United Nations Daily Highlights, 01-04-20

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

FROM THE NOON BRIEFING

BY MANOEL DE ALMEIDA E SILVA

DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Friday, April 20, 2001

ANNAN, UN OFFICIALS CONTINUE CONTACTS ON MIDDLE EAST

This morning, Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in response to a question on the latest round of diplomacy concerning the situation in the Middle East, said there were discreet contacts going on between Governments and that people of good will are at work on the issue.

He added, "I think it is important that we all recognize that all these issues are linked -- the violence, the economic deprivation and the political process. And we need to tackle them flexibly."

The Secretary-General met Thursday with Permanent Representatives from the Arab Group. He said today that the Ambassadors wanted the Security Council to take action to help galvanize the parties to stop the violence and engage in dialogue.

Today in Tel Aviv, Peter Hansen the Commissioner-General of the UN Relief Works Agency ( UNRWA) and Terje Roed Larsen, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, met with Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres. The meetings came after Thursday's incident in Gaza when Hansen was stopped for over one hour at an Israeli checkpoint in Gaza.

Afterwards, Larsen said he had been assured by Peres that "the policy of the Government of Israel was to facilitate the work of the United Nations, and humanitarian workers in general." An open dialogue will continue on this issue. Peres said he had designated a high-level Foreign Ministry official to work with UNRWA in the days ahead.

On Thursday night, Larsen met with Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat. The meeting was described as "extremely positive."

UN ENVOY CALLS FLIGHTS OVER BEIRUT VIOLATIONS OF BLUE LINE

Staffan di Mistura, the Secretary-Generals Representative for Southern Lebanon, met today with Lebanese President Emile Lahoud to discuss the recent over-flights of Lebanese airspace by Israeli Airforce jets.

In a statement, di Mistura said two over-flights recorded today over Beirut represented the 342nd violation of Lebanese airspace by Israel since August 1, 2000.

He added, "These are clear (and loud) violations of the Blue Line, and of Security Council Resolutions 425 and 1337, and they are particularly unhelpful at this time of tension in the region. Such actions cause unfair concern among the population and should be stopped."

ANNAN URGES PREVENTION, CARE AS PILLARS OF AIDS STRATEGY

The Secretary-General told reporters this morning that the twin pillars of prevention and care need to be dealt with in a strategy on HIV/AIDS, and added, "Availability of the drugs alone is not sufficient."

Responding to a question from a reporter on the agreement Thursday that resulted in the dropping of a lawsuit by 39 pharmaceutical companies in South Africa, the Secretary-General said, although all people affected by AIDS may not receive the needed medicines immediately, the availability of drugs would increase. He said that in South Africa, where about 10,000 people are receiving the needed medication now, perhaps 100,000 might obtain the needed drugs by a year from now, rising over time to about 400,000.

He added, "We also recognize that we are going to need additional infusion of money, a real international global fund to help strengthen the health systems of these countries for our attempt to help them to be actually effective."

SECRETARY-GENERAL TO VISIT MOSCOW NEXT MONTH

The Secretary-General will be in Moscow, on an official visit, between May 15-17. The program is not yet finalized, but he is expected to meet with President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, and Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov. He will also meet members of Parliament in a visit to the State Duma.

The Secretary-General will be arriving in Moscow from Brussels, where on May 14, he will be addressing the Third UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries. The conference was convened by the General Assembly in 1997 in response to the marginalization of the Least Developed Countries. It will review the implementation of international support measures in the areas of development assistance, debt, investment and trade.

There are 49 LDCs with a combined population of more than 610 million people, or 10.5 percent of the worlds population.

This year's "Trade and Development Report" by the UN Conference on Trade and Development will be issued next Tuesday.

UN DEPLOYMENT RESUMES IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

The Security Council began its closed consultations today with a briefing by Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hédi Annabi on the Secretary-General's latest report on the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Council will convene again at 3:15 p.m. to conclude its discussion of the DRC.

Earlier today, more than 120 Moroccan troops arrived in Kisangani in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). They had been waiting since Sunday in Bangui, the capital of the nearby Central African Republic, because of obstruction to their deployment by the rebel Congolese Rally for Democracy.

The Moroccans were met by large cheering crowds of about 100,000 people upon their arrival in Kisangani, who threw flowers and shouted, "Bon courage!" to them. The troops were also greeted by UN Force Commander Lt. Gen. Mountaga Diallo. Their arrival brings the total number of UN troops in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to about 600.

SECURITY COUNCIL DISCUSSES DR CONGO, MISSING PERSONS IN IRAQ

Following the briefing on the DRC, the Council received an oral briefing by Yuliy Vorontsov, the Secretary-General's High-level Coordinator on Iraq, who reports to the Council every four months on Iraq's compliance with its obligation to return all Kuwaiti or third-country nationals.

During the past four months, Vorontsov has continued to visit countries and international organizations aimed at resolving the issue of the returns of Kuwaiti and third-country nationals, but Iraq has still refused to meet with him. The issue was also raised at the Arab Summit last month in Amman, Jordan, where the Secretary-General brought up the matter in his meetings with Arab leaders.

.UN DRUG OFFICE TO BEGIN MISSION TO AFGHANISTAN ON MONDAY

The UN Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention will field a donors' assessment mission to Afghanistan starting next Monday for 13 days. The team will include four representatives from the United Kingdom, two each from the United States and Germany, and one each from Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands and the European Commission.

