United Nations Daily Highlights, 97-11-19

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

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Wednesday, 19 November 1997

HEADLINES

• United Nations Special Commission briefs Security Council on status of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.
• Security Council members call on parties in Angola, "especially UNITA", to implement Lusaka Protocol.
• UN Secretary-General tells World Television Forum that information has "great democratizing power".
• Georgian and Abkhaz parties welcome proposals to strengthen United Nations involvement in peace process.
• Emergency Relief Coordinator appeals to donors to help Somalis distressed by floods.
• International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia elects new President and Vice-President.
• United Nations Department of Humanitarian Affairs establishes special task force on El Ni¤o.
• Head of the United Nations Children's Fund calls for concerted efforts to combat maternal mortality.
• Secretary-General asks General Assembly to accept accommodation at "Palais Wilson" offered by Switzerland.

Addressing reporters on behalf of the members of the Council after the briefing, Council President Qin Huasan of China stressed the importance of UNSCOM resuming its operations as soon as possible. He also expressed the Council's support for UNSCOM's work.

Special Commission Executive Chairman Richard Butler said the briefing was "not a response of the Special Commission to the crisis in which we found ourselves. This is not something we put together to dramatize the situation".

Mr. Butler said he agreed with Iraq's position that the disarmament process had taken far too long, but said the delay was caused not by UNSCOM -- as Iraq charged -- but by Iraq itself. "The main reason that it has taken too long is because of decisions and actions taken by Iraq", he said.

In a letter of 27 October to Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister, Tariq Aziz, Ambassador Butler outlined a number of issues which should be dealt with immediately. Among them was the extent of the country's "VX programme" of chemical weapons. An UNSCOM expert told reporters on Wednesday that VX was a nerve gas which was 10 times more toxic than Sarin gas. He said that in early 1995, Iraq had admitted to having 160 kilograms of VX, but by June of 1996, Iraq had admitted to having produced 3.9 tonnes. "You now might ask me: are there any additional quantities? Quite frankly, we don't know. We have to verify that."

Concerning biological weapons, another expert said that the Commission could not presently account for Iraq's proscribed biological weapons programme. Iraq had initially said that it had 650 litres of Anthrax -- a biological weapons agent -- but by the end of August 1995, the figure had jumped to 8,400 litres.

In a statement read to the press on behalf of the Council members by its President, Qin Huasan of China, the Council encouraged the parties concerned, especially UNITA, to avoid any actions that might cause tension. It expressed concern over the alleged violation by UNITA of relevant Security Council resolutions.

The Security Council also called on the parties, especially UNITA, to cooperate fully with the United Nations Observer Mission in Angola (MONUA) as well as all the requests by the relevant Security Council resolutions so as to accomplish the peace process. It expressed grave concern about recent attacks against MONUA personnel and urged UNITA to ensure the safety and security of MONUA and its freedom of movement.

The Council looked forward to the forthcoming meeting between the President of Angola and the UNITA leader, its President said.

In his statement to the opening of World Television Forum 1997 on Wednesday, the Secretary-General highlighted the power of television to get the message out to the public. "It is ignorance, not knowledge, that leads some to advocate tyranny over democracy. It is ignorance, not knowledge, that makes others say that there are many worlds, when we know that there is one: ours", he said.

The Secretary-General pointed out that the quantity and quality of available information is changing dramatically every day in every country, and that citizens are gaining greater access to information. He paid tribute to all those who have helped to keep stories of human hardship and injustice in the public mind, and emphasized that the challenge now is to make information available to all.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy, Lamberto Dini, said television could be the instrument of a new solidarity for sustainable development, literacy and the prevention of natural catastrophes by bringing people and countries closer together or by condemning religious wars or clashes between civilizations.

The Chairman of Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI), Enzo Siciliano, said television must know how to change, remaining useful to social and economic development. "Television must not be a substitute for reality", he added.

Fedele Confalonieri, the Chairman of Mediaset, said television could not solve the world's problems but it could help improve the union between people by guaranteeing independent and accessible communication. He said the Forum was a clear indication of the industry's sense of responsibility and determination to improve what was being broadcast.

Leaders from the broadcast industry are taking part in the three-day Forum, whose theme is "Television in the New Multimedia Environment". It is organized by the Department of Public Information (DPI) and co- sponsored by Italy's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, RAI and Mediaset.

The meeting chaired by the Secretary-General's Special Representative, Liviu Bota, was convened to reinvigorate the peace process aimed at ending the conflict which erupted in Abkhazia in 1992 when the region attempted to break away from the former Soviet Republic of Georgia.

