United Nations Daily Highlights, 97-10-07

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, 7 October 1997

HEADLINES

• Secretary-General deplores radio and television broadcasts against UN refugee agency in Congo-Kinshasa.
• Convoy of five United Nations vehicles ambushed in Iraq.
• New report says 96 per cent of requests for humanitarian exemptions to sanctions against Iraq are approved.
• Security Council President says Council will adopt text supporting restrictions against junta in Sierra Leone.
• Ninety per cent of children interviewed by UNICEF in Kabul believe they will die during conflict.
• Croatia shows "lack of political will" to make good on its commitments, new report of Secretary-General says.
• General Assembly President says general debate showed accord on need to act on Secretary-General's reforms.
• Uzbekistan's Foreign Minister calls on Security Council to impose arms embargo on Afghanistan.
• Ambassador of Central African Republic calls for urgent assistance to least developed countries in Africa.
• Foreign Minister of Seychelles says efforts must be made to assist small island developing States.
• Foreign Minister of Equatorial Guinea calls for increase in number of Security Council's non-permanent seats.
• Prime Minister of Vanuatu says United Nations must work for balanced trading environment.
• Foreign Minister of Papua New Guinea says United Nations needs more than bureaucratic ideas -- it needs action.
• Mauritania's Minister Secretary-General of the Presidency calls for careful study of United Nations reform.
• Foreign Minister of Eritrea says reform is urgent, but decisions on it must not be rushed.
• St. Vincent and Grenadines says expansion of Security Council must not be limited to permanent seats.
• Foreign Minister of Kenya says Security Council should be expanded to a total of 26 seats.
• Large number of refugees and internally displaced persons impedes development in Africa.
• Experts meet at World Bank to discuss assistance for tackling environmental problems.

"UNHCR has a consistent policy of humanitarian action around the world. It has never been involved in the provision or supply of arms to any refugee groups. The charges are completely without foundation", the Secretary- General said. He reiterated his full confidence in the High Commissioner and the staff of UNHCR in the region "who have performed with great courage and distinction in extremely difficult circumstances".

A statement issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Tuesday says the charges "are of course absolutely false and baseless". Although the campaign against the agency has been particularly noticeable in Uvira, the UNHCR says that its staff in other offices have been placed in a very difficult situation. On Monday, the agency had difficulty flying 10 aid workers out of Goma, including nine working for UNHCR. "Despite assurances from senior officials that we could take our equipment out and depart in an orderly fashion, our staff were subjected to searches, and some equipment and personal belongings were confiscated", a UNHCR spokesman said. She added that UNHCR would not schedule any more flights until it got a clarification on the situation from the authorities in Goma and Kinshasa.

In another disturbing development, almost 200 Rwandan refugees are reported to have been expelled from Tanzania. Strongly condemning the expulsion, which has been going on since last week, the UNHCR says that some of the people sent back had been in Tanzania for decades and had completely integrated into the local community there. "They said they had been subjected to beatings and their personal belongings confiscated before being forced across the Rusumu Bridge to Rwanda", the spokesman said, adding that many of the people had absolutely nothing to go back to in Rwanda. The refugee agency's staff are in contact with the deported people in Kibungo province in Eastern Rwanda.

The spokesman told reporters on Tuesday that approximately 50 rounds were fired but there were no injuries and the team was able to leave the area safely. The incident occurred in Dohuk, approximately 30 kilometres from the Turkish border. It involved two vehicles of the United Nations guard contingent in Iraq which were escorting a team of 10 World Food Programme (WFP) observers traveling there as part of their duties under Security Council resolution 986 (1995). The WFP observers were travelling in three vehicles in an area where Turkish troops have been engaged with forces of the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) since the beginning of their new incursion. Preliminary reports indicated that the direction of the fire came from a mountain range that has been occupied by the PKK, according to the spokesman.

The committee charged with monitoring the sanctions against Iraq has approved applications for humanitarian exemptions worth $1,178 million according to the progress report on the "oil for food" programme for Iraq.

The oil for food programme was elaborated under Council resolution 986 (1995) and extended for an additional 180 days under resolution 1111 (1997).

