United Nations Daily Highlights, 01-08-21

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 21, 2001

ANNAN WELCOMES POSSIBILITY OF MEETING ON MIDDLE EAST

Today, on the last day of his visit to Norway, Secretary-General Kofi Annan had lunch with the Minister of International Development, Anne Kristen Sydnes, where the discussion focussed primarily on the fight against HIV/AIDS.

At a press encounter after lunch, the Secretary-General was asked about the Middle East peace initiative by German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, and he welcomed Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat's statement today that he was prepared to meet with Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres for truce talks in Berlin.

"Any attempt to bring the parties to the table is something that I support," the Secretary-General said.

The Secretary-General this morning had a private breakfast in Oslo with Thorvald Stoltenberg, the former Foreign Minister of Norway, who is one of the Secretary-General's advisers, and also the father of Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg.

The Secretary-General then met with his Special Coordinator for the Middle East, Terje Roed-Larsen.

Later in the morning, he went to the Storting, or Parliament, where he had a tour d'horizon with members of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

In the afternoon, the Secretary-General and his wife, Nane Annan, laid a wreath on the grave of Trygve Lie, the first UN Secretary-General.

He left Norway this afternoon for a few more days' holiday before beginning an official visit to Austria this weekend.

SECURITY COUNCIL BRIEFED ON MISSING KUWAITIS, SOMALIA

Members of the Security Council this morning held closed consultations on Iraq and Somalia, beginning with a briefing by the Secretary-General's High Level Coordinator for Iraq, Ambassador Yuli Vorontsov, on the Secretary-Generals latest report on missing Kuwaitis and third country nationals. The report detailed the lack of progress on that issue, stemming from the continued Iraqi refusal to cooperate with Vorontsov.

The Council then received a briefing on the humanitarian situation in Somalia by Carolyn McAskie, the Deputy Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs.

McAskie told Council members that, even though the situation in Somalia is less violent than it was a few years ago and there have been improvements in the lives of many Somalis, the country still suffers from the worst socio-economic indicators in the world, including high child mortality and malnutrition rates. Somalia, she said, remains in need of international assistance.

Speaking to reporters after consultations, Council President Alfonso Valdivieso of Colombia expressed the Council's deep concern at the continuing plight of the missing Kuwaitis and third country nationals and urged the Iraq to cooperate with the High-Level Coordinator.

Concerning the humanitarian situation in Somalia, Valdivieso stressed that a definite improvement in the humanitarian situation cannot be sustained without significant progress in the settlement of the conflict and political reconciliation.

This afternoon the Council will resume its public meeting on the Middle East, including the question of Palestine, with approximately nine speakers left on the list.

ISRAELI DELEGATION TO VIEW LEBANON VIDEO IN GENEVA

As agreed with the Government of Israel during discussions held recently in New York, a delegation of Israeli officials will be given an opportunity to see the videotapes and related items that could shed light on the condition of three Israeli soldiers abducted on the Israeli-Lebanese border on October 7, 2000.

The screening will take place on Wednesday at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

It will be recalled that a first viewing of the videotapes and bloodstained items took place on August 8 at UN Headquarters in New York.

As discussed with the Israeli authorities, arrangements are being made by the World Health Organization (WHO) to facilitate the analysis of the bloodstained items in the possession of the United Nations, with a view to determining whether the blood belongs to the Israeli soldiers.

The Government of Israel has been requested to provide the necessary information for that purpose.

In response to a question concerning the size of the delegation and whether family members would be included, the Spokesman answered that he did not have any information on the size of the delegation or whether family members would be present. The Spokesman added that the position of the United Nations has always been that relatives of the three Israeli soldiers would be welcome to view the tapes as part of the Israeli delegation.

IRAQ EXPORTS CONSTANT IN PAST TWO WEEKS

The Office of the Iraq Programme (OIP) reports that Iraqs weekly oil exports last week remained constant at 13.9 million barrels the same as the previous weeks total.

