United Nations Daily Highlights, 97-04-02

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

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Wednesday, 2 April 1997

HEADLINES

• Human Rights Special Rapporteur in Zaire points out possible violations by rebel forces; says there are indications of the possibility of genocide.
• United Nations Secretary-General discusses international developments and global issues in live world-wide radio broadcast.
• United Nations Secretary-General asks Personal Envoy to the Western Sahara to go to region and assess the situation.
• Experts to meet on how to reconcile environment and development objectives in least developed countries.
• Outer Space Legal Subcommittee holds thirty-sixth session in Vienna, 1-18 April.
• Disarmament Conference hears further calls for land-mine use.
• United Nations and Columbia University announce partnership to improve cities.
• UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific commemorates its fiftieth anniversary.

During his visit, Mr. Garreton met with Moise Nyarugabo, Chief of Cabinet of ADFL's leader, Laurent Kabila. According to the Special Rapporteur, the meeting was not encouraging, because Mr. Nyarugabo attributed the allegations of massacres to the war, and to lies invented by President Mobutu's supporters. The general impression of the Special Rapporteur was that if these were the explanations provided by the rebel forces, then they were embarking on the "wrong path." He added that there seemed to be an atmosphere of fear among the local population.

Mr. Garreton visited three mass grave sites, and was prevented at a military check point from visiting Amatanda, another area where he received allegations regarding possible massacres. He said there were elements which indicated that the possibility for genocide existed, but he did not have enough information to draw such conclusion.

In a report he had submitted last 31 December, Mr. Garreton said he had received statements from witnesses and reports regarding alleged massacres by ADFL, including the violation of the right to life, arbitrary executions, and obstacles to humanitarian aid.

Meanwhile, the 100,000 refugees who were located last week in eastern Zaire by a United Nations humanitarian mission have now gathered in two major areas, the Spokesman for the Secretary-General Fred Eckhard said today. There are approximately 50,000 located at Kasesi, 25 kilometres south of Kisangani, and 30,000 more congregated 15 kilometres further south from that point, he added.

The Spokesman indicated that the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had begun to organise local health workers to assist the sick at these two sites. The most vulnerable - about 30,000 of them - will have to be airlifted if the repatriation plan that UNHCR has submitted to the Kabila forces were to be approved, he said, pointing out that, as of today, there was still no approval from Mr. Kabila to allow this plan to be activated.

Medical teams returning from a location called Kilometre 82 said that, of 800 people at that site between 16-31 March, half have died, while the remaining were in critical condition, according to the Spokesman. Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) is establishing a semi- permanent medical facility to provide assistance to the remaining refugees.

In the question-and-answer show, the Secretary-General was asked if veto right should be withheld from developing countries. Mr. Annan said the Security Council reflected the geopolitical realities of 1945 and it was about time its composition and membership were brought in line with today's realities. The current proposals that the General Assembly President, Ambassador Razali Ismail of Malaysia has put forward indicate the creation of five additional permanent member seats, he noted.

"There is a proposal on the table that the five new permanent Members should not be given a veto power, that stems from the fact that there are large numbers of Member States who believe that the veto is somewhat anachronistic, and therefore to create additional Members with vetoes would be contradictory," Mr. Annan said, pointing out that he did not know whether or not the three seats being offered to the Third World would also have a veto power.

"I believe that the Third World has legitimate claim to be represented on the Council at the permanent level," he noted in response to a question on India's claim for permanent membership of the Security Council. "I do agree with you that India is one of the countries that should be considered, but it is an issue for the membership to decide at large."

On the issue of the Zairian crisis, Mr. Annan said he had discussed the alleged Angolan involvement with both President Dos Santos and Dr. Jonas Savimbi. "They both indicated to me that they were not involved and that they were equally concerned about developments in Zaire and its possible impact on the whole region if the crisis were to get out of hand. I have indicated to them how dangerous it would be if they and other governments in the region were to get involved in the conflict in Zaire," he said.

In regard to UNHCR mandate and its performance in Zaire, the Secretary- General said the UNHCR policy of not forcing refugees to go back was right. "I do not think the mandate of UNHCR should be amended to force refugees back home if they think their lives are in danger or they would lose their lives or freedom if they would go back," he stated. "When it became possible for refugees to go back to Rwanda, UNHCR was there to help and to negotiate with the governments the right conditions."

Regarding the creation of a rapid deployment force, Mr. Annan noted that, ideally, it would be good to have a capacity that could be deployed promptly. "It often takes three to four months to deploy the force, and during that period lots of harm can be done and lots of lives can be lost, as we saw in Rwanda, but the membership is not ready for a standing UN army. So what we have decided to do is to establish what we call Stand-by Forces Arrangement. Through this arrangement we have approached eighty states and asked them to indicate what they would do in times of crisis, if they were to be approached," he said. "In times of crisis we can have a clear idea of who will do what."

UN Secretary-General answered questions from foreign affairs correspondents and editors at radio stations in Australia, Germany, India, Japan, Kenya, the Netherlands, South Africa and the United States. The one-hour programme was organised by United Nations Radio with the participation of the following: Australia Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Sydney; All India Radio (AIR), New Delhi; Channel Africa, Johannesburg; Deutsche Welle, Cologne, Germany; Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), Nairobi; Radio Netherlands, Hilversum; Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK), Tokyo; and the Voice of America (VOA), Washington, D.C.

The UN Secretary-General Personal Envoy said he planned to go to the region as soon as he could make arrangements with the parties involved.

The group of experts will include representatives from 12 of the 48 LDCs, as well as experts from the United Nations system. The 12 countries to be represented at the governmental level are the following: Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Haiti, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nepal, Samoa, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania and Yemen.

The conclusions of this meeting will contribute to the discussions at two important meetings on sustainable development to be held in New York over the next three months: the fifth session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, from 7 to 25 April, and a special session of the United Nations General Assembly to review the implementation of Agenda 21, from 23 to 27 June.

The 61-member Subcommittee will be the forum for what is expected to be a stimulating debate on the results of a questionnaire circulated to Member States two years ago. The questionnaire, which focuses on the legal status of aerospace objects, was designed to break the current impasse in the Subcommittee between States which consider the delimitation of airspace and outer space to be vital and those which consider it unnecessary. An analysis of Member States' responses, which already indicates some degree of movement in opinion, is included in a report before the Subcommittee.

According to the proposal, the Conference, which is still to adopt a work programme two months into its 1997 session, would appoint a "special coordinator" to conduct consultations on how the issue is to be handled. The special coordinator would present a report to the Conference before the end of May.

The unique partnership is being formed to help solve growing urban problems now common to nearly all countries. A direct outgrowth of the Second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) -- the "City Summit" -- the partnership, which will emphasise research and training, aims to unite scholars and public officials worldwide in this effort.

Under the agreement, Columbia University will lead a global academic effort to accomplish the goals of the Habitat conference, according to the Director of the Habitat Project at Columbia, Mark Gordon. The University will serve as the international centre for research, training and information on innovative approaches to urban problems.

"Asia, and East Asia in particular, has become one of the areas with the most dynamic and fastest growing economy in the world," said China's Vice Premier and Foreign Minister Qian Qichen in his keynote address to the Shanghai Symposium to Commemorate the Fiftieth Anniversary of ESCAP, held from 18 to 20 March.

Adrianus Mooy, Executive Secretary of ESCAP, said "progress, however, remains uneven among the countries of the region."

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