UN Radio: Russian President Says UN is Irreplaceable in Resolving Global Problems
Russian President Says UN is Irreplaceable in Resolving Global Problems
World Leaders continued today to express their views on global issues. The President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir
Putin said United Nations instruments are irreplaceable in resolving global problems. In a wide-ranging address to the
General Assembly, President Putin said the goals laid down in the UN Charter continue to serve as a steady and long-term
foundation for the activities of the United Nations. He cited Iraq as a clear example of this. President Putin said
despite strong differences on how to resolve the Iraqi crisis, the problem is now back on the United Nations agenda:
(Russian, followed by English interpretation)
"Here the position of Russia is consistent and clear: only direct participation of the United Nations in the
reconstruction of Iraq will give its people and opportunity to independently decide their future. "
Prime Minister of Malaysia Calls For Abolition of Single Country Veto The Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahatir Mohamad warned that a unipolar world, dominated by one democratic nation, is
leading the world to economic chaos, political anarchy, uncertainty and fear. He said democracy, the rule of law and
respect for human rights require the powerful nations to demonstrate their commitment to all these noble ideals by
restructuring the United Nations, in particular the abolition of the single veto power in the Security Council:
"This should be replaced with a modified veto where two veto powers, backed by three other members of the Security
Council would be needed to block any United Nations resolution. But slowly, even this should be dismantled in favour of
majority decisions in the Security Council. "
India Calls for Concerted Efforts Against International Terrorism
The Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, called for united action against international terrorism. He told the
Assembly that the solidarity expressed after the September 11 terrorist attacks has not translated into coherent and
effective action. He added that there is a lot the UN can do to carry forward the war against international terrorism:
"Multilateral mechanisms must be created to detect and choke off international financial flows to terrorists and
terrorist organizations. A much better international system of information exchange and intelligence sharing needs to be
devised to prevent terrorists from evading capture, simply by crossing national boundaries. "
UN Reduces International Staff in Iraq
The Secretary-General has ordered a temporary redeployment of UN international staff in Iraq. UN spokesman Fred Eckhard
says 42 of them remain in Baghdad and 44 in the north of the country and those numbers can be expected to shrink further
over the next few days:
"This is not an evacuation, just a further downsizing and the security situation in the country remains under constant
review. Meanwhile, our essential humanitarian activities in Iraq continue, thanks to the efforts of our more than 4,000
national staff in the country."
FAO Appeals for $7.7 million to Help Ethiopia
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO has appealed for over $7 million to help the hungry people in Ethiopia.
The money will be used for projects on animal, health, feed and fodder and to provide seeds for non-cereal crops. The
agency says the funding of these projects is essential to strengthen the capacity of vulnerable farmers and pastoralists
to make them more self-reliant. FAO says that more than 13 million people are now in need of emergency assistance in
Ethiopia.
UNICEF Voices Grave Concern at Child Trafficking in Afghanistan
The UN Children's Fund has expressed grave concern over the reported abduction and trafficking of Afghan children to
neighbouring countries. UNICEF says that children as young as four are being trafficked and called on the government to
use its full weight of the law against those found responsible. The agency says the trafficking of children is against
the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Afghanistan has ratified.