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United Nations Daily Highlights, 97-05-28United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The United Nations Home Page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.orgDAILY HIGHLIGHTSWednesday, 28 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 United Nations Security Council on Wednesday renewed the mandate of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), for another six months until 30 November, 1997. UNDOF was established in 1974 to supervise the ceasefire called for by the Security Council and the agreement on disengagement between Israeli and Syrian forces. The Council also urged the parties concerned to implement immediately its resolution 338 of 1973, which called on them to start negotiations aimed at establishing a just and durable peace in the Middle East. The Council took action by a unanimous vote after considering a report by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan who had earlier recommended the extension of UNDOF's mandate. In his 16 May report, the Secretary- General noted that despite the present quiet in the Israeli-Syrian sector, the situation in the Middle East continued to be "potentially dangerous and is likely to remain so unless and until a comprehensive settlement covering all aspects of the Middle East problem can be reached." In other action on Wednesday, the Security Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Preventive Deployment Force (UNPREDEP) in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, stressing the important role played by the force in contributing to the maintenance of peace and stability in the region. The Council extended UNPREDEP's mandate until 30 November 1997, while deciding to start, two months before that date, a phased reduction of the force's military component. The Council also requested UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to present to it, by 15 August, a review of UNPREDEP's mandate and deployment, taking into account the latest developments in the region, particularly in the context of the upcoming elections in Albania. United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan asked the General Assembly to approve budgets totalling $235 million for three ongoing peacekeeping operations in Africa and the former Yugoslavia. The requested funds, covering the period 1 July 1997 to 30 June 1998, are slated for the United Nations Observer Mission in Liberia (UNOMIL), United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH), and the United Nations Preventive Deployment Force (UNPREDEP). The amounts would be assessed on month-by- month bases, subject to Security Council decisions on the operations' mandates. The Secretary-General's budget proposals for the three peacekeeping operations were submitted to the Assembly's Fifth Committee that deals with administrative and budgetary matters. The Committee is currently considering the financing, administrative and budgetary aspects of United Nations peacekeeping operations. Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Sierra Leone Berhanu Dinka met with the coup leaders for a second time and was assured that security would be provided for all international staff in the country, a UN spokesman announced on Wednesday. Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for UN Secretary-General, said that there were 172 internationally recruited staff members in Sierra Leone, including dependents. He told the press at UN Headquarters that all non-essential staff were in the process of being evacuated. Some had been flown out Tuesday in a helicopter from the United Nations Observer Mission in Liberia (UNOMIL), and the remaining were expected to be transported by boat. Denial of reproductive rights - including free choice with regard to pregnancy and childbearing - causes millions of deaths every year, according to a report released on Wednesday by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). UNFPA is the largest internationally funded source of population assistance which helps developing countries improve reproductive health and family planning services. UNFPA's 1997 report on the state of the world population says that gaps and failures in reproductive health care, combined with widespread discrimination and violence against women, amount to a massive violation of human rights. Most of those affected are women, the vast majority in developing countries. The report, titled "The Right to Choose: Reproductive Rights and Reproductive Health", recommends increased funding to make quality reproductive health care, including family planning, more accessible, and calls for stepped-up efforts to promote gender equality and protect individual rights. The deployment of the multinational force in Albania has had a positive effect on the overall security situation although problems continue in the North as well as the South of the country, according to the latest report on the operation released at UN Headquarters in New York. The progress report was submitted to the Security Council by Italy, which has played a leading role in organizing and commanding the force. Noting the efforts by the international community to assist in resolving the Albanian crisis, the report said that the political situation in the country remained a matter of concern. In a related development, the European Union has expressed concern at the continued lack of consensus among the Albanian political parties, regarding a new electoral law needed to proceed with early elections at the end of June. In a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the Netherlands, which currently holds the Presidency of the Union, urged all political parties in Albania to reach agreement on the electoral law, on free access to the media and on participation in the elections. 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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