United Nations Daily Highlights, 01-05-16

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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

Wednesday, May 16, 2001

ANNAN MEETS RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER, CONCLUDES MOSCOW VISIT

Secretary-General Kofi Annan began his day by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow's Manez Suare, after which he went to the Duma for a meeting with Duma Speaker Guennady Seleznev. They discussed the role Parliamentarians can play in support of the United Nations, and the Secretary-General briefed the Speaker on the Legal Framework for Kosovo and outlined his views on the Middle East. They also discussed Chechnya, on which the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Dimitry Rogozin, outlined the possible legal framework for a settlement in Chechnya.

The Secretary-General later had talks with Russias Foreign Minister, Igor Ivanov. The Foreign Minister expressed Russias support for the goals set at last year's Millennium Summit and for the United Nations itself.

The Minister then went into some detail on the U.S. proposal to build an anti-ballistic missile system. He said he was leaving for Washington, D.C., Thursday and laid out Russias views on this subject. They then touched briefly on a number of issues including Georgia, Nagorno-Karabakh, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. On Iraq, they discussed the latest policy reviews taking place in capitals in advance of the next phase of the UN "oil-for-food" program, which will begin in early June. They also exchanged views on the legal framework for Kosovo and the security situation in the region as a whole.

At a press conference afterward, the Foreign Minister said, "Russia highly appreciates the personal contribution of Secretary-General Annan to the strengthening of the role of the United Nations, and Russia will support the candidacy of Kofi Annan for a second term as Secretary-General."

In the afternoon, the Secretary-General and his wife, Nane Annan, met with representatives of AIDS/Infoshare and the Women's Information Network, non-governmental organizations promoting awareness of HIV/AIDS in Russia, where, according to some sources, close to one million people are infected with the disease.

The Secretary-General then met with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, with whom he discussed the Russian economy, the private sector and the Secretary-General's Global Compact. He then went to the Federation Council to talk with its Chairman, Egor Stroev, and other members about the Balkans, globalization and terrorism. The Chairman awarded Annan the Peter the Great prize, and the Secretary-General thanked him on behalf of the United Nations.

The Secretary-General and Nane Annan ended he day by visiting UN staff in Moscow.

He will leave Moscow this evening for Geneva, passing through Amsterdam for a stopover tonight.

COUNCIL DISCUSSES LEBANON; ETHIOPIA-ERITREA SANCTIONS END

The Security Council this morning heard a briefing, in closed consultations, from Joachim Hütter, Director of the Asia and Middle East Division of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, on the Secretary-General's interim report on the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, which was issued about two weeks ago.

That report noted that the strength of the Force would be reduced through attrition and normal rotations to some 3,600 military personnel by the first part of next year, from some 4,500 at present.

On Tuesday, shortly after noon, the Security Council adopted a Presidential Statement on Ethiopia and Eritrea, which noted that the arms embargo placed on the parties would expire today, May 16. Under the current circumstances, the Council said, it would not extend the sanctions measures, described in Resolution 1298 (2000), beyond today; accordingly, the sanctions expired at a minute past midnight.

No Council meeting is scheduled for Thursday.

The next scheduled meeting is on Friday, when the Council expects to hold an open meeting on East Timor.

SECURITY COUNCIL MISSION TO THE GREAT LAKES BEGINS

The 12 ambassadors making up the Security Council mission to the Great Lakes region of Africa arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa. Upon arrival, French Ambassador Jean-David Levitte who is leading the mission, told journalists they were travelling to the Great Lakes region to help parties move the Lusaka peace process forward, and the Security Council's presence underscores the importance of the region to the United Nations.

Thursday in Johannesburg, the delegation will hold separate meetings with the facilitator of the Inter-Congolese dialogue, former Botswanan President Ketumile Masire; former South African President Nelson Mandela, who is facilitator of the Burundi Peace Process; and President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa. In the afternoon, the Security Council delegation will fly to Kinshasa.

SIERRA LEONE GOVERNMENT, REBELS AGREE ON DISARMAMENT

The Government of Sierra Leone and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) agreed on an immediate resumption of the disarmament process, following a one-day meeting held at UN Mission in Sierra Leone ( UNAMSIL) Headquarters in Freetown.

Agreement was also reached on the release of all child combatants and abductees starting on May 25.

