United Nations Daily Highlights, 01-03-19

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

BY MANOEL DE ALMEIDA E SILVA

DEPUTY SPOKESMAN OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Monday, March 19, 2001

UN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONER WILL NOT SEEK SECOND TERM

Mary Robinson, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, announced this morning in Geneva that she would not be seeking a second four-year term, in a speech she delivered to open the 57th session of the Commission on Human Rights.

In response, Secretary-General Kofi Annan issued a statement following Mary Robinsons announcement, in which he expressed his great regret at her decision not to seek a second term.

The Secretary-General said Robinson "has been a staunch and fearless spokesperson for human rights throughout the world. She has demonstrated admirable courage in speaking up for those who are voiceless."

He added that Robinson leaves her office as a significantly more highly evolved institution than when she assumed her post in 1997, and he said he was grateful for "the vital work she has done for the United Nations."

Also during this mornings opening session of the Commission on Human Rights, the Commission elected Ambassador Leandro Despouy of Argentina as its chairman, replacing Ambassador Shambu Ram Simkhada of Nepal who presided over the 56th session.

Asked why Robinson was stepping down, the Spokesman noted that she had mentioned, in her speech today, that she felt she could do more outside the UN system. She will stay until the end of her current term, which last until September, he added.

ANNAN RETURNS TO NEW YORK AFTER ENDING INDIA VISIT

Secretary-General Kofi Annan is working from his residence today, where he was scheduled to meet his Special Representative for Kosovo, Hans Haekkerup. He had returned from his four-nation trip to South Asia on Sunday.

Before leaving New Delhi Saturday morning, the Secretary-General was visited by former South African President Nelson Mandela, with whom he discussed the Burundi peace process, for which Mandela is Facilitator.

The Secretary-General then flew to Hyderabad in southern India, where he met with the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu, and attended a luncheon meeting with business leaders on the impact of information technology on the State's economic growth.

He addressed the group and called Hyderabad "one of the success stories of the digital revolution." But he expressed concern over the "digital divide" that separates those who have access to information technology from the have-nots.

He then traveled to Hightech City, a modern office complex that houses the offices of a dozen of the world's leading information technology companies. After that, he went to Hyderabad's Public Gardens, where women's self-help groups displayed handicrafts. He and his wife, Nane Annan, then addressed some 6,000 women who were members of the self-help movement, praising their contribution to Andhra Pradesh's economic boom.

Before leaving Hyderabad, the Secretary-General told the press that his visit with self-help groups "gave me hope that women in this State, I think within time, will become full partners, and bring their ingenuity and energy to bear on the development efforts in this society. In fact, as I drove away, I had the feeling that if I come back in 20, 25 years, I shouldn't be surprised if the Chief Minister is a woman."

ANNAN URGES EXTENSION, EXPANSION OF UN SIERRA LEONE MISSION

In the latest report to the Security Council on Sierra Leone, the Secretary-General says that the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) has managed to consolidate its positions in its current areas of responsibility, paving the way for the forward deployment of UN troops.

For that formal deployment to be carried out in sufficient strength, the Secretary-General recommends that the Mission's authorized strength be increased, and noted his earlier recommendation that the Mission would require up to 20,500 military personnel to assist the Government in regaining control of key areas of Sierra Leone.

The Mission currently has more than 10,000 personnel deployed in Sierra Leone, and can expect to have a total military strength of some 17,500 troops once new contingents that have been offered arrive in Sierra Leone.

The report says that the situation in Sierra Leone has remained relatively stable since the signing last November of the Abuja Agreement, although the Secretary-General notes the continuing reluctance of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) to disarm and to allow Government authority to be set up in rebel-held areas.

The report also notes the escalation in fighting along the Sierra Leone-Guinea border, particularly since January, and the Secretary-General welcomes an initiative by Guinea and Sierra Leone to set up a joint military body to ensure that Guinean operations against the RUF avoid causing civilian casualties.

The Secretary-General also recommends to the Council that the Mission, the current mandate of which expires at the end of this month, be extended by six months, until the end of September. The Council expects to discuss Sierra Leone in its consultations next week.

In response to a question, the Spokesman said that the UN Mission in Sierra Leone was moving ahead after a period in which it had not been able to move, and expanding the peacekeepers' presence throughout the territory. It is the beginning of the process, he said, but "it is going as it should go."

UN MISSION WORRIED BY CLOSURE OF FYROM-KOSOVO BORDER

The UN Mission in Kosovo reports that, because of the continued fighting between Government forces and Albanian extremists in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), the supply of food, fuel and other essential materials from FYROM to Kosovo continues to be a problem.

