United Nations Daily Highlights, 97-10-16

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

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Thursday, 16 October 1997

HEADLINES

• Security Council calls for immediate withdrawal of all foreign forces from Republic of the Congo.
• UN Secretary-General says tensions in Cyprus could lead to a confrontation between Greek and Turkish forces.
• UN Special Commission for Iraqi disarmament reports mixed results as Security Council discusses sanctions regime.
• UN agencies announce new negotiations on convention governing trade in hazardous chemicals and pesticides.
• One third of global workforce is unemployed or underemployed, says new report to General Assembly.
• World Food Day observed in more than 150 countries, under theme of "investing in food security".
• UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees needs a "sound financial footing", according to its Advisory Commission.

Reading a statement on behalf of Council members, its President, Juan Somavia of Chile, said "the Security Council is deeply concerned about the grave situation in the Republic of the Congo and calls for an immediate end to all hostilities". Deploring the loss of life and deteriorating humanitarian situation, the Council called upon all parties to ensure the safety of the civilian population and the safe and unrestricted delivery of humanitarian assistance.

In the statement, the Council reiterated the importance of a political settlement and national reconciliation, and called upon the parties to cooperate with the International Mediation Committee, chaired by the President of Gabon, and the joint Organization of African Unity/United Nations Special Envoy to reach a rapid agreement on peaceful transitional arrangements leading to free and fair democratic elections, involving the participation of all parties. "The Security Council remains ready to consider how the United Nations can further contribute to a political settlement, including the possibility of a United Nations presence on the basis of recommendations to be provided by the Secretary- General as soon as possible", Ambassador Somavia concluded.

According to a statement issued by his spokesman, these exercises follow increasingly belligerent rhetoric in recent weeks emanating from both communities in Cyprus and from Greece and Turkey. "Competition in military exercises increases tension on the island, is dangerous, and could provoke a confrontation."

Through his spokesman, the Secretary-General strongly urged all parties to act in accordance with recent Security Council resolutions, which specifically express grave concern at the continuing excessive levels of military forces and armaments in Cyprus and the rate at which they are being expanded. They call upon all concerned to commit themselves to a reduction in defence spending and a reduction in the number of foreign troops on the island and call upon the parties to create a climate for reconciliation and genuine mutual confidence on both sides, and to avoid any actions which might increase tension.

Under the ceasefire resolution which ended the Persian Gulf war (resolution 687 (1991)), the Council decided that Iraq should accept the destruction of all of its weapons of mass destruction as a precondition for the lifting of sanctions.

In his latest report to the Security Council, the Chairman of the Special Commission, Richard Butler, said "the record has been mixed", reflecting both progress and difficulties. Stating that there is "no substitute for the whole truth", Ambassador Butler called on the Council to reaffirm and demand Iraq's complete cooperation with the Commission in carrying out its work.

According to the report, the area of biological weapons "is unredeemed by progress or any approximation of the known facts of Iraq's programme". Ambassador Butler said the Commission is deeply concerned about the matter. "There is incomprehension of why Iraq is persisting so strongly with both refusing to make the facts known about its biological weapons programme and why it is so insistent on blocking the Commission's own efforts to reach those facts."

Ambassador Butler reports significant progress has been achieved in the missile area, with the Commission now able to account for all but two of the imported combat missiles, as well as all missile launchers. He said that "the next important step is to account for proscribed missile warheads".

Important progress is also reported in the area of chemical weapons, evidenced by the recently completed destruction of chemical weapons- related equipment and materials. However, Ambassador Butler pointed out that the Commission's ability to report positively on that aspect of disarmament would require Iraq to provide much more and more accurate material, as well as access to related facilities.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) said that negotiations on a convention to govern international trade in extremely hazardous chemicals and pesticides will take place in Rome from 20 to 24 October.

More than 250 delegates from around 100 countries are expected to attend the meeting, according to the two agencies. The legally binding convention should help to manage, and ultimately contain, the trade of chemicals and pesticides such as DDT, PCBs, Aldrin, Lindane, Dieldrin and others which are highly harmful to human health and the environment.

Trade in extremely hazardous pesticides is currently monitored through the voluntary "prior informed consent procedure", in which 154 countries are participating. According to this system, 22 harmful pesticides and five industrial chemicals, which have been banned or severely restricted in a number of countries, are not to be exported without the acceptance of the importing country.

Many developing countries have reported acute poisoning and even fatalities among farmers because pesticides cannot be handled safely, FAO said. Protective gear is too expensive and in many cases cannot be used because of the climate in these countries.

The report was being considered by the General Assembly as part of its follow-up to the outcome of the 1995 World Summit for Social Development, held in Copenhagen.

Speakers from both developed and developing countries said they were grappling with the problem of unemployment.

Speaking on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, M.H. Jabir of the United Republic of Tanzania said they acknowledged the fact that high employment was essential to combating poverty, but added, "we are concerned with the negative impact of the globalization of the world economy and trade liberalization on social development". He said that development efforts in developing countries were severely hampered by the inadequate flow of financial resources to them.

"Unemployment remains a matter of grave concern within the European Union", Jean-Louis Wolzfeld of Luxembourg told the Assembly in a statement delivered on behalf of the Union. New ways of mobilizing financial resources must be explored, including from private sources, to combat poverty and promote social development. For its part, he said European Union member States would work to set aside 0.7 per cent of their gross national product (GNP) for public development assistance as soon as possible.

The growing problem of child labour was discussed by Norway's representative, Svein Aass, who told delegates that an international conference on the problem would be convened in Oslo from 27 to 30 October. "Work at an early age is a serious problem not only because child labour often is performed under exploitative and hazardous conditions, but because it interferes with the child's emotional, educational and social development."

At a ceremony at FAO headquarters in Rome, Nepalese King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev said it was ironic that food shortages were perennial in developing countries even though the world's total cereal production, if equally distributed, could meet the food requirements of all people. He noted that South Asia was home to almost half of the world's poor, where two thirds of children are born underweight. "Malnourished mothers give birth to low birthweight babies, who are more prone to sickness." He added that because girls are discriminated against and receive less food than boys, "the mother of the future is malnourished".

FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf said that $41 billion in public investments would be needed each year to "create and maintain the conditions for profitable private-sector activity" in promoting food security.

Also at the ceremony, Italy's Foreign Minister, Lamberto Dini, urged the world to "pool and rationalize the efforts that we are all deploying bilaterally and through the multilateral organizations".

Meeting in Amman this week, the Commission considered the Agency's "extremely grave" worsening financial situation and the consequent austerity measures which had affected the quality and level of some services to refugees.

"The year under review has seen a drop in the quality and level of services the Agency has been able to provide", UNRWA Commissioner-General Peter Hansen told Commission members. "We have to maintain services to the refugees, and identify ways of sustaining such services so long as UNRWA is required."

The Advisory Commission agreed that, to the extent possible given the financial constraints facing the agency, any action which would negatively affect the wellbeing of the Palestine refugees should be avoided. It called upon the Israeli authorities to do their part to ensure that Agency operations proceeded unhampered.

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

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