Luanda, 01/17 - Visiting UN high
commissioner for human rights, Sergio Vieira de Mello, Thursday in Luanda
appealed to the Government of Angola to ratify three relevant conventions
linked to his field of work the earliest.
They are the conventions on torture,
elimination of all forms of racial discrimination and rights of immigrant
workers and their families. The latter has just been brought into force
following its ratification by East Timor, UN youngest member country.
Sergio Vieira de Mello, who is in Luanda on a working visit, spoke to the press of his appeal after he had been received in audience by Angolan Prime Minister, Fernando Piedade Dias dos Santos, on Thursday evening.
The Brazilian diplomat said as well he made the same appeal to the Angola head of State, Jose Eduardo dos Santos and to the Speaker of the National Assembly (parliament), Roberto de Almeida, during morning audiences.
Sergio Vieira de Mello expressed the hope and optimism for a positive response from the Angolan Government, so that the human rights efforts in the country are incorporated in a national plan that prioritises the UN agencies' activity, in the areas the Government sees as of top priority.
He further stated that with the Prime Minister, he discussed the economic, social and cultural dimension of the Angolan Government's human rights agenda.
A stress was focused on the UN system's capacity to assist the Government of Angola with implementing such fundamental rights as food, health, education and job.
As a priority, he added, this agenda has as its target group the populations that were affected most hit by the war, the displaced and ex-soldiers and their families still lying at the sheltering camps.
Sergio Vieira de Mello said the Angolan Prime Minister asked him to intercede with the international community to increment its contribution to the efforts of harmonisation of the situation in Angola ravaged by years of armed conflict. (Source: ANGOP)