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. -=-