| Date | 25 November 1994 |
|---|---|
| Started | 10:00 |
| Ended | 13:35 |
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Agenda item 37 (continued)
Strengthening of the coordination of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance of the United Nations, including special economic assistance
(a) Strengthening of the coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance of the United Nations
(i) Report of the Secretary-General (A/49/177, Corr.1 and Add.1)
(ii) Draft resolution (A/49/L.19)
(b) Special economic assistance to individual countries or regions
(i) Reports of the Secretary-General (A/49/158, A/49/263 and Corr.1, A/49/356, A/49/376, A/49/387 and Corr.1, A/49/388, A/49/396, A/49/397, A/49/431, A/49/456, A/49/466, A/49/470, A/49/516, A/49/562, A/49/581, A/49/683)
(ii) Draft resolutions (A/49/L.26, A/49/L.28, A/49/L.30, A/49/L.31, A/49/L.32, A/49/L.34, A/49/L.36, A/49/L.37)
(c) International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (i) Note by the Secretary-General (A/49/453)
(ii) Report of the World Conference on Natural Disaster Reduction (A/CONF.172/9 and Add.1)
(iii) Draft resolutions (A/49/L.21, A/49/L.29)
(d) International cooperation to mitigate the environmental consequences on Kuwait and other countries in the region resulting from the situation between Iraq and Kuwait: report of the Secretary-General (A/49/207 and Corr.1)
(f) Emergency international assistance for a solution to the problem of refugees, the restoration of total peace, reconstruction and socio-economic development in war-stricken Rwanda: draft resolution (A/49/L.24/Rev.1)
(g) Special assistance to countries receiving refugees from Rwanda: draft resolution (A/49/L.17/Rev.1)
The President
I wish to draw the attention of members to two additional draft resolutions the Assembly has before it under sub-item (b) of agenda item 37: first, draft resolution A/49/L.34 entitled "Assistance for the reconstruction and development of Djibouti"; and, secondly, draft resolution A/49/L.37, entitled "Special plan of economic cooperation for Central America".
I call on the representative of Algeria to introduce draft resolution A/49/L.24/Rev.1.
Mr. Belhimeur (Algeria)
It is my honour to introduce, on behalf of the Group of 77 and its other co-sponsors, draft resolution A/49/L.24/Rev.1, entitled "Emergency international assistance for a solution to the problem of refugees, the restoration of total peace, reconstruction and socio-economic development in war-stricken Rwanda".
I am pleased to say that the draft resolution incorporates the useful suggestions made by many delegations, members of the Group of 77 as well as of other groups. Its improvement in content and form helped give the draft resolution its large number of co-sponsors.
On behalf of the Group of 77 the Algerian delegation wishes to extend its profound and sincere thanks to the Secretary-General for his report (A/49/516) on emergency assistance for the socio-economic rehabilitation of Rwanda. It is most regrettable that the resumption of the civil war and the vicissitudes experienced with regard to the Arusha Peace Agreement have interfered with the implementation of resolution 48/211 of 21 December 1993 entitled "Emergency assistance for the socio-economic rehabilitation of Rwanda".
Draft resolution A/49/L.24/Rev.1, to be seen in the context of the end of the war in Rwanda, draws the attention of the international community to the need for emergency international assistance for that country, bled white economically, financially and socially. As the preamble and operative paragraphs indicate, the draft resolution emphasizes the need for emergency international assistance for a solution to the problem of refugees, the restoration of total peace and reconstruction and socio-economic development in war-stricken Rwanda.
In the light of its primarily humanitarian nature, the draft resolution should be considered with care and should be adopted by consensus.
Mr. Amaziane (Morocco)
I have the honour and pleasure to introduce, on behalf of Djibouti and my own country, draft resolution A/49/L.34, entitled "Assistance for the reconstruction and development of Djibouti".
Djibouti, this brotherly and friendly country, deserves the solidarity of the international community for more than one reason. It is one of the least developed countries in the world, being in a category of countries whose economies are marked by structural weaknesses and by factors that make them extremely vulnerable to external shocks and natural or man-made disasters.
In addition, Djibouti is in an arid zone, with a climate of extremes, recurring drought and rampant desertification. Moreover, because of regional conflicts, particularly the conflict in Somalia, Djibouti has had an influx of more than 100,000 refugees, putting its fragile economic, social and administrative infrastructure under great tension and causing serious security problems.
