. 2000 SUMMIT . NEWS . INTERNATIONAL . This WEEK . FROM OUR MAILBAG . SPORT . CULTURAL . ARTS IN THE WORLD September 9, 2000 Millennium Summit ends with more promises than action BY HECTOR IGARZA (Prensa Latina) A final declaration, after about 180 speeches in three days, marked the close of the Millennium Summit, which was filled with promises and hopes but few concrete actions aside from the Cuban offer to send as many as 3,000 doctors to Africa. Attended by 147 heads of state or government, plus high-level delegations, the largest meeting in the history of the United Nations was held on Wednesday through Friday at the UN headquarters in New York. The aim of the conference was to discuss the dangers to world peace and security, and how they can be protected. Poverty, underdevelopment, devastating diseases such as AIDS, illiteracy, conflicts and internal wars, peacekeeping operations and the necessary reforms of the UN and especially the Security Council were the subjects covered in one way or another by the dignitaries. Cuban President Fidel Castro confirmed that he is a leader in word and deed, offering the World Health Organization up to 3,000 doctors to send to Africa, the region most affected by AIDS and other deadly epidemics, in order to cure and train local medical personnel. Without mentioning that a small blockaded country was the one to make such an offer, the Cuban leader challenged the powerful and rich nations of the North to do more with their millions of dollars in economic and financial reserves. At the Summit, most of the speakers criticized the United States for not paying its UN dues and demanded that the Security Council be reformed, especially in terms of expanding the number of permanent members. The body charged with maintaining peace and security has 15 members, five of which (United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia and China) are permanent members with the power to veto any decision made. Another 10 countries are chosen for two-year periods. As for peacekeeping missions, a mini-summit of the Security Council approved a declaration committing the Council to forming a well-trained, well-equipped, well-commanded contingent (army?) capable of responding quickly to conflicts. The declaration was not approved by the traditional vote for a draft resolution, indicating that there was disagreement among the 15 presidents and prime ministers concerning the nature of peacekeeping operations and the principles of sovereignty, independence and respect for the internal affairs. The organization is currently involved in 14 peacekeeping operations, almost all of them in the world's poorest countries, with 37,000 civilian and military personnel at an annual cost of $2.2 billion USD. The leaders of the Middle East centered their efforts on reviving the talks between Israel and the Palestinians, but Tel Aviv's refusal to withdraw from eastern Jerusalem, where the Palestinians plan to have their future state capital, made any progress impossible. The African continent was given special attention through a Summit declaration adopted by acclamation, in which the heads of state and government committed themselves to promoting democracy, strengthening respect for human rights and halting the spread of AIDS. Festus Mogae, president of Botswana, launched a dramatic appeal, noting that each day lost to action is a day too late for the African peoples. He added that the people of Africa are crying out for help, and the world must respond while there is still time. The rhetorical response of the powerful came in a speech which was more paternalistic than practical, given by the British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who urged the leaders to enter a new era of alliance with the African continent, in order to aid the Africans to resolve their conflicts and develop their economies. . NEWS . INTERNATIONAL . SPORT . CULTURAL . This WEEK . FROM OUR MAILBAG . OUR AMERICA . ARTS IN THE WORLD . MORE INFORMATION ON THE SOUTH SUMMIT Javier Sotomayor | Documentos | Revistas | Correo-E | Ingl�s | Franc�s | Portugu�s | Alem�n � Copyright. 1996-2000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. GRANMA INTERNATIONAL/ ONLINE EDITION
