United Nations Daily Highlights, 00-02-03

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From: The United Nations Home Page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.org

BY FRED ECKHARD

SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Thursday, February 3, 2000

SECURITY COUNCIL MEETS ON EAST TIMOR

The Security Council this morning heard an open briefing on East Timor, with a presentation of the Secretary-General's report by Transitional Administrator Sergio Vieira de Mello.

In his comments, de Mello described the unprecedented scope of the United Nations' responsibility in the territory. He said that the United Nations was being called on to administer and govern a country that has almost no resources. He highlighted the urgency of beginning work on rehabilitation and reconstruction projects.

De Mello warned that delays could result in a perception among East Timorese that little is being done, and he said action was essential to prevent unrest.

Today's meeting followed consultations by the Council on Wednesday afternoon, at which it agreed on its program of work for February.

COUNCIL TO TAKE UP THE CONGO IN AFTERNOON SESSION

This afternoon, the Council will meet in closed consultations on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), at which Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations H&eacute;di Annabi will present the Secretary-General's report, released last month.

Friday afternoon, the Council will discuss the peacekeeping operation in Sierra Leone, and has scheduled a formal meeting on Sierra Leone for Monday.

Also on the agenda for Monday is Iraq, with the Executive Director of the Iraq Programme, Benon Sevan, scheduled to present two reports issued last month on the implementation of the humanitarian program and on the needs of Iraq's oil industry.

UNHCR SUSPENDS BUS SERVICE IN KOSOVO AS ANNAN CONDEMNS ATTACK

In a statement issued through his Spokesman, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he was "deeply saddened" by the attack Wednesday on a bus of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Kosovo.

The Secretary-General expressed his sympathy to the victims' families and called on all the people of Kosovo to join him in denouncing the crime.

Annan was convinced that "as long as any single community of Kosovo lives in fear because of its ethnic or religious background," there could be no resumption of normal daily life there, Eckhard said.

UNHCR has suspended all of its bus lines shuttling between isolated communities in Kosovo while the attack on its bus was being investigated.

Two elderly persons, a man and a woman, were killed on Wednesday when an anti-tank rocket struck a UNHCR bus carrying 49 passengers, all of Serb ethnicity, over foggy roads.

The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo condemned the killings as "a senseless attack on innocent Kosovar residents" and vowed to spare no effort in investigating the incident.

ANNAN TO SPEAK TO PALESTINIAN COMMITTEE

At 3 p.m. today, the Secretary-General will address the opening of this year's session of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.

In his statement, he commends Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak for "their courage and their commitment to the cause of peace and reconciliation."

However, he warned that the Palestinians are worried about the continued construction and expansion of settlements, and called upon the parties to refrain from actions that could affect the outcome of the peace talks. He also urged further action to improve the Palestinians' economic and social condition.

The Committee session is chaired by Ambassador Ibra Degu&egrave;ne Ka of Senegal.

UN FORCE STAYING IN LEBANON DESPITE ATTACKS

In response to questions about statements from the UN spokesman in Lebanon, Timur Goksel, that UN peacekeepers may have to leave the region, the Spokesman said the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has remained in the region since 1978, despite repeated challenges to its mandate and sporadic incidents of bombardment.

"It's not our intent to pull out," Eckhard said. "We've stuck it out since 1978, and we hope to stick it out until the end."

He added that Goksel was simply trying to draw attention to the problems that have been created when guerrillas try to mount attacks near UN bases, thereby inviting other forces to fire at the bases and to threaten the credibility of the Interim Force.

Eckhard said that the violence in southern Lebanon has ebbed and flowed regularly, but that the Secretary-General believed that the region is closer to a negotiated solution now than ever before, and urged restraint from all parties.

ANNAN RECEIVES TROPHY FROM OLYMPICS OFFICIAL

The Secretary-General met at noon today with Fekrou Kidane, Director of the International Olympic Committee's Department of International Cooperation. Kidane presented him with a trophy, called the Olympic Door of the Year 2000. The trophy has been presented to the 199 national Olympic Committees so that they can be given to all Heads of State.

The trophy was presented to the Secretary-General as "a symbol of peace, understanding, prosperity and well-being."

NEW UN POLICY ON NEWS EMBARGOES ISSUED

The Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General launched a new policy in dealing with embargoed material and violations of embargoes.

A news organization that breaks an embargo for the first time will not be trusted with an embargoed report, and will be blocked from attending any background briefings, for a period of three months, he said.

If the same news organization breaks an embargo a second time, the same sanctions will apply for a period of six months.

After a third breach, there would be a review of the offending news organization's press accreditation at the United Nations.

However, if an organization went for three years without a further breach, it would have its slate wiped clean.

Under these new rules, the Spokesman's Office we will resume the policy of issuing embargoed copies of selected documents. There had been a temporary suspension of the policy following a breach of the embargo on the report by the independent inquiry on the Rwanda genocide.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

Asked about an incident involving a Russian ship alleged to have carried Iraqi oil, the Spokesman noted that, although the regime to intercept ships was authorized by the Security Council, it is not overseen by the Council, and the United Nations has no operational control over it. He declined further comment.

The Spokesman said that Hans Blix, newly appointed as the Executive Chairman of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission, has arrived in Stockholm, Sweden, where he is expected to meet with reporters shortly, although there is no date set yet for the beginning of his new duties.

Asked about the appointment of a new head of the Office of Internal Oversight Services, the Spokesman said he hoped to be able to make an announcement shortly. The Secretary-General had interviewed two candidates for the post in recent days, both of whom were strong choices. He added that the Office has been continuing investigations without a Director, and with independence from the Secretariat.

The World Food Programme has warned that more than two million Kenyans still need food aid to recover from a recent drought, and reiterated its appeal for more than $43 million for 75,000 tons of food.

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development said in a release that its 10th meeting, which will begin on February 12 in Bangkok, Thailand, must provide a "healing process" following the concerns about globalization voiced at the recent World Trade Organization meeting in Seattle, Washington.

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia announced in a release that Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte will meet Friday with the Mothers of Srebrenica and with Prime Minister Filip Vujanovic of Montenegro.

The United Nations Population Fund announced that it would appoint Mpule Kwelagobe of Botswana, the current Miss Universe, as a Goodwill Ambassador championing HIV/AIDS prevention, next Tuesday.

The Czech Republic and Italy became the 45th and 46th Member States to pay their UN regular budget dues in full for this year. The Czech Republic made a payment of just over $1 million and Italy made a payment of just over $57 million.

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