DAILY HIGHLIGHTS FOR: 11 December 1995
Press Release
DH/2040
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS FOR: 11 December 1995
19951211 * Secretary-General says he will make recommendations to Security Council on United Nations role in civilian aspects of Dayton Peace Agreement; urges immediate release of French pilots missing in Bosnia.* General Assembly establishes Preparatory Committee to draft convention for international criminal court; endorses Declaration and Platform for Action adopted by Beijing Women's Conference.
* Secretary-General says deployment of UNAVEM troops is near completion and establishment of quartering areas is well advanced; warns Angolan parties against complacency in implementation of Lusaka Protocol.
* Member States owe United Nations $2.6 billion as of 30 November; $640 million owed to regular budget and $2 billion to peace- keeping and International Tribunals.
* Three Norwegian peace-keepers injured by Israeli tank fire in southern Lebanon.
* Government of Norway to contribute $10 million to UNDP Trust Fund for Governance in Africa.
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Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali was in Geneva today, having attended the Peace Implementation Conference on the former Yugoslavia in London over the weekend. He said he would make recommendations to the Security Council on the United Nations role in the civilian aspects of the Dayton Peace Agreement.
Those recommendations would deal with the international police task force, which would be coordinated by United Nations civilian police, as well as human rights and civil affairs functions. The Organization would provide administrative and other support to the Implementation Force and the High
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Representative during the transition of authority from the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR).
In a related development, the Secretary-General today urged that the two French pilots shot down over Bosnia and Herzegovina earlier this year be released immediately. He said those responsible should respond without further delay to the request made by the Government of France.
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The General Assembly today established a Preparatory Committee to draft a widely acceptable convention for an international criminal court, by the terms of one of 14 texts adopted on the recommendation of its Sixth Committee (Legal). The Preparatory Committee will meet in 1996 from 25 March to 12 April and from 12 to 30 August to consider major issues arising out of the draft statute of the court, which has been prepared by the International Law Commission.
Also today, the Assembly expressed its intention to initiate procedures to delete the "enemy States" clauses from the Charter. It took that action by adopting a resolution on the Report of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization. The Assembly decided that membership in the Special Committee should be open to all Member States. The draft was adopted by a vote of 155 in favour to none against, with 3 abstentions (Cuba, Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Libya).
On Friday, the General Assembly endorsed the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action adopted by the Fourth World Conference on Women last September. By means of a resolution adopted without a vote, the Assembly called upon members of the international community to take action for the effective implementation of the Beijing agreements.
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The United Nations is pressing ahead with its task of supporting the efforts of the Angolan people and their leaders to put in place the structure for lasting peace in their country, according to the Secretary-General. In a report to the Security Council dated 7 December, he said that the deployment of United Nations Angola Verification Mission (UNAVEM III) troops was near completion and that the establishment of quartering areas was well advanced. Although much had been achieved since the signing of the Lusaka Protocol a year ago, there was no room for complacency, he warned.
The Secretary-General said many factors that had prevented implementation of the earlier peace accords were still in evidence: distrust; continuing military activities; foot-dragging over quartering and related activities; obstruction of free movement and the restoration of government
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administration; and lack of respect for United Nations and other international personnel. He appealed to the Angolan Government and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) to demonstrate through concrete action that they were committed to peace and that they were ready to correct those negative factors.
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As of 30 November, Member States owed the United Nations a total of $2.6 billion, according to the latest update on the Organization's financial situation. Of that amount, $640 million was for assessments for the regular budget and $2 billion was for peace-keeping operations and the International Tribunals. The figure for peace-keeping included assessments within the 30- day due period.
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Three Norwegian peace-keepers serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) were injured by Israeli tank fire over the weekend, according to a spokesman for the Organization. The Israeli forces had been warned beforehand that UNIFIL would be conducting patrols in the area. They expressed regret for the incident and said there would be an investigation.
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The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator, James Gustave Speth, and the Permanent Representative of Norway to the United Nations, Hans Jacob Biorn Lian, have signed an agreement under which the Norwegian Government will contribute $10 million to the UNDP Trust Fund for Governance in Africa. Norway is the first country to announce a contribution to the recently created Trust Fund.
The main objective of the Trust Fund is to assist Africa in acquiring the capacities needed for democratic public administration and governance. That objective is in tandem with sustainable human development priorities, including UNDP's mission of poverty eradication.
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