To date in the current phase, which is the "oil-for-food" program's tenth and concludes on November 30, Iraq has earned an estimated $1.6 billion in revenue from its oil sales.

The value of contracts placed on hold by the Security Councils 661 Sanctions Committee dropped slightly from the previous weeks total of $3.5 billion to $3.48 billion. The decrease was largely accounted for by the release of a single high-value contract in the electricity sector, a gas turbine, valued at $77.8 million, which had been on hold for over one year.

PRIOR TO ELECTION, ANNAN URGES EAST TIMORESE TO VOTE

The Secretary-General, in a video message to the people of East Timor that is being aired there prior to the August 30 elections for the Constituent Assembly, told the Timorese people, "The eyes of the world are now on you once again."

He assured them that the UN and its agencies are supporting their heroic efforts to rebuild their lives, revive their communities, re-establish their institutions and take control of their future.

He urged them to vote on August 30, saying, "All your voices must be heard."

Meanwhile, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for East Timor, Sergio Vieira de Mello, today opened a seminar, including participation from some 50 women, on ensuring that women's rights are enshrined in East Timor's future Constitution.

The Gender and Constitution Working Group, which organized today's seminar, has created a charter of rights for East Timorese women, consisting of 10 proposals for Constitutional articles of particular relevance to women, and has so far collected more than 10,000 signatures in support of that charter's inclusion in the Constitution.

Vieira de Mello commended the group's work and encouraged its effort to collect signatures to support the charter.

UN ENVOY CONDEMNS KILLING OF ALBANIAN FAMILY IN KOSOVO

The Secretary-General's Special Representative for Kosovo, Hans Haekkerup, today condemned the killing of five members of a Kosovo Albanian family, who were shot dead Monday night near Glogovac.

Haekkerup said, "The cold-blooded killing of members of the Hajra family is shocking, monstrous and incomprehensible." Such killings, he warned, threatened the progress toward self-government and a democratic future.

UNHCR SAYS ETHNIC SLAVS CONTINUE TO FLEE TETOVO

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports today that, a week after a peace agreement was signed in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), small groups of ethnic Slavs continue to flee from the northern town of Tetovo.

Meanwhile, in the FYROM capital, Skopje, several hundred displaced persons barricaded a road leading to the border crossing of Blace, where in recent weeks thousands of FYROM citizens have returned home from Kosovo.

More than 27,000 refugees have returned from Kosovo, but over the past three days, no returns from Blace have been reported.

DISARMAMENT OF MILITIA BEGINS IN SIERRA LEONE DISTRICT

On Monday in Sierra Leone, 45 combatants from the pro-Government Civil Defence Forces (CDF) turned in their weapons in Makakura, a town in the district of Koinadugu, in a ceremony witnessed by the Secretary-General's Deputy Special Representative, Behrooz Sadry.

All weapons handed in, including rifles and grenade launchers, were promptly destroyed by the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL).

The event marked the beginning of the disarmament process in Koinadugu, following the start of disarmament in Moyamba last week. The CDF also handed over 39 former child combatants to a child protection agency, CARITAS, based in Makeni.

The disarmament process in Moyamba and Koinadugu is to continue through the end of this month.

ILO TEAM TO VISIT MYANMAR IN SEPTEMBER

Juan Somavia, Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), today announced in Geneva that a four-member team will travel next month to Myanmar for three weeks to assess the effectiveness of recent efforts made by the Government in that country to eliminate forced labor.

The team will be led by Ninian Stephen of Australia, and will travel in mid-September. It is expected that the team will report to ILO's Governing Body in November. In carrying out its mandate, the team will have full discretion to make the contacts it deems appropriate across the country.

. UN STILL OWED MORE THAN FOUR BILLION DOLLARS

By the end of July, the United Nations was owed $4.295 billion in contributions from Member States, including more than $726 million for the regular budget, more than $3.46 billion for peacekeeping and just over $100 million for the tribunals.

The biggest debtor, the United States, now owes more than $2.33 billion, including more than $462 million for the regular budget and more than $1.8 billion for peacekeeping.

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