United Nations Daily Highlights, 97-10-10

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

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Friday, 10 October 1997

HEADLINES

• Secretary-General "delighted" at award of Nobel Peace Prize to International Campaign to Ban Landmines.
• UN refugee agency, forced to leave Congo-Kinshasa, is deeply concerned about situation there.
• UN Special Representative for Great Lakes region heads for Libreville to negotiate on Congo-Brazzaville.
• New report by UN food agencies says malnutrition remains serious in Iraq, despite some recent improvements.
• United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights condemns assassination attempt in Jordan.
• Secretary-General's Special Representative for Children in Armed Conflict has begun contacting governments.
• UN High Commissioner for Refugees will no longer be candidate for proposed post of deputy secretary-general.
• Libyan Ambassador confident as International Court of Justice prepares to hold hearings on Lockerbie case.

In a telephone call to the Coordinator, Jody Williams, the Secretary- General said he was "delighted" by the announcement of the Nobel Committee, and added that he thought the Peace Prize was a "well- deserved honour". The United Nations Secretary-General said it showed what could be accomplished when civil society and non-governmental organizations came together and worked with governments. "In a relatively short period we have achieved this major achievement, which is a victory for every child and mother, and all vulnerable societies in the conflict areas who have been killed or maimed by these silent weapons."

For her part, Ms. Williams thanked the Secretary-General for his support to the campaign to ban landmines. "We are very aware of the weight that you have added to the call on humanity to ban this weapon, and we appreciate that", she said. Referring to the recently concluded Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti- Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction, she said "we look forward to continuing to work with you to make this treaty enter into force very quickly and help save the lives of the innocents around the world".

The President of the General Assembly, Hennadiy Udovenko of Ukraine, added his words of congratulations to the International Campaign in a statement issued by his spokesman, Alex Taukatch. He said the President felt the award was "especially significant since these unseen and silent weapons pose a deadly threat to innocent and most vulnerable members of war-ravaged countries as they strive to restore peace and normalcy to their lives".

Last week, the Kinshasa authorities had ordered UNHCR to halt all of its activities in north Kivu and had expelled all refugees to Rwanda. As a result, UNHCR moved most of its international staff from Goma and, the spokeswoman said, there would be further reductions over the next few days. Also in response to government orders, UNHCR will be reducing its staff in south Kivu as well.

Spokeswoman Pam O'Toole said the latest events were part of continuing media attacks in the country against the UN refugee agency. "This development needs to be seen in the context of the ongoing campaign against UNHCR on radio and television stations. We've still got the anti-UNHCR allegations beamed out from Kinshasa which are being picked up in the Kivu area. It's causing a lot of tension -- they are extremely hostile statements", she said.

The spokeswoman stressed that while the High Commissioner deeply regreted the fact that she had been forced to halt UNHCR's activities on behalf of Rwandan refugees in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, she vehemently rejects the accusations against UNHCR. "UNHCR does not take sides in conflicts. It carries out its work based on humanitarian principles of neutrality and impartiality."

Despite "numerous efforts", UNHCR representatives have been unable to meet with government ministers in Kinshasa, she said.

Spokesman Fred Eckhard said that Ambassador Sahnoun and President Bongo are working on completing negotiations on a political framework agreement for Congo-Brazzaville where fighting continues on the ground. "While the fighting continued on the ground today, we are still hoping that with the signing of this document, the ceasefire will gradually take hold," he said.

Meanwhile, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations is reviewing the contingency planning which it has been undertaking to prepare for the deployment of a United Nations peace-keeping operation for Congo- Brazzaville, Mr. Eckhard added.

The report, issued by a mission of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), warns that the malnutrition problem in Iraq has not been solved through the "oil-for-food" programme set up under Security Council 986 (1995). "There is now concern that emergency assistance to vulnerable groups might be curtailed due to widespread perception amongst donor countries that malnutrition problems have been solved following the implementation of Security Council resolution 986 (1995)." On the contrary, the mission observes that the oil- for-food programme does not meet the special nutritional needs of malnourished children.

