United Nations Daily Highlights, 97-10-01

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

Wednesday, 1 October 1997

HEADLINES

• UN Secretary-General withdraws his investigative team from Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• Congo-Kinshasa will cooperate with investigative team probing alleged refugee massacres, Foreign Minister says.
• UN Secretary-General expresses concern over situation in Northern Iraq and urges Turkey to withdraw troops.
• Head of UN Special Mission in Afghanistan "deeply concerned" about safety of staff in Mazar-I-Sharif.
• Vice Foreign Minister of Afghanistan says the Taliban has bombarded Mazar- i-Sharif for the sixteenth time.
• United States will donate $1 million for United Nations demining activities in Afghanistan.
• Secretary-General's Special Representative to East Timor begins second round of talks with Portugal and Indonesia.
• Security Council supports Secretary-General's decision to strengthen United Nations Political Office for Somalia.
• Deputy Foreign Minister of Viet Nam says development assistance must remain high priority in reformed UN.
• International character of UN Secretariat should not be compromised, says Foreign Minister of Bangladesh.
• President of Sierra Leone calls on the Security Council to help restore his elected Government.
• Hungary's Foreign Minister calls on States to approve Secretary- General's proposed reforms as a package.
• Syria's Foreign Minister says veto power of Security Council's permanent members must be checked.
• Foreign Minister of Malawi stresses need for a strong United Nations in area of development.
• Cuba's Foreign Minister says "corporate and transnational approach" to UN reform must be rejected.
• Estonia's Foreign Minister calls on Member States to support Secretary- General's reform proposals.
• Foreign Minister of Belize says proposed revolving credit fund would not solve the UN's financial crisis.
• Antigua and Barbuda's Ambassador calls for a reversal of the "diminishing role" of the General Assembly.
• Algeria's Foreign Minister says reform of UN must not sacrifice its two pillars: peace and development.
• Foreign Minister of Laos says United Nations reform should aim to promote development.
• Haiti's Foreign Minister supports Secretary-General's reforms, but says success will depend on adequate funds.
• Benin supports Secretary-General's reform proposals but wants Committee on Development Planning preserved.
• UN Secretary-General calls for renewed determination to fight drug trafficking and organized crime.
• Yakin Erturk appointed Director of UN International Research and Training Institute for Advancement of Women.

The three people of team called for consultations included two of three investigators, Atsu Koffi Amega and Reed Brody, as well as a human rights expert, Jose Luis Garcia del Prado.

A United Nations Spokesman said that the Secretary-General decided to withdraw the investigative team for consultations pending final clarification of the policy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the work of the team.

UN Spokesman Fred Eckhard said the policy of the Government could be clarified in a way that would permit the team to do its work, in which case it could return to Kinshasa. The other possibility could be the clarification of the Government's policy confirming "either their decision to ask the mission to withdraw or continuing to insist on conditionalities unacceptable to us".

Although there had been some concern about the security of the team following the landing of a shell next to their hotel, the Spokesman said, the decision to withdraw the team for consultation was not based on security.

For the time being, he said, a group of about 20 forensic and other experts would remain in the Kinshasa.

Condemning what he termed the politicization of the human rights situation in the country, the Foreign Minister said the Democratic Republic of the Congo had "nothing to hide" regarding allegations of massacres of Rwandan refugees. "We have never concealed our moral concern regarding the Rwandan women and children who became hostages and fell victim to Rwandan extremists and those who perpetrated genocide", he said, but added that Congo-Kinshasa did dispute the identification of the former forces of the Rwandan army and other armed forces as refugees.

He also said that the crisis in Congo-Brazzaville called for an urgent meeting of the Security Council. "This crisis", he said, "is unacceptable both for the Congolese in Brazzaville and for those in Kinshasa". He added that shells had been deliberately fired into Kinshasa, inflicting suffering on innocent civilians.

Concerning the proposals for United Nations reform, Foreign Minister Karaha said they must aim to provide better conditions for the Organization's functioning in order to fulfil the dream of its founders for a lasting, democratic, responsible world forum working for peace. The reform must take account of the end of the cold war and its impact on the work of the United Nations in the field of peace and security, he stressed.

According to Norbert Holl, the Head of Mission, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations had attempted to bring those persons to safety, but had been unable to do so due to increased fighting in the area.

Mr. Holl rejected charges that United Nations staff had assisted one of the warring factions, and expressed alarm at learning that United Nations staff had been threatened with "serious actions" unless the bombardment of Mazar city was stopped. Mr. Holl stated, in the strongest terms, that "the United Nations is engaged solely in a mediation process and in humanitarian activities in Afghanistan, and that any suggestion of undercover activities is groundless".

