United Nations Daily Highlights, 98-09-10

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

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Thursday, 10 September, 1998

HEADLINES

• Members of Security Council demand immediate cessation of all hostilities in Kosovo.
• Members of the Security Council condemn the killing of Iranian diplomats in northern Afghanistan.
• Secretary-General says United Nations will close its mission in Angola if there is no progress in peace process.
• United Nations World Food Programme airlifts emergency food aid to Kinshasa.
• United Nations human rights office in Cambodia deplores violence in Phnom Penh.
• UN food agency criticizes developed States which ban pesticides but export them to developing countries.
• New General Assembly President says "reform winds are blowing" at United Nations.
• UNICEF reports global progress toward aims of World Summit for Children but says more work must be done.

In a statement to the press on behalf of Council members, the President of the Council, Ambassador Hans Dahlgren of Sweden, called for an end to all violent or repressive actions against the civilian population. Council members also called for an end to the wanton destruction of property which was causing people to leave their homes and creating new flows of refugees and displaced persons, he said.

Ambassador Dahlgren said that Council members were gravely concerned about the severe humanitarian consequences for the civilian population caused by the fighting and violations of international humanitarian law and human rights.

In particular, Ambassador Dahlgren said, Council members noted with concern the forced internal displacement of civilians estimated at 50,000 who have been driven into the woods and mountains. They also noted the lack of adequate safety and security for those people to return to their homes. They warned that with the approach of winter, as the temperature was already dropping and would drop significantly by the end of October, there could be a "humanitarian catastrophe" in the region, the Council President said.

"All those involved in the mistreatment of civilians and deliberate destruction of property should be brought to justice," he added. Ambassador Dahlgren said that Council members expressed the need for Mr. Milosevic, as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, to order a halt to all repressive actions against the civilian population in Kosovo.

Ambassador Dahlgren said that the members of the Security Council also called for an immediate cessation of violence by all Kosovo Albanian armed groups.

Members of the Council noted the Secretary-General's observation that the escalation of tension could have detrimental consequences for the stability in the region and his concern that the United Nations operations in the region could be negatively affected by developments in Kosovo.

Council members also noted the Secretary-General's observation that there could be no military solution to the Kosovo crisis and his call on both parties to demonstrate restraint and to start negotiations as soon as possible.

In a statement to the press, the President of the Security Council Ambassador Hans Dahlgren characterized the killing as a "heinous act" and violation of international law.

The members of the Security Cuncil called for an urgent investigation into this crime so that the perpetrators can be brought to justice, he added.

The Council members welcomed ongoing plans for a joint fact-finding mission with the participation of Iran, Pakistan and the United Nations, he said.

Ambassador Dahlgren said that members of the Security Council called on the Taliban to cooperate fully in ensuring the safe release of the remaining diplomats and other Iranian nationals missing in Afghanistan.

He said that the Council members expressed concern over renewed tension in the region and reiterated the need for a peaceful settlement of the Afghan crisis.

The Council President concluded by saying that the members of the Security Council called on all concerned to exercise maximum restraint in the situation.

Citing reports, Ambassador Dahlgren said that nine Iranian diplomats were reported dead and two missing in northern Afghanistan.

In his report on the United Nations Observer Mission in Angola (MONUA), the Secretary-General notes that there is a stalemate in the completion of the peace process under the Lusaka Protocol. He attributes this stalemate to persisting delays by the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) in fulfilling its major obligations under the Lusaka agreement.

He adds that MONUA would not be able to remain in Angola in case of a major military confrontation or if the parties, in particular UNITA, continued to fail to complete their pending tasks under the Lusaka Protocol. These tasks include the full demilitarization of UNITA forces, the extension of State administration throughout the country, including Bailundo, Andulo, Mungo and N'harea, the disarming of the civilian population and the pursuit of a genuine democratization process.

The Secretary-General calls on the Angolan parties to urgently take steps to restore the peace process and expedite its conclusion. The steps include the immediate cessation of military operations, the reduction of hostile propaganda and the resumption of cooperation between the Government and UNITA, at the national and local levels.

The Secretary-General appeals to the Government and UNITA to refrain from any action that is likely to further complicate the already difficult situation in Angola. He also reminds the Government of its responsibility of ensuring the security of all UNITA members in Luanda and other locations under the Government's control.

He says that in the meantime, he has instructed MONUA to further adjust its deployment on the ground, and urges the parties to guarantee the security of all MONUA and other international personnel operating in Angola.

