United Nations Daily Highlights, 00-07-27

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

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE NOON BRIEFING
BY FRED ECKHARD
SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

• This morning, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy, Terje Roed-Larsen, held a series of meetings with Lebanese President Emile Lahoud and Prime Minister Selim el-Hoss to discuss the situation along the withdrawal line.

• Later, at joint press conference, Larsen and Prime Minister el-Hoss said that all Israeli violations had been rectified, except one which the Israeli side is the process of correcting.

• The Deputy Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Gen. James Sreenan, went today to the withdrawal line to oversee the process of rectification.

• UNIFIL Force Commander Gen. Seth Kofi Obeng is meeting with Lebanese Army representatives in Beirut today work out the operational matters of the deployment in southern Lebanon.

• Later in the day, Larsen co-chaired with Prime Minister Hoss the opening session of potential donor countries for the reconstruction of southern Lebanon. Larsen told the assembled delegates, "Planning must begin today to institute a development effort that will provide the basis for long term sustainable growth in south Lebanon." He added, "We must work in a cohesive manner to make Lebanon a confidence-building example for the entire Middle East region."

• The Security Council today unanimously approved a resolution to extend the mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon by six months, until January 31, 2001.

• After approving in a formal session a six-month extension of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, the Council heard an open briefing in which Ibrahim Gambari, the Secretary-General's Adviser for Special Assignments in Africa, presented the Secretary-General's recent report on Angola. Secretary-General Kofi Annan attended the opening of the meeting.

• Gambari said that the continuing fighting in Angola is "deeply disturbing," but added, "The reports coming from Angola on sanctions are that they are producing the desired results. They are limiting the possibilities of UNITA to procure weapons, thus making it difficult for the movement to re-arm and re-supply its forces."

• He also drew attention to the plight of an estimated 2.5 million internally displaced persons, about a fifth of all Angolans.

• On Friday morning, the Council is expected to hold closed consultations on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and then hold formal meetings on the extension of the UN Observer Mission in Georgia and on East Timor.
• In the afternoon, it may schedule a briefing by the Force Commander in Sierra Leone, Maj. Gen. Vijay Jetley, who is in town today and will be the guest at Friday's noon briefing.

• The Security Council first met in closed consultation to receive the text of a draft resolution on Sierra Leone concerning the trial of senior Sierra Leonean nationals responsible for violations of international humanitarian law. The Council is expected to hold expert-level meetings this afternoon to consider that draft text.

• The Council has also been considering at the expert-group level another draft resolution concerning the future of the UN Mission in Sierra Leone.

• In Sierra Leone, the situation was reported as calm, but unpredictable.

• The UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) reports that in the wake of Operation Thunderbolt, members of the rebel "West Side Boys" are starting to come forward to disarm. Seventeen have done so already, and more were reported on their way.

• Small groups of members of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) have reported to Daru and several other locations for disarmament, according to the Mission.

• UN humanitarian agencies are investigating the alleged abduction of a group of non-governmental organization personnel who have been reported missing for about a week.

• In response to a question, the Spokesman welcomed the small-scale disarmament efforts, but added that there is not yet a clear picture of the power arrangements in Sierra Leone following recent events there. He said the apparently spontaneous disarmament efforts have been encouraging.

• The United Nations is opening its second liaison office in the Horn of Africa today in Asmara, Eritrea. The first office opened earlier this week in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

• The Secretary-General, in his last report on Ethiopia and Eritrea, announced his intention to dispatch liaison officers to the two capitals to keep the momentum of the cessation of hostilities agreement and to expedite planning for a possible UN peacekeeping mission.

• The Secretary-General's next report on Ethiopia-Eritrea, which contains recommendations by the reconnaissance team led by Gen. Timothy Ford, is expected on Friday.

• The Secretary-General's Special Representative to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Kamel Morjane, together with the UN Mission's Force Commander, Gen. Mountaga Diallo, are en route to Lusaka, Zambia, to attend a Political Committee meeting of the Lusaka peace accord.

• The meeting of defense and foreign ministers of the signatories of the Lusaka accord is scheduled to start Friday.

• A UN assessment team is preparing to leave for Kisangani in the middle of next month to assess the loss of life and damage caused by the recent fighting in that city, as requested by the Security Council in its last resolution on the DRC.

• Asked about the status of the deployment of the UN mission in the Congo, the Spokesman said that there is neither an effective peace process nor cooperation from the Government for the deployment.

• The Secretary-General will meet this afternoon with members of the Colombian Senate's Human Rights Commission, including its former President, Piedad Cordoba.

• Cordoba was kidnapped in Colombia last year by paramilitaries. Under strong international pressure, including the United Nations' condemnation of her two-week captivity, she was released, but was forced to move to Canada following continued threats against her life and her family.

• On Wednesday, a six-member team led by the UN Department of Disarmament Affairs, and including members of the Department of Political Affairs, began a mission to the Republic of Congo.

• The mission, led by Joao Honwana, the Chief of the Disarmament Department's Conventional Arms Branch, will be in the country through this Friday, and will gather information on the future needs in Congo for small arms collection and the reintegration of former combatants. It will meet with the Foreign and Defense Ministers of Congo, among other senior officials.

• Then, starting on Sunday, July 30, the same team will travel to Niger on a fact-finding mission, to assist the Government in developing a program to retrieve and collect weapons. The mission will spend about two weeks in Niger, meeting with the President, Prime Minister and other senior officials before departing on August 11.

• The missions to both countries follow requests from the two Governments for UN assistance in weapons collection.

• The Secretary-General, in his remarks today to the 25^th anniversary session of the International Civil Service Commission, said that the United Nations cannot afford to be complacent in its search for qualified staff. He also noted the broad effort underway to build a "stronger, more flexible and more dynamic international civil service."

• Mauritania on Wednesday became the 100^th nation to present the United Nations with its instrument of ratification for the Convention on Anti-Personnel Mines. Bulgaria today will be the third country to sign the International Convention on the Arrest of Ships.

• Today, Angola became the 104^th Member State to pay its dues in full to the UN regular budget for this year, with a payment of nearly $209,000.

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