Moreover, these regional conflicts have disrupted service, transit and exchange activities, thus draining away vital State revenues, and this has harmed the implementation of many priority development projects.
Finally, more recently, in November, torrential rains and unprecedented flooding devastated the country, causing the deaths of dozens of people, the disappearance of hundreds of others, the demolition of thousands of homes, the disintegration of important sectors of the national infrastructure and the destruction of cattle.
For all these reasons, my country urgently appeals to the international community to increase its financial and technical assistance to Djibouti and to support its reconstruction and development efforts. In that context, my delegation wishes to draw the attention of Member States to the Round Table for Djibouti to be organized in Geneva in March 1995, and requests developed countries and other donors to participate in large numbers.
Finally, the co-sponsors wish to thank all countries and organizations that have rendered emergency assistance to Djibouti. This draft resolution, which follows the traditional draft resolution on humanitarian assistance to that country, is humanitarian in nature, and we hope that the Assembly will adopt it by consensus.
Mr. Barac (Romania)
My delegation is grateful to the Secretary-General for his report (A/49/356) entitled "Economic assistance to States affected by the implementation of the Security Council resolutions imposing sanctions against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro)". I should like to make a few comments on this important document.
The report contains general information and data about the negative consequences of the implementation of Security Council resolutions imposing sanctions against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) for neighbouring countries and other countries in the region. The actual magnitude of the impact of the sanctions varies according to the specific situation of the affected country, including the intensity of its economic ties with the former Yugoslavia, the commodity composition of its trade and the proximity and costs of alternative trade routes.
As far as Romania is concerned, I should like to stress that the implementation of the sanctions has seriously affected both external accounts and a variety of domestic variables, including economic outputs, investments, employment and the fiscal budget. The major branches of the Romanian economy that have been seriously damaged are: industry; agriculture and the food industry -- for which the negative impact was mainly a result of disrupted production links, the cancellation of shipments of commodities and raw materials, and unsold goods -- transportation (as a result of the suppression of traditional air, rail, road and river routes, not to mention the tremendous difficulties for the Danube river traffic); tourism; unreceived custom taxes and fees; and so on.
The Secretary-General rightly emphasizes in his report that
"a specific feature of the Yugoslav sanctions is the unusually high cost of their secondary side effects'". (A/49/356, para. 19).
The report also underscores the fact that
"the bulk of the trade losses reported by the affected countries stem from additional costs as a result of the disruption of transportation across the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ... They are likely to be more significant for such countries as Bulgaria, Romania and The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. In addition to the increased transportation costs, current account losses reflect reductions in transportation receipts, transit fees and revenues from communications." (ibid., para. 19).
Despite several instances of past and current application of Article 50, we note from the report that
"there is no uniform and internationally recognized methodology for identifying and assessing the nature and magnitude of the specific economic problems of non-target States as a result of mandatory economic sanctions." (ibid., para. 12).
We consider that it is to the benefit of both the affected countries and the international community to have an internationally recognized methodology for identifying and assessing the nature and magnitude of the losses and damages caused by the embargo regime.
As it is mentioned in the report, Romania, like other countries in the region, has received some assistance from a number of countries and from international organizations. I take this opportunity to express the gratitude of the Government of Romania to all countries and international organizations that have showed concern over our difficulties and to praise those that have already decided to afford us some assistance.
However, the assistance received in direct connection with the sanctions regime compensates for a small part of the large amount of losses and damages caused by the implementation of the sanctions. In this context, we hope that the concerns showed by some States, over the difficulties Romania is currently facing, will soon be replaced by concrete cooperation programmes, and let me emphasize: cooperation programmes in the context of the economic difficulties sustained by Romania as a consequence of the sanctions regime.
The last chapter of the Secretary-General's report, although brief, contains important conclusions, and we are grateful to him for providing such a clear outline. I shall limit myself to enumerating some of the conclusions that, in our view, have a significant importance for the future work of the United Nations.
It is underscored that, while a precise quantification of the losses is difficult for a variety of reasons,
"there is no doubt about the fact that all the neighbouring countries and several other States in the region have been substantially affected as a result of the sanctions." (ibid., para. 76).
The report concludes that
"the total adverse impact of the sanctions is such that it requires a concerted and multifaceted response from the international community." (ibid.).
It is clearly said that
"there is no mechanism in the United Nations to address the spirit of Article 50 effectively and systematically." (ibid., para. 80).
Since, in our view, there is no mechanism at all, we consider that finding a solution to this problem be a priority for the United Nations.
