In progress at UNHQ

DH/2043

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS FOR: 14 December 1995

14 December 1995


Press Release
DH/2043


DAILY HIGHLIGHTS FOR: 14 December 1995

19951214 * Security Council extends UNMOT mandate until 15 June 1996, provided 1994 Tehran Agreement remains in force and parties remain committed to cease-fire, reconciliation and democracy.

* Secretary-General attends signing of Bosnian Peace Agreement in Paris; says United Nations is committed to working with international police force, assisting refugees and promoting human rights.

* Secretary-General says coalition of Member States, rather than United Nations, should deploy transitional peace-keeping force in Eastern Slavonia.

* Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee approves draft resolutions dealing with human rights in Sudan, Iraq, Cuba and former Yugoslavia.

* Second round of all-Bougainvillean talks to be held in Cairns, Australia, from 15 to 19 December; Francesc Vendrell to represent Secretary-General.

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The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan (UNMOT) until 15 June 1996. The extension was subject to the proviso that the Tehran Agreement of 17 september 1994 remained in force and the parties continued to be committed to an effective cease-fire, national reconciliation and the promotion of democracy. The Council decided that the mandate would remain in effect unless the Secretary- General reported that those conditions had not been met.

By unanimously adopting resolution 1030 (1995), the Council requested the Secretary-General to continue to pursue efforts to speed up the progress towards the establishment of a durable peace and national accord in Tajikistan. It also requested him to report every three months on the progress towards a comprehensive political settlement of the conflict and the operations of UNMOT. Regretting the slow rate of progress towards a political

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solution to the conflict in Tajikistan, the Council emphasized the need for the Tajik parties to take the opportunity of the continual round of talks in Ashgabat to reach a general agreement.

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Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali today attended the signing of the Bosnian Peace Agreement in Paris. In a statement, he expressed hope that the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a Member State of the United Nations, would at last be able to live in peace and in dialogue. He highlighted the Organization's role in making peace possible and in alleviating human suffering in the former Yugoslavia.

From peace-keeping to humanitarian action, through unprecedented and perilous missions, the soldiers of the United Nations had given diplomats the time they needed to complete their work, the Secretary-General said. All who had worked tirelessly for peace, and all members of the Contact Group, were well aware that the Organization had always been ready to support their efforts.

Mr. Boutros-Ghali stressed that the United Nations would do everything possible to assist the implementation of the Peace Agreement. It was already working in close cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to ensure the best possible transition to the Implementation Force (IFOR). In the months to come, the United Nations would pursue its mission, especially by participating with the international police force, assisting refugees and promoting the protection of human rights in conjunction with other concerned organizations.

In a related development, the Secretary-General submitted a report to the Security Council on aspects of the implementation of the Peace Agreement as they affected the United Nations. He set out proposals concerning a variety of ways in which the Organization could contribute to the international effort in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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Deployment of a transitional force to implement certain provisions of the Basic Agreement on Eastern Slavonia should be entrusted to a coalition of Member States rather than to the United Nations, according to the Secretary- General. In a report dated 13 December, he said the United Nations would face great difficulty in assembling and deploying such a force in the time-frame envisaged by the parties. He also expressed reservations about the Organization's ability to undertake such an enforcement operation.

Mr. Boutros-Ghali suggested that the Security Council authorize member States to establish the multinational force. For command and logistic purposes it should be attached to IFOR in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The force

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should have a mandate under Chapter VII of the Charter, the capacity to take the necessary action to maintain peace and security, and the ability to defend itself. While effective demilitarization of Eastern Slavonia at the outset of the operation was vital, implementation of civilian aspects of the Basic Agreement should also begin as soon as possible. The Council should therefore authorize the establishment of the transitional administration and local implementation committees.

For the operation to succeed, it must have the active and sustained political support of the Security Council and of those Member States that had played a vital part in concluding the Basic Agreement, he concluded. Furthermore, Member States must provide the necessary troops and guarantees that adequate financial resources would be made available.

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The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today approved eight draft resolutions on human rights, including texts dealing with Sudan, Iraq, Cuba and the former Yugoslavia.

By the terms of one draft resolution, the General Assembly would call on the Government of Sudan to comply with applicable international human rights instruments to which it was a party. It would urge the Government to cease immediately all aerial attacks on civilian targets and other attacks that violated international humanitarian law. The draft was approved as a whole by 93 votes in favour to 15 against, with 47 abstentions.

Another draft resolution would have the Assembly once again call upon the Cuban Government to cooperate fully with the Special Rapporteur by permitting him full and free access to establish contact with the Government and the citizens of the country so that he might fulfil his mandate. It would also call on the Government to release the numerous persons detained for activities of a political nature. That text was approved by 62 votes in favour to 23 against, with 73 abstentions.

By the terms of a draft approved by 104 votes in favour to 4 against (Sudan, Gambia, Nigeria and Libya), with 49 abstentions, the Assembly would condemn the "massive and extremely grave violations of human rights for which the Government of Iraq is responsible". It would also strongly condemn the continued refusal of the Iraqi Government to take advantage of resources available to alleviate the suffering of the people.

A draft resolution approved without a vote would have the Assembly strongly condemn the "abhorrent practice of rape and abuse of women and children" in areas of armed conflict in the former Yugoslavia. Preambular paragraph six of that draft, which referred to ethnic cleansing being carried

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out by Serbian forces, was approved by 133 votes in favour to one against (Russian Federation), with 11 abstentions.

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The second round of all-Bougainvillean talks involving the Bougainville Transitional Government (BTG), the Bougainville Interim Government (BIG), and the Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA) will be held in Cairns, Australia, from 15 to 19 December.

As requested by the parties to the conflict, the Secretary-General has designated Francesc Vendrell, Director of the East Asia and the Pacific Division in the Department of Political Affairs, as his Envoy to participate in the talks. It is hoped that the talks will represent the first step leading towards a political solution to the Bougainville question.

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For information media. Not an official record.