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The Geneva-based 61-member UN disarmament commission began its 1997 session on January 21 to establish a committee on a fissile materials cut-off treaty, a top priority on the UN's agenda since March 1995. But the developing countries' insistence on multilateral talks to eliminate all nuclear weapons within a fixed period has posed a deadlock.

The nuclear dukes, however, say that disarmament must first be tackled bilaterally between the US and Russia, and that parallel talks would serve no purpose.

Bhagwan Shrestha of Nepal and Delia Buratto of France are the recipients of this year's UN Population Fund-UN Volunteer Award for excellence in the field of population and development. They have been awarded a certificate of appreciation and $2,500 to be donated to a population programme of their choice.

Buratto helped pioneer population education in school and university syllabi, while Shrestha worked with the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association to train health professionals, educators and community leaders in family planning and reproductive health.

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