United Nations Daily Highlights, 01-03-21

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

BY FRED ECKHARD

SPOKESMAN OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Wednesday, March 21, 2001

ANNAN MEETS ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER, DISCUSSES SETTLEMENTS

Secretary-General Kofi Annan met for just over an hour this morning with the Prime Minister of Israel, Ariel Sharon.

The Prime Minister briefed the Secretary-General on his recent visit to Washington. He outlined his Government's policy concerning the Palestinians; discussed regional stability, including the local and regional threat of terror; and talked of the prospects for resuming peace talks.

On the subject of talks, the Prime Minister emphasized he would remain flexible, but would not compromise on the security of Israeli citizens.

The Secretary-General raised the issue of settlements, and the Prime Minister responded that his policy as publicly stated was that there would be no new settlements. The Secretary-General also brought up the reported expansion of existing settlements, such as at Har Homma.

The Secretary-General then discussed the situation in Lebanon, and asked the Prime Minister about the track of negotiations concerning Syria. He advised the Prime Minister to ease the economic restrictions on the Palestinian Authority as a way of easing tensions.

The Secretary-General also urged the Prime Minister to cooperate with the Commission headed by former US Senator George Mitchell. Sharon said he would meet with members of the Commission this weekend. The two agreed to cooperate.

In response to a question, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General raised the issue of a proposed UN observer force in the Palestinian territories, and the Prime Minister reiterated his opposition to that proposal.

ANNAN TO HOLD 11:30 PRESS CONFERENCE THURSDAY

The Spokesman noted that, because the Secretary-General intends to hold a press conference Thursday at 11:30 a.m. at UN Headquarters, there will be no noon briefing Thursday.

Asked about the purpose of the press conference, the Spokesman noted that it has been three months since the Secretary-General last met with the UN press corps. He also recalled that the Secretary-General has promised to clarify his intentions before the end of this month on whether he would run for a second term.

SECURITY COUNCIL MEETS WITH GEORGIAN FOREIGN MINISTER

The Security Council held closed consultations this morning on Georgia and on the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). It discussed the draft text of a presidential statement on Georgia and a draft resolution on FYROM.

Following consultations, the Council held a private meeting on Georgia, presided over by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Anatoliy Zlenko, who briefed Council members on the outcome of the third meeting on confidence-building measures between the Georgian and Abkhaz sides, which was held in Yalta on March 15-16.

In addition to Council members, Georgian Foreign Minister Irakli Menagarishvili and the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Georgia, Dieter Boden, spoke at the meeting, and Swedish Ambassador Pierre Schori spoke on behalf of the European Union. Following the private meeting, the Council adopted a presidential statement on Georgia.

The Security Council will hold consultations at 4 p.m. today on the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to continue its discussion of a draft resolution.

TEENAGERS DISCUSS TOLERANCE AT UN EVENT ON RACISM

Today, on the International Day on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, some 400 teenagers gathered downstairs to discuss ways to combat racism and promote tolerance in their lives.

In addition to an open discussion chaired by MTV video host Ananda Lewis, the participants viewed public service announcements against racism and intolerance produced by television stations from the US, France and South Africa.

The participants heard from Shashi Tharoor, the interim head of the UN Department of Public Information as well as Mary Robinson, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights who spoke via video line from Geneva.

In her traditional message to mark this day, the High Commissioner said that she wanted to pay special tribute to the people of South Africa who had suffered for so long under apartheid for their generous decision to host the upcoming World Conference Against Racism.

She said, "While apartheid has been defeated, racism and intolerance are still common all over the world. To fail to recognize this fact is to obstruct the search for remedies; facing up to it is the first step towards taking positive action."

Asked about the Secretary-General's participation at the event, the Spokesman said that Annan had wanted to take part in today's gathering, but his schedule, including the meeting today with the Israeli Prime Minister, had prevented him from doing so. The Secretary-General did issue a message to mark the International Day.

TRIBUNAL NOTES COOPERATION FROM YUGOSLAV AUTHORITIES

Today at The Hague, the President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Judge Claude Jorda, and Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte held a joint press conference with Momcilo Grubac of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia's Ministry of Justice and Serbian Justice Minister Vladan Batic.

Del Ponte said that the Yugoslav officials had given all necessary authorization for the Tribunal's prosecutors to open an office in Belgrade and to conduct investigation activities in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY). Batic also confirmed to her that the Belgrade authorities would take measures to expel non-Yugoslav citizens indicted by the Tribunal.

