United Nations Daily Highlights, 01-10-24

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

OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY FRED ECKHARD

SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Wednesday, October 24, 2001

ANNAN CALLS FOR ISRAELI WITHDRAWAL FROM PALESTINIAN ZONES

Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in a statement issued through his Spokesman, was very disturbed to learn that, in spite of international calls on Israel to withdraw its armed forces from Palestinian-controlled areas in the West Bank, Israel has instead intensified its occupation of those areas.

The Secretary-General is especially concerned about reports from the village of Beit Rima, where Israeli forces have launched a major assault today resulting in substantial loss of life. He called on Israel to cease this attack immediately, withdraw all its forces from Area A zones which are under full Palestinian control -- and also ensure that Palestinian ambulances and Red Cross personnel have full access to the wounded in the village.

He reiterated that this further dangerous escalation, quite apart from being a breach of signed agreements, only deepens the cycle of violence in the region where tensions are already at boiling point.

The Secretary-General remains convinced that there is no alternative to a negotiated political solution to this conflict. He strongly urges the parties to return to this path.

The Secretary-Generals Special Coordinator for the Middle East, Terje Roed Larsen, met today in Gaza with Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat, who informed him of an Israeli Defence Force incursion into and around the West Bank village of Beit Rima, in a Palestinian-controlled area north of Ramallah.

It is difficult to obtain information about the situation in this village as the Israeli operation continues, but the Special Coordinators office in Gaza said that at least nine Palestinians have been confirmed killed, and many others are reported injured. The Palestinians reported a death toll of at least 15.

Arafat also informed Larsen of fierce fighting in Bethlehem.

[In response to questions about the Secretary-Generals phone calls today, the Spokesman said after the briefing that he had not talked to U.S. President George W. Bush or other officials on the Middle East this morning.]

SECURITY COUNCIL DISCUSSES MIDDLE EAST MEETING

The Security Council on Tuesday afternoon met to consider a letter from the Ambassadors of Mali and Qatar, requesting the convening of an immediate meeting of the Security Council to deal with the question of Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian areas. Council members discussed the issue, but did not come to any decision yesterday afternoon on holding such a meeting.

Instead, Council members are staying informed of developments on the ground, and Council President Richard Ryan of Ireland will continue to consult with Council members on possible Security Council action in the coming days.

UN WARNS OF MUNITIONS DANGERS IN AFGHANISTAN

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The UN humanitarian office for Afghanistan, which has examined the aftermath of recent air strikes on Monday and Tuesday on Herat, reports today that hit during those attacks was the nearby village of Shaker Qala , said UN humanitarian spokeswoman Stephanie Bunker.

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On Tuesday morning, a group of people from that village arrived at the Mine Action Center in Herat and said that many bomblets sub-munitions carried in cluster bombs were littering their village and that they were afraid could not leave their houses.

The Mine Action Program for Afghanistan said these bomblets are very dangerous and can explode if touched. About the size of a small soft drink can and bright yellow in color, the bomblets weight about one and a half kilograms. There are normally as many as 200 of these bomblets in a cluster bomb.

The Mine Action Center Quick Reaction Team in Herat are clearing paths for the villages and sandbagging the devices. The Center said it urgently requires information about the types of cluster munitions used so that they can get people to destroy these devices. The Center is advising Afghan civilians not to touch any unfamiliar objects on the ground and, if possible, to inform the nearest mine action center so the sites can be marked.

About 70 percent of the population of Herat have reportedly fled.

Meanwhile, the World Food Programme ( WFP) announced that it has signed agreements with 19 non-governmental organizations to distribute food in Afghanistan. WFP also reports that over the past few days, it has been able to increase the amount of food carried in by convoys to a daily average of over 2,000 metric tons.

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The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees ( UNHCR) reports that preparations for establishing refugee sites and stockpiling of necessary goods continue in Pakistan and Iran.

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On the political side, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Afghanistan, Lakdhar Brahimi, is continuing consultations in New York and is expected to start his visit to the region in Pakistan over the weekend. Brahimi said Tuesday that he intends to talk directly to as many Afghan parties as possible as part of his quest of a home-grown political arrangement.

Asked about the basis on which the United Nations is reporting on damage from air strikes on Afghanistan, the Spokesman said that the UN Office in Islamabad, Pakistan, was receiving regular reports, with the UN agencies basing their shared information on data from their sources on the ground.

