United Nations Daily Highlights, 97-11-10

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

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Monday, 10 November 1997

HEADLINES

• The United Nations Secretary-General expresses hope that Security Council would listen to Iraq's concerns.
• African Group requests open debate in Security Council on Lockerbie affair and sanctions against Libya.
• Secretary-General recommends that Security Council expand UN Mission in Tajikistan to oversee peace process.
• Reporting human rights violations in Afghanistan, UN expert says countries must examine Taliban's record when considering its request for international recognition.
• Opening session in Geneva, Committee Against Torture discusses allegations of torture by Israeli Government.
• UN Secretary-General deeply concerned over flood emergency throughout southern Somalia.
• United Nations seeks $17.7 million for emergency assistance to Republic of the Congo.
• Members of a team sent to probe allegations of violations of humanitarian law in Congo-Kinshasa go on mission.
• UNESCO appoints Vietnamese napalm victim Kim Phuc as Goodwill Ambassador for a culture of peace.
• United Nations Population Fund discusses assistance to Africa in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Addressing the press on Monday, following the return of his three special envoys to Iraq, the Secretary-General said that he acted last week to try to defuse the situation which was created by the decision of the Iraqi authorities to bar weapons inspectors of United States nationality from entering military sites.

The Secretary-General emphasized the importance of Iraq's compliance with Security Council resolutions. "I underscored the message my envoys had taken to Baghdad , stressing that all that needed to be done, and all that was required for Iraq was to undertake to comply with the obligations under all relevant resolutions."

Regarding Iraq's grievances and concerns, the Secretary-General said that once Iraq had complied with the Security Council resolutions, he expected that the Council would, in turn, be prepared to listen to Iraq and to its grievances.

The Secretary-General said that the Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz who is in town had not given him a different message yet. Down the line, Mr. Annan added, Iraq and the Security Council will have to resolve this issue. He said that his offer of a "ladder" and to work with all concerned to diffuse the situation does not work, "it will be between Iraq and the Security Council."

The Secretary-General has briefed the Security Council on the mission to Iraq.

Ambassador Lakhdar Brahimi, the leader of the three-man mission to Iraq, who was with the Secretary-General during the press conference was asked if the mission came back optimistic or pessimistic. He said that as diplomats and so long as it was possible they would keep on trying to find solutions. "But I think the situation is extremely serious", he added.

Deputy Prime Minister Aziz who addressed the press said that Iraqi officials explained to the mission their concerns and grievances which they have been suffering since 1991.

He said the Iraqis were concerned about the "unbalanced" composition of the Special Commission. "The Americans dominate this Commission" he said, adding that "in 1996 the percentage of their presence was 44 per cent among all other nationalities." This year, the Deputy Prime Minister said, their presence is 32 per cent as compared to the French presence of five per cent. According to Mr. Aziz, most of the leading jobs and leading positions in the Headquarters of UNSCOM, have been held by Americans.

Mr. Aziz also charged that "those who created the crisis which provoked the Council to take further decisions against Iraq" were Americans.

The Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister said that the United States of America did not agree to the lifting of sanctions unless the leadership of Iraq was changed.

Mr. Aziz also accused the American members of UNSCOM of intruding on Iraq's national security by collecting information on security, "and at the same time, the main source of information of UNSCOM is an American source -- the U2 spying plane" which collects information about Iraq, and gives UNSCOM selected information. "I cannot trust that the Special Commission is in full control of that plane and what that plane provides to the Special Commission is impartial, technical information."

The Iraqi official further charged that the U2 plane entered Iraq one or two days before the military attacks which the United States conducted against Iraq in January and June 1993, and in September 1996.

The Security Council imposed sanctions against Libya for failing to turn over two Libyan nationals suspected of involvement with the 1988 crash of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland as well as the 1989 crash of a UTA DC-10 over Niger.

A generally positive assessment of Libya's cooperation with French authorities concerning the UTA flight is dealt with in a recent letter to the Secretary-General from the Ambassador of France. The letter transmits an account by Judge Jean-Louis BruguiŠre, who describes his investigation and concludes, "Now that this judicial inquiry has come to an end, eight years after the attack, I feel it would be useful to convey to you my appreciation of the way in which Libya cooperated with French justice in this inquiry".

According to the letter, Libya allowed Judge BruguiŠre to investigate the matter in July 1996. "This judicial cooperation satisfied most of the French demands, although some of them have not been met." French justice and the families of the victims "were entitled to present an adversary proceeding", writes Judge BruguiŠre, adding, "When the time comes, the Libyan authorities should naturally assume all the consequences that would result from a coercive judgement against them."

In its most recent communication to the Security Council, Libya requested that the Council lift the sanctions against it. Libya has also asked that the review of sanctions take account of resolutions adopted by the OAU, the League of Arab States, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the Non-Aligned Movement which request that sanctions be lifted and that the two suspects be tried in a neutral country. The Security Council is also requested to send a representative of the Secretary-General to Libya to evaluate the impact of the embargo and "to ascertain that there are no links between Libya and terrorism".

