Assembly urges international support to alleviate effects of Colombian volcanic eruption.

Assembly urges international support to alleviate effects of Colombian volcanic eruption

Following the 13 November Nevado del Ruiz volcano eruption in Colombia, the General Assembly called on Member States to "contribute generaously" to that nation's relief and reconstruction efforts and to channel that aid through the United Nations system.

By resolution 40/13, adopted without a vote on 15 November, the Secretary-General was asked to mobilize resources, co-ordinate multilateral assistance and determine the emergency and reconstruction needs of affected areas of the country. Augusto Ramirez Ocampo, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Colombia, estimated the immediate and direct direct damages caused by the disaster at $212 million. He said the people of Colombia were rallying together on the basis of national solidarity, and that his country would succeed in its reconstruction efforts.

Bolivia introduced the draft on behalf of 26 Governments. Its representative, Jorge Gumucio Granier, said "The people and Government of Colombia will deal with this natural disaster with characteristic valour and courage". The international community, he added, would take the necessary measures "to complement the efforts being made by that brother country with which we have histori ties of friendship".

More than 200,000 persons were afftected by the disaster. One third of the residents of the cities of Armero and Chinchina--22,000 of a total of 67,000--disappeared under mud and ash; thousands more were injured and hospitalized.

Carlos Alban-Holguin (Colombia) expressed his nation's gratitude for the Assembly action. Nature, which had provided Colombia's inhabitants "with lands, mountains and rivers, from which they derived their sustenance and wealth", had now seen fit "to unleash ... a volcanic avalanche which has caused the dealth of thousands of persons, buried entire towns, left tens of thousands of persons injured or in poor health conditions and which impoverished all of them", he said.

Very little could be done, he went on, to restore the towns and their people that have been buried by mud forever. He called for efforts "for those who remain alive, so that they can rebuild their homes, organize their work once again and return to their creative agricultural work which was so harshly interrupted".

Assembly President Jaime de Pinie's noted it was the second time the world body had had to confront disaster since September: First for the Mexican earthquake...