United Nations Daily Highlights, 01-08-07

United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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 Tuesday, August 7, 2001

ANNAN DISMAYED AT ESCALATING VIOLENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST

In a statement issued Monday night, the Spokesman said that Secretary-General Kofi Annan is dismayed by the escalating violence, which continues to spread death and misery among both Israelis and Palestinians. He deplores acts of terror such as the one committed Sunday by a Palestinian gunman in Tel Aviv.

He is also deeply disturbed by the fact that Israel continues to use its armed forces for the deliberate killing of pre-selected Palestinian individuals. Last Tuesday, this tactic led to the killing of eight people, including two young boys. Over the weekend, further incidents of the same type killed one person and injured at least five others.

The Secretary-General recalls that he already condemned this practice, which violates human rights law as well as general principles of law, in his statement of July 5. Israel's continued use of it can only further inflame an already very dangerous situation.

The Secretary-General appeals once again to the Government of Israel to put an end to it. Indeed, he appeals to all sides to stop the cycle of destructive violence and to return to the path of dialogue, since there can be no solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict other than a political one. He urges both parties to focus their energies on the implementation of the recommendations contained in the Mitchell Report, which they have both embraced.

ISRAEL, UN TO DISCUSS MODALITIES TO VIEW VIDEOTAPES

The Israeli delegation that came here this morning to view the videotape and related items that could shed light on the condition of the three Israeli soldiers abducted on the Israeli-Lebanese border last October left without viewing the film.

The United Nations defined the modalities of the viewing in a letter to Israeli Ambassador Yehuda Lancry on Monday. The Israeli delegation had questions today about those modalities, and the United Nations agreed to meet with them at 5:00 p.m. today to see if the matter could be sorted out.

The delegation was headed by Brig. Gen. Danny Arditi, director of Foreign Affairs for the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), and also included Col. Moshe Zarka, director of the Prisoners of War Department for the IDF and Lt-Col. Avi Mashali of the IDFs Northern Command. An additional three people from the Israeli Mission to the UN, including Ambassador Yehuda Lancry, were also in the delegation.

In response to questions about the modalities, the Spokesman said that a conference room had been set up for the viewing of the tapes and in an adjacent room, the seven articles had been laid out for viewing.

Asked what the objections from the Israeli side were, the Spokesman said that the Israelis were in basic agreement with the letter, but they raised questions about one or two aspects of the terms included the letter. He added that UN officials were not able to give the Israelis immediate answer to their questions and, therefore, they would respond to the Israeli delegation this afternoon.

Eckhard added that the United Nations is trying to help, on the humanitarian side, to see if anything found in the videotapes or on the items could shed light on the condition of the three kidnapped soldiers, and was trying to establish modalities that would preserve the humanitarian nature of the exercise.

The Spokesman added that the United Nations has offered to show the tapes to representatives of the Lebanese and Israeli Governments, but not to the media. Asked if the United Nations would permit the families of the kidnapped soldiers also to view the tapes, the Spokesman said family members would be allowed as part of the official Israeli delegation.

When asked about the status of Joachim H&uuml;tter, the Director of the Asia and Middle East Division in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, the Spokesman said that H&uuml;tter had offered to be re-assigned. A decision to do so was made, the Spokesman added, and he is in the process of relinquishing his present responsibilities. His responsibility for the Lebanon portfolio had already been relinquished earlier.

When asked if the Secretary-General was getting his guidance in handling this case from the Security Council, the Spokesman explained the handling of this matter fell within Annan's administrative competence.

INDIAN GENERAL NAMED NEW HEAD OF UN FORCE IN LEBANON

General Lalit Mohan Tewari of India has been appointed as the new Force Commander of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) following an exchange of letters between the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council.

The previous commander, General Seth Kofi Obeng of Ghana, relinquished his command on May 15, and since then his deputy, General Ganesan Athmanathan of India, has been Acting Force Commander.

General Tewari is currently the Commander of the Higher Command Wing at the College of Combat of the Indian Armed Forces. His previous UN experience is as Chief of the Observer Group in Costa Rica within the UN Observer Group in Central America from 1990 to 1991.

In response to a question concerning the future of General Athmanathan, the Spokesman said that he had been previously been scheduled to rotate out in the middle of this month but had agreed to remain in his post a few extra weeks to ease the transition for the new Force Commander.

SECURITY COUNCIL TO DISCUSS REGIONAL CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

There is no official Security Council meetings scheduled for today and Wednesday.

On Wednesday, the Mission of Colombia, which holds the councils rotating presidency for this month, is organizing a discussion, along with the International Peace Academy, on "Regional Approaches to Conflict Management in Africa."

The purpose of the meeting, which will take place at the Princeton Club in New York City, is to advance ideas, in an informal setting, on the advantages and shortcomings for the UN system, and particularly the Security Council, in approaching conflicts in Africa from a regional perspective.

The participants are expected to focus in particular on West Africa and the Great Lakes region.

