United Nations Daily Highlights, 01-05-31

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

FROM THE NOON BRIEFING

BY FRED ECKHARD

SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Thursday, May 31, 2001

SECRETARY-GENERAL SADDENED BY DEATH OF FAISAL AL-HUSSEINI

In a statement issued by his Spokesman, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he was profoundly saddened by the sudden death of Faisal al-Husseini.

The Secretary-General extended his heartfelt condolences to his family and to the Palestinian people for the loss of one of their most distinguished and principled leaders.

The statement added, Faisal al-Husseini embodied the aspirations of his people, and infused their cause with integrity and justice. The Secretary-General called on the leaders on both sides of the conflict to pay tribute to al-Husseini's legacy by redoubling their own efforts to end the violence.

ANNAN WILL CALL ON BUSINESS TO GET INVOLVED IN FIGHTS AGAINST AIDS

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The Secretary-General is going to Washington this afternoon to deliver the keynote speech tonight at the Global Health Council's Annual Awards Banquet.

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Among the guests at the event will be Melinda Gates of the Gates Foundation and former Education Minister of Mozambique Graca Machel.

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In his speech, the Secretary-General will call attention to the impact of HIV/AIDS on women. He will point out that, at the start of the pandemic, AIDS was thought to strike mainly at men, but now patterns show that infection rates among women in Africa are higher than the rates among men.

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The Secretary-General will spend the night in Washington in order to attend a breakfast meeting Friday morning of the US Chamber of Commerce.

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In his prepared remarks to the Chamber of Commerce, he will urge business to get involved in the fight against AIDS, because AIDS affects business. It causes costs to rise and markets to shrink. By joining the fight against AIDS, he is to argue, business will see benefits in the bottom line.

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The Secretary-General will return to the office at midday Friday.

YUGOSLAV SECURITY FORCES COMPLETE DEPLOYMENT IN GROUND SAFETY ZONE

According to the Kosovo Force (KFOR), Yugoslav security forces have completed their move into the last sub-sector of the five-kilometer wide Ground Safety Zone.

tab-stops:list .5in left 3.0in 6.0in;mso-layout-grid-align:none; Because of a mine threat, it will take another 24 to 48 hours to clear the zone for full freedom of movement for people going in and out of the Presevo Valley, KFOR says.

tab-stops:list .5in left 3.0in 6.0in;mso-layout-grid-align:none; The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees ( UNHCR) says 500 people were reported crossing the boundary into Kosovo over the past two days, but at the same time large numbers of people have been spontaneously returning to Presevo Valley.

UNHCR in Pristina also reports on the influx of people into Kosovo from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. UNHCR says it is very concerned that the fighting will prevent further access of humanitarian organizations to the region to provide urgently needed aid.

SECURITY COUNCIL TAKES UP IRAQ SANCTIONS, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

The Security Council is meeting in closed consultations this afternoon.

First, the Council will receive a briefing from the Department of Political Affairs on the latest developments in the Central African Republic.

The second item on the Councils agenda is a discussion on the oil-for-food program (OIP). The current phase of that program ends this Sunday, June 3, at 11:59 p.m.

Asked if the Secretary-General had any reaction to the situation in the Central African Republic, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General had issued a statement on Monday in which he called on all parties to respect the democratic principles. The Spokesman added that the Department of Political Affairs and the UN Office in Bangui continue to monitor the situation.

Asked about the timing of a vote on the rollover into the next phase of the oil-for-food program, the Spokesman said it was up to members of the Council to schedule a vote.

UN WEAPONS INSPECTORS READY TO PERFORM TASK

The Executive Chairman of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) issued his fifth quarterly report today. In the report, Executive Chairman Hans Blix said that training and recruiting of staff continued during the reporting period.

With the work completed to date, Blix wrote, UNMOVIC is ready to take up the full tasks mandated to it by the [Security] Council.

The Executive Chairman adds that only once UNMOVIC is able to perform its tasks, will the Commission be able to assess fully the disposition of Iraqs proscribed weapons of mass destruction.

SIERRA LEONE REBELS RETURN EQUIPMENT TO UN MISSION

The UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) says that the rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF) Wednesday returned some weapons and military equipment, including vehicles, which were seized last year from UN peacekeepers in that country.

tab-stops:list .5in left 3.0in 6.0in;mso-layout-grid-align:none; The hand over took place at a ceremony held in the northern town of Makeni. The RUF told the Deputy Force Commander, Maj. Gen. Martin L. Agwai, that more equipment would be handed over in future.

tab-stops:list .5in left 3.0in 6.0in;mso-layout-grid-align:none; Maj. Gen. Agwai commended the RUF for the release of the equipment, noting that it demonstrated the RUFs commitment to abide by the Abuja Ceasefire Agreements. He noted, however, that additional equipment that had been taken is still in the RUFs possession.

He also asked the RUF to provide the UN Mission with the locations and type of the remaining equipment.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

In a statement released on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day, Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director-General of the World Health Organization ( WHO) outlined the dangers of second-hand smoke. Far from being a mere annoyance or a minor discomfort, exposure to second-hand smoke causes cancer and contributes to various lung and heart diseases, she said. She went on to call for a ban on smoking in public places and said, that the wider the bans on smoking, the greater the social unacceptability of tobacco use.

This morning, Barbados became the 84th Member State to pay its regular budget contribution for this year with a payment of more than $93,000.

The guest at todays briefing was Anna Tibaijuka, Executive Director of the UN Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), who discussed the General Assembly Special Session taking place next week to review the Habitat Agenda.

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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