DAILY HIGHLIGHTS FOR: 18 October 1995
Press Release
DH/2002
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS FOR: 18 October 1995
19951018 * Secretary-General says Non-Aligned Movement must continue fight for economic and social development; meets with Presidents of Algeria, Colombia and Philippines.* General Assembly adopts Declaration to mark fiftieth anniversary of end of Second World War.
* United Nations urges Croatian parties not to resort to force to resolve differences after cancellation of talks on Eastern Slavonia.
* Permanent Security Council members should pay surcharge for peace- keeping operations, Australia tells Administrative and Budgetary Committee.
* United States tells Disarmament and International Security Committee it wants comprehensive nuclear-test ban by April 1996.
* Rising crime and violence threaten course of development, Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee is told.
* Economic and Financial Committee hears call by developing countries for innovative approaches to development financing.
* Legal Committee concludes discussion of draft code of crimes against peace and security of mankind.
* FAO to begin biennial Conference in Rome on Friday; will examine global state of food and agriculture.
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Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali today said the Non-Aligned movement must continue the fight for economic and social development. Addressing the Conference of Heads of State and Government of the Non-Aligned Movement in Cartagena, Colombia, the Secretary-General said economic and social progress would not attain its full significance unless it was accompanied by an effort to democratize international life. Democratization was an imperative not only within States but also between States and in all
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the power centres of international society. Mr. Boutros-Ghali said it was essential that the international order of future be more attentive to the diversity of the world.
The Secretary-General also had meetings with President Liamine Zeroual of Algeria, President Ernesto Samper Pizano of Colombia and President Fidel Ramos of the Philippines.
The Secretary-General was scheduled to attend a dinner hosted by the President of Colombia tonight. He was expected to leave Cartagena tomorrow for New York.
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The General Assembly today adopted a Declaration commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War. The Declaration adopted without a vote called on States to redouble their efforts to put an end to all conflicts and to save future generations from the scourge of new wars and racial hatred. It honoured the tens of millions of people who perished in that War as well as those who fought against dictatorship, oppression, racism and aggression. States were called upon to reaffirm their commitment to refrain from the use or threat of use of force against any State and to focus their efforts on creating the conditions for the general progress of humankind in larger freedom.
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The United Nations today urged the Croatian Government and the Croatian Serbs not to resort to force to resolve their differences, after talks on the question of Eastern Slavonia were cancelled. The Organization called on both sides to fully commit themselves to a negotiated settlement, rather than choose a military option which would only cause more human suffering.
The Croatian Government's chief negotiator, Hrvoje Sarinic, was reported to have rejected the talks because of a dispute over where to meet. Mr. Sarinic told the press that Croatia was sticking to its deadline of 30 November for the completion of peace talks. He warned that if there were no serious negotiations, "other means" would be used to establish Croatian sovereignty over Eastern Slavonia.
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Permanent members of the Security Council should pay a substantial surcharge in addition to their assessments for peace-keeping operations due to their special roles in international peace and security, the Australian representative told the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary)
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yesterday. Also speaking for Canada and New Zealand, he said the peace- keeping scale of assessments should continue to be based on its regular budget counterpart. Both the "floor" and the "ceiling" rates of the regular budget should be abolished.
The Australian representative made those comments as the Fifth Committee discussed how United Nations costs should be divided among Member States. Also yesterday, the Committee deliberated on the prototype of a new format of the medium-term plan, the proposed $2.69 billion budget for 1996-1997 and the pattern of conferences. The new format has been designed with a view to enhancing strategic planning and linking objectives and the allocation of resources among budget programmes.
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The United States is committed to the completion of a comprehensive nuclear-test ban treaty by April 1996, according to the Director of the United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency. As the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) continued its general debate, he said the world's nuclear arsenals had been more than sufficiently tested. "Now it is we who are being tested," he added.
The Director stressed the need to dismantle the excess armament of the cold war. The United States continued to dismantle up to 2,000 nuclear weapons a year, the highest rate that technical limitations would permit. He expressed strong support for a ban on the production of fissile material for weapons purposes and called on all nations to join the moratorium on anti- personnel land-mines.
The representative of China told the Committee that his country would cease its nuclear tests once a comprehensive test-ban treaty entered into force. However, such a treaty should not ban peaceful nuclear explosions or in any way restrict the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. It should employ an effective international monitoring system for verification, and must provide for on-site inspection.
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Rising levels of crime and violence threaten the course of development, peace and security, the Executive Director of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme, told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) yesterday. As the Committee began its consideration of crime and criminal justice and international drug control, he said the threat to development demanded a commensurate response by the international community.
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Speaking on behalf of the Rio Group, the representative of Ecuador said the struggle against drugs needed to be global. He called for a renewed international commitment to eliminating the demand, production, supply and illicit distribution of drugs. Malaysia said the drug problem should be addressed from the standpoint of reducing both supply and demand, stressing the need for effective treatment of addicts.
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Developing countries yesterday called for innovative approaches to resolve the problems of financing of development. As the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) began considering the subject and the question of external debt, the Philippines, speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, said the international community should adopt a common set of principles for debt reduction. He also called for a thorough examination as to why the "peace dividend" had not led to additional financial flows to developing countries.
The representative of Spain, speaking for the European Union, said a commitment from debtor countries to implement and pursue sound economic policies remained the key element in any strategy to restore viability. The evolving international debt strategy was increasingly contributing to a durable solution to the debt problems of developing countries.
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The majority of States in the International Law Commission favour the development of an exhaustive codification of crimes against the peace and security of mankind, the representative of Iran told the Sixth Committee (Legal) yesterday as it concluded its discussion of draft code. Unfortunately, he said, the Special Rapporteur had acceded to the view of a small minority of States.
The representative of the United Kingdom said that the core crimes against the peace and security of mankind identified by the Commission bore a striking resemblance to those that were emerging as core crimes in the statute for an international criminal court. If negotiations on a court were well advanced, there was no need for a code.
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The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) will begin an 11-day Conference to decide its programme of work and budget in Rome on Friday. The conference will examine the global state of food and agriculture and receive a major report on that topic. It is also expected to adopt a code of conduct for responsible fisheries.
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The biennial Conference is FAO's supreme governing body. It brings together agriculture ministers and senior officials from the Organization's 170 members. The Conference will be preceded and followed by sessions of the FAO Council, the interim governing body.
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