Allegations of Rwandan collaboration with the rebel National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) were merely hearsay generated by those interested in distorting the facts for their own reasons, Rwanda's Permanent Representative to the United Nations said at a Headquarters press conference this morning.
The campaign to remove the seat of the Holy See at the United Nations is about abortion not religion, correspondents were told this morning at a Headquarters press conference given by a coalition of religious and civic non- governmental organizations. The press conference was sponsored by the United States Mission.
The status of the Holy See as a Non-Member State Permanent Observer at the United Nations should be reviewed, representatives of Catholics for a Free Choice and other women's and civil society groups urged at a Headquarters press conference this morning.
The United Nations Standby Arrangements system was a valuable step towards establishing a rapid deployment capacity for the Organization, Commander Erkki Platan of the Standby Arrangements Unit told correspondents at a Headquarters press briefing this afternoon. He was introducing the annual report on the Unit's activities in 1999.
The role of legislators was key in ensuring that peace agreements that were being put into place by governments had the requisite political support domestically, regionally and internationally, Shazai Rafi, Secretary-General of Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) told correspondents at a Headquarters press conference this afternoon.
The Secretary-General today appointed 16 Commissioners to the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), the Under-Secretary- General for Disarmament Affairs, Jayantha Dhanapala, announced at a Headquarters press briefing this afternoon.
The Security Council would hold an open debate tomorrow entitled Maintaining peace and security: humanitarian action in the Security Council, Carolyn McAskie, Emergency Relief Coordinator a.i., told journalists at a Headquarters press briefing today.
Lakhdar Brahimi of Algeria, newly-appointed Chairman of the Panel established by Secretary-General Kofi Annan to conduct a major study on United Nations peace operations, told correspondents at a Headquarters press briefing today that when such operations were being ventured, staying power, political will and resources must be ensured until their completion.
