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United Nations Daily Highlights 96-08-22United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The United Nations Home Page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.orgDAILY HIGHLIGHTSThursday, August 22, 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 UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) field-teams said on Thursday that the outflow of Chechens to neighbouring republics in the last two weeks now numbers over 23,000 people. More than 5,000 have arrived in the past 24 hours. Some 20,000 people have now arrived in Ingushetia and an estimated 3,000 - 8,000 have arrived in Daghestan, bringing the total population of displaced Chechens in these two neighbouring republics to over 100,000. Meanwhile, a cargo plane chartered by the UNHCR was expected at Vladikavkaz airport early Friday, carrying emergency relief supplies for an influx of more than 23,000 Chechens into the neighbouring Russian republics of Ingushetia and Daghestan. The airlift included blankets, plastic sheeting, jerry-cans and kitchen sets containing basic cooking utensils. The supplies would be distributed in Ingushetia and Daghestan to Chechen families arriving from Grozny and the surrounding area. UNHCR has been active in the republics around Chechnya since January 1995, assisting displaced people who have fled the often intense fighting there. The agency does not, however, work inside the republic of Chechnya. The Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Lansana Kouyate briefed the Security Council on Thursday on developments in Angola. The briefing was at the request of the Council to see whether the two parties in the Angolan conflict have fulfilled the task of forming a government of national unity and reconciliation, the Secretary- General's Spokesman Ahmad Fawzi said today. According to the Spokesman, Mr Kouyate told the Council that the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), was expected to make significant decisions at its Congress regarding participation in the Government of National Unity, and what role Dr. Jonas Savimbi would be playing. He added that the ceasefire continued to hold throughout Angola except for minor violations and some instances of banditry in a number of provinces. Meanwhile, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General Mr. Alioune Blondin Beye told a press conference that the slow pace of the process demanded the right response from everybody involved. The challenge, he said, was to move the process forward once the UNITA Congress was over. The United Nations has despatched a needs assessment mission to Cambodia following that country's request for assistance in coordinating the forthcoming elections. Cambodia, according to the Secretary-General's Spokesman, had asked the Organisation to coordinate technical assistance provided by donor countries and organisations for the forthcoming district and national elections scheduled for 1997 and 1998. The registry of the proposed international criminal court, with responsibility for its overall management, should be subject to careful oversight mechanisms, the Preparatory Committee on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court was told on Wednesday. The delegates discussed various issues pertaining to the composition and the organisation of the court, including the mandate of the presidency of the proposed court, grounds for excusing and disqualifying judges and election procedures for court members. Regarding procedures for excusing or disqualifying court judges, Australia recommended that the statute enumerate circumstances, such as serious illness, threats against a judge or conflict of interest. The UN Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium (UNTAES) has established a documents centre for the local population in Beli Manastir. According to UNTAES, the centre is aimed at issuing various Croatian personal documents to the residents of the region. Additional offices would soon be opened in Ilok and Vukovar with plans for mobile offices that could visit different villages. The Board of Governors of the United Nations Association of the USA (UNA- USA) have announced the appointed of Mr. Alvin P. Adams Jr., as President of the Association. Mr.Adams Jr., is a veteran US Foreign Service officer and former Ambassador to Djibouti, Haiti, and Peru. The appointment was hailed by the Search Committee and the entire UNA-USA Board as a giant step in setting the course of the organisation. The UN Association of the USA is a non-partisan, non-profit, membership and research organisation dedicated to strengthening the UN system and the United States' role in the world body. 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 |