United Nations Daily Highlights, 01-07-20

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

BY FRED ECKHARD

SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK Friday, July 20, 2001

ANNAN URGES G-8 LEADERS IN GENOA TO SUPPORT AIDS BATTLE

In Genoa, Italy, this afternoon, Secretary-General Kofi Annan attended the Group of Eight (G-8) Summit, where he met for about 15 minutes with a number of the Heads of State there before saying, in a brief address, that "the commitment and resources of the G-8 countries are indispensable if we are to win this battle" against AIDS.

Such leadership and commitment, he said, will signify to the millions suffering from this disease that "the world is finally summoning the will--and committing the resources--to win this war for all humanity."

The newly-established Global AIDS and Health Fund, he added, must become operational by the end of this year. Noting that the Fund had already received more than a billion dollars, he said, "This is a very good beginning, but much, much more is needed."

As of Thursday, pledges to the Global Fund totalled $1.173 billion.

Upon his arrival in Genoa this afternoon, the Secretary-General took a stroll around the city, chatting with shop-keepers and commenting on the bravery of those who had stayed open for business.

Before leaving Rome for Genoa today, the Secretary-General met with Jacques Diouf, the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and then with Catherine Bertini, Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP).

This evening he will attend the Outreach session of the Summit, which will be attended by the Heads of State from Nigeria, South Africa, Algeria, Mali, Senegal, Bangladesh and El Salvador, to discuss poverty reduction strategies. Those talks will continue over dinner hosted by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

The Secretary-General will return to Rome after dinner, and then fly back to New York on Saturday.

On Thursday night, the UN Office in Copenhagen issued a letter sent to the Secretary-General from a Danish pensioner, which thanked the Secretary-General for his strong words against AIDS and included a check for 100 Danish Crowns, or about $11.50. The Secretary-General hopes there will be many such contributions from average citizens for the global fight against AIDS.

UN ADVISER URGES COLOMBIA REBELS TO FREE FORMER GOVERNOR

The Secretary-Generals Special Adviser on Colombia, Jan Egeland, issued a statement Thursday evening in Bogota, responding to a statement issued earlier by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) on the abduction of the former Governor of the Department of Meta, Alan Jara.

Egeland said that the former Governor was invited by the local authorities to inaugurate an important local development project. He and other guests invited by the UN were riding together as officials involved in the project.

He said the abduction of Jara, a civilian, was a breach of international humanitarian law and of the inviolability of UN vehicles.

He urged the FARC to release Jara immediately, take urgent measures to protect civilians, and ensure that the UN and diplomatic missions can carry out their work unhindered.

The Special Adviser again expressed his desire to reach a speedy resolution to this grave incident, and his commitment to continue discussions with the FARC Secretariat to resolve this matter.

REPORT: COTE D'IVOIRE SECURITY FORCES KILLED CIVILIANS

The report of the International Commission of Inquiry on Cote d'Ivoire, established last February by the Secretary-General, was issued today, noting the work of the three-member Commission, led by Ambassador Colin Granderson, which stayed in Cote d'Ivoire for two months.

Among its findings, the Commission said that members of the Gendarmerie bear responsibility for the October 2000 massacre in Yopougon. The Commission also found that members of the military bear responsibility in the deaths of civilians, which occurred during the demonstrations that followed Gen. Robert Gueis declaration he had won the Presidential election in October 2000.

The Commission also concluded that members of the security forces, in particular the gendarmes, used excessive force and were responsible for serious human rights violations during demonstrations that took place before the legislative elections of December 2000.

Among the recommendations in the report, the Commission calls on the Government to strengthen the fight against impunity in Cote d'Ivoire and recommended improved human rights training for the security forces.

The Commission also stressed the importance of national reconciliation in order to create a positive environment to bring to an end the tensions in the country.

ISSUES REMAIN UNRESOLVED AS ARMS CONFERENCE NEARS END

The United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects has entered its last scheduled day with still some outstanding issues unresolved.

The Conference met in closed session this morning in an effort to resolve these issues and come to consensus on the Programme of Action. The Conference will resume its session at 3:00 p.m.

Only about eight out of roughly 86 paragraphs in the draft Programme of Action remain unresolved. These relate, among other things, to ownership of weapons, export controls and conference review meetings.

PRESIDENT PLEASED BY PROGRESS OF CLIMATE CHANGE TALKS

On Thursday evening in Bonn, Dutch Environment Minister Jan Pronk, President of the current round of talks under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, said in a press conference that he was pleased with the work done by negotiation groups on climate change this week.

On three issues, he said, agreement had been reached, dealing with capacity-building and a guidance for the Global Environment Facility, while an agreement on technology transfer was close. He also said that a statement made Thursday by the United States reflected a constructive approach, and he called the statement by the Group of 77 encouraging and the one by the European Union heartening.