Among the positive developments in implementing the peace accords, the report cites the convening of the Commission of National Reconciliation and the maintenance of the ceasefire between the Government and the United Tajik Opposition (UTO), which has held except for one brief exchange on 23 October that was quickly contained.

While large parts of Tajikistan were relatively calm, the report states that the centre of the country, including Dushanbe, was marked by a high level of violence. The UNMOT recorded 16 bomb explosions. There were also a number of killings and nightly sporadic fighting in Dushanbe. "UNMOT is aware of a total of 20 hostages currently being held by different armed groups."

On 16 October, a barracks of the Presidential Guard was attacked; the authorities suspect the attack was launched by followers of Colonel Mahmud Khudoiberdiev, the former commander of the Rapid Reaction Brigade.

The Secretary-General expresses concern about the level of violence. "I need not emphasize that I shall follow developments closely and take action as necessary to ensure the safety of the United Nations personnel working in Tajikistan."

According to a recent report on the country's humanitarian situation, a large percentage of the population is "extremely vulnerable". The World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that 16 per cent of the population will require food aid this year. The overall health situation is "discouraging", marked by tuberculosis, iodine deficiency disorders and cardiovascular disease. Two thirds of all infant deaths are caused by acute respiratory infections and diarrhoeal disease.

The Secretary-General has appealed to donors to contribute at a special conference to be held in Vienna on 24 and 25 November.

Tajikistan descended into civil war in 1992, shortly after the dissolution of the former Soviet Union. By mid-1993, in a country of less than 6 million persons, an estimated 50,000 had been killed, some 600,000 displaced, and an additional 60,000 had crossed the border to Afghanistan. The General Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and National Accord in Tajikistan was signed on 27 June 1997.

The Special Rapporteur quotes a report that a high-ranking Taliban leader, Mullah Mohammad Hassan, had stated that the Taliban would not pay attention to concerns over their human rights record. He is said to have indicated that "we do not care about anybody as long as the religion of Allah is maintained". The Special Rapporteur notes that "the Taliban have a highly idiosyncratic vision of Islam that has been disputed by numerous Sunni Islamic scholars as representing at best a tribal rural code of behaviour".

The report documents a litany of human rights violations in Afghanistan, describing a deteriorating situation, especially for women. "The Special Rapporteur has difficulty understanding why representatives of the Taliban authorities believe that the rights and dignity of women could be violated as soon as they step out of the house since they claim that they have brought about total security for women in Afghanistan." He writes of allegations that one Taliban leader has stated that "there were only two places for Afghan women: in her husband's house and in the graveyard".

According to the report, the crackdown has also affected men, who are being punished for not having or trimming their beards, serving female customers or otherwise offending the Taliban code. There were also allegations that a mullah belonging to the Taliban had raped and killed five women, whose bodies were thrown into the river. He is said to have been released "for being a good Talib".

The Special Rapporteur also was informed that "cries of prisoners being tortured could be heard in the city of Kunduz".

In response to these and other violations, the Special Rapporteur strongly endorses the deployment of a human rights resource person in the field who would advise representatives of the international community as well as Afghan actors on all aspects of human rights.

Committee experts said they had received well-founded information about cases of torture in Israel. They said that the situation there was a source of concern as it continued to deteriorate. The experts said that there was no justification for a further delay in the submission of the second report. They added that it was high time that Israel be notified of the Committee's frustration on the subject and decided to address a letter to Israel requesting it to submit its report before its meeting next May.

Over the course of the current two-week session, the Committee will consider reports submitted by the Governments of Cyprus, Argentina, Portugal, Switzerland, Cuba and Spain. These countries are among 104 States parties to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Under the terms of the treaty, those countries are required to provide the Committee with periodic reports on their activities to eradicate torture.

In addition, the panel's 10 independent experts, elected by State parties to the Convention and serving in their personal capacity, will consider, in closed session, communications addressed to them by individuals claiming to be victims of violations by State parties to the treaty.

Meanwhile, at a press conference in New York, the Secretary-General of the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture told reporters that the low priority given by the United Nations to the issue of torture and the plight of torture victims was "shameful". Dr.Inge Genefke, a neurologist, said the fact that 81 United Nations Member States had still not ratified the Convention against Torture, 13 years after it went into force was an indication that the Convention was given low priority. Of the 104 countries which had ratified the Convention many still needed to initiate actions to implement it.

Dr. Genefke, who has been working for torture victims for more than 20 years in Denmark, noted that so far this year, the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture received only $3.4 million from 32 contributing countries. With an estimated minimum global need for funding of rehabilitation services of $25.3 million for 1997, she said there was still a wide gap to fill.

In a statement issued by his Spokesman in New York on Monday, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the floods from the Shabelle River west to the border with Kenya, and from the Ethiopian border south to the sea, have already displaced tens of thousands of Somali people. The floods are reported to be threatening the lives of thousands more.