They will visit former poppy growing villages and opium markets in four provinces. The purpose of the mission is to assess the potential for a sustained reduction in opium poppy cultivation in Taliban-controlled areas.

Francesc Vendrell, Personal Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the Special Mission to Afghanistan, has just concluded a two-day visit to Kazakhstan, undertaken at the invitation of the Kazakh Government. Vendrells discussed with the President and Foreign Minister various ideas for a comprehensive political settlement in Afghanistan and ways in which Kazakhstan might assist the Secretary-General in the exercise of his good offices.

The UN Humanitarian Office has announced a donation by the United States of some $6 million for de-mining activities in Afghanistan, where an estimated 150 to 300 civilians are injured or killed by explosives each month.

INFORMAL TALKS ON CLIMATE CHANGE TO TAKE PLACE SATURDAY

The Secretariat of the Framework Convention on Climate Change noted that there will be informal talks among some 40 countries, 25 of which will be represented by ministers, on Saturday, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York.

Jan Pronk, Chairman of the international negotiations on climate change, will brief reporters at the Waldorf Astoria at 6:00 p.m. that day, and there will also be a photo opportunity at 1:30 p.m.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

Asked about reports of a fake UN pass, the Spokesman noted that the UN Legal Office was contacted by the New York Police Department earlier this week about the possible existence of a fraudulent identification card with UN markings on it. The Legal Office was shown a copy of the card, which had a UN emblem on it but was clearly not a legitimate UN identification card, and the United Nations contacted the New York Police Department to inform them of that.

This afternoon at 5:00 p.m., the Secretary-General and Nane Annan will attend a memorial mass in honor of the late President of Tanzania, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere. The Secretary-General will deliver remarks at the memorial mass, remembering Nyerere as a man of profound humanity and integrity, who believed in the equality of all men as his philosophy in life.

Sunday will be the 10th anniversary of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and, to mark the occasion, Danuta Hübner, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Europe, will deliver a message on behalf of the Secretary-General. The message will highlight the Bank's accomplishments over the past decade, and will note the importance of the International Conference on Financing for Development, which is to be held next year in Mexico, as an opportunity for strengthening cooperation between the UN and international financial institutions.

This morning, the Republic of Korea became the 90th country to sign the Cartagena Protocol to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.

This afternoon, New Zealand will deposit the Instrument of Ratification for the Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982 relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Saturday, April 21

Jan Pronk, chair of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, is expected to brief the press at 6:00 p.m. at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, where an informal ministerial meeting on climate change will take place. The meeting is intended to prepare for the climate talks due to resume in July in Bonn.

Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean Marie Guéhenno will conduct a six-day visit in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Today is World Book and Copyright Day.

Sunday, April 22

In London, Danuta Hübner, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Europe, will deliver a message on behalf of the Secretary-General to mark the 10th anniversary of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

Monday, April 23

The Security Council will hold a public meeting to debate the protection of civilians in armed conflict.

The Secretary-General's reports to the Security Council on Western Sahara and Afghanistan are expected toward the early part of the week.

Nane Annan will be in Turkey, where she will deliver a message at the International Children's Day celebrations and will launch the "Say Yes Campaign" of the Global Movement for Children, of which the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) is a founding member.

Through the week, the General Assembly is to hold open-ended consultations on the forthcoming General Assembly special session on HIV/AIDS.

The International Law Commission will begin its 53rd session in Geneva.

The 50th session of the UN Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation will be held this week in Vienna.

Tuesday, April 24

The Security Council will be briefed, in a private meeting, by the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Georgia, Dieter Boden. It also expects to hold consultations on the UN Mission of Observers in Prevlaka.

There will be a meeting of troop contributing countries for the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara.

The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) will launch its World Trade and Development Report for 2001.

Wednesday, April 25

The Security Council intends to hold consultations on Angola, on which it will be briefed by Ibrahim Gambari, the Secretary-General's Special Adviser for Africa, and on the situation along the borders of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

The World Health Organization (WHO) will commemorate Africa Malaria Day. Roll Back Malaria, a joint partnership between WHO, the UN Children's Fund, the UN Development Programme and the World Bank, dedicated to halving the burden of malaria by 2010, is also launching activities throughout Africa to commemorate the day.

The International Fund for Agricultural Development's Executive Board will meet today and Thursday in Rome.

At 1:00 p.m., Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Kenzo Oshima will be accompanied by the Permanent Representatives of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine, for a press conference to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Chernobyl accident.

Thursday, April 26

The Secretary-General will address the Organization of African Unity summit of African leaders held in Abuja, Nigeria, that will discuss HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases.

The Security Council will hold consultations on Western Sahara and Afghanistan.

The Deputy Secretary-General will deliver remarks at an exhibit to commemorate the Chernobyl disaster, which is organized by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance and the Department of Public Information.

Friday, April 27

The Security Council intends to hold both public and private meetings with members of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), to discuss coordination in conflict management and the complimentary roles of the Security Council and ECOSOC in that process. Among the expected speakers will be Mark Malloch Brown, Administrator of the UN Development Programme.

The Commission on Sustainable Development expects to adopt a report to wrap up its two-week session.

The guest at the noon briefing will be Food and Agriculture Organization Director-General Jacques Diouf. He will be chairing a panel on hunger and the food situation in Africa, which is one of the panels leading up to the Economic and Social Council's high-level meeting in July.

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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