STUDENTS GET FLAVOR OF U.N. DURING MODEL EVENT

France was condemned for atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons, the chairman of the Economic and Finance Committee was chastised for wearing a biased tie, and the president chided delegates for passing notes on the floor of the General Assembly.

All in all, it was a peaceful day as an estimated 430 middle- and high-school students from the area participated in the Southeast Missouri Model United Nations at Southeast Missouri State University Tuesday.

Delegates met in committee all morning and headed into the General Assembly during the afternoon.

Four issues were voted on. A resolution condemning France for atmospheric testing of atomic weapons in the Bikini Islands, encouraging the end of such testing and calling on the U.N. to oversee France's nuclear testing was approved. Members of the Security Council approved a resolution stipulating that member nations surrounding all atmospheric nuclear testing sites acknowledge testing and that two representatives of the Security Council monitor the tests.

Some delegates started to protest the Security Council's additions, but Chris Robertson, president of the Model United Nations and of Student Government, quickly quashed debate by saying, "The Security Council has veto power; that's the way it is in the real world."

Delegates voted down a resolution calling on "leading industrialists to revaluate and limit (economic and trade) sanctions" currently imposed against member nations acting against U.N. policy. Also voted down was a resolution calling for the establishment of protective measures for developing nations whose labor forces are being utilized by industrialized nations.

Delegates tabled a resolution calling for the establishment of an "international network of weather correspondence" to warn nations at risk of weather-related catastrophes. The resolution would have given the United States control of weather reporting and information gathering.

The conference won't influence world affairs, but delegates did learn a little about international politics and caucus-building.

Angela Moreles, a senior at Cape Girardeau Central High School, said it was her fourth Model United Nations. "I've learned that there are some people that just can't get along," she said. "There are some people out there that are going to be difficult even if they do agree with your resolution."

Moreles was a member of the Haitian delegation. The weather network was a hot issue for representatives of Haiti, who opposed the resolution.

"We're just making sure that we don't get drawn into something that costs us a lot of money since we're so far in debt anyway," Moreles said.

She said she especially enjoyed debating the different issues. "It's just really fun when people just argue for the sake of arguing," she said.

"We only passed one thing," said Julie Forbes, a student at North County High School in Bonne Terre and a member of the United Kingdom's delegation and the Security Council. "The peace-keeping force was the big sticking point."

The resolution approved by the Security Council but not voted on by the General Assembly called for creation of a "permanent United Nations multinational force to be deployed anywhere in the world where conditions indicate a conflict is imminent."

Other resolutions brought to the General Assembly but not voted on dealt with child labor, education funding, drug trafficking and support of economic development in Third World member nations.

Southeast's political science department chairs the Model United Nations and draws up general topics for debate and discussion, said Dr. Rick Althaus, associate professor and faculty adviser for the event.

"We try to pick topics that we feel are pretty timely in the real world," Althaus said.

Bruce Skinner, a Southeast student and chairman of the Economic and Finance Committee, took off his "Stars and Stripes" after a delegate complained the tie showed bias while delegates were debating during the General Assembly.

"It wasn't brought up during committee, so I was surprised it was mentioned," Skinner said.