital mutilation in Africa.
• World Food Programme mission leaves for Albania to assess relief food needs of the Albanian population.
• Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban-Treaty Organisation begins its task of setting-up verification regime.

In his proposal, the Assembly President suggested an increase in the Security Council's membership from 15 to 24, by adding five permanent members and four non-permanent members.

The five permanent members proposed would be two from industrialised countries, one each from Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean and the four non-permanent members, one each from Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean.

General Assembly Spokesperson, Samsiah Abdul-Majid said the paper, presented in the form of a draft resolution, addresses all aspects of Security Council reform, the issues of expansion, and decision-making, including the veto and working methods of the Security Council. It draws from many diverse and comprehensive views that have been expressed by delegations, she added.

By the terms of the conditions for approval, Egypt, would inform the Committee, in advance, of the exact schedule, routing and aircraft registration, and the number of each flight.

It said all flights should be direct, non-stop between the authorised destinations, and that none of the aircraft should be owned by, leased from or controlled by Libya or any Libyan entity. "Neither the Government or public authorities of Libya nor any Libyan undertaking shall, directly or indirectly, benefit financially from such flights", the Committee said.

The Committee stated that the aircraft will be inspected by United Nations officials to ensure that they are operating exclusively for the declared humanitarian purposes and in accordance with the relevant provisions of Security Council Resolution 748 (1992).

"The United Nations inspection agents from the Lloyd's Register, who are stationed in Zakho, inspected these shipments and are expected to authenticate the shipments on Friday," he said.

In their remarks to the media, President Mandela and the Secretary- General emphasised the need for continued cooperation between South Africa and the United Nations in the peaceful resolution of conflicts. Mr. Annan also held a round of meetings and talks with high ranking officials of the South African government.

Earlier, Mr. Annan told journalists that he was opposed to the shipment of arms to any country as stockpiling of weapons could lead to fighting such as that seen in eastern Zaire. "The arms themselves do not cause wars, but the stockpiling of arms can lead to mistrust and often leads to the sort of fighting we have seen in Zaire. And because of the shipment of some of these arms, we have seen in recent years warfare fought with very sophisticated weapons, doing incredible harm and damage to women, children and villages," Mr. Annan said.

On reports that South African weapons were being used in the conflict in Burundi, Mr. Annan said he had not discussed the issue during his meeting with President Mandela.

The Secretary-General said that although the crisis in Zaire was currently the leading topic of discussion, the United Nations had not forgotten about other conflicts in Africa, notably those in Sudan and Western Sahara.

In a report to the Security Council, the Secretary-General said the delay was due, primarily, to the failure of UNITA to send all of its officials to Luanda as previously agreed. He pointed out that as of 19 March, there were 43 UNITA deputies in Luanda, out of a total of 70 and seven officials out of a total of 11 who were designated to take up posts in the new government.

The Secretary-General said racial discrimination and xenophobia were major obstacles to peace, development and the realisation of human rights around the world. "At the end of the 20th century, we confront an apparent paradox. Technological advances and mass media have done much to increase international communication, knowledge and understanding. Yet intolerance and racism continue to flourish," he stated.

He called on the international community to redirect and rededicate efforts towards the total elimination of racist assaults on human equality, dignity and freedom, wherever they occur. "Racial tolerance remains a global imperative. It is my sincere hope that we can shape and revitalise our social fabric in order to create a global culture of tolerance and mutual understanding," the Secretary-General said.

The plan, which covers Western and Central Africa, was unveiled earlier this week in Yaounde, Cameroon in cooperation with UNICEF and with the participation of the United Nations Fund for Population activities (UNFPA).

The three-prong plan focuses on educating the public and lawmakers about the need to eliminate FGM; tackling FGM as a violation of human rights as well as a danger to women's health. It envisages that WHO would work with the entire UN system to encourage every African country to develop a national, culturally-specific plan to eradicate FGM.

The Executive Director of UNICEF, Carol Bellamy said mutilation was not required by any religion. "It is a tradition designed to preserve virginity, ensure marriageability and control sexuality, and one that only serves to keep women 'in their places'," Bellamy said.

She stated that actions against FGM like those taken in Africa and around the world spell real change for girls and women everywhere. "We're finally seeing a ripple effect, where countries are beginning to recognise that it is within their power to make this violence stop," she added.

The mission will also evaluate the viability of using already existing state distribution mechanisms operating in the country for channeling any relief food aid that may be needed. The week-long mission has been launched in response to an official request from the government of Albania for WFP food relief assistance.

The Executive Secretary of the new Commission, Wolfgang Hoffmann said that to bridge the period until entry into force of the Treaty, States signatories have set up a Preparatory Commission to arrange for a monitoring system that will include a network of 321 seismic, hydroacoustic, infrasound and radionuclide stations. Known as the International Monitoring System (IMS), it is intended to verify that no nuclear tests are being conducted in the atmosphere, underground or under water.

The stations, he explained, will send data to the International Data Centre (IDC) being constructed in Vienna, where the readings will be analysed. On- site inspections are also anticipated. In its first operational year, the CTBTO will have a staff of about 100 persons from 60 countries.

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

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