United Nations Daily Highlights, 02-05-01

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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, May 1, 2002

TALKS BEGIN BETWEEN ANNAN AND IRAQI FOREIGN MINISTER

At noon today, Secretary-General Kofi Annan had a brief one-on-one meeting with Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri, and then the UN and Iraqi delegations began their talks on compliance with UN resolutions. On the UN side, present at the talks are Hans Blix, Executive Chairman of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission, and Mohamed El Baradei, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The Secretary-General, upon entering the building, said about the talks, I would hope that we can spend a considerable amount of time on the return of the inspectors.

He added that he had received lots of encouragement from the Security Council on the talks.

Asked whether the United Nations would make any public comments about the talks, the Spokesman said that it might do so after they conclude on Friday.

Asked whether the Security Council had responded to a list of questions from Iraq, which the Secretary-General had conveyed to the Council following the previous round of talks, the Spokesman said it had not. Blix, he said, intended to respond to those questions that were within the competence of the Secretariat.

Asked about the possibility of expert-level meetings between the two sides on Thursday, Eckhard said the matter would have to be worked out between the sides, to see whether they wanted to have the option of some discussions below those taking place between the heads of the delegations.

Asked whether the issue of U.S. threats against Iraq was on the table, the Spokesman said that was an issue for the Security Council members, specifically the United States, to respond to, not the Secretary-General.

ANNAN TO ATTEND QUARTET MEETING IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

On Thursday afternoon, at the invitation of the U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, the four parties that have been meeting as the Quartet dealing with Middle East concerns that is, the United States, United Nations, the European Union and Russian Federation will convene in Washington. D.C.

The Secretary-General will attend that meeting, which begins at 3:00 p.m. in the U.S. State Department, and which is to be followed by a joint press conference featuring the four principal participants Annan, Powell, High Representative for European Union Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov. Also attending the meeting will be Foreign Minister Josep Pique of Spain, which holds the rotating presidency of the European Union.

Following the press conference, the Secretary-General will return to New York later in the afternoon.

Entering the building this morning, the Secretary-General was asked about his hopes for the Quartet meeting, and he said he hoped that it would provide a chance to speak frankly and share ideas and decide what happens next.

Asked about the meeting today between the Secretary-General and his Special Coordinator for the Middle East, Terje Roed Larsen, the Spokesman said it was intended to prepare for the Quartet meeting.

SECURITY COUNCIL TO CONSIDER MIDDLE EAST THIS AFTERNOON

The Security Council is scheduled to return to consultations on the Middle East at 5:00 p.m. today.

Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Kieran Prendergast briefed the Council on Tuesday on the Israeli Governments decision concerning the fact-finding team for Jenin. Prendergast told reporters afterward that, in the Secretary-General's view, a thorough, credible and balanced report on recent events in Jenin refugee camp would not be possible without the full cooperation of the government of Israel. He added, Since it appears from today's Cabinet statement by Israel that the difficulties in the way of deployment of the fact-finding team will not be resolved any time soon, the Secretary-General is minded to disband the team.

The Council expects to consider how to respond to the recent developments in this afternoons consultations.

Upon entering the building this morning, the Secretary-General said he had indicated his inclination to the Council and would discuss further with them, and that he would wait to see how the Council discussion goes.

Asked how the Secretary-General was consulting with the Council, the Spokesman said that he has been primarily in touch with some Council members bilaterally. He said that the Secretary-General had received a number of phone calls this morning that helped him to firm up his position.

He responded to a reporters comment that the Secretary-General may not wait for formal action by the Council before making a decision by saying that was a fair assumption. Eckhard added that the Secretary-Generals comments to reporters on Tuesday indicated that he expected to make a decision today.