The Secretary-General also points out that the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has brought a new dimension and further complicated the situation in Angola, as evidenced by the involvement of Angolan military units in that country.

Using a C-130 Hercules cargo plane on loan from Belgium, WFP delivered 20 tonnes of maize to Kinshasa from Point-Noire in neigbouring Congo- Brazzaville. The relief flight is the first to carry WFP emergency food aid into the capital since fighting broke out between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and rebel forces five weeks ago.

As part of its emergency plan to prevent acute hunger in the city, WFP hopes to make 15 more flights over the next week. It will also transport food by barge from Brazzaville. The goal is to feed some 120,000 of Kinshasa's most vulnerable residents.

"To our knowledge, at least two people have been killed so far," read a statement issued by the office on Wednesday. Among those who have been beaten or otherwise injured are monks, as well as ordinary citizens and a foreign journalist.

The United Nations human rights office called on government security authorities and demonstrators alike to avoid any form of violence, and to refrain from all acts of incitement or intimidation. It stressed the need to protect the fundamental rights to peaceful assembly, expression and association. The office also called on the authorities to ensure that people who had been arrested were treated fairly and in full accordance with the law.

Recalling that Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Monday strongly urged all Cambodian leaders to exercise the utmost restraint, the United Nations human rights office stressed the need for non-violence and self- restraint by all parties.

Addressing ministers and senior officials meeting in Rotterdam, FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf noted that the distribution of pesticides is not regulated in most developing countries.

Ministers and senior officials from some 100 countries are attending the two-day diplomatic conference in the Netherlands with the aim of signing the Rotterdam convention on the prior informed consent procedure for certain hazardous chemicals and pesticides in international trade, scheduled for Friday.

Mr. Diouf said the convention would be an important step forward in helping countries to decide whether they wished to use and import extremely hazardous substances. "Pesticides should not threaten the welfare, health or lives of farmers," he stressed.

"This agreement is a major addition to our tool kit for reducing the negative impacts of human activities on human health and the natural environment," said the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Klaus T”pfer. "It establishes a 'first line of defence' for global chemicals safety and points the way to further actions to ensure that humanity reaps only benefits from the widespread use of chemicals."

The treaty requires that harmful chemicals and pesticides that have been banned or severely restricted in at least two countries shall not be exported unless the importing country explicitly agrees. Other pesticides will be subject to the same procedure when it is evident that they are too dangerous to be used in developing countries. Countries are also obliged to stop national production of those hazardous compounds. The Convention covers a list of 27 chemicals and pesticides, and it is expected that many more will be added in future.

Addressing reporters on Thursday, Mr. Opertti praised his predecessor, Hennadiy Udovenko of Ukraine, for his work on the issue of reform. "Mr. Udovenko has left us a kind of a legacy -- an important heritage," he said, noting that the Ukrainian diplomat had explicitly pointed out where further work was needed.

Given the progress that had already been achieved in the area of renewing the Organization, Mr. Opertti said "no one can say today in any categorical way that the United Nations doesn't want reform."

According to the new General Assembly President, the central question is how Member States can help to move the reform process along. "I imagine that this is a difficult task," he said, noting that "when there is a problem, the first step is to identify it." Urging a sense of optimism, he said that a fresh impetus for reform should be fostered through new approaches.

Among the achievements which the report cites is the fact that some 7 million young lives are being saved each year as a result of the combined impact of immunization and oral rehydration therapy. Measles deaths have been reduced by an average of 95 per cent in all regions of the world, except for South Asia, with 87 per cent, and sub-Saharan Africa, with 65 per cent. One million fewer children died of diarrhoeal dehydration in 1997 compared to 1990, and the number of cases of guinea worm disease in Africa and Asia has been reduced by 97 per cent from the 1990 level.

In spite of these remarkable achievements, the report cautions that it will be difficult to reach the Summit's targets for the year 2000. Every year, 12 million children in developing countries die of mainly preventable causes. An estimated 1.4 billion people still lack access to safe water and about twice as many have no access to adequate sanitation. About 130 million children remain out of primary school, 60 per cent of whom are girls. Approximately 585,000 women die each year from pregnancy-related causes. Nearly 160 million children under five are malnourished. And some 250 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 are involved in child labour.

This situation can be changed significantly through national efforts, supported by the commitment and mobilization of the international community, the report states. "However, time is short if this is to be achieved by the end of the decade." UNICEF is working with partners on follow-up to the World Summit for Children through the end of the decade, and is looking beyond 2000 to promote a global agenda for children in the next century.

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

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