United Nations Daily Highlights, 01-10-25

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

THE NOON BRIEFING

BY FRED ECKHARD

SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Thursday, October 25, 2001

UZBEKISTAN AGREES TO ALLOW UN RELIEF INTO AFGHANISTAN

Emergency Relief Coordinator Kenzo Oshima, the UNs top humanitarian official, announced in Tashkent earlier today that the Government of Uzbekistan has agreed to allow the United Nations, for the first time since 1998, to use the Termez River port and barges to move humanitarian goods to the northern provinces of Afghanistan.

Oshima said some of the barges can carry up to 1,000 metric tons of food, and offer tremendous potential for getting food into the northern part of Afghanistan.

He said the Government has also opened the Termez airport to the humanitarian agencies, to allow them to stockpile humanitarian items for trans-shipment south.

The World Food Programme (WFP) said it had begun distribution of 500 metric tons of food for the internally displaced people in Kabul. However, a series of explosions very close to the distribution site forced a temporary halt in distribution. Today, the distribution resumed and continued throughout the day. Five hundred metric tons are enough to feed 60,000 people for one month.

In response to questions on the agreement with Uzbekistan, the Spokesman said the United Nations was continuing to discuss with the Government the issue of access to a bridge at the border. He said he was not aware of any time restrictions on the agreement.

HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES TO VISIT IRAN, PAKISTAN

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced that High Commissioner Ruud Lubbers is scheduled to leave Geneva on Friday for a one-week mission to Pakistan and Iran. Lubbers will get a first-hand look at the agencys current state of readiness and preparations for a possible large-scale influx of Afghans.

UNHCR also said that interviews with some of the new arrivals into Pakistan indicate that Afghans are afraid of being ensnared in the bombing campaign or ending up in the middle of a land battle between the Taliban and its opponents. They describe a breakdown of law and order, and refugees coming from cities are particularly concerned about the danger of inter-factional fighting in residential areas.

Some refugees told the field officers about horrific experiences on the way to Pakistan. In one group, a young girl was maimed by a mine explosion while walking with her family over the mountains. In another group, a woman gave birth on the way, but the baby did not survive.

Asked about the schedule of the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi, the Spokesman said that Brahimi would leave Friday for Pakistan, arriving in Islamabad on Sunday. He would then go to Iran. Brahimi intends to visit as many Afghan parties as he can, and may be returning to New York by the beginning of the general debate of the General Assembly scheduled to start on November 10.

Asked about a report in the Financial Times that the United Nations and United States had agreed to contain air strikes against the Taliban until a political arrangement is reached, the Spokesman said no UN officials in New York were aware of any such agreement.

SECURITY COUNCIL TO MEET ON MIDDLE EAST

This afternoon, at 3:30, the Security Council will hold a closed meeting with troop contributing countries to the UN Mission in East Timor.

At 6 p.m., the Council is scheduled to meet in informal consultations on "The Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question."

COUNCIL MEMBERS DISCUSS TARGETED SANCTIONS

The Security Council resumed a public meeting this morning on general issues relating to sanctions, which continued a meeting held last Monday that was suspended due to time constraints.

In the Monday meeting, the representatives of Switzerland and Germany reported on the Interlaken Process and the Bonn-Berlin Process, which brought together civil society and government experts to review and make proposals on targeted sanctions. Both representatives distributed handbooks with suggestions on the design and implementation of targeted sanctions.

The representative of Sweden also announced the Stockholm Process, which will focus on how to achieve a more coherent and effective incorporation of Council resolutions into national legislation and how to assist States to implement targeted sanctions.

UN MIDDLE EAST ENVOY CONTINUES HIGH-LEVEL MEETINGS

In Gaza today, the Secretary-Generals Special Coordinator for the Middle East, Terje Roed Larsen, is continuing his intensive diplomatic efforts to deal with the current crisis. He met this afternoon with envoys from the United States, European Union and Russia.

Larsen and the other envoys then went to meet with Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat, as part of their continuing effort to foster dialogue between the parties.

Earlier today, Larsen met with German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer and European Union Secretary-General Javier Solana to discuss the current situation.

Asked about Larsens efforts, the Spokesman called him the essential eyes and ears of the Secretary-General on the ground, and said the Secretary-General found his efforts useful.

In response to a question, the Spokesman added that the Secretary-General had not had any contact with Israeli officials by telephone earlier this morning.

UN PRAISES UAE CONTRIBUTION TO DEMINING IN LEBANON

Today in Beirut, the Secretary-Generals Personal Representative for Southern Lebanon, Staffan de Mistura, joined in the launch of Operation Emirates Solidarity, a project by which the United Arab Emirates is donating $50 million to help demining efforts in southern Lebanon.

In a statement, de Mistura welcomed the United Arab Emirates contribution, and expressed sadness that two people had been killed in just the past few days by landmines. The true liberation of southern Lebanon, he added, would not take place until something was done to deal with landmines.

UN ADVANCE TEAM TRAVELS TO SIERRA LEONE DIAMOND ZONE

The UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) reported today that an advance party of Pakistani troops has begun to travel by road to Kailahun, an eastern town near the Guinean border, in preparation for the deployment of a UN Pakistani battalion there next week.

This is the first time that the UN Mission is deploying to Kailahun, a diamond-rich area that has been controlled by the Revolutionary United Front. The battalion is expected to complete its deployment by October 31.

The UN Mission currently has more than 16,800 troops on the ground.

SECRETARY-GENERAL PRESENTS UN21 AWARDS

This morning, Secretary-General Kofi Annan addressed the recipients of the UN 21 Award for the year 2000. He said that in the five years since the award was established, much had been achieved in the field of human resources management as a part of the overall reform of the United Nations. He added, We will continue our efforts to ensure that staff and managers have the skills and knowledge they need to do their job.

Efficiency must be our watchword, he said. We must respond with the highest professionalism to old and new challenges, and search for cost-effective ways to carry out our critical work.

The five teams, comprising a total of 66 staff members, received commemorative pins and certificates from the Secretary-General.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

Today, Uruguay will become the 67th country to sign the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) formalized its commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS by becoming the eighth co-sponsor of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). The ILO has already made a major contribution to the fight against AIDS through its code of practice on HIV/AIDS that was launched during the Special Session on HIV/AIDS in June.

The ILO also says that nearly nine million workers in the global tourism industry could lose their jobs in the wake of the September 11 attacks on the United States. A new report says that a 10 percent reduction in tourism would translate into a loss of 8.8 million jobs worldwide.

The World Food Programme (WFP) announced today that Professor Sir Hans Singer will be awarded this years Food for Life Award for his lifelong fight against world hunger. Singer, a development economist, chaired the committee that proposed the creation of the WFP forty years ago.

On Wednesday night, the UN Day Concert in the General Assembly Hall had students from the UN International School dancing in the aisles to the music of the Indian rock band Euphoria and the Pakistani rock group Junoon. At the climax of the evening, those two bands joined in a rendition of John Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance", a fitting end to a UN concert.