United Nations Daily Highlights, 01-11-16

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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

Friday, November 16, 2001

"GROUP OF 21" BACKS UN EFFORTS TO CONVENE ALL-AFGHAN MEETING

The Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Afghanistan Lakhdar Brahimi

attended the first meeting in more than three years of the so-called "Group of 21" countries with influence in Afghanistan. [The Group consists of China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Iran, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Netherlands, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan. Also invited: The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Argentina, Canada, Norway, Switzerland, European Commission and Belgium.]

The Group expressed strong support for the work being undertaken by Mr. Brahimi.

Kieran Prendergast, the Under-Secretary-General of Political Affairs, chaired the one-and-a-half hour meeting.

Brahimi gave a briefing of the situation on the ground as well as on his preparations for an all-Afghan conference to lay the foundation for a future broad-based government for that country.

In response to a question about a story in The Washington Post

today about a Taliban envoy reportedly asking UN representatives to broker a surrender at Kunduz, the Spokesman said after the briefing that there had been no mention of such an approach in the overnight cable traffic from the UN Political Office now based in Islamabad. "At this point," the Spokesman said, "we have no idea who the unnamed UN official in the Washington Post article could be."

UN AWAITING RESPONSE FROM NORTHERN ALLIANCE ON ALL-AFGHAN MEETING

Brahimi told reporters after the meeting that no venue or site had yet been decided and that his deputy Francesc Vendrell would be traveling to Kabul tomorrow to meet with the Northern Alliance representatives. Security conditions coupled with insurance arrangements for the plane have delayed Vendrells departure by a day.

We are waiting for an answer from the Northern Alliance, Brahimi said.

He said a number of countries had offered to host the conference -- the United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan, Germany among others.

When asked about the timing of such a conference, he said if there is a positive response from the Northern Alliance that the meeting could take place next week.

Asked if the pace was too slow, he answered: You know, the Secretary-General is more aware than anybody of that, but we will go only as fast as the Afghans are willing to go. Unless we have answers and expression of readiness to meet from the Afghans, obviously we cannot meet."

WOMEN UN STAFF RETURN TO WORK IN KABUL FOR FIRST TIME IN FIVE YEARS

In Kabul today, four female Afghan staff of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) went to work for the first time since the Taliban had taken control of the city in 1996.

They had been barred from office by the Taliban but, until 1999, they had continued to work in the field; over the last two years, however, the Taliban had forbidden them to do any work at all..

According to today's briefing notes from Islamabad, UNHCR also plans to re-establish its international presence throughout Afghanistan, with field offices to open in all five major cities: Kabul, Kandahar, Herat, Jalalabad and Mazar-i-Sharif.

The United Nations remains concerned about camps for potential asylum seekers located within Afghanistans borders, and is urging the governments of Pakistan and Iran to allow those people into their territory if they are unable to return to their homes.

The Secretary-Generals Representative on Internally Displaced Persons, Francis Deng, and the UN Special Coordinator on Internal Displacement, Kofi Asomani, today called on Afghanistans warring parties to take all necessary steps to ensure immediate, safe and unhindered access by humanitarian organizations to displaced and vulnerable people.

In London today, Catherine Bertini, Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), said that despite obstacles, WFP has succeeded in reaching its monthly target of providing 52,000 metric tons of food for the Afghans enough food to feed six million hungry Afghans for the month.

The UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions, Asma Jahangir, has said in a statement that evidence is emerging that large numbers of civilians have been killed by the warring factions. She said there is an urgent need to investigate independently allegations of such killings and bring those responsible to justice without delay.

In response to a question on whether a UN tribunal would be set up in light of reports of attacks on civilians in Afghanistan, the Spokesman said that such a question would be a matter for the Security Council to decide.

SECURITY COUNCIL MEETS WITH ETHIOPIAN AND ERITREAN OFFICIALS

This morning Members of the Security Council held back-to-back private meeting with the Foreign Ministers of Ethiopia and Eritrea.

First, the Council met with Eritrean Foreign Minister Ali Said Abdellah and then with Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin.

Prior to the private meetings, Council members met in closed consultations to be briefed on the latest developments relating to the UN mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea by Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hedi Annabi.

SECURITY COUNCIL ISSUES STATEMENT AT END OF DEBATE ON ANGOLA

Thursday evening, the Council wrapped up a formal meeting on Angola by issuing a Presidential Statement, expressing its continuing deep concern about the conflict in that country, including the large number of internally displaced persons and the dire humanitarian situation. It repeated its call on Member States to comply with UN sanctions against the UNITA rebels.

