Crashed UN flight violated sovereignty

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 18: Yugoslavia has offered condolences on the crash of a UN plane in Kosovo last Friday in which all 24 people aboard were killed but said flights over the Serb province violated Yugoslav sovereignty.

Yugoslavia has repeatedly protested that various actions by the U.N. administration of Kosovo — including the opening of the airport at Pristina, the provincial capital — usurp prerogatives of the Belgrade Government.

In a letter to the president of the Security Council circulated yesterday, Yugoslav U.N. envoy Vladislav Jovanovic conveyed "the commiseration " of his Government over the crash, in which 21 staff of U.N. agencies and aid organisations and three crew were killed.

He said the cause would be established through an investigation, but added that "regrettably, flights to Kosovo...Are operated in violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia," contrary to a June Security Council resolution. (REUTERS)

US investigators say Egyptair crash was caused deliberately

NEW YORK, Nov 18: US investigators have tentatively concluded that relief co-pilot of crashed Egyptair Jetliner deliberately caused the mishap possibly to commit suicide, inviting anger from Egyptians here and in Egypt.

Meanwhile, Egyptian investigators, including a senior aviation official, have arrived in the US to join the probe and to listen to tapes of conversations that took place just before the crash of the boeing 767 on October 31.

Sources close to US investigators said all evidence led to the conclusion that co-pilot Gameel El-Batouty, who was alone in the cockpit at the time, deliberately caused the plunge into the Atlantic Ocean killing all the 217 people on board.

I made my decision now. I put my faith in God’s hands, The co-pilot is reported to have uttered in Arabic just before the crash, making the investigators to tentatively conclude that the mishap was caused deliberately.

Egyptians say the cultural differences could lead to wrong interpretation of the conversation.

US investigators believe that the co-pilot, who was not expected to fly till late into the plane and was granted permission.

When the autopilot was disengaged, he was alone in the cockpit with captain Ahmed Mahmoud El-Habashy having gone out briefly. (AP)

‘Oil-for-food’

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 18: Some Iraqi officials are getting kickbacks from companies supplying food, medicine and other humanitarian goods under the U.N. "oil-for-food" programme, the United States has charged.

Deputy U.S. representative to the United Nations Peter Burleigh told reporters yesterday one reason the United States has held up some contracts was because "we have problems with some companies which engage in what we consider to be illegal trading activities with the Government of Iraq — percentages paid to Government of Iraq officials, for example."

When the United States obtained such information, it explained to the relevant Governments "why we are not going to approve contracts from those companies which are involved in corrupt practices that benefit (Iraqi President) Saddam Hussein and his immediate circle."

Mr Burleigh could not say how many contracts or how much money was involved in the alleged kickbacks.

Iraq has repeatedly complained that the United States and Britain are holding up contracts in the Security Council’s Sanctions Committee, which must approve sales of civilian goods to Iraq under the "oil-for-food" programme.

This allows Baghdad to sell oil up to a specified value every six month to enable it to buy goods needed to ease the impact on ordinary Iraqis of U.N. sanctions in force since Iraq’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

The Security Council discussed behind closed doors on Wednesday how to proceed with the next six-month phase of the programme after the current phase expires on November 20.

The head of the U.N. programme, under-secretary-general Benon Sevan, told Council members that, as of November 15, the value of applications placed on hold amounted to 1.042 billion dollars compared with approved applications worth 8.770 billion dollars since the start of the programme three years ago.

He said 17 of the 602 contracts on hold accounted for 43 percent of the total value but gave no details. (REUTERS)

UN population official uneasy about us dues deal

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 17: A potential deal between the White House and Congressional Republicans linking abortion rights with the payment of U.N. dues drew criticism from the U.N. Population Fund, which feared family planning programmes overseas would be curtailed.

Nafis Sadik, UNFPA’s executive director, said her agency per se would might not be affected as it did not promote abortion or offer such services, although it did advocate treatment for botched abortions.

"We do not actually support abortion programmes," Ms Sadik said in answer to queries at a news conference. "It may not affect our funding but one doesn’t know what the interpretation may be," of the proposed legislation, she added.

UNFPA received nothing from the United States in 1999 but is due to get 25 million dollars in the year 2000.

"Those who are opposed to abortion must provide the maximum help for organisations that provide family planning services" to prevent unwanted pregnancies as well as stem the spread of aids by educating people on the use of condoms and other contraceptives, Ms Sadik, a Pakistani physician, said.

Population experts say UNFPA works with some groups, which advocate or offer abortion services in countries where abortion is illegal. But these are in counties where Governments have turned a blind eye and support family planning services. This is particularly true in refugee camps in case of rape.

The U.S. deal on abortion would free nearly 923 million dollars in arrears to the United Nations, over three years, Albeit with conditions.

Initial reports say it would ban U.S. funds going to international organisations that perform abortions or advocate liberalised abortion laws. The President could waive this requirement but this would automatically result in a 6 percent cut in the 385 million dollars of total international family assistance funding.

"What is puzzling to people outside the United States is that what is legal and right in the U.S. is forbidden on the outside," Ms Sadik said.

"And what is not allowed within the United States, like a gag rule, is somehow promoted outside the United States from a country which promotes basic human rights," she said.

Acknowledging the Clinton administration was in a difficult position if it wanted to get some of the U.N. arrears paid, Ms Sadik said she feared that any cutbacks on family planning would results in tens of thousands of unwanted pregnancies and an equal number of abortions.

The legal U.S. debt to the United Nations is now 1.6 billion dollars for dues and peacekeeping. The Helms-Biden bill under consideration in Congress would pay 923 million to the world body and impose conditions, such as lowering U.S. dues that requires the agreement of all U.N. members.

Canada’s U.N. Ambassador Robert Fowler told reporters "we do find it a little strange that Helms-Biden is somehow paying the U.S. debt when any analysis of at least the Helms-Biden bill falls short of paying the U.S. Debt."

He said it was a "fundamental contractual obligation" for U.N. members to pay their bills "in full, on time and without conditions and I mean in full, on time and without conditions."

If the bill passes, about 100 million dollars would be paid this year, leaving the administration to find 250 million dollars before December 31 or automatically lose its vote in the U.N. General Assembly, a condition of the U.N. charter. (REUTERS)

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