High-level talks on climate change are to continue in Bonn into the weekend.

UNHCR VOICES CONCERN AT FYROM STALEMATE

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today expressed concern about the stalemate in the negotiations in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), and urged the Government and Albanian community of that country to make every effort to avoid further confrontation.

The agency said that the confusion surrounding the current negotiations has prompted some of FYROM's ethnic Albanians to continue to flee to Kosovo and other locations, fearing a resumption of fighting. UNHCR reported this week that some 62,000 FYROM Albanians remain in Kosovo, although about 12,000 have returned home.

DISARMAMENT RESUMES IN SIERRA LEONE DISTRICT

The UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) reported that a total of 67 combatants from the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) and 16 from the Government-allied Civil Defence Force (CDF) handed in their weapons to UN peacekeepers near Koidu Thursday, as the disarmament process resumed in earnest.

The disarmament began after the UN Deputy Force Commander, Maj. Gen. Martin Agwai, visited the area along with RUF interim leader Issa Sesay and several other RUF and CDF officials. General Agwai criticized the recent slow pace of disarmament in the mineral-rich Kono District, and exhorted the two parties to match their words of commitment to peace with action on the ground.

General Agwai returned today to Kono, where the disarmament exercise is continuing.

UNICEF URGES SRI LANKA REBELS TO STOP CHILD RECRUITMENT

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) today called on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to stop recruiting children into its ranks. UNICEF also urged the Government of Sri Lanka to ease restrictions on humanitarian activity and address the shortage of teachers in conflict-affected areas.

In 1998, Olara Otunnu, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Children in Armed Conflict obtained assurances from the Tigers to end the practice of recruiting children, but the United Nations has observed a rise in recruitment activity in and near schools. Another problem lies in the increasing number of children dropping out of school, often because of an acute shortage of trained teachers and the need for children to supplement family income.

Carol Bellamy, UNICEF Executive Director, said, "Despite one or two encouraging signs, there has been little demonstrable progress on any of these problems, and UNICEF calls for a much more vigorous and transparent response than has been shown thus far."

NO NEW MASS GRAVES IN KOSOVO, UN MISSION SAYS

The UN Mission in Kosovo said today that, contrary to recent reports in the Belgrade media, no new mass graves have been found anywhere in Kosovo.

Some media had reported that some 900 people had been found buried in a mass grave in Suva Reka, which is not the case. Instead, of more than 1,200 bodies in Kosovo that have yet to be identified, between 800 and 900 have been reburied in Suva Reka. The UN Mission is in the process of negotiating a memorandum of understanding with the International Commission on Missing Persons so that it can begin DNA testing on those unidentified bodies.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

Asked about the trip of Under-Secretary-General for Management Joseph Connor to Lebanon, the Spokesman said he was expected to visit the country within the next few days, during his investigation of the videotape made after an abduction of three Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah.

The Security Council has not scheduled any meeting today. The Council's next scheduled meeting isn't until next Tuesday, when it intends to hold a formal meeting on the Great Lakes region.

Benon Sevan, the Executive Director of the Iraq Programme, on Thursday sent a letter to the Ambassador of Iraq concerning allegations by Iraq that the United Nations had delayed a mission to Iraq by the World Health Organization (WHO) to investigate the possible effects of depleted uranium. He vigorously denied those allegations.

UNHCR noted the suspension of its efforts to repatriate more than 174,000 Eritrean refugees in Sudan after heavy rains cut off some key roads. Since May, UNHCR has helped nearly 21,000 Eritreans return to their homes, and, once the rainy season ends, it intends to aid the return of another 40,000 refugees before the end of the year.

The UN International Drug Control Programme and the Government of Laos issued a survey of opium production in Laos, noting that opium production in that country, which last year amounted to 17,250 hectares, is at its lowest level since 1992.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Monday, July 23 The Secretary-General is due back at Headquarters following a two-week visit that included stops in Zambia, Germany, Switzerland and Italy. The pre-sessional working group of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women will meet in New York. In Geneva, the Working Group on Indigenous Populations will meet through Friday. The Secretary-General's report to the Security Council on East Timor is due toward the early part of the week. Tuesday, July 24 The Security Council expects to hold an open meeting to discuss the Great Lakes Region. There will be meetings for troop contributing nations involved in the UN Interim Force in Lebanon and the UN Observer Mission in Georgia. Wednesday, July 25 The Security Council intends to hold consultations to consider the Secretary-General's latest reports on the UN Interim Force in Lebanon and the UN Observer Mission in Georgia. Thursday, July 26 The Security Council expects to hold an open briefing on the UN Mission in Kosovo. It has also scheduled consultations on Burundi.

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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