In the absence of a central government, United Nations agencies are doing their utmost to provide immediate relief assistance. The most urgent requirements include logistics support to access the affected areas where people are trapped. On Tuesday the United Nations will issue an appeal to meet the urgent needs created by the flood emergency.

Delivery of assistance will depend on the support of the Somali factions, the Secretary General said. He expressed hope that the Somali faction leaders meeting in Cairo would use that opportunity to reach understandings that would lead to "genuine all-inclusive national reconciliation" and to the establishment of mechanisms enabling the international community to relate effectively with the country.

Since the downfall in January 1991 of President Siad Barre, who had ruled the country for 21 years, Somalia has been the scene of a violent power struggle as well as humanitarian crises, including famine.

The Consolidated Inter-Agency Flash Appeal for the Republic of the Congo is seeking funds to meet the priority needs of 650,000 internally-displaced people for an initial period of three months. The initial request is expected to be followed by a longer-term assistance programme.

According to the United Nations Department of Humanitarian Affairs, five months of armed conflict have left the country's infrastructure in ruins. Casualties are estimated at well over 5,000 and there have been massive displacements. Most residents of Brazzaville have fled.

The effects of war, displacement and overcrowding have been magnified by the lack of food and other basic necessities, and resulting in malnutrition and outbreaks of communicable diseases. There has also been widespread looting and destruction of shops, homes, offices and warehouses.

The Appeal will address the needs of families who have been displaced as well as those residing in the capital. Priority will be given to providing food and nutrition, shelter, basic health care, water and sanitation as well as limited distribution of seeds and tools to assist internally displaced persons and host families to restore and improve food security. Particular attention will be given to single-parent families, female-headed households, unaccompanied children and those traumatized by the armed conflict.

A statement issued by the Spokesman of the Secretary-General on Monday says the United Nations leader regard the public pronouncements made by Congolese authorities allowing the team to carry out its task, as a breakthrough in the impasse which had confronted the Team in its efforts to fulfill its mandate.

The Secretary-General congratulated the United States Special Envoy, Ambassador Bill Richardson for his efforts to break the impasse and allow the Team to go back to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to do its job.

The Secretary-General referred to the joint Press Statement issued by Ambassador Richardson and the Minister for Reconstruction and Emergency Planning of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mr. Etienne Richard Mbaya in Kinshasa on 25 October 1997, in connection with the Team.

At the press conference on the same day, President Laurent-Desire Kabila confirmed the Government's commitment contained in the statement which built on the Secretary-General's letter to President Kabila dated 15 July 1997 setting forth the Team's mandate.

The Secretary-General expressed his appreciation to President Kabila for his public statement which committed his Government to cooperate with the Investigative Team in a way which will allow the Team to carry out the mandate entrusted to it.

The team will investigate allegations of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law alleged to have been committed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since March 1993.

Kim Phuc, who is now thirty-four years old, was burned by napalm in 1972 when she was nine years of age. Her photo as a young girl as she fled naked and screaming in pain from her burns, won the Pulitzer Prize - - the highest journalism award in the United States -- for the photographer, Nick Ut of Associated Press (AP).

As Goodwill Ambassador for a Culture, Kim, who now lives with her husband in Canada, will spread a message on the need for reconciliation, mutual understanding, dialogue, and negotiation to replace confrontation and violence as means of settling conflicts.

The appointment was made by UNESCO Director-General Federico Mayor at a ceremony in Paris.

Speaking on the occasion of the appointment, Ms Kim said everyone needs peace because it protects people from killing and destroying. "It also promotes social progress and development", she said, adding that she thanked "God for giving me the ability not to have any animosity. Peace must be based on love, understanding and forgiveness, because if we don't love others ourselves, if we don't forgive, we cannot come and talk together."

Last year during the filming of a documentary about her life, Kim travelled to the United States where she met Nick Ut, who saved her life, the doctors who operated on her in Saigon, and Captain John Plummer, the American who had ordered the attack against her village. She publicly forgave Captain Plummer.

The five-day meeting which ends on Friday, 14 November, is being attended by, among others, officials from UNFPA, and about 110 participants from UNFPA country offices.

The regional meeting comes three years after the International Conference on Population and Development held in Cairo in 1994.

Speaking at the opening session, Zimbabwe's Planning Commissioner, Richard Hove, said strategies to implement the Cairo Programme of Action adopted at the 1994 Conference needed constant review, adjustment and refocusing, as the field terrain changed. He called for different strategies for countries in political turmoil, those where structural adjustment and other economic problems have weakened national capacities to implement population programmes, and those countries where family planning programmes have been affected by the advent of HIV/AIDS.

In her statement to the opening session, Virginia Ofosu-Amaah, Director of the UNFPA Africa Division, told the audience that she was impressed and encouraged by the dynamism with which the African countries have moved forward in developing strategies and plans of action for a broader reproductive approach, improving the quality of care, and making sure they met the needs of individual women and men.

As a result of many years of advocacy, she pointed out, the highest levels of leadership in almost all African countries have become aware of the importance of population factors to the achievement of sustainable development.

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

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