United Nations Daily Highlights, 01-06-13

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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, June 13, 2001

ANNAN: ALLIANCE FOR PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST IS EMERGING

This morning, Secretary-General Kofi Annan met in Cairo with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, with whom he discussed the prospects for a cease-fire in the Middle East in the wake of the security agreement concluded on Tuesday night in the presence of US Central Intelligence Agency Director George Tenet. They agreed that, for any security agreement to endure, it must be embedded in a political process. They reviewed the efforts currently underway to encourage the Israelis and Palestinians to implement the recommendations of the Mitchell Commission.

The Secretary-General and Mubarak also discussed the Lebanon-Israel border, Syria and Iraq.

Following that meeting, the Secretary-General talked to reporters and said, in response to a question about the restrictions in the Palestinian territories, "I think the purpose of the efforts we are making is in the end to ensure that the siege would also be lifted." He added about the Palestinians, "I know they are suffering, I know the pain, and I think this is why we are all here."

The Secretary-General then met with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher el Sayed, who had been present at the meeting with the President, and with whom he discussed the Israeli-Palestinian security agreement, the Iraq sanctions review exercise and the situation in Sudan.

The two then held another press encounter in which the Secretary-General said that he is working closely with regional leaders, the United States, the European Union and Russia, and asserted, "I think there is emerging a real international alliance for peace. And I think that is a very useful thing."

In the afternoon, the Secretary-General departed from Cairo for Damascus. This evening, he is to meet with Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Shara, and to attend a dinner hosted by the Foreign Minister.

The Secretary-General is expected to meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Thursday, before he leaves Syria for Jordan on the next leg of his trip.

In response to a question on the schedule for the rest of the trip, the Spokesman said the Secretary-General was expected to travel to Lebanon on Friday and to Israel on Saturday, and he will hold a series of meetings with Palestinian and Israeli officials over the weekend.

When asked in the Secretary-General would be returning to London at the start of next week to accept an honorary degree from Oxford University, the Spokesman said he could only confirm that the Secretary-General would be in the United Kingdom next week and expected back at UN Headquarters towards the end of that week.

SECURITY COUNCIL MEETS ON DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

The Security Council is holding a public meeting on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in which Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guéhenno briefed on the Secretary-Generals latest report on the UN Mission ( MONUC) in that country.

Those remarks were followed by a briefing by the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Children in Armed Conflict, Olara Otunnu, on his recent visit to the DRC to assess the impact of the war on children in a country where half of the population of 49 million are children.

A number of other Member States also addressed the session. The DRC was represented at this meeting by Foreign Minister Leonard She Okitundu.

Before the start of the session on the DRC, in a separate meeting, the Council met to adopt a resolution on cooperation with troop contributing countries, which was included in the recent report of the Working Group on Peace Operations.

UN MISSION IN KOSOVO MARKS SECOND ANNIVERSARY

Today marks the second anniversary of the UN Mission in Kosovo ( UNMIK). At the time of the Missions arrival, Kosovo was on the brink of civil war and, since then, it has undergone dramatic changes.

Hans Haekkerup, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Kosovo, outlined the Missions accomplishments and mapped out the way ahead in a press conference in Pristina earlier today. At the conference he was joined by the heads of the four pillars making up the UN Mission.

The Secretary-General, in his most recent report, which was issued Tuesday, says the way ahead for UN Mission in Kosovo in the coming months is clear.

He says, In the short term, the political and security challenges to achieving the missions goals may loom large, but they will not dissuade UNMIK from remaining on track to achieve the long-term objectives of holding Kosovo-wide elections, implementing the Constitutional Framework and setting the stage for self-government and economic viability.

REPORT WARNS PARTIES IN BOSNIA TO AVOID PAST NATIONALIST POLICIES

The Secretary-General's latest report on the UN Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina ( UNMIBH), which was issued Tuesday, says that the belief by some parties that state borders and democratic institutions can be changed by obstruction and violence is "a fundamental source of instability" in the country.

The Secretary-General urged that all parties cooperate, and said, "The people of Bosnia and Herzegovina should engage fully in constructing their society together and not repeat the tragedy of the past by again following ultra-nationalist leaders into a historical cul de sac."