The spokesman said that while difficulties at the beginning of the process in implementing resolution 986 (1995) were unavoidable, considerable progress has since been achieved in expediting the process for approval of contracts for humanitarian supplies, including food, soap and detergents, medicines and other health supplies.

Of 796 applications submitted, 716 have been approved, while 43 others -- worth $45 million -- are on hold. These do not include the 417 applications worth $104,450,000 submitted by the various United Nations agencies and funds which were approved by the Committee.

Goods are purchased with funds from the Iraq escrow account, which has accrued interest worth approximately $24.2 million. The money earned in interest will be used to purchase additional food, medicine and humanitarian supplies.

Under phase II of the oil-for-food programme laid out in resolution 1111 (1997), the Committee has received 61 applications for humanitarian exemptions. Of those, 28 had been approved and one is still pending the "no objection" deadline. The remaining 32 applications will be circulated when funds are available.

In order to further meet the urgent humanitarian needs of the Iraqi people, the secretariat of the committee is continuing to review the approval procedures in order to make any further necessary adjustments.

Ambassador Juan Somavia said that the text, which was expected to be adopted on Wednesday, would include "some action on the part of the Security Council in relation to travel restrictions to the members of the junta presently in power in Sierra Leone and also in relation to trade in petroleum and arms and related materiel".

Ambassador Somavia said he expected that the text would be adopted unanimously, and that it would take effect for six months, with the possibility of renewal.

The study, issued on Tuesday, was the first of its kind carried out in the Afghan capital. It indicated that the majority of children in that city are experiencing serious traumatic stress. Based on interviews with more than 300 children aged between 8 and 18, the study found that 72 per cent of children experienced the death of a family member between 1992 and 1996. The UNICEF study says in 40 per cent of these cases the child had lost a parent. It reveals that almost all of the children have witnessed acts of violence during the conflict in Afghanistan, while two thirds of them have seen dead bodies or parts of bodies. Half of the children saw many people killed at once in rocket and artillery attacks.

Nearly all of the children surveyed said that they worry about what will happen to them and families in the future, while 76 per said they trust adults less now than before the fighting. Sixty per cent of the children continue to be afraid and almost half of them cited fear as their strongest emotion.

UNICEF has begun to train a core group of 15 mental health workers to help children cope with their trauma and grief. The group is made of local Afghan staff from non-governmental organizations, the Kabul Mental Health Institute, the Afghan Ministry of Public Health, and UNICEF.

While the Secretary-General notes that Croatia has made significant achievements in formal and technical aspects of its obligations under the Basic Agreement, "its cooperation in integrating the people of the region and implementing agreements important to their long-term rights and welfare has been less apparent". The Secretary-General also expresses particular concern over the fact that Croatia has sought to "repudiate unambiguous commitments made in key documents".

According to the report, Croatia has not taken action to initiate a country- wide programme of national reconciliation, as called for by the Security Council. President Tudjman had promised a well-resourced programme, the report states, but instead of producing one, the State- owned media attacked the concept as naive. Proposals by UNTAES for the establishment of a day of national reconciliation were "wilfully parodied" by government officials into a celebration of the return of Croat displaced persons and an early termination of the UNTAES. "In general, the ethical and moral basis for reconciliation has been ignored by Croatian institutions and responsible officials."

Although the Secretary-General finds no pattern of gross human rights violations, his report does document numerous cases of confirmed abuses, such as unfair trial procedures in war crimes cases; attacks on Serb displaced persons; and discrimination against Serbs in education, employment, pensions and health care. "Many Serbs have received telephone calls, sometimes repeatedly, threatening violence or death", the Secretary- General adds.

The Assembly President said it was the responsibility of Member States "not to lose the spirit of cooperation and commitment at high political level that has been demonstrated during the general debate." He said the plenary and Main Committees should be involved in the decision-making process. "At present, this Organization depends, to a decisive extent, on what we are saying or doing. It is in our hands to agree what kind of United Nations we wish to have in the future."

