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United Nations Daily Highlights, 97-05-08United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The United Nations Home Page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.orgDAILY HIGHLIGHTSThursday, 8 May 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 on Thursday welcomed in Beijing the agreement between China and Russia to reduce the number of troops along their common border. On a second day of his official visit to China, the UN leader discussed a wide range of foreign policy issues with the Chinese Vice Premier and Foreign Minister Qyan Qichen. The Secretary-General also reaffirmed the General Assembly's "One China" policy and praised China for conscientiously following up on UN conferences, from population to women, to the Earth Summit. "This is a story that should be told", he remarked to Vice Premier Qyan Qichen. At an afternoon meeting with President Jiang Zemin, the Secretary- General was assured that the integration of Hong Kong with China next month would be smooth. At another meeting later in the day, the Secretary-General and Vice Premier Zhu Rongji discussed how the lessons of the Chinese economy could be applied to other developing countries. The Secretary-General also held a press conference in Beijing during which he reiterated the United Nations policy of recognizing only "One China". Responding to a question, the Secretary-General stressed that "our policy as enunciated by the General Assembly, by the membership at large, is clear that we accept and recognize 'One China'". UN Security Council today reaffirmed its full support for a more active role for the United Nations in achieving a comprehensive political settlement in Abkhazia, Georgia. In a Presidential statement issued on Thursday, the Council backed the Secretary-General's proposals to strengthen the UN involvement in the peace-making process, in part by convening a meeting with both sides to map out the areas where concrete political progress could be made. The Council also welcomed the intention of the Secretary-General to appoint a Special Representative and to strengthen the political element of the United Nations Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG). While encouraging the Secretary-General in his peacemaking efforts, the Security Council reiterated that the primary responsibility for reinvigorating the peace process rested upon the parties themselves and welcomed the continuation of direct dialogue between them. At the same time, the Council expressed deep concern at the continued deterioration of the security conditions in the Gali region and condemned the acts of violence that had led to the loss of life among the peace-keeping forces of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The Council reminded the parties of their obligation to ensure the safety and freedom of movement of UNOMIG and the CIS peace-keepers. In another action Thursday, the Security Council said that the recent elections in Eastern Slavonia in Croatia had been an essential step for further progress in the peaceful reintegration of the region. The elections in the region had been held on 13-14 April 1997, under the direction of the United Nations Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium (UNTAES). In a Presidential statement issued today, the Council agreed with the conclusions of the Transitional Administrator that the successful holding of these elections marked an important milestone for the legitimate representation of the local population in the Croatian constitutional and legal system. The Council drew special attention to the Transitional Administrator's findings that no intimidation, violence or electoral improprieties were observed or reported before, during or after the elections. Welcoming the goodwill and sense of cooperation demonstrated by the parties to the process, the Security Council called for the early formation of the newly elected bodies of local government and emphasized the importance of the two-way return of all displaced persons in Croatia, as well as the right of residents of a state to choose freely where they wish to live. Secretary-general Kofi Annan has recommended a four-month extension of the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), which is due to expire at the end of May. In a report to the Security Council, the Secretary-General noted that his Special Envoy for Western Sahara, James Baker intended to hold another round of consultations for more in-depth discussions in June. On the basis of Mr. Baker's findings and recommendations, the Secretary-General hoped to be in a position to submit to the Security Council a comprehensive report on all aspects of the Western Sahara issue. United Nations reported today that more than a thousand refugees in eastern Zaire, were repatriated to Rwanda. A UN Spokesman told a press briefing in New York that while a group of 1,115 refugees had been returned to Rwanda, 880 people had remained with their families in the transit centre in Kisangani because they were too weak to travel. At the transit centre, the refugees were being fed and given medical attention until they were in a better condition to travel to Rwanda. The UN Spokesman said that aid workers in eastern Zaire were still being denied access to the area south of Biaro. In the Zairian capital, Kinshasa, the situation was reported to be tense. Meanwhile the United Nations denied reports that UN personnel had been evacuated from the city. A UN spokesman said that the United Nations had 19 people working in Kinshasa and that there had been no evacuation of staff, beyond the regular rotation of personnel. Participants in the United Nations Seminar on the Question of Palestine meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, have expressed serious concern over the current stalemate in the Middle East peace process, particularly as a result of the Israeli policies and practices. A final document of the United Nations Asian Seminar and NGO Symposium on the Questions of Palestine noted that the international community had not been able to put an end to Israeli actions which were contrary to the letter and spirit of the agreements reached with the Palestinians and obstacles to the progress of the peace process. According to the document, participants expressed concern that "Israel was seeking to impose a final solution on its own terms in disregard of United Nations resolutions, international opinion and Arab interests, thereby undermining the achievements of the peace process and exacerbating tension in the region". Yesterday, Mourad Ghaleb, President of the Afro-Asian People's Solidarity Organization accused Israel of refusing all real peace offerings. "They say they want peace, but they just want it for security; not for Arabs, not for the Palestinians", Mr. Ghaleb said, adding that the United Nations should be seen as a supporter and "important element" in the resolution of the problem in the Middle East. He called on non- governmental organizations to appeal to their governments to take action in support of the peace process in the Middle East. A renewed UN effort to avert famine in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea got under way on Thursday as a vessel chartered by the UN World Food Programme (WFP) began discharging the first shipment of emergency food aid at a port southwest of the capital of Pyongyang. In a first response to a joint appeal by WFP and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the US flagship Galveston Bay docked at the port of Nampo with a cargo of 8,500 metric tons of maize and 4,992 metric tons of corn soya blend donated by the United States Government. WFP said seven vessels carrying a total of almost 80,000 tons of food assistance are scheduled to arrive before the end of this month. Speaking to the press at UN Headquarters in New York on 7 May, WFP Executive Director Catherine Bertini warned that the this year the country, hit by destructive floods in 1995 and 1996, was facing an overall shortfall of about 1.3 million tons of food. She said the only realistic way to make up the shortfall was through large-scale and direct government-to- government aid. Japan has become the 55th Member State of the United Nations to fulfil its treaty obligations and pay in full its dues to the regular budget. Despite Japan's payment of over $125 million, the United Nations was still owed $2.5 billion, of which close to $900 million was for the regular budget and over $1.6 billion for peacekeeping. 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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