ANNAN WELCOMES IRA ANNOUNCEMENT ON DISARMAMENT

The Secretary-General, in a statement issued after the noon briefing, welcomes the announcement by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) that it has commenced disarmament. This decision is a watershed in the history of Northern Ireland, and also addresses one of the critical challenges of post-conflict peacebuilding specifically, control over and the disposal of weapons.

The Secretary-General calls on all parties concerned to seize this unique opportunity to consolidate the Good Friday Agreement further, and on those who had left the process to re-enter Northern Irelands devolved government.

SECURITY COUNCIL HEARS REPORTS ON TROOP MOVEMENTS IN DR CONGO

The Security Council began an open meeting this morning on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and heard from the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the DRC, Amos Namanga Ngongi, on the Secretary-Generals report on the UN Mission in that country.

Ngongi said that the UN Mission is investigating as a matter of urgency the reports of movements of both Rwandan and Ugandan troops in the vicinity of the town of Kanyabayongo in North Kivu. A team of observers has already been sent to the scene and two more teams will be sent Thursday. All parties are cooperating with the UN Mission, and no fighting has been reported.

Ngongi also said that this morning the UN Mission sent another team to Kamina, in the eastern part of the country, to continue efforts to demobilize and repatriate the 3,000 Rwandan former combatants said to be there.

DRC Foreign Minister Leonard She Okitundu, also took the floor, among various other speakers. The Council expects to adopt a Presidential Statement at the end of its meeting.

In a letter available today, the Permanent Representative of the DRC, Ambassador Ileka Atoki, stated his Governments position regarding the Inter-Congolese dialogue meeting that was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, last week.

ON UN DAY, ANNAN ASKS UN FAMILY TO WORK HARDER

On the occasion of United Nations Day, the Secretary-General said that this years commemoration is even more special as the Organization has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He urged the United Nations family to stay true to our mission and to work harder than ever to alleviate suffering in every part of the world.

He added, As the world confronts a new challenge, old ones remain. The United Nations is more central than ever to creating a better and safer world for all.

To mark the occasion, the United Nations will hold a concert in the General Assembly Hall this evening, featuring the Indian rock band, Euphoria, the Pakistani folk rock band, Junoon and the performance of French mime Marcel Marceau.

ANNAN MARKS PASSING OF EX-UN OFFICIAL ISMAT KITTANI

In a statement, the Secretary-General mourned the late Ismat Kittani, a former UN officials and President of the 36th General Assembly who, he said, served five Secretaries-General with dedication and commitment.

He added, He performed many sensitive missions with the utmost skill and judgment. He was loved by those who knew him, and respected by all who came in contact with him.

He noted Kittanis remarks upon retiring from the United Nations that no person is forced to work for the United Nations, and does so because he or she believes in its goals. Ismat Kittani was someone who helped us all sustain that belief, and who made our work here even more rewarding, the Secretary-General said.

YUGOSLAV GENERAL TO APPEAR BEFORE HAGUE TRIBUNAL

Yugoslav General Pavle Strugar will make his initial appearance before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia ( ICTY) Thursday, after having turned himself in voluntarily on Sunday.

The Tribunal, in its indictment against Strugar and three co-accused, charged Strugar, who in 1991 was a Yugoslav Army Commander, for war crimes, including murder and attacks on civilians, conducted in Dubrovnik, Croatia, in October of that year.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

UN Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Mark Malloch Brown started an official visit to the United Kingdom today, meeting this morning with Clare Short, Secretary of State and head of the UK Department for International Development. Malloch Brown addressed the Departments staff on issues such as the "new UNDP," reports on Millennium Development Goals and coordination of UN activities.

The United Nations 21 Awards for the year 2000 will be presented by the Secretary-General Thursday to 66 awardees in five teams. The awards were introduced in 1996 by the Secretary-General as part of management reform to recognize outstanding achievements in improving the efficiency, effectiveness, quality and impact of the Organizations activities.

This morning, the Holy See ratified both Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Optional Protocol on children and armed conflict now has 7 parties, with three more needed for it to enter into force, and the Optional Protocol on the sale of children now has 11 parties.

Also this morning, Liechtenstein became the 28th country to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.