unitex@rubbs.fidonet.org (unitex) (10/12/89)
UN LEGAL COMMITTEE CONTINUES DEBATE
Posting Date: 10/09/89 Copyright UNITEX Communications, 1989
UNITEX Network, USA ISSN: 1043-7932
STRENGTHENING UNITED NATIONS ROLE IN PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT OF
DISPUTES
The Sixth Committee (Legal) this afternoon continued discussion
of ways of strengthening the role of the United Nations in the
peaceful settlement of disputes, including resort to commissions
of good offices and use of fact-finding missions in situations
threatening international peace and security.
Statements were made by representatives of Uganda, Bulgaria,
United Republic of Tanzania, Ukraine and Ecuador.
The Committee will conclude consideration of these and other
subjects contained in the report of the Special Committee on the
Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the
Role of the Organization during its next meeting at 10 a.m.
Monday, 9 October.
Committee's Work Programme
The Sixth Committee (Legal) met this afternoon to continue its
simultaneous consideration of the report of the Special Committee
on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of
the Role of the Organization (document A/44/33) as well as the
question of peaceful settlement of disputes between States.
Statements Made
CHRISTINE MULINDWA-MATOVU (Uganda) said momentum should not be
lost now that the United Nations was, to a great extent,
regaining Members' confidence in its ability to resolve
conflicts and maintain international peace. So the Special
Committee on the Charter's work gained even greater importance.
Uganda particularly favoured the consideration of ways to expand
the co-operation of the United Nations with regional
organizations in seeking the political settlement of crisis
situations. An attempt should always be made to resolve
conflicts at the regional level.
Further, she said Uganda welcomed the proposed establishment of
fact-finding missions which would be the next natural step in
attempts to resolve a conflict situation after the preventive
stage had passed. Parties to a conflict were too often
embroiled in the situation to be able to present an objective
version of the facts. Thus, a fact-finding mechanism was most
logical. But the approval of the receiving State for a
fact-finding mission should be obtained to avoid any
infringement on its sovereignty.
Uganda also supported the proposal to resort to a commission of
good offices. Many mechanisms already existed, but the addition
of another option would cause no harm and might be applied when
others were not, she said.
On the rationalization of existing procedures of the United
Nations, she said she would support proposed changes so long as
they were not used to fetter Members' rights to express their
will freely. She also said the proposal by the Austrian Foreign
Minister, Alois Mock, to create a system for preventing
environmental disputes between States seemed to have merit. But
for developing countries, the environmental issue should be dealt
with alongside the developmental one, since both were
inextricably linked.
IVAN SOTIROV (Bulgaria) said statements being made in the
General Assembly plenary reflected the belief that the solution
to global problems required an efficient United Nations with a
central role in the maintenance of international peace and
security. Strict adherence to the provisions of the Charter was
of primary importance to the strengthening of that role. United
Nations fact-finding should be carried out primarily by the
Security Council, which was the main body with the basic
responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and
security. Recent cases had demonstrated that such activities by
the Secretary-General could also produce very good results.
He said fact-finding missions should be dispatched after prior
agreement of the parties concerned and should be given all the
necessary facilities for the fulfilment of their task. It was
in that context that he considered very
useful and practical the approach adopted by Czechoslovakia and
the German Democratic Republic in their working paper on the
subject. Both their paper and another one by six sponsors were
* Origin: UNITEX --> Toward a United Species (1:107/501)
---
Patt Haring | United Nations | Did u read
patth@sci.ccny.cuny.edu | Information | misc.headlines.unitex
patth@ccnysci.BITNET | Transfer Exchange | today?
-=- Every child smiles in the same language. -=-