United Nations Daily Highlights, 01-08-24

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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, August 24, 2001

SECURITY COUNCIL DISCUSSES BURUNDI, MIDDLE EAST

The Security Council began its closed consultations this morning with a briefing by Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Danilo T&uuml;rk on developments over the past month in Burundi.

T&uuml;rk told the Council that, despite the fourth meeting of the Implementation Monitoring Committee for Burundi, which ended on Monday, and the round of cease-fire talks held in South Africa under the facilitation of Deputy President Jacob Zuma, the security and humanitarian situation in the country has not changed for the better.

He noted some positive developments on the political front, including progress in the work of the Implementation Monitoring Committee and cooperation from most of the parties. At the same time, over the past two months, close to 30,000 people have been displaced in Bujumbura-rural.

The President of the Council, Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso of Colombia, made a statement to the press on Burundi following the end of consultations, noting the positive relationships that have developed between the political parties and encouraging them to continue to work together to install a transitional Government on November 1.

Also in this morning's consultations, the Council discussed further the situation in the Middle East, including the question of Palestine. On Thursday afternoon, Council members met for a little over an hour to discuss the possibility of either a Presidential Statement or a resolution on that issue, and those discussions continued today, although no agreement was reached on either of those two approaches.

ENVOY TO HOLD TALKS IN WYOMING ON WESTERN SAHARA

The Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara, James Baker, will meet with representatives of the Polisario Front and the Governments of Algeria and Mauritania in Pinedale, Wyoming, starting next Monday, August 27, through Wednesday, August 29.

The meeting is organized by the Personal Envoy pursuant to the provisions of Security Council Resolution 1359.

ENVOY TO HOLD TALKS IN MYANMAR NEXT WEEK

Razali Ismail, the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Myanmar, will visit Yangon from August 27 to 30 to help facilitate the talks between the Government and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi for democratization and national reconciliation in Myanmar.

During his visit, Razali is expected to meet with Sen-Gen. Than Shwe, Prime Minister and Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), and other leaders of the Government. He is also expected to meet with senior members of the National League for Democracy (NLD), including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. This will be Razalis fifth mission to Myanmar since he was appointed as Special Envoy in April 2000.

PARTIES AGREE TO HOLD CONGO DIALOGUE ON OCTOBER 15

The preparatory talks for the Inter-Congolese Dialogue have wrapped up today in Gaberone, Botswana, under the facilitation of the former President of Botswana, Ketumile Masire.

The talks have gone well, and the parties have agreed on October 15 as the date for the beginning of the inter-Congolese Dialogue itself. A venue for that Dialogue has not yet been decided, but the question of a venue and an agenda is to be determined within the next 15 days.

LEGISLATION SIGNED TO REVIEW KOSOVO PROPERTY SALES

The Secretary-General's Special Representative for Kosovo, Hans Haekkerup, has signed a regulation to ensure that all proposed contracts for property sales in certain mixed neighborhoods in Kosovo will be thoroughly reviewed by a municipal administrator before being approved.

The measure is intended to monitor inter-ethnic property sales in areas where minorities have been fleeing. It is not intended to prevent property exchange, but to ensure that irregular sales that are detrimental to minority rights or Kosovo's multi-ethnic character are not validated by the courts.

UN TEAM SAYS DISARMAMENT PROCEEDING WELL IN SIERRA LEONE

The Acting UN Force Commander in Sierra Leone, Maj. Gen. Martin Agwai, Thursday led an assessment team to Kono and Koinadugu to evaluate the progress of the disarmament process in those two districts.

The team from the UN Mission determined that the disarmament exercise in Kono has been completed successfully, and that progress has been made in Koinadugu, where disarmament is supposed to conclude by August 31.

UN POLICEMAN INDICTED FOR RAPE IN EAST TIMOR

A UN Civilian Police Officer was indicted on Tuesday by the East Timor Prosecutor General on charges of raping an East Timorese woman in a hotel room, the UN Mission announced today.

The suspect was arrested on the 5th of July and has been in detention since. The trial will take place in the Dili District Court.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

Asked about reports that the United States may send a delegation to the World Conference against Racism, the Spokesman said the Secretary-General would be very pleased if that were the case. The Secretary-General hopes that the United States will participate in next week's Conference and that exchanges among the nations at the Conference would be positive, so that racism can be dealt with firmly and creatively in the future.

In response to a question, the Spokesman said the United Nations would be closed on the US Labor Day holiday, on September 3.

The Secretary-General's Special Representative for the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), Legwaila Joseph Legwaila, Thursday visited that Mission's central sector to meet with the sector's senior military and police officials about the progress of UN work there. In each of his four stops in that sector, Legwaila was told about the problem of cattle rustling, which has caused tensions, and the efforts by the Indian battalion to bring involved people together to resolve that problem.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that 5,000 Somali refugees returned home from camps in eastern Ethiopia this week. Another 1,000 will leave from the Daror camp on Saturday and will be returned to their villages of origin. The Saturday convoy will bring to 35,000 the number of refugees repatriated this year.

UNHCR says that about 150 Liberian refugees fled the northern Lofa county in the last few days after renewed fighting in the area. The refugees arrived in the Macenta area of south-eastern Guinea, and UNHCR and local authorities have transferred them to a nearby camp.

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has announced that documents for the World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance due to start in Durban, South Africa, next Friday have been posted on the Conference web site. Among the documents are the Draft Declaration, Draft Programme of Action and the provisional Agenda.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS Saturday, August 25 The Secretary-General will arrive in Salzburg, Austria, at the start of an official visit to Austria. Sunday, August 26 Monday, August 27 In Salzburg, Austria, the Secretary-General will meet with Foreign Minister Benita Ferrero-Waldner, and will speak at a dinner to open a seminar on the Dialogue among Civilizations. The Secretary-General's Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, James Baker, will begin talks in Pinedale, Wyoming, with officials from the Polisario Front, Algeria and Mauritania. The talks are to last through Wednesday. The Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Myanmar, Razali Ismail, will visit Yangon from today through Thursday to meet with officials from the Government and senior members of the National League for Democracy, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Tuesday, August 28 In Salzburg, the Secretary-General will address the opening of the Salzburg Dialogue among Civilizations, and his Personal Representative for the UN Year of Dialogue among Civilizations, Giandomenico Picco, will moderate a discussion. The Secretary-General will also meet with Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Sch&uuml;ssel. He also has scheduled talks on Cyprus with his Special Adviser, Alvaro de Soto, and with HE Rauf Denktash. The Security Council will hold an open briefing on Kosovo, at which Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean Marie Guehenno will speak. Wednesday, August 29 The Security Council expects to hold consultations on Afghanistan. Thursday, August 30 Elections will take place with UN support in East Timor for seats to the Constituent Assembly. The Security Council will hold an open briefing on the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Friday, August 31 The World Conference against Racism, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance will open in Durban, South Africa, and the Secretary-General and High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson will be among those addressing the opening session. The Conference will last through September 7. The Security Council has scheduled a public meeting to wrap up its work for August. In September, Ambassador Jean-David Levitte of France will take over as Council President from Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso of Colombia.

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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