The statement came after an open debate in which Under-Secretary-General Ibrahim Gambari told the Council that in some cases, fighting has intensified in Angola, with UNITA guerrilla activities spreading to several parts of the country. He warned that, since the beginning of this year along, some 323,000 people have been displaced by violence.

UN MISSION PREPARES FOR ELECTIONS IN KOSOVO

On Saturday, the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) will hold elections for a 120-seat Assembly and a provisional self-government of nine ministers.

Speaking to reporters a day before the elections, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Kosovo, Hans Haekkerup, said, We will soon have an assembly, a government, a President of Kosovo, and said the purpose of this process was to overcome differences and bring about reconciliation in Kosovo.

There will be some 1,600 polling stations open in Kosovo Saturday, as well as about 170 in Serbia and between 10 and 20 in Montenegro. The results of the legislative elections will not be announced until Monday.

Asked about the prospects for Serb turnout in the Kosovo elections, the Spokesman said that the atmosphere today was reported as calm, and he hoped for peaceful elections in which all communities participated fully.

RUSSIA SPONSORS GLOBAL COMPACT MEETING ON CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP

The first-ever Global Compact meeting to discuss corporate citizenship will be held in Moscow on Monday, co-sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Russian Union of Industrialists and Employers and dozens of leading Russian and foreign companies.

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov will address the opening of the meeting, as will the Deputy Secretary-General Louise Frèchette.

The meeting will aim to establish in Russia a Global Compact Learning Forum and promote public-private partnership projects.

The Global Compact was launched by the Secretary-General in 1999 to promote responsible corporate citizenship in the areas of human and labor rights and the environment.

Asked about the names of companies that have joined up with the Global Compact, the Spokesman said they were included in the Compacts website.

ANNAN CALLS FOR EXPANDED UN OFFICE IN BURUNDI

The Secretary-Generals report on the situation in Burundi was issued today in which he updates the council on some of the major developments in Burundi, especially those related to the UNs chairmanship of the Implementation Monitoring Committee (IMC).

With the establishment of a transitional government and the expected repatriation of the IMC to Bujumbura, the various UN entities supporting the peace process would need to be consolidated, refocused and strengthened.

The UN Office in Burundi, the Secretary-General says, will need to have its staffing and resources increased as it supports UN activities in the country as well the chairman of the IMC, currently Ambassador Bernahu Dinka, the Secretary-General Special Representative for the Great Lakes.

In conclusion, the Secretary-General reaffirms the UNs determination to do everything possible to help bring about a negotiated settlement of the conflict.

The grave humanitarian consequences of the conflict, he says, its adverse effect on an already troubled region and the ever-present danger of an upsurge in ethnic violence make it necessary for the international community to continue to give priority attention to Burundi.

ANNAN URGES G-77 NATIONS TO BUILD ON DOHA TRADE MEETING

The Secretary-General this morning addressed the 25th annual meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Group of 77 developing nations, telling them they must seize the opportunity resulting from the World Trade Organizations (WTO) agreement Tuesday to launch multilateral negotiations on a wide range of international trade issues.

He told the G-77 delegates, Together, you form the majority of WTO members, as you do at the United Nations. Together, you can block changes that would have a negative impact on your economies. And if you are skilful and flexible, you can use that bargaining power to obtain changes that you badly need.

He said the momentum shown at the WTO meetings in Doha should be sustained as nations move towards the International Conference on Financing for Development, to take place in Monterey, Mexico, in March, and added that the preparatory process for that conference has seen unprecedented cooperation among the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, WTO, civil society and the business community.

Saturday in Ottawa, Canada, the Secretary-General said, he will meet with the key ministerial committees of the World Bank and IMF at a private dinner and make the case for meaningful results in Monterrey.

UN RIGHTS RAPPORTEUR CONCERNED AT US DECISION ON MILITARY TRIBUNALS

The Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Dato Param Cumaraswamy, issued a statement today expressing his concerns the decision by U.S. President George W. Bush to sign a military order on the detention, treatment and trial of certain non-citizens.

The Special Rapporteur expressed deep concern about the implications of the order on the rule of law, and "the wrong signals it sent, not only in the United States, but around the world".

In his letter to the President, Cumaraswamy adds: I am fully conscious that this Order is made to meet the national emergency declared on September 14. However, I am not convinced that such repressive measures curtailing the core values of the rule of law and a fair trial are necessary".

Cumaraswamy issued another statement in which he expresses his concern over efforts by the government of Malawi to impeach three judges from the judiciary.

