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United Nations Daily Highlights, 97-05-15United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The United Nations Home Page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.orgDAILY HIGHLIGHTSThursday, 15 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
The members of the UN Security Council on Thursday expressed concern that the meeting between Zairian President Mobutu Sese Seko and the leader of the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo/Zaire (ADFL) Laurent Kabila did not take place as scheduled. Speaking to the press after the Security Council met in consultations on the situation in Zaire, Council President Ambassador Park Soo Gil (Republic of Korea) said that, on the other hand, the members of the Security Council expressed support for the on-going diplomatic initiative undertaken by Mohamed Sahnoun, the joint United Nations/Organization of African Unity (OAU) Special Representative for the Great Lakes Region, and South Africa. Commenting on other developments in Zaire, Ambassador Park Soo Gil said that the Council members expressed grave concern at the killing of refugees and the attacks on the humanitarian personnel, in particular those working for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). They were also concerned over the obstruction by ADFL soldiers of the mission sent by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to investigate human rights violations in eastern Zaire. The Council members urged the ADFL and others involved in the region to cooperate fully with the UN to facilitate the work of the investigative mission. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, continuing his official visit to the Russian Federation, met on Thursday with senior Government officials in Moscow. In talks with the Chairman of the Federation Council of the Commonwealth of Independent States E.S. Stroyev, discussions focused on regional approaches to peacekeeping and conflict resolution. Later, the Secretary-General held talks with Foreign Minister Evegenyi Primakov and Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin. During the meeting with Prime Minster Chernomyrdin, the discussion dealt with the economies in transition, privatisation and a range of other, primarily economic, issues. At a press conference on Thursday, Secretary-General Kofi Annan stressed the significance of coming to Russia early on to exchange views with the Russian leadership on a broad range of issues, from the question of international sanctions to the relationship between the United Nations and regional organizations, such as the CIS, to situations in Tajikistan, Georgia and Afghanistan. Noting that the United Nations needed to adapt to the realities of today's interdependent world, the Secretary-General stressed the importance of Russia's involvement in the United Nations as a permanent member of the Security Council and a major player in world affairs. President Vaclav Havel of the Czech Republic voiced his support for "bold reforms" of the United Nations but cautioned at the same time that the reform should not be "so radical as to become unacceptable for the world community". Speaking at a press conference at UN Headquarters on Wednesday, the Czech President stressed that in the new multi-polar and multi-cultural world the United Nations should play an irreplaceable role. President Havel was at the United Nations for meetings with Executive Coordinator for United Nations Reform Maurice Strong and with Under- Secretary-General for Administration and Management Joseph E. Connor. During his discussions with the UN officials, President Havel presented ideas on United Nations reform and multilateralism on behalf of the informal Carlsson Group of Sixteen Heads of State or Government, which is developing recommendations on the reform of the world Organization. United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has called on the world community to restore the sacredness of the family as a bedrock of humane values everywhere, in peace and in war. In his message on the occasion of the International Day of Families traditionally observed on 15 May, Mr. Annan called for a redoubling of efforts to aid not only those families in need, but also those on the edge of extinction, in war zones and in post-conflict areas. Referring to the theme of this year's observance, "Building Families Based on Partnership", the UN leader said that it highlighted the contributions that families could make to the ideals of participation, equality and sharing of duties and responsibilities in pursuit of more humane societies. The theme of partnership, he said, underlined the importance of re- examining traditional gender roles and recognizing equal status and opportunities. The World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have dispatched a joint team of experts to assess the worsening food shortages in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). The FAO/WFP crop and food supply assessment mission will be in DPRK from 17 to 24 May. The team is scheduled to travel to the worst affected areas in the country, particularly the northern regions where people are resorting to foraging for wild plants, and eating ground corn stalks, rice straw, bean pods and pine tree bark. The previous FAO/WFP assessment mission reported that DPRK needed 2.3 million tons of additional food to meet its basic needs this year. The team also warned that there were only enough foodstocks to feed the country through June, raising a spectre of starvation and famine in the months ahead. Calls for concerted action and commitment to deal with the blight of poverty were heard again today as the United Nations Regional Forum on Poverty Eradication continued its work in Windhoek, Namibia. To formulate specific programmes of action, the meeting broke into three thematic groups focusing on poverty eradication, employment creation and social integration. The 3-day forum is scheduled to end on Friday. Addressing the forum on Wednesday, the representative of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) reiterated that there was a common and frustrating theme of a wide gap between words and deeds, as well as between policy statements and programme implementation. Meanwhile the representative of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) reaffirmed the United Nations commitment to the implementation of the UN System-wide Special Initiative for Africa. Earlier, in a statement to the Forum, Namibian President Sam Nujoma called upon countries of southern Africa to find a practical programme of action to fight poverty at the regional level. He said that the approach taken in tackling poverty had been wrong. It had been found, he noted, that while programmes were aimed at the poor, their participation in these programmes was not encouraged. The need to strengthen the United Nations public information capabilities was underscored again in the Committee on Information as it continued on Thursday its general exchange of views. Addressing the Committee on Wednesday, the representative of Jamaica Wayne St. John McCook said that the capacity of the Department of Public Information (DPI) to execute its mandates must be maintained. Speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), he pointed to the widening information gap between developing and developed countries and said the United Nations should help ensure that the gains in the information revolution were made accessible to developing countries. Italy has become the sixth country to join the stand-by-arrangements for United Nations peace-keeping operations that help to fill the time gap between authorization of a peace-keeping mission by the Security Council and full deployment by standard recruitment methods. A memorandum of understanding on such arrangements was signed at UN Headquarters on Wednesday by the Permanent Representative of Italy Francesco Paolo Fulci for his country, and by the Under-Secretary-General for Peace-Keeping Operations, Bernard Miyet, on behalf of the United Nations. By signing the memorandum, Italy joined the ranks of Jordan, Denmark, Ghana, Malaysia and Austria. A total of 65 countries have expressed willingness to participate in the stand-by-arrangements regime, which was created in 1994. Note: "Daily Highlights" of Wednesday, 14 May, has been reissued as DH/2391/Rev.1. to correct an editing error in the story on the mandate of the United Nations Preventive Deployment Force (UNPREDEP) in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. 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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