United Nations Daily Highlights, 97-08-05

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From: The United Nations Home Page at <http://www.un.org> - email: [email protected]

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Tuesday, 5 August 1997

HEADLINES

• UN Secretary-General approves plan for the purchase and distribution of humanitarian supplies to Iraq.
• International observers of the Angolan peace process urge UNITA to fulfill Security Council demands.
• UNHCR sends an official to Jajce, central Bosnia, to try to reverse the expulsions of Muslim returnees.
• UN expert body on prevention of discrimination and protection of minorities begins session in Geneva.
• The Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination convenes in Geneva.
• Human Rights Committee concludes its summer session in Geneva.
• "Messengers of Peace" from Yokohama, Japan donate over seven million yen to UNICEF.

In a letter to the President of the Security Council, Ambassador John Weston, the Secretary-General said the implementation of the distribution plan would be governed by various Council resolutions and the Memorandum of Understanding. In June, the Council decided that the provisions of the oil- for-food programme should remain in force for another 180 days. At the same time the Council decided to conduct a thorough review of all aspects of the implementation of the resolution 90 days after its entry into force and again prior to the end of the 180- day period.

In a related development, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Yasushi Akashi informed the Government of Iraq of the Secretary- General's conclusion that if properly implemented, the Distribution Plan should meet the requirement of equitable distribution of humanitarian goods to the Iraqi population throughout the country.

In a letter to Iraq's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Mr. Akashi noted that the approval of the Plan was without prejudice to the procedures that might be taken by the Sanctions Committee on Iraq (661 Committee) concerning export to Iraq of parts and equipment essential for the safe operation of the Kirkuk-Yumurtalik pipeline system. The approval was also without prejudice to actions by the Sanctions Committee regarding applications for export of particular items contained in the list submitted for its consideration, Mr. Akashi stated.

Special Representative Alioune Blondin Beye and representatives of Portugal, Russia and the United States - the Troika - have noted with grave concern that in spite of all the appeals made to it, UNITA had not taken any significant steps to fulfill the demands of the Security Council. In a statement, issued in Luanda, the mediation and the Troika described as "unacceptable" the "Readjusted Programme for the Extension of Administration throughout the Territory" submitted by UNITA on Sunday.

The statement stressed that UNITA had not yet provided information on its remaining military elements, including "mining police", nor had it provided information on the measures to transform their radio station "VORGAN" into a non-partisan broadcasting facility. The statement also said that "it is imperative that UNITA provide credible information concerning the true state of its military personnel and the armaments it possesses."

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said it was working with other international agencies to reverse the expulsions. According to UNHCR, its protection officer in the area would talk to the local authorities in Jajce to try to persuade them to allow people back and, importantly, to ensure that they were adequately protected.

Meanwhile, UNHCR, the Stabilization Force (SFOR) and the High Representative's office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), would set up a working group to find ways out of the crisis. According to UNHCR, some 800,000 people remain displaced and a further 700, 000 are abroad as refugees from Bosnia.

The meeting also was addressed by Ralph Zacklin, Officer-in-Charge of the High Commissioner/Centre for Human Rights, who said the Subcommission played an important and unique role as a think-tank for the United Nations human rights programme. He went on to review thorough- going reforms being carried out at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The Subcommission, which comprises a panel of 26 experts, undertakes studies and makes recommendations to the Commission on Human Rights concerning the prevention of discrimination and the protection of national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities. During its current session, the Subcommission will, among other things, examine information on human rights violations, contemporary forms of slavery, including sexual slavery during wartime and the exploitation of children.

The Committee examines the implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination in the 148 countries that have accepted the treaty. During its current session, the 18- member Committee will consider reports from Algeria, Argentina, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Denmark, the Former Yugoslav Republic, Norway, Philippines, Poland and Sweden.

On Monday, the Committee members said examination of Cambodia's report should be postponed given current developments in the country. As part of its continuing efforts to prevent racial discrimination, the Committee confirmed that it would examine, under its early warning and urgent procedures mechanism, the situations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Israel, Papua New Guinea, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda.

During the just concluded session, the Committee also examined, in a closed session, communications from individuals claiming to be victims of violation of their rights under the Covenant. At its next session, to be held in Geneva from 20 October to 7 November, the Committee will, among other things, take up reports of Belarus, Senegal, Iraq, Lithuania, Sudan and Jamaica.

The UN leader thanked the students and the city of Yokohama and noted that their determination to build a culture of peace and their understanding of the interdependent nature of the world should serve as a model for young people all over the world. The Secretary-General told the students of his conviction that the older generations should strive to ensure that younger ones inherited a peaceful and environmentally- sound planet.

From the United Nations home page at <http://www.un.org> - email: [email protected]

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