In view of the deteriorating safety conditions of Mazar-I-Sharif and the current bombardment of the city, Mr. Holl urgently appealed to the warring factions to facilitate the evacuation of United Nations and NGO staff from the city as soon as possible. He further called on all commanders and factions to observe a ceasefire until the evacuation was safely completed.

Speaking before the United Nations General Assembly, Vice Foreign Minister A. Abdullah said that most of the victims of the bombardment were women and children. He expressed outrage and condemnation of the bombardment, which he characterized as a "cowardly act of terror, typifying Taliban's gross violation of international humanitarian law and their relentless belligerence against every norm recognized by the world today".

Recalling some of the acts committed by the Taliban against international staff, Mr. A. Abdullah said that when the Taliban entered Kabul on 27 September, their first act was to storm the United Nations complex. "Their latest ignominious act has been to arrest European Union Commissioner on Human Rights Emma Bonino, her aides and a group of visiting international journalists including CNN's Christiane Amanpour."

The Vice Foreign Minister of Afghanistan pointed a finger at a foreign power which he accused of fuelling "flames of ethnic hatred and conflicts in Afghanistan" to justify that power's objective. If that policy of perpetuating ethnic continued in Afghanistan, he warned, "a consequential escalation of ethnic cleansing will threaten the national unity" of the country.

He expressed his government's support for the continuing efforts of the United Nations Special Mission in Afghanistan and the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General, Ambassador Lakhdar Brahimi.

At a meeting of a group of countries concerned about the situation in Afghanistan, United States Ambassador Bill Richardson commended United Nations efforts in seeking peace in the country and in delivering vital humanitarian assistance to the millions of victims of the conflict there. He also noted the recent contributions to Afghan demining, including $1 million from Japan, some $1.5 million from the Netherlands, and $675,000 from Norway.

The Portuguese delegation would be chaired by the Director-General for Special Political Affairs at the Portuguese Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Fernardo Neves; the Indonesian team would be headed by the Director-General for Political Affairs in the Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Nugroho Wisnumurti.

There would also be another round of the All-Inclusive Intra-East Timorese Dialogue, which were discussions among the various East Timorese groups and political movements, the spokesman said. The upcoming round would take place in Austria between 20 and 23 October, where previous rounds had also taken place in June 1995 and March 1996.

In his most recent report on the situation in Somalia, the Secretary- General had indicated his intention to add another professional staff member to UNPOS. He also stated that for planning and budgetary purposes, the continued existence of UNPOS was envisaged during the 1998- 1999 biennium.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan designated David Stephen as the new Head of UNPOS effective on Wednesday. Mr. Stephen will assume duties on 9 October in Nairobi, Kenya, where the Office is currently located because of security conditions in Mogadishu.

Mr. Stephen, who is a national of the United Kingdom, is at present Chief Speechwriter in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General. Between June 1996 and February 1997 he was Director of the United Nations Human Rights Verification Mission in Guatemala (MINUGUA). Prior to his Guatemala appointment, Mr. Stephen served in the Executive Office of the Secretary- General since 1992.

"With regard to the United Nations structure, our consistent view is that it should reflect the fundamental changes taking place during the last half a century or more, the most notable highlight of which is that over 100 independent States have joined the United Nations", Vu Khoan told the General Assembly. He said the Organization's structure and working procedures should be democratized.

The status of developing countries must also be enhanced, he continued, including on the Security Council. "At the same time, the role of the United Nations General Assembly -- a body that represents the common concerns and aspirations of every member country, whether big or small, rich or poor -- should be further strengthened." It was also necessary to expand the Security Council by adding both permanent and non-permanent members. Developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America must be adequately represented.

On the financial crisis of the United Nations, the Foreign Minister said no reform effort would succeed without the necessary financial resources. "For a financially sick United Nations, the much needed shot in the arm can come only from the full and unconditional payment of outstanding contributions by the Member-States which have not yet done so."

Abdus Samad Azad also added his voice to the call for the expansion of the Security Council. Citing statistics, he said that membership of the Council had plummeted since the founding of the Organization. "In 1945 with 51 Member States, the Security Council comprised 11 members. In 1963, with 113 Member States, the Security Council was expanded to 15 members. In percentage terms of the total United Nations membership, the size of the Council declined from 21.6 per cent in 1945 to 13.3 per cent in 1963 and has now plummeted to a mere 8.1 per cent with 185 Member- States." He stressed that in any enlargement exercise, the concerns of the smaller and more vulnerable States should not be forgotten.