Del Ponte announced that her office has opened two new investigations concerning war crimes and crimes against humanity. The first involves allegations about the activities, against Serbs and other minorities, of unidentified Albanian armed groups in Kosovo from June 1999 until now. The second involves allegations about the activities of members of the "Liberation Army of Presevo, Medvedja and Bujanovac" in southern Serbia since November 1999.

UN MISSION SAYS SOME MEDICAL SUPPLIES REACHING KOSOVO

The UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) remains concerned by the closure of the border between Kosovo and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), which has left Kosovo's hospitals short of essential supplies.

The Mission reported today that, although Pristina Hospital has only had a few days of oxygen supplies on hand, it is now expecting a truck traveling today from Croatia through Montenegro to provide about a month's supply of oxygen. However, the Mission still is concerned about some essential drugs that are stuck on the FYROM side of the border, since it only has two weeks' worth of some essential medical supplies.

The UN Mission and the Kosovo Force (KFOR) also held a press briefing today following the arrests on Monday and Tuesday of five people suspected of terrorist activities in Kosovo, including possible involvement in the attack last month on a bus carrying Kosovo Serbs.

UN MISSION RE-OPENS KEY BRIDGE IN NORTHWEST SIERRA LEONE

Today in Sierra Leone, UN Force Commander Lt. Gen. Daniel Opande officially re-opened the Mange Bridge, which connects the towns of Port Loko and Kambia in the northwest.

A deep ditch had been dug at the bridge, which is in territory held by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), but the RUF has recently filled up that ditch, allowing civilian traffic to pass through Mange once more.

After he officially commissioned the road passing through Mange Bridge and then crossed it, General Opande proceeded onward to Kambia, an RUF-held town in the northwest. He met with RUF leaders there before heading back to Freetown this evening.

ANNAN NOTES CONTINUING INSTABILITY IN GUINEA-BISSAU

In his latest report to the Security Council on Guinea-Bissau, which covers events since last November's failed coup attempt by the late Gen. Ansumane Mane, the Secretary-General says that, although direct challenges to the constitutional order by the military have decreased, the overall situation in the country has grown more unstable.

He notes, among other developments, the frictions that have left the ruling party without a parliamentary majority; the Government's military offensive against the separatist Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance; and the report last month of a failed assassination plot against President Kumba Yala.

In the report, the Secretary-General urges all parties in Guinea-Bissau to engage in a constructive dialogue to defuse current political tensions, and also encourages the Governments of Guinea-Bissau and Senegal to continue their bilateral efforts to normalize the situation along their common border.

The Security Council is expected to take up Guinea-Bissau in their consultations next week.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

This afternoon, starting at about 5:15, the Secretary-General will deliver an address on conflict prevention to the Foreign Policy Association, which is at 730 Third Avenue, as part of a lecture series in honor of former US Secretary of State Cyrus Vance. The speech will provide some thoughts on what the UN system and Member States can do to practice preventive diplomacy.

Asked about a report alleging racial discrimination in UN hiring, the Spokesman categorically denied any racism on the part of the Secretary-General in his hiring practices.

Asked about a report that the Taliban would invite the United Nations to send an inspection team to confirm that the cultivation of opium poppies had been wiped out, the Spokesman responded that the UN Office of Drug Control and Crime Prevention said they have not received such an invitation.

In response to a question about the possibility that the United States could rejoin the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Spokesman said such a development would be very important to UNESCO. He said UNESCO has overhauled its operations considerably since the US withdrawal during the 1980s, and that the return of the United States is probably overdue.

The number of Member States that have paid their 2001 regular budget contributions in full now stands at 63 with a payment of over $52 million by Italy.

A report on water and sanitation, "Water for Health Taking Charge," has been issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) to coincide with World Water Day, which is being observed Thursday. The report says that more than a billion people drink unsafe water each day and that 2.4 billion, or 40 percent of the worlds population, are without adequate sanitation.

The WHO has made available press kits for World Tuberculosis Day, which will be observed on Saturday. The theme for this years observance is "DOTS: TB Cure for All" and calls for equitable access to tuberculosis services for anyone who needs it.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) noted the start today in Rome of the 34th Session of the European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease.

Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

United Nations, S-378

New York, NY 10017

Tel. 212-963-7162

Fax. 212-963-7055

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