THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 15, 1996 TAG: 9608130146
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: THUMBS UP
SOURCE: BY DAWSON MILLS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: 93 lines
With the world becoming a more dangerous place, there are still many young people with hope for the future.
Eight of them, seven undergraduates and a teaching assistant from Old Dominion University, recently returned from The Hague, in the Netherlands, where they participated in the European International Model United Nations Conference 1996.
Last year, only three undergraduates and two faculty members from ODU took part in the annual event.
``Last year, we had to split it between The Hague and a similar conference in Mexico,'' said Maria Laura Fornella-Oehninger, instructor and director of ODU's Model U.N. program. ``But we decided it was better to send all our students to one because of the support they give each other. You're more of a presence, get a better reception, and get your voice heard.''
The undergraduates assumed the roles of delegates from member countries to the U.N. Obaid Jafri, 19, and Atif Khawaja, 18, represented South Korea on the Security Council.
Five of the students were in the General Assembly. Chandra Morrison, 23, and Christine Sawyer, represented Slovenia. Jamie Alford, 18, represented Albania. Mubeen Jafri, 18, and Dionisio Legaspi, 20, represented South Korea.
Teaching assistant Robert Paramore, faculty adviser for the group, served as president of the General Assembly.
The conference opened on July 4. Sessions of the Security Council, General Assembly, and International Court of Justice took place from July 6 to 10.
Conferees debated topics such as ``Human Rights and Terrorism'' in an effort to come to agreement from a variety of national perspectives. Consensus, when reached, was in the form of resolutions passed by the deliberative bodies.
``Chandra Morrison, head delegate for the group, is our human rights and terrorism expert,'' said Paramore.
``We are experiencing terrorism,'' said Sawyer, who is older than the other students and has lived in France and Belgium. ``We need to focus and work more together. France, Israel and Egypt are pushing to do something about terrorism.
``Now the U.S. is experiencing it. We need to work together to achieve something good. The question is, `How can you protect your borders?' ''
``Terrorists don't care who they kill,'' said Fornella-Oehninger. ``In the international community, that is the definition of terrorism, as opposed to war.''
``The U.N.,'' said Paramore, ``is using crimes against humanity and war crimes and genocide to prosecute terrorism because there are already statutes dealing with those issues.''
``There have been,'' added Fornella-Oehninger, ``no terrorism conventions passed by the U.N.''
The group anticipated the trip with varying goals and expectations. Legaspi hoped to gain experience with how the U.N. operates and make some international ties and some new friends. Morrison was hoping to enjoy the experience, especially a committee assignment with Paramore, who planned to visit the University of Leiden law school to learn more about their law program.
Paramore, Legaspi and Morrison want to pursue careers in international law. Sawyer hopes to work a few years for a nonprofit international organization and then teach. Obaid and Mubeen Jafri, brothers, and Khawaja plan to become physicians.
At a debriefing held July 29, those present said the trip had lived up to their expectations.
``It went well,'' said Mubeen Jafri. ``The conference sessions were very relaxed. It was very nice. It was actually point-to-point debating.''
``The way they did it,'' said Obaid Jafri, ``it was structured well.''
The Hague, a city with a rich diplomatic history, is home to the International Court of Justice. When the group arrived, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia was in session.
The participants could observe the International Court of Justice, tour the Peace Palace, and visit the Dutch Parliament. Sports activities, forums, parties, and other excursions permitted the delegates to interact socially.
Twenty-seven countries, from Europe, Asia, Africa, and North and South America, sent a total of 152 delegates to the conference.
Other subjects debated at the conference included the Kurdish question, conflict in the Kashmir territory, and financing the U.N. The International Court of Justice heard a case involving fishing rights between Spain and Canada. A ``pop quiz'' crisis, unexpectedly thrown at the delegates when they arrived, involving Zaire, Rwanda, and Burundi, was quickly resolved.
Four of this year's participants from ODU have been selected for leadership roles, as members of the Secretariat, at next year's conference. Paramore will serve as Secretary-General, the U.N.'s highest post, and Khawaja, Legaspi and Morrison will serve on the conference's staff.
The ODU Model U.N. program is part of the university's Department of Political Science and Geography. ILLUSTRATION: From left, advisor Robert Paramore, Dionisio Legaspi,
Mubeen Jafri, Chandra Morrison, Obaid Jafri, Atif Khawaja, Christine
Sawyer and Jamie Alford recently returned from the Netherlands,
where they participated in the European International Model United
Nations Conference 1996. by CNB