He also noted signs of progress in Bosnia, including the establishment of the State Border Service and the development of domestic and external police cooperation.

The Secretary-General recommended that the Mission's mandate be extended by the Security Council for a further 12-month period; the current mandate expires this June 21. The Council is expected to discuss the Bosnia Mission on Thursday.

UN ENVOY ASKS FOR HUMANITARIAN ACCESS TO BANGUI

The Secretary-Generals Special Envoy to the Central African Republic, General Amadou Toumani Touré, met with President Ange-Félix Patassé Tuesday night in Bangui. During the meeting, the Special Envoy reiterated the Secretary-Generals call for peace and dialogue among all Central Africans and his condemnation of the attempted coup.

Now that calm has returned to the capital, Touré also appealed to President Patassé to ensure that humanitarian workers have access to the population in all parts of the capital.

The UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF), which is the lead UN agency in dealing with this crisis, has 36 tons of humanitarian supplies, including tents and water purification material, arriving today in Bangui

MILITIA MEMBERS SURRENDER TO UN PEACEKEEPERS IN EAST TIMOR

A security operation by UN peacekeepers in East Timor resulted in the surrender Tuesday of 34 suspected militia members just south of Maliana, in the district of Bobonaro.

Australian troops had established a security cordon following information provided by a former militia leader that other former militia had returned from West Timor to East Timor in recent days. The 34 ex-militia surrendered to the peacekeepers after they were asked to submit to security and registration processes.

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Of the 34, six have volunteered to cooperate further with the UN mission (UNTAET) and civilian police in investigations, while the rest were released to proceed with the reconciliation process with the people of their villages.

ANNAN OFFERS TRIBUTE TO HUMAN RIGHTS LEADER RAPHAEL LEMKIN

This afternoon, Nane Annan delivered a speech on behalf of the Secretary-General to honor the legacy of Raphael Lemkin, the man who was the driving force in the drafting of the Genocide Convention.

In the remarks, the Secretary-General calls Lemkins success in creating the convention a milestone in the history of the United Nations, which also created a momentum for a wide range of other work aimed at protecting human rights.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

In response to a question on whether the Executive Director of the UN Drug Control and Crime Prevention Programme (UNDCP), Pino Arlacchi, would respond in an official report to the results of report of the UN Office for Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), the Spokesman said that Arlacchi may comment to journalists on that issue but would not be issuing an official report. Arlacchi had already begun to implement some of the OIOS recommendations, the Spokesman noted, in a signal that his office was already responding to recommendations.

In response to a question on the procedure by which members of the UN Security and Safety Service were given permits for firearms, the Spokesman answered that all security officers were recruited after receiving the appropriate firearms licenses.

The Secretary-Generals Special Envoy on HIV/AIDS in Africa, Stephen Lewis, today concluded a four-day visit to Botswana. On his last day, he visited, on the outskirts of Gabarone, a project supported by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) for young women formerly engaged in the sex trade. Lewis said he was particularly impressed with the level of awareness of women in Botswana about the epidemic and their involvement at all levels, from caregivers to policy makers.

On Tuesday afternoon, the General Assembly elected 27 judges who are to serve on an "ad litem," or short-term, basis on the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia ( ICTY).

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) issued a press release noting the start on Tuesday of the joint trial of six people who have been charged with genocide, crimes against humanity and serious violations of the Geneva Conventions in Butare. At the proceedings yesterday in Arusha, Tanzania, all of the six accused pleaded "not guilty" to the charges against them.

The UN Department of Public Information (DPI) announced the holding of its ninth symposium on the question of Palestine for journalists and Middle East experts. This year it will take place in Paris on June 18 and 19. A message from the Secretary-General will be delivered by Shashi Tharoor, Interim head of DPI.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have just completed a $3 million project to rehabilitate health facilities in the west of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The project included renovating and re-equipping parts of district hospitals, supplying significant amounts of essential drugs and starting cost recovery programs.

Greece today became the 87th Member State to pay its 2001 regular budget contribution in full with a payment of $5.6 million.

This afternoon, Switzerland became the 43rd signatory to the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism.

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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