ANNAN: BIOLOGICAL CONVENTION NEEDS TO IMPLEMENTED

The fifth review conference of the States who are party to the Biological Weapons Convention will begin next Monday in Geneva, and Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs Jayantha Dhanapala will attend and deliver a message on the Secretary-Generals behalf.

In that message, the Secretary-General is expected to emphasize the need to give higher priority to the full implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention, to tighten relevant legislation and to criminalize the acquisition of biological weapons a need made more clear since September 11.

ANNAN: TOLERANCE IN A SHARED VALUE OF OUR COMMON HUMANITY

In his message on the occasion of the International Day of Tolerance, the Secretary-General said that the events of September 11 have united the world as never before. He said that tolerance was one of the shared values that make up our common humanity. It is a value that makes peace possible, he said, And without peace, there can be neither progress not development.

In a statement issued from New Delhi, Mary Robinson, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that this year it holds special significance.

Even before the horrendous events of 11 September, the High Commissioner said, the world was facing the stark choice of uniting in all its rich diversity or sinking deeper into conflict born of hate of the Other.

DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERAL TO EMBARK ON WEEK-LONG EUROPEAN TOUR

Deputy Secretary-General Louise Frechette will be making a trip to Moscow, Geneva and Vienna next week.

She will arrive in Moscow on Sunday November 18, and address the opening of a roundtable meeting on cooperation between the United Nations and the business community. She will also address the opening of the Consultative Conference of the CIS countries on the Global Fund to combat HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and malaria.

In addition, she will have meetings with Government officials, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivanov, and with the UN country team. She concludes her visit to Moscow on Tuesday.

On November 21, she will be in Geneva to chair the first meeting of the Board of Governors of the UN System Staff College, which is based in Turin.

The Deputy Secretary-General will be in Vienna on November 22 and 23, at the invitation of the Austrian Government, where she is expected to meet with Minister of Foreign Affairs Benita Ferrero-Waldner, and will also visit the UN Office in Vienna.

The Deputy Secretary-General will be back at Headquarters on 26 November 26.

RWANDAN TRIBUNAL CONFIRMS CONVICTION OF EX-TEA FACTORY DIRECTOR

The appeals chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda today confirmed the conviction of Alfred Musema, the former director of a tea factory in the prefecture of Kibuye, on charges of genocide and extermination, but quashed his conviction on rape charges on the basis of new evidence it had heard.

His sentence of life imprisonment stands, and will be served in a state to be designated by Tribunal President Navenethem Pillay.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENT

Today, Swaziland became the 128th Member State to pay its 2001 regular budget contribution in full with a payment of more than $20,000.

The United Nations Postal Administration today issued three sets of commemorative stamps on climate change. The stamps were designed by Robert Giusti of the United States.

Asked whether the United Nations would provide electoral observers to Zimbabwe, the Spokesman said that the United Nations was not providing assistance to the Zimbabwean elections.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Saturday, November 17 The Secretary-General will visit Ottawa, Canada, to attend a private dinner of the Committees of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He will also meet with Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien while in Canada.

Elections will take place in Kosovo under the organization of the UN Mission in Kosovo.

Sunday, November 18

Monday, November 19

In Geneva, the States Parties to the Biological Weapons Convention will hold their fifth review conference, which Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs Jayantha Dhanapala will attend.

The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) will launch its report on E-commerce and development at a press conference at 11:15 a.m. The report itself is embargoed until Tuesday, at 12:00 p.m. EST.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will present the annual UNEP Sasakawa Environment Prize to Huey Johnson, founder of the Trust for Public Land and the Resource Renewal Institute of San Francisco, California, in a ceremony with Jordans Queen Noor as the guest speaker.

Tuesday, November 20

The Security Council will hold a public meeting on children and armed conflict.

The Secretary-General will issue a message to mark Africa Industrialization Day, as well as one on the occasion of Universal Childrens Day.

Starting at 10:00 a.m., the UN Information and Communications Technologies Task Force will be launched at UN Headquarters, in a ceremony at which the Secretary-General will speak. At 12:30 p.m., José Maria Figueres Olsen, former President of Costa Rica and the Secretary-Generals Special Representative on Information and Communications Technologies, will brief the press.

Wednesday, November 21

The Security Council will hear an open briefing on the protection of civilians in armed conflict.

The Security Council will also hold private meetings with the troop contributing countries for the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the Golan Heights and the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO).

Today is World Television Day.

Thursday, November 22

UN Headquarters will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday. |