The report specifically mentions that, within the international financial institutions, there is "no compensatory or contingency financing", and that
"no special mechanism has been established to directly address the adverse spillover effects of the sanctions imposed on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia." (ibid., para. 77).
We concur with the conclusion that additional financial resources should be mobilized from bilateral sources, international financial institutions, regional banks and the private sector in order adequately to respond to the substantial additional requirements resulting from the sanctions regime.
The last conclusion we consider important to mention is the Secretary-General's comment that,
"it is essential to identify a set of general issues (principles or criteria) for the purpose of impact analysis and assessment on a more standardized basis." (ibid., para. 14).
In our view, those are the main issues to be solved on a priority basis. Once the problems of mechanism, resources, standard approach and political will are solved, assistance to non-target States affected by sanctions will only be a question of implementation. We are of the opinion that the conclusions contained in the Secretary-General's report should guide the future work of the Organization, and will benefit from the pertinent response and approach from the current session of the General Assembly.
Mr. Al-Sabah (Kuwait)
My delegation wishes to comment on agenda item 37 (d), entitled "International cooperation to mitigate the environmental consequences on Kuwait and other countries in the region resulting from the situation between Iraq and Kuwait: report of the Secretary-General".
At the outset, I should like to pay tribute to the Secretary-General of the United Nations for his report (A/49/207). It contains accurate and valuable information on the environmental situation in the Gulf area, and the grave environmental damage to the marine, land and atmospheric ecosystem and health of the region.
The environment in our region was one of the victims of the misguided Iraqi attack on the State of Kuwait on 2 August 1990. The environmental destruction was comprehensive and was not confined only to Kuwait but also affected the entire Gulf area and geographic areas much further afield. Since the attack on Kuwait, the environment in our region has suffered and will continue to suffer for an unknown period in the future. Although three years have passed since the last oil wells set ablaze by the Iraqi regime were extinguished, human health was and continues to be endangered as a result of the atmospheric pollution in the region due to the destruction of oil wells, and blasting which led to the release of large amounts of hazardous chemical matters and lethal chemicals in Kuwait and the region.
The pall of smoke was so thick that we in the Gulf region could not tell day from night. The environmental crimes perpetrated by the Iraqi regime did not affect the atmosphere only; it damaged the marine and land environments as well. Kuwait continues to suffer from the damage to soil and vegetation caused by the Iraqi regime having set fire to oil wells. Large quantities of crude oil from those wells have spread to form more than 240 vast lakes of oil in the desert. Some of those lakes are as much as one metre in depth.
Moreover, many land-mines remain, along with tonnes of buried ammunition, left behind in Kuwait by the Iraqi regime. These continue to threaten life and environment in our country. It is no secret that hundreds of innocent Kuwaiti civilians, including the elderly, youths and children, have lost their lives because of the presence of these mines and devices.
The marine environment too has been gravely affected: the Iraqi regime dumped between 6 million and 8 million barrels of oil into the waters of the Gulf. Many studies and reports on this matter have affirmed that this oil pollution has killed tens of thousands of sea birds. Moreover, oil now covers hundreds of square kilometres of marine vegetation, which has been damaged by the pollution. Our marine environment continues to suffer as a result of the presence in the Gulf of sea-mines and wrecked oil tankers and other ships.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) recently surveyed the pollution resulting from the wrecks of oil tankers and other ships in the northern part of the Gulf. The preliminary findings state, inter alia: first, that there are many wrecks posing a threat to the safety of international navigation; second, that there is obvious pollution of the marine environment, into which oil from sunken tankers continues to seep, and that grave environmental disasters could occur since many of these wrecked tankers still hold much of their cargo; third, that pollution continues owing to the currents of polluted waters from the Shaat al-Arab, where many boats, cargo vessels and oil tankers were sunk, posing an ongoing threat to the coastal regions of neighbouring countries; fourth, that the more than 200 wrecks near northern Kuwait, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Iraq pose a clear threat to maritime traffic as there are no visible markers, although some wrecks are marked with green buoys; fifth, that there is obvious pollution from oil and oil derivatives in the survey area, with initial examination of some oil-tanker wrecks showing that these continue to hold fuel and lubrication oils in addition to portions of their cargo; and finally, that many mines and shipwrecks of various sizes lie in territorial and international waters in the northern part of the survey area, most important among them the huge Iraqi oil tanker, Al-Amariya, which was sunk in international waters south of the port of Al-Bakr in 35 metres of water and which was carrying heavy Iraqi crude. The Al-Amariya was cut in half, and still holds more than 100,000 tonnes of oil. The wrecks of more than 20 other oil tankers lie between Al-Zubir and Umm-Qasz, including the wreck of the tanker Tadmur and two oil container ships, one of which is sunk. All these ships are still loaded with oil and lubricants.