During the discussions, the two parties exchanged views on the state of negotiations on the main aspects of a comprehensive settlement of the conflict. They also worked to identify areas where concrete political progress could be made, and considered the question of the return of refugees and displaced persons, the intensification of efforts in the economic, humanitarian and social areas, and the elaboration of a programme of future activities and mechanisms for their implementation.

The parties reaffirmed their commitment, made in the Tblisi statement of 14 August, not to use force or threaten to use it against one another. They condemned acts of violence by armed groups as well as the laying of mines. The representatives of Abkhazia and Georgia also committed themselves to halting any activity by illegal armed formations and subversive groups and individuals, including those who come from outside the Abkhaz territory.

The meeting was also attended by representatives of the Russian Federation, which is acting as facilitator, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), as well as the Group of Friends of the Secretary-General, which is comprised of France, Germany, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Representatives of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Department of Humanitarian Affairs also participated in the discussions.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Yasushi Akashi, said he was deeply concerned over the continuing flood emergency in Somalia and the increasing toll it is taking in human and material destruction.

Mr. Akashi said that the international humanitarian community requires immediate financial support to engage eight helicopters to bring relief assistance to over 200,000 people who are in urgent need. "These people are stranded on rooftops, in trees and in small islands of high ground", Mr. Akashi said.

The Tribunal on Wednesday endorsed, by acclamation, the proposal by outgoing Judge Antonio Cassese that Judge Gabrielle Kirk McDonald of the United States and Judge Mohame Shahabudden of Guyana be chosen as President and Vice President respectively.

Judge McDonald is known for her full commitment to the setting up of a permanent international criminal court. In August, she addressed the Preparatory Committee on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court, calling on the members to ensure that "the Court should not be a mere paper tiger, appearing fierce and powerful from the outside but able to be blown over by the slightest wind of opposition".

The new Presiding Judge is also a vigorous advocate for the establishment of strong ties between the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Judge McDonald will serve as President for two years.

The task force, which held its first meeting in Geneva on 18 November, is composed of organizations both within and outside the United Nations system that deal with the scientific aspects of natural hazards related to El Ni¤o, as well as with socio-economic aspects of vulnerability and risk management for affected communities.

Participants generally agreed on the present difficulty in translating scientific knowledge into prevention-oriented economic and social activities at the local level and into capacity-building. They also agreed that the gathering of historical data would be important in order to attempt to map the possible effects of El Ni¤o in various regions and countries.

On Friday, the first follow-up meeting on El Ni¤o is being organized by the World Meteorological Organization. The meeting will provide scientific and technical information on the current status of El Ni¤o as one of the major forces acting on the global climate system with a potential to affect weather patterns in many areas of the globe.

At a gathering to commemorate women who have died needlessly of complication during pregnancy or childbirth, Carol Bellamy stressed that the neglect which contributes to maternal mortality should be seen as one form of discrimination against women and girls. "We must reduce the violence of maternal death", she told the gathering.

The commemorative service in Manikganj, a rural district west of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, which has one of the highest maternal mortality rates, included a display of multicoloured banners with names of over 600 girls and women under 35 who have died during pregnancy or childbirth.

Calling for everyone to be involved in urgent efforts to reduce maternal mortality, Ms. Bellamy said "Doctors, policy makers, NGOs (non- governmental organizations) activists, and individuals must work together to ensure that daughters are not subjected to the violence that their mothers have had to endure."

According to recent studies, 585,000 women die of pregnancy and childbirth- related causes worldwide every year. The toll could be reduced by measures such as improved emergency obstetric care, trained midwives, the presence of skilled birth attendants, family planning, vitamin A supplements, a nutritious diet during pregnancy, and prompt breastfeeding.

UNICEF says that the low status of women makes them more vulnerable to physical abuse and neglect, which contributes to maternal mortality.

In his report to the Administrative and Budgetary (Fifth) Committee, the Secretary-General provides detailed information on the proposal of the Swiss Federal Council to place "Palais Wilson" at the disposal of the United Nations.

On 21 July, the Swiss Federal Council wrote to the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva making an official offer of the building, which would be granted rent-free for an initial period of 1998 to 2000. Switzerland added that the arrangement would be maintained indefinitely.

The Secretary-General's Report to the Fifth Committee says that should the General Assembly approve the acceptance of the Palais Wilson and all other arrangement are in place, the building could be occupied by mid-April.

The Secretary-General says that total cost of the move to the Palais Wilson building would amount to $6,050,000 of which $3,920,000 is to be covered by the Swiss authorities, and the balance of $2,130,000 from existing or projected resources of the United Nations.

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

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