The Colombian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Guillermo Fern&aacute;ndez de Soto, and the President of the International Peace Academy, David Malone, will open the meeting, which will be closed to the press.

UN OFFICE REPORTS 'STRONG' IRAQI OIL EXPORTS LAST WEEK

The weekly update from the Office of the Iraq Programme (OIP) shows strong Iraqi oil exports in the week ending August 3 under the "oil-for-food" program.

In that period, Iraq exported 17 million barrels of oil, at the average rate of 2.4 million barrels per day.

To date, during the current Phase X of the program, which runs from July 4 to November 30, Iraqi oil exports have generated $1.1 billion, 72 percent of which goes to fund the humanitarian program.

There was a drop in the value of contracts placed on hold by the Security Councils 661 Sanctions Committee, with the total standing at almost $3.4 billion, compared with the previous weeks total of $3.5 billion.

UN WELCOMES APPROVAL OF DRAFT LAW ON CAMBODIAN TRIALS

In response to a question, the Spokesman said the United Nations welcomed the recent decision by the Cambodian Constitutional Council to approve a draft law to establish a special court to try former Khmer Rouge leaders on crimes against humanity.

Once the law is approved by the King, finalizing the legislative process, the United Nations looks forward to receiving an official translation for its analysis, the Spokesman said.

He added that, as has been emphasized in the past, the participation of the United Nations in this effort depends on the conclusion of a memorandum of understanding between the United Nations and the Government of Cambodia, with which the legislation must conform.

UN DISCUSSES ARRESTS OF AID WORKERS WITH TALIBAN

The UN Coordinators Office for Afghanistan held a meeting today in Kabul with senior Taliban officials to express its serious concern over the recent arrest of 24 humanitarian aid workers, eight of whom are foreigners, of the non-governmental organization Shelter Now International.

Eliane Duthoit, the UN Regional Coordinator based in Kabul, said that the United Nations was told that the case against the foreigners and the Afghan nationals who had been arrested was being reviewed, and that review should be completed within a few days.

The United Nations did not meet with the aid workers imprisoned, but did receive assurances about their well-being.

The Office of the United Nations Coordinator for Afghanistan has been in constant touch with officials from embassies of the international staff who were arrested to provide any support that is needed.

ATTACK ON SERB CONVOY IN KOSOVO CONDEMNED BY UN MISSION

Gary Matthews, the UN Principal Deputy Special Representative in Kosovo, condemned the attack this morning that occurred two kilometers north of Podujevo, in which a group of Serbs traveling in a convoy to Serbia were attacked, and three Serbs were injured. The attack was the second one against Serbs in the past 24 hours.

Matthews said that, as Kosovo prepares for elections this November, "such acts of violence are extremely destabilizing," and said they jeopardized the future of all citizens of Kosovo.

The UN Mission (UNMIK) today also re-took control once more over the Germia Building in Gracanica, where last Friday an Office of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Committee on Kosovo had been inaugurated.

The inauguration of the building had taken place without prior consultation with the UN Mission, which had made clear that it would have to authorize any such act.

SOME PROGRESS MADE AT RACISM CONFERENCE TALKS

The Preparatory Committee for the World Conference against Racism is in its second week of discussions and negotiations.

During a briefing today in Geneva, the Spokesman for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said there had been some movement on issues relating to the past -- such as slavery, the slave trade and colonialism, and victims of racism and racial discrimination. There was also some movement on the question of the Middle East.

A number of non-papers by different regional groups are circulating and some further progress on how to reach agreement on these difficult issues could be expected by the end of this week, the spokesman said.

UNHCR SAYS SOME ETHNIC ALBANIANS RETURNING TO FYROM

According to the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than 22,000 refugees the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) have returned from Kosovo in the past month

Last weekend, 1,000 returned while another 200 fled into Kosovo. The pattern of the last weeks has been that more people are returning to FYROM than fleeing, but there are an estimated 40,000 refugees from FYROM still in Kosovo, according to UNHCR.

High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers, in letters to the Secretary-General of NATO, George Robertson, and the European Union High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Police, Javier Solana, has urged greater international efforts to reverse the wave of displacement caused by the conflict in FYROM. Lubbers warned that prolonged displacement could jeopardize the chance for return and reconciliation.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

UNHCR and the Pakistan Commission for Afghan Refugees began the initial screening process for Afghans in the Jalozai and Nasir Bagh camps in northern Pakistan on Monday. This part of the process will collect family data that will be used for in-depth interviews with Afghans in the camps, due to start near the end of August.

Today, the Government of Kuwait has pledged $1 million to the Global AIDS and Health Fund. The total of pledges now stands at $1.395 billion.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says that tens of thousands of vaccination teams have embarked on a door-to-door campaign to immunize millions of children against polio throughout central Africa. The teams will also administer Vitamin A, which prevents hundreds of thousands of childhood deaths each year

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) announced today that the Secretariat for the Convention on Migratory Species is calling for efforts to conserve West Africas sea turtles.

Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

United Nations, S-378

New York, NY 10017

Tel. 212-963-7162

Fax. 212-963-7055

United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next Article