MULTINATIONAL PRESENCE IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA, UNITED NATIONS REFORM, AMONG ISSUES DISCUSSED BY SECRETARY-GENERAL AND TURKISH PREMIER
Press Release
SG/T/2057
MULTINATIONAL PRESENCE IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA, UNITED NATIONS REFORM, AMONG ISSUES DISCUSSED BY SECRETARY-GENERAL AND TURKISH PREMIER
19960531 (Received from the spokesman travelling with the Secretary-General.)ANKARA, 31 May -- Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz told Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali today that Turkey attached great importance to the extension of the Implementation Force (IFOR) mandate when it expired at the end of this year. Mr. Yilmaz paid a visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina last week. The Secretary-General agreed that it was important to maintain a multinational presence in Bosnia beyond the end of this year, in order to ensure the full implementation of the Dayton accords, and the establishment of peace and security
The Secretary-General and Prime Minister Yilmaz held 45 minutes of talks this evening, during which they also discussed reform of the United Nations, including of the Security Council; the financial crisis; the memorandum of understanding singed with Iraq last week; Cyprus; relations with Greece; the situations in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Georgia and the Middle East; and the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II).
The Secretary-General and Mr. Yilmaz reviewed Turkey's role in the implementation of the "oil-for-food" agreement with Iraq. The Secretary- General underlined the essential steps that had to be taken before the agreement could come into force, namely, the establishment by the United Nations Sanctions Committee of the necessary procedures for the implementation of all stages of the agreement; the appointment of monitors; the opening of the escrow account; and the presentation by Iraq of the distribution plan for approval by the Secretary-General.
The Secretary-General thanked Turkey for its participation in various peace-keeping operations. He acknowledged the fact that the United Nations owes Turkey $27 million in back-payments for its troop contributions.
Later in the evening, the Secretary-General and Mrs. Boutros-Ghali attended the dinner hosted in their honour by Prime Minister and Mrs. Yilmaz, attended by Parliamentarians, diplomats, governments officials and academics.
The Secretary-General is scheduled to meet with the Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, Mustafa Kalemli, tomorrow morning.
* *** *