United Nations Daily Highlights, 00-04-20

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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 OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Thursday, April 20, 2000

FRIDAY IS A HOLIDAY AT UN HEADQUARTERS. THE NOON BRIEFING WILL RESUME ON MONDAY, APRIL 24.

SECURITY COUNCIL HOLDS CONSULTATIONS ON LEBANON

The Security Council began today with consultations on the situation in the Middle East before going into a formal meeting. It had been considering a letter from the Secretary-General, sent on Monday, which conveyed the written notification by the Government of Israel of its intention to withdraw from Lebanon in accordance with resolutions 425 and 426 (1978).

In its formal meeting, the Council approved a Presidential Statement on Lebanon, endorsing the decision of the Secretary-General to initiate preparations to enable the United Nations to carry out its responsibilities under those two resolutions.

The Spokesman confirmed, in response to questions, that the Secretary-General's report to the Council on the return by Iraq of Kuwaiti and third-country nationals was sent to the Council Wednesday afternoon, although it will not be issued as a document. Next Wednesday, the Council will hold consultations on that subject, and is expected to receive a briefing by the Secretary-General's High-level Coordinator on Iraq, Yuli Vorontsov.

ANNAN RESPONDS TO PROPOSALS FROM CAMBODIAN PRIME MINISTER

Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Wednesday night sent a letter to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in response to the proposals the Prime Minister submitted to him last week in Havana, Cuba. Those proposals related to the last unresolved issue between the United Nations and Cambodia on the formula for an internationally acceptable trial for the Khmer Rouge.

UN Legal Counsel Hans Corell has been in regular contact with his Cambodian counterpart, Senior Minister Sok An, and the United Nations is awaiting a reply from the Cambodian Government.

ANNAN ENCOURAGED BY MEETING ON FARM CRISIS IN ZIMBABWE

The Secretary-General had a phone conversation late Wednesday afternoon with Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. He was encouraged by the President's report that, in a five-hour meeting Wednesday with both farmers and veterans, both sides had agreed to seek a peaceful solution to the land use dispute.

In response to questions, the Spokesman noted that Mugabe had called for a meeting of Southern African leaders in Victoria Falls on Friday to discuss both the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the land dispute in Zimbabwe. Some neighboring countries had worried about a spillover effect, he said. "We're not saying the problem is solved," Eckhard added, but that the United Nations was encouraged by the peaceful effort at dialogue.

He said that Wednesday's conversation was not the first one between Annan and Mugabe on the land issue; they had also met in Havana last week and talked on the phone earlier this week.

ANNAN APPEALS FOR SPECIALIZED UNITS FOR THE DRC

The Secretary-General's second report on the UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), available today, noted that the Secretariat will continue actively to carry out the logistical preparations for Phase II of the Mission's deployment, in an effort to prepare for deployment as soon as possible. He said the mission would do everything it can to assist the parties to finalize their disengagement plans agreed to on April 8.

If the parties cooperate, the timely provision by troop-contributing countries of the necessary military personnel, especially specialized military units, would become all the more important and urgent. The Secretary-General appealed to countries that have not done so already to consider providing specialized units. The United Nations lacks some crucial units including airfield crash rescue and firefighting, air traffic control, cargo handling and water processing.

The Secretary-General's Special Representative for the Democratic Republic of the Congo Kamel Morjane is scheduled to be here next week and will brief reporters following his planned appearance in the Security Council Tuesday. The Neutral Facilitator of the inter-Congolese dialogue, former President Ketumile Masire of Botswana, is also expected to be here next week.

In a letter responding to a request from the Security Council, the Secretary-General suggested that members consider creating a panel of experts to undertake a preliminary investigation into the reports of the illegal exploitation of natural resources and other forms of wealth in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Asked about the explosions at Kinshasa airport, the Spokesman noted that two UN planes were damaged but able to be repaired, and no UN personnel were among the casualties. He said that the United Nations will continue to move planes through both Kinshasa and other sites. The general assumption, he noted, is that last Friday's explosion was an accident.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

East Timorese independence leader Xanana Gusmao gave a press conference in Dili today, in which he called for recognition of the status of former independence fighters. The UN Transitional Administration in East Timor has been discussing with the local leadership whether East Timor should have armed forces, of which the former guerrillas would be the core.

In response to a question, the Spokesman said that the letter from the Secretary-General to President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa on the AIDS crisis is still being drafted.