Asked to comment on reports that Palestinian estimates of deaths at Jenin had decreased, the Spokesman said, The purpose of the team wasnt to establish a body count. The Secretary-General had felt it would be in everyones interest to clarify what happened, and he had received assurances from Israel that it would cooperate with the fact-finding team. The United States then took the lead in sponsoring a resolution, approved by the Security Council, which welcomed the SGs initiative.

The Secretary-General probably regrets that, in the end, we may never know the precise facts, what happened in Jenin, Eckhard said.

SINGAPORE ASSUMES ROTATING SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENCY

Since today is the first of May, the Security Council has a new President, Ambassador Kishore Mahbubani of Singapore, who replaces Ambassador Sergey Lavrov of Russia. This morning, Mahbubani held bilateral consultations with Council members on its program of work for May.

In addition to the briefing on the Middle East on Tuesday, the Council also voted unanimously in the afternoon to extend the UN Mission in Western Sahara by three months, until the end of July, while it considers options for the way forward.

SECURITY COUNCIL MISSION TRAVELS TO KISANGANI

The UN Security Council delegation led by Ambassador Jean-David Levitte of France travelled to Kisangani in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as part of its mission to encourage peace efforts.

The delegation arrived in Kisangani around 1:00 p.m. local time, and it is expected to return to Kinshasa later this evening.

UN ENVOY IN AFGHANISTAN IN TALKS ON FIGHTING IN NORTH

The Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi, is in touch with Interim Administration Chairman Hamid Karzai and other Afghan leaders to bring the fighting in the north under control.

UN Mission personnel on the ground are in frequent contract with the parties concerned at the regional and national level.

According to the UN Mission in Afghanistan, there are tensions in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif and fighting in two areas nearby.

EAST TIMOR LABOR CODE SIGNED INTO FORCE

On the occasion of May Day, UN Transitional Administrator for East Timor Sergio Vieira de Mello signed into force today a Labor Code aimed at ensuring that international standards of worker protection are recognized in an independent East Timor.

Its an appropriate time, Vieira de Mello said at the signing ceremony, to remind ourselves as to why any society requires legislation regulating the rights of workers and employers.

The Labor Code was the result of a two-year extensive consultation process with workers, employers, non-governmental organizations and the International Labour Organization (ILO). The key features include the minimum internationally accepted standards with which employers must comply, and a prohibition on the exploitation of child labor.

At another ceremony today, a 680-member Japanese Self Defence Force Engineering Group took over command from the Bangladeshi Engineer Battalion. The Japanese troops will be serving East Timor until the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force ends.

ESCAP SAYS MANY IN ASIA LACK BENEFITS OF GLOBALIZATION

Despite the rapid pace of globalization, in the Asia and Pacific region many people are still excluded from its benefits, according to a study by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

The document, entitled Sustainable Social Development in a Period of Rapid Globalization: Challenges, Opportunities and Policy Options, will be presented to government ministers from 52 countries attending the 58th Commission session of ESCAP, to be held on May 16-22 in Bangkok.

The report warns that "globalization, coupled with demographic dynamics, is resulting in increased exclusion and social dislocation in some situations." However, on a positive note, the report says, "globalization and the opening up of societies have increased opportunities for peoples participation and contributed to the strengthening of civil society."

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) announced today that a bronze sculpture in honor of actress Audrey Hepburn will be unveiled at UNICEF House next week. The sculpture, called "The Spirit of Audrey," conveys the unique bond between an adult and a child. The ceremony on Tuesday will feature a number of celebrities who have followed in her footsteps as special representatives of UNICEF around the world.

Dominica today became the 71st Member State to pay its 2002 regular budget contribution in full with a payment of more than $11,000.

Egypt this morning became the 106th country to sign the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, which supplements the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime.

An observance of World Press Freedom Day, organized by the Department of Public Information (DPI), will be held on Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to noon at UN headquarters, in a program moderated by DPI interim head Shashi Tharoor. The Deputy Secretary-General will open the program, which will include a videotaped interview with Mariane Pearl, widow of the late Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.

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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