Evelyn Leopold
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/ 19 May 2007

UN prepares mission to talk to Chad leaders

The United Nations intends to send a mission to Chad next week in an attempt to allay government concerns about a proposed UN peacekeeping operation in Sudan’s western neighbour, UN officials said on Friday. The group of about 10 experts leaves during the weekend to begin talks with Chadian leaders in the capital, Ndjamena, on Tuesday.

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/ 17 May 2007

UN denies helping Zim diamond smuggling

The United Nations said on Wednesday an independent probe was being conducted into whether UN vehicles were used to smuggle diamonds from a mine in Zimbabwe. In January, the industry’s World Diamond Council said it received reports that diamonds in Zimbabwe were being smuggled into South Africa.

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/ 12 May 2007

Zim to head key UN commission

Zimbabwe, widely criticised for mismanaging its economy, was elected on Friday as head of the Commission on Sustainable Development, the main United Nations inter-governmental body on the environment. Despite objections from Western nations, the 53-nation commission voted Zimbabwe’s Minister of Environment and Tourism, Francis Nheme, as chairperson to replace oil-producer Qatar.

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/ 21 April 2007

New proposals unveiled for Security Council reform

The United Nations General Assembly has unveiled proposals that would send plans to expand the elite UN Security Council back to the drawing board and instead enlarge the elite body on a temporary basis. The Security Council, which can make mandatory decisions on war and peace, has five veto-bearing permanent members given seats when the UN was created in 1945.