United Nations Daily Highlights, 00-02-22

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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

Tuesday, February 22, 2000

KOFI ANNAN ANNOUNCES NEW HEAD OF INTERNAL OVERSIGHT

After a 10-month search, Secretary-General Kofi Annan today nominated Dileep Nair of Singapore to replace Karl Paschke of Germany as head of the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services.

The appointment is subject to the approval of the General Assembly, which received a letter from the Secretary-General last night. That letter came out as a document this morning.

Nair is currently the Managing Director and Head of the Development Bank of Singapore. He studied engineering at McGill University in Canada, and earned a Master's Degree in Public Administration at Harvard University in the United States.

He has performed national service as a member of Singapore's Housing and Development Board and in the Ministries of Finance, Trade and Industry and Defence.

He also served in 1996 as a member of working group of the UN's Efficiency Task Force, made up of prominent management experts, which advised the Secretary-General on aspects of UN reform.

Asked about the appointment, the Spokesman noted that the Secretary-General had interviewed three rounds of candidates before finding a qualified candidate who would take the job. "It's a happy ending to a long, tortuous 10-month process," Eckhard said, adding that the candidate was "quite impressive."

SECRETARY-GENERAL CONCLUDES OFFICIAL VISIT TO AUSTRALIA

The Secretary-General concluded his official visit to Australia today, beginning with a meeting with Australian aid officials and members of the East Timorese community in Australia. They reviewed humanitarian assistance to East Timor.

He addressed the National Press Club in Canberra, and then took questions from journalists. A full transcript of that appearance was issued at UN Headquarters.

The Secretary-General then departed for the last leg of his Asian trip, an official visit to New Zealand, where he arrived in Wellington about midnight.

He is to return to New York around midnight Thursday, and will most likely not be in the office on Friday.

SECURITY COUNCIL HOLDS CONSULTATIONS ON DR OF CONGO

The Security Council this morning continued its closed consultations on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in which it has been discussing a draft resolution on the expansion of the UN Mission in that country to some 5,500 personnel, including 500 military observers.

Monday, the Council made some progress on the text of the draft resolution, and also held a meeting at the expert level on the DRC in the afternoon. However, it is still too early to tell if the Council will be ready to hold a formal vote on the resolution by Wednesday.

At 4 p.m. today, there will also be a meeting of an informal working group dealing with Security Council documentation and other procedural questions.

The informal consultations on Somalia, which were to have been held this morning, were postponed until Wednesday.

UN PROSECUTOR PLEADS RWANDA COURT NOT TO RELEASE SUSPECT

This morning in Arusha, Tanzania, Carla Del Ponte, the Prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, urged the Appeals Chamber to change its decision to release genocide suspect Jean-Bosco Barayagwiza. That decision had been taken on the grounds that his prolonged pre-trial detention had violated his rights.

Del Ponte emphasized that the crimes with which Barayagwiza was charged, namely genocide and crimes against humanity, violated the rights of the victims of the genocide. She said, "On their behalf, I pray you to allow me to prosecute Jean-Bosco Barayagwiza. Give me the opportunity to bring him to justice."

Barayagwiza's lawyer argued that the Appeals Chamber had no jurisdiction to review the Tribunal's decision, because such an appeal would apply only to a convicted person. She also pointed out that the Prosecutor had submitted no new facts to justify the reversal of the decision.

The Prosecutor General of Rwanda also appeared before the court and said that the Tribunal should either hold a trial or surrender Barayagwiza to Rwanda, which would be willing and able to prosecute him.

No date has yet been set for the Appeals Chamber to render its decision on that case.

DEPARTING IRAQ HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR TO VISIT NEW YORK

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, Hans von Sponeck, will be leaving Baghdad for New York via Geneva Wednesday. He is expected to arrive in New York on Sunday, February 27. He will be meeting the Secretary-General, probably on Monday, February 28.

The new Chairman of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), Hans Blix, is also expected to arrive in New York this weekend. He will formally take up his new duties on March 1. He has 45 days from that date to set up the new Commission.

Last week, Iraq exported 18.9 million barrels of crude oil for an estimated revenue of $502 million.

The Security Council Committee overseeing the sanctions in Iraq has approved a total of 96 oil sales contracts with a total volume of 268 million barrels. Other details can be found in the Weekly Update on the oil for food programme, issued today.

MILITIAS DISRUPT UN REPATRIATION EFFORT IN WEST TIMOR

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported today that militias stoned a team of UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in the West Timor border town of Atambua.

They damaged an IOM vehicle and disrupting a move to repatriate more than 1,000 East Timorese refugees. No one was injured, but only 179 of the refugees managed to be repatriated from Atambua.

Catherine Bertini, Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), visited East Timor today to monitor the agency's food programme and food needs on the ground, and to determine how the food aid can be used to help self-sufficiency.

She met in Dili with the UN Transitional Administrator, Sergio Vieira de Mello, and the President of the National Council of Timorese Resistance, Xanana Gusmao. WFP is now feeding half of the population.

Bertini said: "There will be a reasonable harvest this year, not enough to feed everyone, but a good harvest of corn and rice. We hope that by next year we will see some sufficiency." The efforts of WFP and other agencies and non-governmental organizations to help East Timorese farmers to plant corn and rice seeds at the beginning of the rainy season seem to have been successful, according to WFP.

WFP REACHING POPULATION AFFECTED BY MOZAMBIQUE FLOODS

The World Food Programme (WFP) said that it is reaching those people most affected by flooding and cyclone-induced rains in Mozambique.

Each day WFP makes use of four South African Defence Force helicopters, donated to the Government of Mozambique, carrying approximately 2 metric tons of food, including corn, flour, beans, sugar and oil. WFP is making up to 21 flights each day bringing the full food basket to tens of thousands in the Gaza and Maputo provinces.

WFP is concerned about the likelihood that more rain can be expected, since the rainy season usually lasts until the end of March. This means the further destruction of roads, infrastructures and an increase in the number of people affected.

A humanitarian appeal for Mozambique is expected to be issued on Wednesday for about $13 million. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says an estimated 300,000 people may be affected by the floods and the cyclone.

ANNAN ISSUES REPORT ON TRADE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The Secretary-General's report to the UN Economic and Social Council on economic growth, trade and investment was made available today, prior to the next session of the Commission on Sustainable Development, which is to meet at UN headquarters on April 24.

The report focused on ways that trade and environmental concerns can be mutually supportive. It suggested strengthened cooperation between the World Trade Organization, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the United Nations Environment Programme on a broad-based agenda on trade, environment and development.

It also noted the role technology can play in development and encourages the promotion of low-cost technologies for basic needs and of clean production processes and efficient "next generation" technologies.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees announced it has agreed with the Iranian government on ways of repatriating an estimated 1.4 million Afghan refugees remaining in Iran. Also, the World Food Programme announced that it has sent 13 tons of food to assist tens of thousands of people stranded by the fighting in the Panjshir Valley.

The Status of Contributions as of January 31 indicates, that as of the end of January, Member States owe approximately $3.4 billion to the UN Regular, Peacekeeping and International Tribunal budgets.

On Wednesday, at 11:15 a.m., Ambassador Herbert Okun, the United States member of the International Narcotics Control Board, will give a press conference on highlights of the Board's latest report. The guest at the Wednesday noon briefing will be Bill Paton, Humanitarian Coordinator for the Republic of the Congo