President Udovenko also noted that many speakers had emphasized the need to strengthen the role of the General Assembly. "We should spare no effort to make sure that the General Assembly, as a unique world parliament, conducts its business in the most effective, pragmatic and productive manner possible", he said.

During the 12-day general debate, statements were made by 18 heads of State; one crown prince; 14 prime ministers; 16 deputy prime ministers; 111 foreign ministers; four other ministers; and 12 chairmen of delegation.

Foreign Minister Janet Bostwick told the General Assembly that her country supported increasing both the permanent and non-permanent membership of the Council. That expansion, she said, "must pay due regard to the principles of equal representation, the reflection of the universal character of the Organization, and the need to correct the existing imbalances in the composition of the Council".

Congratulating United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan for his reform proposals, Ms. Bostwick said her country stood ready to participate in their "comprehensive and constructive" review during the current session of the Assembly. She added that reform should have, as its end result, an improved and more efficient Organization, fully able to meet the demands of the members which it served. At the same time, she added, reform would be meaningless if the United Nations were not to have a stable financial basis on which to carry out its functions.

Uzbekistan's Foreign Minister also supported increasing the number of permanent members of the Security Council to include Japan and Germany. Uzbekistan also supported an increase in the number of non- permanent members, in order to make the Council more representative.

He welcomed the Secretary-General's reform package, and expressed support for a number of the proposals, including the establishment of the post of deputy secretary-general; the merger of United Nations offices in the field; and the consolidation of United Nations efforts to combat crime, drug trafficking and terrorism.

He said that in order to address the "abysmal conditions" faced by the least developed countries, the international financial institutions should work with the African countries concerned. Official development assistance must be increased, he added.

Mr. Koba also welcomed the Secretary-General's reform package, stating that it was "perfectly in tune with the expectations of the Member States because it highlights not only the challenges that face us on threshold of the new millennium, but, above all, puts forward proposals designed for the long term".

Recalling that his country had recently experienced damaging torrential rains, the Foreign Minister thanked the United Nations Department for Humanitarian Affairs for the help which it had provided during that difficult period.

Seychelles solidly supported the Secretary-General's reform proposals, which would make it possible to renew the United Nations.

"What interests Equatorial New Guinea is that a consensus mechanism works in the spirit of equity and justice", Don Miguel Oyono Ndong Mifumu told the General Assembly.

The democratic functioning of the United Nations was of paramount importance for small countries, he said. "For a small country, the democratic functioning of the United Nations is a guarantee of the security and stability of international relations and the scrupulous respect for the sovereignty of each nation", he added.

In his statement to the General Assembly on Tuesday, Muratbek Imanaliev said that his country continued to support the proposal for permanent membership in the Council of both Japan and Germany. However, the Foreign Minister added, permanent members of the Security Council should also include one representative each from Asia, Latin America and Africa.

Mr. Imanaliev said that like the entire international community, Kyrgyzstan expected the current session of the General Assembly to make genuine progress regarding United Nations reform. Expressing confidence that the session would cope with the problems it was facing, the Foreign Minister of Kyrgyzstan said his country fully supported the efforts of the Secretary- General to enhance the efficiency, capability and sensitivity of the United Nations to adequately respond to the challenges of a rapidly changing world.

"We want to develop a common approach through the United Nations system as well as the European Union as our partners in coming to terms with the demands and obligations of the newly established multilateral trading system", Prime Minister Rialuth Serge Vohor told the General Assembly.

The Prime Minister of Vanuatu also welcomed the Secretary-General's reform package, which he said reflected the spirit of the Declaration adopted by Heads of State and Government on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations. He agreed with the Secretary- General's assertion that reform was "not an event, but a process".

He expressed his country's full support for the principal objectives of the reform process, and called for practical steps to make the Organization more responsive to the ever-changing challenges of globalization and modernization. "Papua New Guinea is fully aware of the predicament of the United Nations -- starved of much-needed financial resources for its operation to the point of being insolvent. We cannot allow such situations to persist", he said.