Addressing the General Assembly on Wednesday, President Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah urged the Security Council to maintain the position enunciated in a Presidential statement of 6 August that the "Security Council will, in the absence of a satisfactory response from the military junta, be ready to take appropriate measures with the objective of restoring the democratically elected Government of President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah."

President Kabbah also called on the Council to assist the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and its monitoring group ECOMOG in taking practical steps to restore his Government. By so doing so, he said, they would not only be saving the lives of all Sierra Leonean people, but would also be averting an escalation of the crisis which now threatened peace and security in the subregion.

The President said he was prepared to enter into negotiations with the military junta in Sierra Leone notwithstanding "the acts of bad faith" initiated by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), and the "dangerous coalition" which had emerged since the May 25 coup.

President Kabbah also pledged his country's commitment to the Secretary- General's plan and recommendations for the establishment and maintenance of a peace-keeping operation in Sierra Leone in connection with the implementation of the Abidjan Peace Agreement.

Foreign Minister L szlo Kov cs called for approval of the Secretary- General's proposed reforms as a package during the current session. "The suggestions to ensure the desired coherence of United Nations efforts in development cooperation, to bolster its institutional capacity to combat international crime, drug trafficking and terrorism, or to integrate human rights concerns into all principal United Nations activities and programmes deserve our full support and need swift and concrete action", he said.

He said that agreement on Security Council reform was a fundamental pillar of United Nations reform. Any enlargement of the Security Council should be an asset -- not an impediment -- to effective decision-making. "We have to make sure that with a future Security Council comprising Germany, Japan and countries each from Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean as permanent members, and also additional non-permanent members, we preserve and enhance the purpose-oriented character of this important body."

The Syrian Foreign Minister welcomed the Secretary-General's reform proposals, but added that "proceeding from our concern to strengthen the United Nations capacity to shoulder the responsibilities entrusted to it, we would have wished to see more attention in the proposals to the fundamental role of the Organization in promoting international cooperation for development". Further, he said, the proposals should have excluded any measures likely to affect programmes designed to eradicate poverty in the least developed countries.

He expressed regret that the Israeli Government did not realize that not respecting the commitments reached with the previous Government on the Syrian track, based on the principles of international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, did not merely mean a legal violation. "First and foremost, it means casting doubt on the credibility of any previous Government; and such doubts thus apply to the commitments made by the current administration when it is replaced", he said.

In his statement to the General Assembly, Mapopa Chipeta, welcomed the reforms proposed by Secretary-General Kofi Annan. He called for a "United Nations that is efficient, effective, relevant, able and well resourced, to respond to the many needs of member States". Such an organization could not exist without meaningful progress in the other areas of reform, he added. He expressed the hope that progress would be made in the work of the General Assembly's working groups dealing with such issues as Security Council reform and the United Nations financial situation.

"While a time-frame may not be imposed, we believe the time for change for this Organization is now, as we approach the next millennium", the Foreign Minister said. Stating that the two-track programme of reform submitted by the Secretary-General added a comprehensive and useful thrust in the transformation of the United Nations, he expressed support for "the bold steps" taken by the Secretary-General.

Reform should aim to strengthen the Organization's work in the economic and social field, he continued. The United Nations should recover its real decision-making capacity in issues related to free trade, funds for development and other monetary topic. "Any measure handing that role over to its main contributors must be inhibited." The approval of a budget for each programme reflecting the total amount of resources required for the Organization to carry out all of its activities would be a cornerstone in that endeavour. Cuba opposed any formula based on extortion and pressures promoted by the country which was "the main contributor to the United Nations, as well as -- economically and morally -- its most indebted member".

He stressed that the Security Council must be reformed to redress the existing imbalance by adding developing countries as new members based on the principle of equitable geographical representation. "This Council will never be secure until the date when transparency, democracy and the participation of the non-member States ousts forever its dangerous and concealed manoeuvers."

Addressing the specific reform proposals, Foreign Minister Trivimi Velliste welcomed the idea of consolidating field offices of the United Nations Funds and Programmes on common premises. "United Nations houses would enhance the visibility of the Organization and provide a valuable source of information about the Organization and its activities."

Concerning reform of the Security Council, he said that Member States must work to make the Council more representative and improve its working methods. Estonia supported increasing the number of both permanent and non- permanent Council members. Japan and Germany should become permanent members, as should developing countries from Africa, Asia and Latin America, he said.

Dean Oliver Barrow told the General Assembly on Wednesday that Belize would "rather see implementation measures for harsher censure, in cases of tardiness in meeting obligations" to the United Nations budget. Mr. Barrow added, however, that the United Nations should be granted some measure of autonomy in generating revenue from sources currently outside national administrations.