Border crossings between FYROM and Kosovo remain closed, which the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Hans Haekkerup, has said is unacceptable. Although some necessary materials continue to reach Kosovo by alternate routes, the delay in the delivery of medical supplies has left the hospital in Pristina with only two days of oxygen supplies.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that there continue to be movement of people to and from the city of Tetovo, where FYROM forces and Albanian extremists have been clashing, although there are no firm figures on those movements. On Saturday night, some 480 people with FYROM identification crossed into Kosovo, while UNHCR in Albania reported the arrival of more than 1,600 people with FYROM passports over the past three days.

UNHCR adds that all the people displaced by the current fighting have expressed the wish to return to their homes as soon as possible.

SECURITY COUNCIL TO RESUME DEBATE ON MIDDLE EAST

At 3 p.m. today, the Security Council will resume its open meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question. This is the continuation of the meeting that began last Thursday morning.

In a related matter, the Secretary-General is scheduled to meet the Prime Minister of Israel, Ariel Sharon, this Wednesday at UN Headquarters. The Spokesman, in response to a question, noted that the Israeli Mission has not currently scheduled any press briefing for Sharon.

On Tuesday, the Council is expected to take up the situation in Burundi during closed consultations.

THREE UNMEE SOLDIERS WOUNDED IN AMMUNITION ACCIDENT

The United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) reports today that an ammunition accident injured three Canadian members of the Mission this morning at Camp Dunn in the Missions Central Sector.

The three soldiers suffered injuries from shrapnel and from an initial blast when a 25mm round accidentally discharged inside the turret of a light armored vehicle. The turret sits on top of the armored vehicle, where the gun is located. All were given medical attention at their unit's Medical Station in Camp Dunn, and two of them were then evacuated by air to receive further medical care at Camp Groesbeek in Dekemhare, Eritrea.

They are reported to be in "very stable condition" with "non-life-threatening injuries." Arrangements are being made to repatriate them to Canada so they can receive full medical attention.

The Mission intends to investigate the incident to identify the cause of the accident and ways to prevent recurrences in the future.

UN EAST TIMOR MISSION REPORTS CALM RETURNING TO VIQUEQUE

A week after the incident in Viqueque, in the eastern region of East Timor, the UN Mission reports that the overall security situation is calm and life is back to normal. No further violence was reported in the district. However, peacekeepers and the UN police's Rapid Response Unit are controlling the road to Viqueque.

Around 200 displaced people who have lost their houses during the riot of March 12 are at Viqueque Church compound. All East Timorese who had sought refuge in the mountains have returned to Viqueque town and most have moved into their houses.

No displaced people are staying at the UN regional peacekeeping headquarters anymore. In addition, all UN staff have moved back to their houses.

On Sunday, the United Nations launched an information campaign on the implementation of a "zero tolerance" policy against violence, similar to the one in place in Dili since April last year.

FRECHETTE NOTES CHANGING ROLE OF UN PEACEKEEPERS

Deputy Secretary-General Louise Frechette is in Helsinki today, where she delivered a speech to the Paasikivi Society on the UN role in peacekeeping activity, in which she noted the more complex peacekeeping operations that the United Nations has undertaken in recent years.

She said that "the most successful peace operations are those that help a society build the institutions, social infrastructure and economic capacities it will need in order to prevent a recurrence of conflict." As a result, she added, the United Nations now appreciates the importance of acting sooner to build peace, even before the guns have fallen silent.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

Asked about whether the Secretary-General would meet the press at UN Headquarters, the Spokesman said it could happen this week, possibly on Thursday.

The third and the final session of the Preparatory Committee for the UN Conference on Small Arms opened this morning at 11 a.m., in Conference Room 1. The third session was opened by the Chairman to the Committee, Ambassador Carlos Dos Santos of Mozambique.

The report of the Secretary-General on world population monitoring, issued today, notes that the worlds population grew from 1.6 billion in 1900 to 6.1 billion in 2000 with about 85 percent of the growth in the developing world. However, the portions of the world that were already more advanced at the turn of the last century experienced the most economic progress since then.

To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which is this Wednesday, the United Nations and MTV will be joining forces to help young people find ways to combat racism and promote tolerance. Four hundred teenagers will participate at a special event, being held in Conference Room 1, to discuss how to fight intolerance in their communities.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Trade Organization will jointly host a workshop on affordable drugs in early April. The workshop will bring together 50 experts in drugs, financing, pricing and trade policy from both industrialized and developing countries.

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) notes that a three-day high-level meeting on sustainable development and trade will begin Tuesday in Berlin.

Bulgaria this morning became the 40th country to sign the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism.