United Nations Daily Highlights, 01-03-29

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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

Thursday, March 29, 2001

ANNAN CONCERNED BY VIOLENCE IN MIDDLE EAST

Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in a statement, expressed his grave concern at the further escalation of violence in Israel and the Palestinian Territories. He repeated his condemnation of terrorism, from whatever quarter, and his strong opposition to the excessive use of force by Israeli security forces.

The Secretary-General voiced particular distress at the killing of young children and other civilians, which he condemned in the strongest possible terms.

He noted that both sides had expressed their willingness to implement the Sharm el-Sheikh understandings, and said it was now urgent that they do so. He called for an urgent resumption of political dialogue, since only a political settlement between the two sides can ensure peace and security for both.

Asked about the status of the Sharm el-Sheikh understandings, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General has continued to emphasize in recent months several aspects of those understandings, including the importance of a mechanism to coordinate security matters between the Israelis and Palestinians and an end to rhetoric that may inspire violence. So far, there has been little response by the parties to his concerns.

Asked about comments by US President George W. Bush criticizing the Security Council's efforts to adopt a resolution on a mechanism to protect civilians in the Palestinian territories, the Spokesman said that he doubted the Council's deliberations on that issue had ended. In response to a question about US policy on the Middle East, he noted that it traditionally takes several months for a new administration to formulate its policies.

SECURITY COUNCIL CONSIDERS DRAFT RESOLUTION ON SIERRA LEONE

The Security Council this morning held consultations on Sierra Leone, on which it received a briefing by Dmitry Titov, Director of the Africa Division of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, on the Secretary-General's recent report.

The United Kingdom introduced a draft resolution, which Council members considered and will continue to discuss Friday. The draft calls for an increase in the size of the UN Mission in Sierra Leone to 17,500 troops and an extension of the missions mandate for six months. The mission's current mandate expires on Saturday.

Asked whether the request for 17,500 troops represented a decrease from the Secretary-General's previous request for a troop ceiling of up to 20,500 troops, the Spokesman said that the lower number was sought by the Secretary-General as an interim step. The Council has indicated its willingness to consider more troops, but the UN Mission has so far received offers for troops that would allow it to approach the 17,500 level.

SECURITY COUNCIL TO DISCUSS GUINEA-BISSAU, BOUGAINVILLE

In consultations scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. today, the Security Council will receive briefings on the political situations in Guinea-Bissau, Bougainville and Somalia.

First, Youssef Mahmoud, Director of the Africa II Division at the Department of Political Affairs will introduce the report of the Secretary-General on the situation in Guinea-Bissau.

Then, Danilo T&uuml;rk, Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs, will brief the Council on Bougainville and Somalia. On Bougainville, T&uuml;rk will brief the Council on the status of the talks between the Government of Papua New Guinea and the Bougainvillean parties that are currently underway in Port Moresby.

COUNCIL TO RECEIVE UPDATE ON SECURITY SITUATION IN SOMALIA

Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Danilo T&uuml;rk is expected to brief the Security Council this afternoon on the political, humanitarian and security situation in Somalia. Security concerns were highlighted this week by the abduction of seven UN staff members in Mogadishu.

The United Nations has repeatedly assessed the security situation in Somalia, and found that, for now, security concerns remain strong, complicating prospects for any quick return of a UN peace-building presence in the country. The United Nations is still continuing its planning, however, so that, once security permits, it can present proposals for peace-building efforts in Somalia to the Security Council.

The situation of the four UN staff members who are still detained and believed to be held by a militia led by Musa Sudi Yalahow has been unchanged today. The United Nations is continuing efforts for their safe and speedy release.

SECRETARY-GENERAL BEGINS OFFICIAL VISIT TO SWITZERLAND

The Secretary-General this morning traveled by train from Zurich to Bern, the Swiss capital, where he met with the President of the Swiss Confederation, Moritz Leuenberger, and other members of the Federal Council, for a 90-minute review of world issues and of Switzerland's relations with the United Nations.

After that meeting, he and the President had a brief encounter with the press. Asked about the UN aid workers abducted in Somalia, the Secretary-General said, "I have lots of admiration and courage for those colleagues of mine who go to difficult and distant places around the world to help the poor and needy. They do not deserve to be treated this way."

After a luncheon hosted by the Federal Council, the Secretary-General and the President travelled by car to the town of Biel, where students at the Biel School of Engineering and Architecture demonstrated environmentally-friendly projects such as solar-powered vehicles and asked questions on a variety of topics.

This evening, the Secretary-General is to be the President's guest over dinner before attending a concert in his honor.

He is then to travel to Geneva tonight, where on Friday he will address the UN Commission on Human Rights.

UN MISSION NOTES WITHDRAWALS IN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

Today, the disengagement process that began two weeks ago in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) ended, and the UN Mission in that country started with its verification mission, which is expected to last for the next 56 days. The parties had agreed to pull back their forces 15 kilometers from lines of withdrawal, with UN monitors on hand to observe their disengagement.

The Mission has some positive news about the disengagement process, verifying the withdrawal of Rwandan forces and the rebel Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD-Goma) from the town of Pweto in the east; the Government of the DRC has also been observed staying way from Pweto.

There has also been substantial Rwandan and RCD withdrawal from Kabinda, and the DRC Government claims to have withdrawn across the Ubangi River in the north.

However, the UN Mission hasn't yet observed a withdrawal of Government and allied forces from Kananga, in the south-central province of Kasai. Meanwhile, the rebel Congolese Liberation Movement (MLC) has attached conditions to the withdrawal of its forces, asking for UN forces to move into territories that the rebels vacate to protect civilians there and also seeking progress in the inter-Congolese dialogue.

The UN Mission is now proceeding with its verification efforts, and the Security Council expects to receive a briefing from the Secretariat Friday on the latest developments in the DRC, including the withdrawals.

UN REPRESENTATIVE URGES RESTRAINT AT FYROM-KOSOVO BORDER

The Secretary-General's Special Representative for Kosovo, Hans Haekkerup, today said he was horrified by the deaths of two civilians, and injuries to many others, when shelling from the northern part of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) hit the village of Krivenik in Kosovo. He said that, when he visits FYROM on Friday, he would urge the need for restraint.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that more than 170 people fled across snowy mountains Wednesday to arrive in Kosovo.

Since Monday, UNHCR said, more than 4,000 people have crossed into Kosovo from FYROM over the mountains, and have been welcomed by host families upon arriving in Kosovo. UNHCR is currently interviewing the new arrivals, who said they have fled because of the recent shelling. Many fear returning to their homes, saying that they think the fighting is not over.

As of tonight, UNHCR is maintaining a 24-hour presence at the Kosovo Force (KFOR) border post neat the border in order to respond quickly to nighttime arrivals from the FYROM. Since the fighting began, UNHCR said that some 40,000 Macedonians have left their homes, with more than 21,000 traveling to other parts of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and some 8,000 coming to Kosovo.

The Prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Carla del Ponte, is in Pristina today, where she met with Haekkerup.

Asked about whether any armed rebels were coming across the border from FYROM into Kosovo, the Spokesman said that the refugees seen by UNHCR appeared to be civilians, many of them women and children.

DRUGS COMMISSION ENDS ANNUAL MEETING WITH CALL FOR PREVENTION

The annual meeting of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs closed this afternoon in Vienna. The 53-member body called on nations to give renewed priority to drug abuse prevention and rehabilitation. It also called on the United Nations to do more to help Member States to combat the rising tide of amphetamine-type stimulants while continuing efforts to reduce both the supply of, and demand for, illicit drugs.

The Commission also placed three so-called "party drugs" and one sedative under the control regime of the 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances. It also decided to tighten the watch over two common chemicals that are often diverted into illicit channels for processing heroin and cocaine.

In his concluding remarks, Pino Arlacchi, Executive Director of the UN Drug Control Programme, said that to continue strengthening the Programmes performance, there would be changes in its work methods, financial management system and use of systematic evaluation of project results.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

Asked about the Secretary-General's views on reports that the US Government would abandon the Kyoto Protocol dealing with climate change, the Spokesman noted that Annan had spoken forcefully on that issue in Bangladesh earlier this month. He said that one immediate test of nations' resolve to uphold an ethic of global stewardship was the Kyoto Protocol, and he said the burden of leadership at this juncture falls in particular on the United States, the European Union in Japan.

The latest report on human rights in Afghanistan by special rapporteur Kamal Hossain has been issued, and it is available on the UN web site for Afghanistan (www.pcpafg.org). The report highlights developments over the past year, including credible reports that Taliban forces massacred ethnic Uzbeks in Samagan province last May and conducted summary executions upon re-taking Yakawlang this January.

The World Food Programme (WFP) today warned of an emerging food crisis in Sudan with some 3 million people facing hunger caused by drought and conflict. With current supplies due to run out in April, WFP is appealing for $135 million to provide assistance for the next 12 months.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) today announced a joint initiative to cut in half by 2005 global deaths from measles. There are over 20 million cases and nearly 900,000 deaths annually from measles even though effective immunization costs just 26 cents and has been available for more than 30 years.

The World Health Organization has issued new guidelines for the control of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, at a meeting of tuberculosis specialists in London today. WHO is piloting a new initiative known as "DOTS-Plus," and the guidelines will assist in projects in South America, eastern Europe, the Russian Federation and south-east Asia.

Catherine Bertini, the Secretary-Generals Special Envoy on Drought in the Greater Horn of Africa, arrived in Addis Ababa today at the start of a four-day visit. She is expected to meet with Government officials, relief agencies and donors to review the humanitarian situation in Ethiopia.

Today, the United Nations Postal Administration has issued six new stamps in commemoration of the International Year of the Volunteer. The stamps are based on works of art created for the "One Heart, One World" exhibition, which opened at UN Headquarters last April and was shown in Brazil, France, Vietnam and Australia.

The guest at Friday's noon briefing will be Joseph Connor, Under-Secretary-General for Management, who will discuss the current financial situation of the United Nations, based on his report to the General Assembly's Fifth Committee.

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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