United Nations Daily Highlights, 99-01-04

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

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Monday, 4 January, 1999

HEADLINES

• Secretary-General expresses outrage at apparent shooting down of second UN plane in Angola.
• Members of the Security Council also express outrage over disappearance of second UN-chartered aircraft in Angola.
• New internal displacements in Sierra Leone, say UN humanitarian agencies.
• Majority of American voters support United Nations and want U.S. to pay back dues.
• UN agencies say in spite of improved crop yields in Ethiopia, 2 million people still require food aid.

The C-130 cargo plane, which was carrying four passengers and four crew members, went missing on Saturday shortly after taking off from the provincial capital of Huambo in the central highlands. Mr. Eckhard said two crew members, including the captain, were from the Philippines, one was from Angola and one from the United States. Three passengers were Angolan and one was from Namibia.

On 26 December, another C-130 plane carrying four crew members and 10 passengers, went down eight kilometres from Villa Nova, near Huambo.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan has expressed outrage at reports of the second incident. In a statement released on Saturday, he said all threats to UN personnel -- in the air and on the ground -- must cease immediately. He urged, in the strongest possible terms, both sides to observe an immediate ceasefire, which would permit the conduct of search- and-rescue missions, as well as the relocation of UN staff to safer areas.

The Secretary-General said there could be no excuse for any delay on any side in disclosing all relevant information about the fate of the passengers and crews of the two UN aircraft.

Council President for the month of January, Ambassador Celso Amorim of Brazil in a statement said that this brings to six the number of airplanes lost in the area. He said the loss of this aircraft came only two days after the Security Council adopted resolution 1219 (1998), expressing its concern at the disappearance of another aircraft reportedly over the territory controlled by UNITA.

"Council members reiterate their demand that UNITA cooperate immediately and fully with the UN Observer Mission in Angola (MONUA), in a search-and- rescue operation for possible survivors of this and the previously downed aircraft," he said. The Council members also stressed that it is important to have full cooperation to this end from all concerned.

Council members reiterated their demand that the Government of Angola, and especially UNITA, guarantee the safety and security of United Nations and humanitarian personnel, in particular in the course of the reconfiguration of the mission. The members expressed their support to the Secretary- General for the measures being taken to ensure the safety and security of United Nations personnel in Angola. They also expressed their intention to take further action on the issue.

According to the World Food Programme (WFP) thousands of people fleeing fighting over the last four or five days have arrived in Kenema in the southeastern part of Sierra Leone. The agency said that food distribution was underway for the new arrivals estimated at 25,000.

Prior to the recent intensification of fighting, there were an estimated 380,000 internally displaced persons in Sierra Leone. Refugees from Sierra Leone are already the largest group of refugees in Africa, numbering 440,00 persons who are being sheltered in Guinea and Liberia.

The findings were released at UN Headquarters in New York on Monday by Zogby International of Utica, New York and GFK of London, which conducted the poll of 1003 likely voters in mid-December.

Pollster John Zogby said 70 per cent of voters have a favourable opinion of the UN, 27 per cent have an unfavourable opinion and just 3 per cent are unsure. The poll also found that 62 per cent believe the United States should pay its back dues, while about one in four, or 27 per cent, oppose paying the back dues, and 11 per cent are unsure.

A majority of sub-groups view the UN favourably, including 57 per cent of Republican voters, 73 per cent of Independents, 69 per cent of voters living in the South and 70 per cent of those who identify themselves as born-again Christians, Mr. Zogby said. All races, educational groups, and age groups have a favourable opinion of the UN, with women much more favourable than men -- 78 to 62 per cent.

Fifty-seven per cent believe the UN is effective in keeping the peace, promoting human rights and helping developing countries climb out of poverty, said Mr. Zogby. However, only 51 per cent could name UN involvement in anything other than peacekeeping. Those who could, cited the work the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the UN's humanitarian aid in general, he added.

The FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission to Ethiopia noted that cereal and pulse yields were forecast to reach 11.69 million tonnes. The United Nations agencies attribute the better crop yields to a favourable rainy season, increased use of fertilizers, improved seeds and few occurrences of crop diseases or pests.

The United Nations agencies say that even with improved yields, food insecurity has remained chronic in many parts of Ethiopia because of limited availability and access to food. According to the FAO/WFP report, in regions where food is scarce, incomes are extremely low and about half of the population of Ethiopia lives below the poverty line.

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

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