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United Nations Daily Highlights 96-05-29United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The United Nations Home Page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.orgDAILY HIGHLIGHTSWednesday, May 29, 1996This document is prepared by the Central News Section of the Department of Public Information and is updated every week-day at approximately 6:00 PM. HEADLINES
The Security Council has decided to extend the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) until 30 November 1996. Unanimously adopting resolution 1056 (1996), the Council expressed regret that there has been no significant progress towards implementation of the Settlement Plan in Western Sahara. The Council supported the relevant recommendations made by Secretary- General Boutros Boutros-Ghali; recognized MINURSO's achievements, "despite all the difficulties"; and urged the Government of Morocco and the Polisario Front to demonstrate the requisite political will, cooperation and flexibility "to accelerate implementation of the Settlement Plan in its entirety". Earlier, speaking to the Press at UN Headquarters, the President of the Security Council, Ambassador Qin Huasun of China, said members of the Council wished to reiterate their strong support for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. They reaffirmed that all states have a legal obligation to cooperate with the Tribunal, including the obligation to execute orders of the Tribunal. He said that he deeply deplored the continued failure of the Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to cooperate with the Tribunal, particularly its failure to execute arrest warrants against General Mladic and Colonel Veselin Sljivancanin. That failure could not be justified, he added. The Ambassador also said members of the Council had expressed concern over the situation of Rwandan refugees in eastern Zaire and welcomed the forthcoming mission to be sent by the Secretary-General to that area. The Ambassador of Rwanda, in a letter to the Council, had urged the Council to take preventive action to prevent a massacre in the area. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia has today issued an indictment against Drazen Erdemovic on charges of crimes against humanity and violations of the laws and customs of war committed during the Bosnian Serb take-over of Srebrenica in July 1995. Mr. Drazen Erdemovic, who has been in the Tribunal's custody since the end of March, is the first alleged participant in the mass-killings at or around Srebrenica in July 1995 to have to stand trial, according to the Tribunal. He will make his first appearance at the Hague, on 31 May 1995. To consider the adoption of a set of rules on legal aspects of electronic data exchange in international trade practices, the Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) yesterday began its twenty-ninth session in New York. The proposed "model law" is designed to assist States in modernizing legislation to accommodate the increasing use of electronic data interchange in the implementation of commercial transactions. Among other issues the 36-nation body will undertake, is a review of its training and technical assistance activities which focus on assisting governments in preparing and implementing commercial legislation. Some 18 Armenian librarians have just concluded a training programme organized by the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) to introduce them to modern library science. The course, conducted in Yerevan, Armenia, included practical demonstration on how to access libraries globally through the Internet. Only four of the librarians were familiar with the Internet before undergoing the DPI training. As part of their assignments, the trainees helped to establish, at no cost to DPI, a United Nations reference library at the UN Office in Yerevan. The new library is scheduled to be opened by President Levon- Ter-Petrossian of Armenia on 31 May, the day of the graduation ceremony. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is to elect 21 individuals and organizations to the ranks of its Global 500 Roll of Honour, in recognition of their contributions to environmental protection. The laureates who will be honoured, include the late Ken Saro-Wiwa of Nigeria who led the resistance of the Ogoni people against the pollution of their delta homeland. The list of winners also includes four Global 500 Youth Environment Award laureates, who demonstrate that one is never too young to make a difference. "In honouring these environmentalists, UNEP seeks to encourage individual and community action in defense of the environment", UNEP Executive Director, Ms. Elizabeth Dowdeswell, said. The award ceremony, hosted by UNEP and the Government of Turkey during the Habitat II Conference in Istanbul, will be part of this year's World Environment Day, according to UNEP. It is scheduled for 9 June. There is a need for the provision of a reliable forum for the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) to discuss population displacement and refugee problems in a humanitarian and non- political way, according to a draft Programme of Action to be discussed at the two-day conference on Refugees and Displaced Persons in the CIS to be held in Geneva. The Programme of Action also calls for the review of the population movements taking place in the CIS countries. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Sadako Ogata, the draft Programme of Action represents the first full-scale effort by international organisations, the CIS countries and other states to come up with a concerted and coherent plan to manage movements of astounding scale and complexity. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, who is in Geneva, is expected to address the Conference tomorrow. While several countries had admitted to, and sanctioned, the use of torture by their law enforcement officials, a recent United Nations report on police conduct failed to identify those countries, according to the Special Rapporteur on Torture, of the Human Rights Commission, Nigel Rodley. Reviewing a secretariat report on State's application of the UN Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials, Rodley told the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Vienna that the report identified countries by name in all other sections, but referred to them anonymously in the section on torture. Meanwhile, a representative of Nigeria alerted the Commission to a crime wave of international fraud emanating from Nigeria. He also called on the Commission to pay greater attention to the problem of war crimes, not only in Europe but also in Africa. Other delegates represented at the Commission also discussed issues pertaining to the proposed Treaty on Organised Crime and the achievement of adherence to UN Standards and Norms in the field of criminal justice. For information purposes only - - not an official record From the United Nations home page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.orgUnited Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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