The High Commissioner's Media and Information Officer, John Mills, told reporters in Geneva that the assassination attempt "was an unacceptable violation of fundamental human rights principles, including the right to life". He said that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights "condemns this and all other acts which undermine the peace process and only exacerbate and extend the suffering of both the Palestinian and Israeli people".

On 25 September, two Israeli agents initiated a failed assassination on Khaled Mish'al, the Chief of the Political Bureau of Hamas in Jordan.

Mr. Otunnu said he has made contacts with officials from Sri Lanka, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to deal with the problems faced by children in those war-ravaged countries. "It is a long list of countries", he said, pledging to visit affected areas. "Also equally important are countries in post-conflict situations like Mozambique and Liberia", he added.

Introducing Mr. Otunnu at the press conference, United Nations Secretary- General Kofi Annan said he wanted him to "work with us in assessing progress achieved and difficulties encountered in strengthening the protection of children in situations of armed conflict; help raise awareness and promote the collection of information about their plight; and foster international cooperation on the issue."

To achieve those ends, Mr. Otunnu said he would employ a fastidious commitment to checking the facts. "My role is a non-political role. The agenda is children, their protection, their welfare. It is a humanitarian mission, and in that context, I would seek to be rigourously impartial", he stressed.

The United Nations estimates that since 1987, some two million children have been killed in armed conflicts, while six million have been seriously injured or permanently disabled. An additional 10 million children have suffered psychological trauma as a result of war. Today, nearly 30 million children are either refugees or internally displaced because of war in their countries, while most of the 800 people killed by landmines every month are children.

In a statement issued on Friday, Sadako Ogata said she was honoured that United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan had considered her for the important post of Deputy Secretary-General. At the same time, she added, she was pleased that in her capacity as High Commissioner for Refugees, she could continue to concentrate on the many daunting humanitarian challenges before the United Nations. "I am grateful to know that I can count on the strong and sustained support of the Secretary-General", she said.

The Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan confirmed that he and Mrs. Ogata had discussed the possibility of her taking up the position. In a statement issued by the spokesman, the Secretary-General considered that Mrs. Ogata was "an outstanding leader" who would have made a fine deputy secretary-general -- subject to the General Assembly's approval of the post. However, Spokesman Fred Eckhard said, "given the numerous and grave refugee crises with which the High Commissioner was dealing, she and the Secretary-General have mutually agreed that it would be best for her to continue serving as the High Commissioner for Refugees".

The case concerns disputes between Libya and the United Kingdom as well as Libya and the United States over the surrender and prosecution of two Libyan nationals in regard to the destruction of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie on 21 December 1988. On Monday, the Court will hold public hearings on its competence to deal with the matter.

Libyan Ambassador Abuzed Omar Dorda told United Nations Radio on Friday that "the United States and the United Kingdom are running out of excuses". He added that, "pressure is mounting in the Security Council to respond positively to Libya's flexible position".

Investigations of the aircraft's destruction in the United Kingdom and the United States led, in November 1991, to allegations that two Libyan nationals had caused a bomb to be place aboard the flight which had exploded, causing the airplane to crash. The two States demanded that Libya surrender the two suspects for trial. In January 1992, the Security Council adopted a resolution urging Libya to "immediately provide a full and effective response to those requests". The Council imposed sanctions against Libya pending cooperation.

Ambassador Dorda said the sanctions against his country had affected the population, especially the health situation. "The standards of living in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya have been drastically affected due to the devaluation of the Libyan currency caused by the sanctions." He added that his country had no problem with the Security Council or the international community, but rather with the United States and the United Kingdom "which are using the mechanism of the Council to serve their own interests".

Libya brought the two cases -- against the United States and the United Kingdom, respectively -- to the Court on 3 March 1992, arguing that the alleged acts were covered by the 1971 Montreal Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Civil Aviation. It claimed that the Convention was the governing agreement among the parties, and that Libya and fully complied with its obligations by taking measures to exercise its criminal jurisdiction and to prosecute the accused. The other parties, Libya stated, had breached their obligations by refusing to cooperate with Libya under the framework of the Montreal Convention.

The United States and the United Kingdom subsequently filed objections to the Court's jurisdiction and the admissibility of the claims. This question will be dealt with during the public hearings on Monday.

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