The meeting examined the key issues relating to the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of combatants. The two parties reached agreement on the simultaneous disarmament of the Government-backed militia, the Civil Defense Force (CDF), and RUF combatants, which will begin on May 18 in the Kambia and Port Loko districts.

UNHCR REPORTS REFUGEE FLIGHT FROM SOUTHERN SERBIA INTO KOSOVO

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees ( UNHCR) in Pristina reports that some 550 ethnic Albanians fled into Kosovo to escape fighting from the Presevo valley today, bringing to more than 3,000 the number who have fled since Sunday.

UNHCR also reported that ethnic Albanians were trickling in from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). Some 20 had crossed into Kosovo today. The total numbers who have crossed into Kosovo from FYROM is at more than 9,000 since early May, according to UNHCR.

UN DEMINING EFFORTS IN LEBANON RECEIVE $50 MILLION

In Abu Dhabi today, the Secretary-General's Personal Representative for Southern Lebanon, Staffan de Mistura, met the chief of staff of the armed forces of the United Arab Emirate (UAE), Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, to discuss the UAE's cooperation with the United Nations and Lebanon in demining southern Lebanon.

The UAE pledged $50 million dollars financial support for demining activities under the UN umbrella. In a statement to the press, de Mistura expressed gratitude for this substantial contribution, which will help to restore normal living conditions to southern Lebanon, one year after Israel's withdrawal.

On May 21, the United Nations, the Lebanese Government and the donor community will participate in a conference on demining Lebanon, beginning with the south, that is to take place in Beirut.

PROSECUTOR DEFENDS STANCE ON RWANDA TRIBUNAL TEAM

Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte, responded to recent media reports concerning members of the prosecution team for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) whose contracts were not renewed.

Del Ponte, according to her spokeswoman Florence Hartmann in The Hague, has begun to restructure the investigation teams based in Kigali to make them more efficient. She added, "The Prosecutor did not renew some contracts and we were accused of racism, but the decision was only on the basis of efficiency."

She added that the first person who did not have his contract renewed was an American of European descent, and said that the Prosecutor will continue to hire new people, including Africans, on the basis of competence.

FIRST ELECTION COMMISSIONERS ARRIVE IN EAST TIMOR

Two of the three newly appointed international Electoral Commissioners arrived in Dili, East Timor, today. Michael Maley of Australia and Bong-Scuk Sohn of Korea will shortly be joined by Charles Rose of India. Also, the Commission's two East Timorese members are expected to be appointed in the near future, completing the five-member Commission.

Maley is the Director of Research and International Services at the Australian Electoral Commission and served as Deputy Chief Electoral Officer for the 1993 elections in Cambodia. Sohn is a member of the Election Commission of the Republic of Korea and served on the Electoral Commission for East Timors Popular Consultation in 1999. Rose is the former Secretary of the Election Commission of India and was the UN Electoral Officer in Cambodia.

The Commission will certify the election results and transmit them to the Secretary-General through his Special Representative for East Timor, Sergio Vieira de Mello.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

A report from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) says the sharp decline in the US economy will slow the region's growth rate this year. Current projections indicate that this years annual regional growth will reach 3 percent, down from 4 percent last year. Exports from the region are expected to rise by only 5 percent this year, as compared to last year's rise of 20 percent, and Foreign Direct Investment is also expected to fall by $10 billion.

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) today released initial results of a poll taken between December 2000 and February 2001 based on face-to-face interviews with 15,200 children in 35 countries in Europe and Central Asia. The preliminary results show that about 60 percent of children face some sort of violence or aggressive behavior in their families and almost half feel they do not have basic information on HIV/AIDS; yet most children believe their lives will be better than that of their parents. The full results of the poll will be presented to the General Assembly Special Session on Children in September.

Addressing the Third Conference on the Least Developed Countries today, Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), stressed the importance of making linkages between the environment and development policy as a necessary pre-condition in the fight against global poverty.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said today in a new report that an extra $400 million per year would make quality medicines and treatment available to at least 70 percent of the world's 8 million new tuberculosis cases each year. The report estimates that $1 billion per year is needed to control tuberculosis in the 22 highest-burden countries, but there is still a $300 million annual shortfall in funding.WHO also announced today that the overall target, set 10 years ago, for the global elimination of leprosy as a public health problem has been attained.

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