United Nations Daily Highlights, 00-02-02

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

BY FRED ECKHARD

SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Wednesday, February 2, 2000

UNHCR BUS IN KOSOVO ATTACKED

Around 4 p.m. in Kosovo Wednesday, a bus clearly marked as belonging to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which was carrying 49 passengers, was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. According to initial reports from UNHCR in Pristina, two passengers were killed and five others wounded.

The bus operated by the Danish Refugee Council as part of eight so-called "freedom of movement" lines was on a routine Wednesday run.

The incident occurred three kilometers south of Gornji Klina, on the route between the town of Banja, northwest of Pec, and southern Mitrovica. The bus was escorted by Danish armored personnel vehicles. All the passengers were Serb.

UNHCR's Spokesman in Pristina Peter Kessler described the incident as "grave" and said it was the first time that the bus lines, which attempt to provide transportation among mixed local populations and have operated in the region since October, had come under such an attack.

SECURITY COUNCIL TO DISCUSS FEBRUARY PROGRAM

The Security Council will meet this afternoon for closed consultations on its work program for February.

Thursday morning, the Council will hold an open meeting on East Timor with Transitional Administrator Sergio Vieira de Mello introducing the Secretary-General's report on the UN operation there.

EXCAVATIONS CONTINUE IN EAST TIMOR ENCLAVE

In Passabe, in East Timor's Oecussi enclave, a team of forensic experts has so far exhumed 15 bodies and also found the incomplete remains of five others. There are 29 gravesites marked for excavation and it is believed that the location contains between 50 and 60 bodies.

The gravesites were found in December, but because of problems of access and the rainy season, the forensic experts could only begin work this week. Two forensic experts from Australia are working with a team of about 20 individuals, comprising investigators from the UN Civilian Police, the International Force in East Timor, human rights non-governmental organizations and the East Timorese.

If the excavations continue at the current pace, we expect that work at Passabe could be completed by next Monday, and the bodies would then be brought to the new morgue in Dili.

MILITARY OBSERVERS SECURE RELEASE OF CHILDREN IN SIERRA LEONE

Tuesday, a UN Military Observer team in Sierra Leone secured the release of 37 children ex-combatants, aged between 6 and 12, including one girl. They had been held in the rebel stronghold of Occra Hills, about 70 kilometers from Freetown. Some of the younger children appeared to be malnourished.

The children were taken to Freetown and handed over to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). This is the second release negotiated by the military observers this year. On January 22, 29 children had been released from the same location.

UNICEF estimates that about 5,000 children, some of them as young as 5, have been involved in the conflict in Sierra Leone. Fifty-five percent of the reported 4,000 missing children are documented cases of abduction. In 1999, 801 children were released by the rebel forces to UNICEF.

RWANDA GENOCIDE SUSPECT ARRESTED

Belgium authorities arrested Rwandan genocide suspect Justin Ndindiliyimana, former Commander of the Gendarmerie Nationale.

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda confirmed that his indictment for genocide was made public last Friday. He was arrested Saturday. No arrangements have been made yet for his transfer to Arusha, Tanzania, where the Tribunal is based.

In another development involving the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, it noted in a press release that the Tribunal's Appeals Chamber has ordered the withdrawal of the counsel for one suspect, Jean-Bosco Barayagwiza, and declared that he is to be represented by new counsel at his next hearing, on February 22.

ANNAN TO ADDRESS DISARMAMENT BOARD

At 3 p.m. today, Secretary-General Kofi Annan will address the Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters, which began its current session on Monday and wraps it up today. The Board meets regularly to advise the Secretary-General on a wide range of arms limitation and disarmament issues.

In his address, Annan says that it is "disheartening" that nuclear weapons states have maintained policies and doctrines based on reliance on nuclear weapons "for the foreseeable future."

He also voices concern at the possibility that future deployment of ballistic missile defenses could threaten the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, and he urges greater urgency and flexibility by the Conference on Disarmament in its work.

The Advisory Board, chaired by Miguel Mar&iacute;n Bosch of Mexico, has 20 members as well as one ex officio member.

NEW BOOKLETS ON ASSISTING DISPLACED ISSUED

The United Nations has produced two publications aimed at providing guidance to staff from UN agencies, non-governmental organizations and other groups working with internally displaced persons in field operations.

One is called the "Handbook for Applying the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement," which spells out the meaning of the principles in non-technical language. The guiding principles were introduced in 1998 by Francis Deng, Representative of the Secretary-General on internally displaced persons.

It mentions, for example, that the Guiding Principles clearly state that the primary duty and responsibility for providing humanitarian assistance lies with national authorities and that this same obligation adheres to insurgent groups with regard to civilian populations under their control.

The second publication is the "Manual on Field Practice in Internal Displacement," which compiles over 60 examples of field programme initiatives of UN agencies.

Both booklets are being distributed to field staff.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

Netherlands became the 44th Member State to pay its regular budget dues in full for this year. The Netherlands made a payment of approximately $17.2 million.

The Spokesman noted that on Tuesday, the list of countries that lost their voting rights in the General Assembly because of Article 19 of the UN Charter included four countries that were also included in the "Honor Roll" of member states that had paid their contributions to the regular budget in full and on time. He said that "an Honor Roll should be a real honor roll, covering only countries that are up to date on all their obligations," and added that the list of contributions by member states will henceforth reflect that.

In response to questions on dues payments, the Spokesman emphasized the importance of timely payment of dues. He noted that a number of Governments that have lost their voting rights may try to pay enough of their arrears to regain their voting rights in time for any Special Session of the General Assembly or before the Assembly's Plenary in September.

The United Nations Information Service in Vienna today issued a release on the conclusion of an Ad Hoc Committee on transnational crime, which ended its meeting by calling for a new UN Convention against Corruption.

The weekly UN humanitarian update for Afghanistan, issued today, notes that the outbreak of a disease in the district of Darra Souf, which has killed at least 50 people, has been identified by local doctors as measles. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is sending antibiotics and vitamins to the district by truck and donkey from Kabul.