Reform and expansion of the Security Council should be guided by the principles of the sovereign equality of States and equitable geographical distribution. Papua New Guinea supported permanent membership for Japan and Germany as well as developing countries. "There should be no distinction in terms of privileges accorded to permanent members, particularly in relation to the veto power", he said, adding that "all permanent members on a reformed Security Council should enjoy the same privileges so as to maintain geo-political equity and balance".

Despite the fragility of the international economic situation, the Foreign Minister added, progress had been made in a number of areas, thanks to United Nations efforts to promote international cooperation and to define strategies capable of meeting the challenges facing the world today. He pointed out that international conferences organized by the United Nations had resulted in the adoption of important recommendations which sought to promote development cooperation. Those initiatives attested to the determination of the United Nations to take into account the concerns of the international community. "The United Nations should continue to act in this way and seek to implement the decisions adopted here", he said.

He stressed that democracy could not be limited to the activities within countries; it must be extended to relations between States. Ahmed Ould Minnih also made it clear that Security Council reform was an integral part of this process, and the Council's working methods and transparency must be improved.

Foreign Minister Haile Weldensae added that "those who resent the veto power of the five permanent members of the Security Council will be well- advised to take time, and to allow others to take the necessary time, to study issues before they make final decisions on such weighty matters".

He welcomed and fully endorsed the reform proposals of the Secretary- General. He offered his country's fully support to the United Nations and its principles. "We urge others who share our feelings to join us in giving the United Nations the wholehearted support that it now deserves and needs if it is going to be as effective as we wish it to be", he added.

Alpian Allen told the General Assembly that it was necessary to increase the number of non-permanent seats to give more countries an opportunity to serve on the Council in a relatively shorter time-frame. He recommended that the regional non-permanent seats be rotated among interested States.

The Foreign Minister concluded by saying his country stood firm in the belief that the United Nations was still the best hope for the world. "This hope must be grounded in action, in a firm resolve to act decisively in the best interests of this great institution; indeed of all humanity and not tainted by narrow national interests which have dogged our path during the last five decades", he said.

In his statement to the General Assembly, Stephen Musyoka reaffirmed the position of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) calling for the enlargement of the Council's permanent and non-permanent membership. "We reiterate that Africa should be allocated at least two permanent and five non-permanent seats in the Security Council", he said.

Kenya also supported reforms in the economic and social fields, he said. The United Nations Economic and Social Council should coordinate the activities of the specialized agencies and should ensure the mobilization of resources for operational activities for development. "We are convinced that the revitalization of the functions of the Economic and Social Council will accelerate development, particularly in the areas of poverty alleviation, environment degradation, health and humanitarian assistance, among others."

In his latest report to the General Assembly on assistance to refugees, returnees and displaced persons in Africa, the Secretary- General cites UNHCR statistics which put their number at the end of 1996 at 4.1 million refugees, some 2 million internally displaced persons, and 1.66 million people in the early stages of reintegration.

The report of the Secretary-General refers to the developments in the Great Lakes region which, it says continued to evolve at a rapid pace throughout the reporting period (June 1996 - May 1997). The report also touches on "a major breakthrough" in Liberia where, with the assistance of the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) and the international community, elections were successfully held in July 1997.

The Secretary-General's report also addresses other trouble spots on the African continent, including Sierra Leone, where the situation has "deteriorated severely following a military coup that overthrew the elected civilian Government on 25 May 1997" resulting in the suspension of all repatriation activities in the country. The report adds that repatriation of Togolese refugees in Ghana and Benin continues, while in Mali, reintegration activities will continue until the end of 1998.

Regarding the Horn of Africa, the Secretary-General says that obstacles other than conflict are often delaying the return of refugees to their homes.

Robert Watson, Director of the Bank's Environment Department, said on Tuesday that the conference has been convened to ensure that the World Bank staff as well as a large number of outside experts could talk about all key global environmental issues such as ozone depletion, global climate change, desertification, the loss of bio-diversity and water resource depletion.

The conference is examining the current knowledge of science, economics and legal frameworks in order to deal with global environmental problems threatening sustainable economic development. Mr. Watson characterized the conference as a dialogue which provided the opportunity for economists, scientists, lawyers, business, the development banks and representatives of governments to work together to address these key 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