DAILY HIGHLIGHTS FOR: 10 November 1995
Press Release
DH/2020
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS FOR: 10 November 1995
19951110 * Security Council adjusts UNOMIL mandate, noting progress towards peaceful resolution of conflict in Liberia; stresses importance of national reconciliation.* Secretary-General condemns hanging of nine minority-rights activists in Nigeria despite numerous international appeals.
* Croatia moves troops and heavy weapons towards zone of separation in Eastern Slavonia; Co-Chairman Stoltenberg says situation can be resolved peacefully through negotiation.
* Secretary-General welcomes Carter initiative to convene African conference for peace in Rwanda and Burundi.
* United Nations and German Government sign Agreement on relocation of United Nations Volunteers headquarters to Bonn.
* Special Political and Decolonization Committee approves draft resolution calling for prevention of arms race in outer space.
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The Security Council today adjusted the mandate of the United Nations Observer Mission in Liberia (UNOMIL), as recommended by the Secretary-General in his report dated 23 October. It welcomed his recommendations concerning the new concept of operations for the Mission. The Council noted the appreciable progress made by the Liberian parties towards the peaceful resolution of the conflict, including the re-establishment of a cease-fire, installation of the new Council of State, and an agreement on a timetable for implementation of the peace process. It took that action by unanimously adopting resolution 1020 (1995).
The Council defined UNOMIL's mandate as follows: to exercise its good offices to support the efforts of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Liberian National Transitional Government (LNTG) to implement the peace agreements; to investigate cease-fire violations and recommend measures to prevent their recurrence; to monitor compliance with the other military provisions of the peace agreements, including disengagement of forces, disarmament and observance of the arms embargo; and to assist in the
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maintenance of assembly sites and in the implementation of a programme for demobilization of combatants.
UNOMIL was also mandated to support humanitarian assistance activities; investigate violations of human rights and assist local human rights groups in raising voluntary contributions for training and logistical support; and observe and verify the election process, including the legislative and presidential elections to be held in accordance with the peace agreements. The Council decided that the Mission would have a maximum of 160 military observers.
The Council reiterated that continued international support for the Liberan peace process was contingent on the continued commitment by the parties to achieve national reconciliation in line with the peace process. It asked the Secretary-General to submit by 15 December a progress report on the situation in Liberia, including the implementation of UNOMIL's adjusted mandate, as well as its new concept of operations.
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Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali said today that he was shocked and appalled to learn of the execution by hanging of nine Nigerian minority- rights activists, including the writer Ken Saro-Wiwa. He deplored the executions, which had been carried out in defiance of numerous appeals by the international community and all friends of Nigeria. He urged the Government of Nigeria to abide by its international obligations and to fully respect the rights of minorities.
As he continued his visit to Poland today, the Secretary-General addressed a joint meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament. He expressed his gratitude for Poland's strong support of the United Nations.
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Croatia has been moving troops, bridging equipment, artillery pieces and tanks towards the zone of separation in Eastern Slavonia, the only Croatian region still controlled by Serbs, according to a United Nations spokesman. There have been no significant movements by the Serbs, who have been in a defensive posture for some months.
The Secretary-General discussed the troop movements with the Co-Chairman of the International Conference on the Former Yugoslavia, Thorvald Stoltenberg, in Geneva yesterday. Mr. Stoltenberg said he believed the situation could be resolved peacefully through negotiations.
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The Secretary-General today welcomed the initiative taken by former United States President Jimmy Carter to convene an African conference for peace in Rwanda and Burundi. He expressed the hope that it would lead to lasting peace in both countries and to the speedy return of refugees on a voluntary basis. He also indicated that the United Nations would send observers to the conference, which was expected to take place in Cairo on 27 November.
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The United Nations and the German Government today signed an Agreement clearing the way for the relocation of the headquarters of the United Nations Volunteers from Geneva to Bonn. The move was first proposed by the Secretary- General to Chancellor Helmut Kohl.
The Agreement, negotiated between the German authorities, the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Volunteers, sets out the terms and conditions under which the first headquarters of a United Nations organization will be established in Germany. Scheduled to take place by 1 July 1996, the move will be funded in full by the German Government.
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The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) yesterday approved a draft resolution that would have the General Assembly urge all States, particularly those with major space capabilities, to prevent an arms race in outer space. The Committee took that action as it concluded its consideration of international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space.
By the terms of the draft, which was approved without a vote, the Assembly would reaffirm the importance of international cooperation in developing the rule of law for the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes. It would emphasize the need to increase the benefits of space technology and its applications, and to contribute to an orderly growth of space activities favourable to the socio-economic advancement of humanity, particularly for people in developing countries.
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Correction:
The last headline in the Daily Highlights of 7 November and the story which accompanied it should have read as follows:
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* Legal Committee considers report recommending General Assembly delete enemy State clauses from Charter.
* The Sixth Committee (Legal) yesterday began its consideration of the report of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization. The Report recommended that the General Assembly amend the Charter to eliminate the "enemy State clauses".
The enemy State clauses are a series of references in the Charter to any State "which during the Second World War has been an enemy of any signatory of the present Charter".
The Chairman of the Special Committee, Nalin Surie (India), said that the clauses had become obsolete and that States to which they had been directed were valuable Members of the Organization.
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