The latest monthly report was transmitted to the Security Council by the Secretary-General on the international security presence in Kosovo, which noted that tension is expected to remain high in the northern city of Mitrovica in the short term.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today welcomed Mexico's accession to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol -- the two cornerstones of international refugee protection. It also acceded to the 1954 Convention on Statelessness. With Tuesday's Senate ratification, by a vote of 76 in favor and one abstention, Mexico will become the 138th signatory to the 49-year-old Convention.

The 151-member Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species concluded today in Nairobi, Kenya.

A three-day meeting of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice concluded today in Vienna, Austria.

Bhutan has become the 80th Member State to pay its dues in full for the year 2000 regular budget by making a payment of close to $10,500.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Saturday, April 22, 2000

Saturday is Earth Day. At the Public Plaza of UN Headquarters, starting at 3 p.m., there will be an hour of musical performances, poetry recitals and speeches to mark the occasion, and Nane Annan is expected to attend.

Sunday, April 23, 2000

In Geneva, the UN Conference on Trade and Development's Commission on Enterprise, Business Facilitation and Development will meet through Thursday.

Sunday is World Book and Copyright Day.

Monday, April 24, 2000

At 9:30 a.m., the Secretary-General will join the Presidents of four major US foundations -- the Ford, Rockefeller and MacArthur Foundations and the Carnegie Corporation of New York -- in announcing a Partnership to Strengthen African Universities. The announcement will be at the Carnegie Corporation (437 Madison Avenue, 26th Floor).

The four-week nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference begins in New York. The Secretary-General will address the opening session, and a General Debate -- including the Foreign Ministers of Ireland, Mexico and Portugal and the US Secretary of State -- will begin in the afternoon. The Conference will review progress in nuclear non-proliferation over the past five years.

At 10:00 a.m., the Department of Disarmament Affairs will sponsor a press conference on the NPT. Invited guests are to include Matt Robson, Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control of New Zealand, and Anna Lindh, Foreign Minister of Sweden.

In the morning, the Security Council will hold consultations on Kosovo.

The guest at the noon briefing will be David Stephen, Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia.

From 1:15 to 2:45 p.m. in Conference Room 7, the World Health Organization will sponsor a panel discussion on global nutrition, chaired by Professor Patrick Webb of Tufts University.

The two-week annual session of the Commission on Sustainable Development begins in New York; it is to focus on sustainable agriculture. Events will include an editorial breakfast briefing at 10 a.m. in the Church Center featuring representatives from several non-governmental organizations.

In the evening, the Secretary-General will leave New York for a trip to West Africa, which will last until May 4.

Tuesday, April 25, 2000

The Secretary-General will begin a trip to Dakar, Senegal, where he is to meet officials from the new Government of President Abdoulaye Wade. He will also attend the World Education Forum, which lasts from Wednesday through Friday and will include participation from the UN Children's Fund, UN Development Programme, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UN Population Fund and World Bank.

The guest at the noon briefing will be Abdallah Baali, expected to be the President of the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference.

The Security Council will hold informal consultations on the UN Mission to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Kamel Morjane, the Special Representative for the DRC, will brief the Council on developments there and will afterward talk to the press.

In Geneva, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights begins a session which is to last until May 12.

Wednesday, April 26, 2000

The Security Council will hold consultations on the report of the Secretary-General on the return of Kuwaiti and third-party nationals from Iraq. The Secretary-General's High-level Coordinator on Iraq, Yuli Vorontsov, is expected to attend.

At 3 p.m., the European Union Commissioner for Agriculture, Franz Fischler, will give a press conference following his participation in the High-Level Segment of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development.

In the evening, a nine-member delegation of Security Council Ambassadors, led by Ambassador Anwarul Karim Chowdhury of Bangladesh, will leave for Kosovo on a Council mission to examine the work of the UN Mission there; they are scheduled to return on April 30.

The high-level segment of the Commission on Sustainable Development session will begin, and last through Thursday. More than 20 Ministers of Environment and Agriculture are expected to attend.

Thursday, April 27, 2000

The Security Council has scheduled an open briefing on East Timor.

At 10:30 a.m., Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme, will brief reporters on the relationship between multilateral environment agreements and trade.

To mark the occasion of "Take Our Daughters to Work Day," an 11:15 a.m. press conference will feature Gloria Steinem, founder of Ms. Magazine, and Col. Eileen Collins, NASA's first woman space shuttle commander.

In London, the International Labor Organization will launch an 800-page global study on pension funds, called "Social Security Pensions: Development and Reform," in an event attended by the report's principal author, Colin Gillion.

Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Kieran Prendergast will attend the Paris Conference on Palestinian refugees.

Friday, April 28, 2000

In Geneva, the Commission on Human Rights will adopt its final report for its 56th session.