The Foreign Minister of Belize joined "those voices applauding" the Secretary-General's proposals to strengthen and streamline the United Nations and to enhance its institutional capacity. "The extensive and far- reaching set of changes proposed in his programme for reform are said to be designed to achieve greater unity of purpose, coherence of effort and flexibility in response", Mr. Barrow said.

Ambassador Patrick Albert Lewis said that the accountability of the Security Council to the General Assembly must be re-emphasized. The General Assembly should more effectively assert its role in the maintenance of international peace and security in accordance with its 1950 'uniting for peace' resolution.

Antigua and Barbuda strongly supported the concept of "results-based budgeting" put forward by the Secretary-General in his reform proposals, Mr. Lewis said. He also welcomed the reforms already put into place in the Secretariat through which field operations had been considerably expanded as a result of cooperation between the Departments of Political Affairs, Peacekeeping Operations and Humanitarian Affairs, and others.

Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf told the General Assembly that the Secretary- General has worked to revitalize the United Nations to bring it in step with the times and in line with the aspirations of the world's peoples. In the current era of global transition, he said, new balances must be struck in order to establish a more just order which respected the interests of all and reaffirmed the values and ideals on which the United Nations was built. As an active party in the global transition and because of that it must adapt itself to current changes. The Secretary-General had taken the initiative in that area; now Member States must carefully consider and then act on his proposals.

Among the new challenges faced by the international community, terrorism appeared to be the most challenging because it threatened the rights of individuals and the democratic foundations of society, he said. He welcomed the Assembly's attention to the matter and called for the conclusion of an international convention which would punish acts of terrorism and consolidate international action in the field.

In his statement to the General Assembly, Somsavat Lengsavad said that the promotion of development should be carried out side by side with the treatment of issues relating to the maintenance of peace and human rights, as well as humanitarian activities.

The Foreign Minister pointed out that in order to be capable of accomplishing this immense task, the United Nations needed to adapt itself to the new "dynamic and complex" conditions. With a better structure, a more democratic system and solid financial basis, he said the United Nations would be able to meet the challenges ahead.

Reform of the Security Council should aim to make it more transparent, he said. The Council should be expanded in order to make it more representative. Reforms would not make the Organization more efficient if it lacked adequate finances to cope with the serious problems it faced, he added. "We need a strong and efficient United Nations, capable of finding solutions to the current problems and meeting the challenges of the coming century."

The Haitian Foreign Minister also thanked the United Nations for its contribution to the process of consolidating democracy in his country. He said that the country's police force had acquired the necessary skills to maintain security in the country when the mandate of the United Nations Transitional Mission in Haiti would end in November.

The Foreign Minister said that Secretary-General Kofi Annan had resolutely tackled, with commendable diligence, strength and motivation, the preparation of the most ambitious programme of reform ever envisaged in the 52-year history of the United Nations. However, Benin did not support the proposed elimination of the Committee on Development Planning, which dealt with the situation in the least developed countries. The Office of the Special Coordinator for Africa and the Least Developed Countries should be strengthened in terms of human and financial resources in order to play its role within the United Nations system, he added.

He stressed that efforts to reform the Security Council must adhere to a number of principles. Expansion of the Council must truly reflect the political and economic configuration of today's world. It must have equitable geographical representation of the five regional groups, with two permanent and two non-permanent seats for Africa. The need for democratic and transparent functioning must be safeguarded through the elimination of the veto.

The Secretary-General said that no country was immune from the illicit drug industry -- an enormous criminal business generating profits of about $400 billion per year. He noted that next year, a special session of the United Nations General Assembly would meet to provide further focus efforts to combat the drug scourge.

"We must do more to reduce the appeal of drugs to young people", the Secretary-General said. "But we can only be successful in this if we join forces -- with community leaders, with teachers, with parents and with young people themselves." He asked participants to actively support the United Nations International Drug Control Programme's work with grass-roots youth programmes to form a global network for the prevention of drug abuse by young people.

Since 1986, Ms. Erturk has been on the faculty of the Department of Sociology at the Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey. From 1979 to 1981, she was Chairperson of the Department of Sociology at the Centre for Girls, at King Saud University in Riyadh. She has designed and supervised several research and training projects since 1976, while also raising funds for those projects. Since 1986, Ms. Erturk has undertaken consultancies as a rural sociologist, and as an expert on women and development, in various projects and socio-economic surveys.

The aim of the Santo Domingo-based Institute which Ms. Erturk will head is to stimulate and assist, through research, training and the collection of information, the advancement of women and their integration in the development process both as participants and as beneficiaries. Its main activities are focused on four areas: economic and political empowerment of women; women, environment and sustainable development; women, media and communications; and statistics and indicators on gender issues.

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

United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next Article