United Nations Daily Highlights, 97-05-20

United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Tuesday, 20 May 1997

HEADLINES

• UN Security Council calls on Member States to observe its resolution on sanctions against Libya.
• UN Secretary-General says he is encouraged by Austria's support for the Organization.
• Six-month extension of mandate is recommended for the United Nations Disengagement Force (UNDOF).
• Demobilization process in Angola is jeopardized by resource shortages.
• Multinational protection force for Albania reports improved security situation in the country.
• UN sanctions committee reports faster pace of approval of sales contracts for humanitarian supplies to Iraq.
• Committee on the Rights of the Child opens its session in Geneva.

The Council's action on Tuesday follows reports that a Libyan- registered aircraft flew from Libya to Niger on 8 May 1997 and then returned to Libya from Nigeria two days later, in violation of the Council's resolution.

Also on Tuesday, the Secretary-General visited the Vienna International Centre, which houses several United Nations offices and agencies, including the secretariats dealing with drug control, criminal justice, trade law and outer space, as well as the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the newly established Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBO). Addressing the staff of those organizations at the Centre, Mr. Annan said that his recent travels to various world capitals, numerous international and national fora, and field duty stations, had left him confident that the United Nations had entered "a new era of profound hope".

The Secretary-General's schedule on Tuesday also included a lunch given in his honour by Austrian Chancellor Victor Klima, and the meeting with former Chancellor Frantz Vranitzky in his capacity as envoy of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) for Albania. In the evening, Mr. Annan attended a dinner given by State Secretary Benita Ferrera- Waldner.

In his report to the Security Council released at UN Headquarters in New York on Tuesday, the Secretary-General noted that the Governments of Syria and Israel both agreed to the proposed extension, which will run through 30 November 1997.

The UN leader, however, drew attention to the serious shortfall in the funding of UNDOF, and appealed to all Member States to pay their assessments promptly and in full to clear all remaining arrears. He pointed out that at present, unpaid assessments amounted to 48.2 million. This sum, which is far larger than the UNDOF's current annual budget, represents money owed to Member States that contribute the troops making up the Force.

In his letter, the Secretary-General notes that to date the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has assisted approximately 12,000 demobilized soldiers and dependents. With the recent quickening of the pace, IOM plans to assist up to 100,000 demobilized soldiers and 300,000 of their dependents, providing them with transportation and logistics support.

Stressing that there is an urgent need for US$15 million for the next three months, the Secretary-General appealed to Governments to come forward urgently with funds to finance the exercise.

The progress report was submitted to the UN Security Council by Italy, which has played a leading role in organizing and commanding the force. The operation currently comprises contingents from eight countries. The report notes that the control by sea and air of the key entry points in the country has now been fully achieved and that the force is expanding the framework of security into Albania, gaining control of the main roads and communications. As of 7 May, the deployment of the force reached a level of 6,345 units, or 98 per cent of the total envisaged.

The multinational protection force was launched in March to facilitate the safe delivery of humanitarian assistance and to help create a more secure environment for the missions of international organizations in Albania. In authorizing the force to carry out its mandate, the Security Council decided, on 28 March, that the operation would be initially limited to a three-month period. The Council will then assess the situation on the basis of periodic reports provided by the participating countries.

As of Friday, 16 May, a cumulative total of 226 humanitarian sales contracts out of 483 submitted had now been approved by the Security Council Committee monitoring the sanctions against Iraq. Of the remaining applications, 7 were blocked, 143 put on hold and 107 were pending approval. Meanwhile, the number of oil sales contracts approved by the Committee remained at 51, with the total oil proceeds reaching 1.5 billion by the end of last week.

The Committee, which is at present made up of 10 independent human rights experts, was formed in 1991 to monitor the implementation of a landmark international human rights instrument -- the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The countries scheduled to come before the Committee at its current, fifteenth, session are among the 190 which have ratified or acceded to the Convention. That number makes the treaty the most widely accepted human rights instrument ever.

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

United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next Article