It is clear that the rehabilitation of a marine environment constantly exposed to oil and oil derivatives seeping from wrecks, including ensuring safety of navigation in the northern Gulf, requires coordination of efforts by the affected States, the international community and the relevant international organizations. Cooperation and coordination in this regard could be achieved through joint regional and international programmes on the following basis: first, immediate retrieval without any delay of the cargo of the Al-Amariya, both fuel and crude oil, as the wreck poses the threat of an imminent major environmental disaster; second, we must recover the cargo of the other sunken tankers, as such cargo poses imminent threat to the environment; third, clearly visible buoys and other markers must be placed, identifying the location of these wrecks, to ensure the safety of international shipping until such wreckage is removed.
My delegation reaffirms the need to implement those recommendations. They must be an urgent priority. Any delay could lead to an environmental disaster that threatens not only Kuwait, but all the other States of the region as well.
Mr. Escobar (Colombia)
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| <type 'exceptions.UnicodeEncodeError'> | Python 2.6.6: /usr/bin/python Sat May 18 23:19:23 2013 |
A problem occurred in a Python script. Here is the sequence of function calls leading up to the error, in the order they occurred.
| /data/vhost/www.undemocracy.com/docs/trunk.py in |
| 194 if __name__ == "__main__": |
| 195 pathpart = os.getenv("PATH_INFO") |
| 196 maintrunk(pathpart) |
| 197 |
| 198 |
| maintrunk = <function maintrunk>, pathpart = '/generalassembly_49/meeting_67' |
| /data/vhost/www.undemocracy.com/docs/trunk.py in maintrunk(pathpart='/generalassembly_49/meeting_67') |
| 131 elif pagefunc == "gameeting": |
| 132 LogIncomingDB(hmap["docid"], hmap["gadice"] or "0", referrer, ipaddress, useragent, remadeurl) |
| 133 WriteHTML(hmap["htmlfile"], hmap["pdfinfo"], hmap["gadice"], hmap["highlightdoclink"]) |
| 134 elif pagefunc == "agendanumexpanded": |
| 135 LogIncomingDB(pagefunc, hmap["agendanum"], referrer, ipaddress, useragent, remadeurl) |
| global WriteHTML = <function WriteHTML>, hmap = {'docid': 'A-49-PV.67', 'gadice': '', 'gameeting': 67, 'gasession': 49, 'highlightdoclink': None, 'htmlfile': '/home/undemocracy/undata/html/A-49-PV.67.html', 'pagefunc': 'gameeting', 'pdfinfo': <pdfinfo.PdfInfo instance>} |
| /home/undemocracy/unparse-live/web2/unpvmeeting.py in WriteHTML(fhtml='/home/undemocracy/undata/html/A-49-PV.67.html', pdfinfo=<pdfinfo.PdfInfo instance>, gadice='', highlightth=None) |
| 322 if dclass == "spoken": |
| 323 if not gadice or agendagidcurrent == gadice: |
| 324 WriteSpoken(gid, dtextmu, councilpresidentnation) |
| 325 elif dclass == "subheading": |
| 326 if agendagidcurrent and (not gadice or agendagidcurrent == gadice): |
| global WriteSpoken = <function WriteSpoken>, gid = u'pg005-bk01', dtextmu = u'<h3 class="speaker"> <span class="name">Mr. Esco...ated a new frame of reference on the subject.</p>', councilpresidentnation = None |
| /home/undemocracy/unparse-live/web2/unpvmeeting.py in WriteSpoken(gid=u'pg005-bk01', dtext=u'<h3 class="speaker"> <span class="name">Mr. Esco...ated a new frame of reference on the subject.</p>', councilpresidentnation=None) |
| 69 print '</cite>' |
| 70 |
| 71 print dtext[mspek.end(0):] |
| 72 |
| 73 print '</div>' |
| dtext = u'<h3 class="speaker"> <span class="name">Mr. Esco...ated a new frame of reference on the subject.</p>', mspek = <_sre.SRE_Match object>, mspek.end = <built-in method end of _sre.SRE_Match object> |
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