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United Nations Daily Highlights, 97-07-07United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The United Nations Home Page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.orgDAILY HIGHLIGHTSMonday, 7 July 1997This 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 members of the Security Council appealed on Monday to the warring parties in Afghanistan to stop the fighting immediately, and to seek a negotiated settlement through the efforts of the United Nations Special Mission to Afghanistan. The Council members said it was clear that a military solution would not lead to a stable peace or a viable settlement in Afghanistan. Noting that the warring parties had so far chosen not to abide by appeals for negotiations, the members of the Council stressed that the current stalemate and the continued human suffering and threats to regional stability was of concern to the Council. Speaking to the press at UN Headquarters in New York following Security Council consultations on Afghanistan, the Council President Ambassador Peter Osvald of Sweden said the Council received a briefing on the latest developments in the country and expressed concern that the parties continued to choose a military option for a solution to the conflict. According to Ambassador Osvald the Council would closely follow developments in the country. United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan was following the developments in Cambodia very closely and had received reports from the Office of his Representative in Phnom Penh, a UN spokesman said on Monday. Spokesman Fred Eckhard described the situation in Cambodia as fluid, adding that communication with the country had been very difficult. In a related development, United Nations Assistant Secretary- General for Political Affairs Alvaro de Soto on Monday briefed the Security Council on the developments in Cambodia. The UN Commission on Human Rights has welcomed the Secretary- General's willingness to take on the issue of probing allegations of massacres and other violations of human rights in the east of what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a UN spokesman announced on Monday. Spokesman Fred Eckhard said that the Secretary-General was expected to brief the Security Council on Tuesday on his plans for putting together a new team and sending them under the terms negotiated earlier by the advance team. Meanwhile, Ralph Zacklin, Officer-in-Charge of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, told a press briefing in Geneva on Monday that the Chairman of the Bureau of the Commission on Human Rights welcomed the fact that initiatives had been taken in New York by the Security Council. He said the Commission Chairman expressed support for the request of the Security Council President to seek the suggestions of the Secretary- General to ensure that the investigation was carried out. Guatemala's political parties have a special responsibility to fulfil in the public discussion and adoption of the legislative agenda for peace, UN Secretary-General said in a report on the activities of the United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala (MINUGUA). The Mission's mandate is to verify compliance with the agreements signed between the Government of Guatemala and the Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca (URNG). In his latest report, the Secretary-General noted that despite a number of positive initiatives, there was a perception in some sectors that the peace Agreements and their implementation yielded political benefits only to the Government and URNG. Another concern, he said, was that unless the implementation of the Agreements had a tangible impact on the daily lives of the most needy sectors of the population, it could cause disillusionment and arouse skepticism. The Secretary-General stressed the need to avoid taking either a pessimistic or an unduly optimistic view and appealed to all Guatemalans to face up to the challenges of peacebuilding with courage and determination. The League of Arab States has officially requested the resumption of the tenth emergency session to consider "Illegal Israeli action in occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory". The request was made on Monday in a letter to the President of the General Assembly Ambassador Razali Ismail of Malaysia from Ambassador Nabil Elaraby of Egypt, in his capacity as Chairman of the Arab Group for the month of July. The letter notes that the request was made in light of the recent report of the Secretary-General on that matter. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has recommended the extension of the mandate of the United Nations Mission of Observers in Prevlaka (UNMOP) for a further period of six months. The Mission is charged with monitoring the demilitarization of the Prevlaka peninsula and the neighbouring areas in Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia by carrying out vehicle and foot patrols on both sides of the border. In his report to the Security Council on the situation in the Prevlaka peninsula, Mr. Annan said he remained convinced that the Governments of Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia could fulfil their commitment under the Agreement on Normalization of Relations to resolve peacefully the issue of Prevlaka. The Secretary-General noted in the report that the unresolved dispute over Prevlaka had obstructed progress towards opening the international border crossing at Debeli Brijeg, which is situated within the demilitarized zone. He said that during meetings earlier this year, Croatian and Yugoslav representatives were unable to reach agreement on the status of the crossing. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan says millions of men and women have secured for themselves and their dependents a life of dignity and economic well- being by joining in cooperative ventures throughout the world. In a message on the occasion of the International Day of Cooperatives on Saturday, Mr. Annan said partnership with cooperative enterprises provided a demonstrably effective complement as governments at all levels find it increasingly difficult to meet the rising demands of their population services. The Secretary-General stated that the many-sided contribution that cooperatives make to the life of the community and the goals of development and solidarity was explicitly recognized in the major global conferences convened by the United Nations in the past five years. He said the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action adopted at the World Summit for Social Development, which was held in 1995, called on the cooperative movement to participate fully in the implementation of the Summit objectives, as well as in monitoring progress and evaluating results. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women began on Monday a three-week session in New York to review reports of nine countries on their efforts to implement the provisions of the only United Nations treaty that deals exclusively with women's rights. The 23-member expert Committee is the monitoring body for the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women, which was adopted in 1979 and opened for signature in March 1980. By the terms of the Convention, States are required to submit reports within one year after accession and thereafter at least every four years. Several countries, including Armenia, Argentina, Barbuda, Luxembourg and Namibia will present reports focusing on legislative, judicial and administrative measures undertaken to give effect to the provisions of the Convention and progress achieved in that regard. 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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