United Nations Daily Highlights, 02-05-06

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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

Monday, May 6, 2002

ANNAN WELCOMES AUNG SAN SUU KYI'S RELEASE

Secretary-General Kofi Annan warmly welcomes, in a statement issued this morning, the restoration of freedom of movement for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, General Secretary of the National League for Democracy (NLD), which took place on 6 May shortly after his Special Envoy, Razali Ismail, concluded his seventh mission to Myanmar on 26 April.

The release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is a major development, which provides fresh momentum to the 19-month-old confidence building and national reconciliation process between the Government and NLD, the statement says.

The Secretary-General extends his best wishes to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who will resume her normal political activities as the leader of a lawful party. He remains ready to assist in the efforts of the Government and the NLD to find ways to push ahead the process of national reconciliation and democratization, acceptable to all parties in Myanmar.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, and the Commissions Special Rapporteur for Myanmar, Paulo Pinheiro, also issued a statement in which they commend the government of Myanmar for the release, which they call an important step towards advancing the political dialogue and the process of national reconciliation.

Asked to comment on reports that the Secretary-General's Special Envoy, Razali Ismail, had had some business dealings with the government of Myanmar and whether this created a conflict of interest, the Spokesman said there was no conflict of interest for two reasons. First, the temporary contract issued does not require him to cease business dealings and second, Razali, who was asked about the contract, said it was signed before he became a UN envoy and he never discussed it with the government of Myanmar.

U.S. WITHDRAWS FROM INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT STATUTE

Today, the United States has formally advised the Secretary-General that it does not intend to become a party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, adopted on July 17, 1998.

The U.S. Government maintains that, accordingly, it has no obligations arising from its signature of the Statute on December 31, 2000.

The Secretary-General, as the depositary of the Rome Statute will, consistent with normal practice, circulate the U.S. notification to all states concerned.

The effect of the notification is a matter for the parties to the Statute to decide.

In answer to a question, the Spokesman described the action by the United States as is unique and unprecedented. He added that he was not aware that this has happened before in a situation where the Secretary-General is the depositary.

Asked for further reaction, the Spokesman said it would be up to the other signatories of the statute to express themselves.

SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS SANCTIONS ON LIBERIA

The Security Council met this morning in closed consultations to discuss a draft resolution to extend the arms, travel and diamond ban on Liberia.

[In a formal meeting following the noon briefing, the Security Council voted on the resolution that extends the sanctions for another year.]

In the afternoon at 3 p.m., there will be a troop contributors' meeting on East Timor.

On Tuesday, the Security Council has scheduled a formal meeting on children and armed conflict from 1:45 to 2:45 p.m. The meeting will feature three children one from East Timor, Bosnia and Liberia.

SECURITY COUNCIL WRAPS UP TOUR OF GREAT LAKES REGION OF AFRICA

The UN Security Council delegation to the Great Lakes was in Rwanda today, the last leg of its eight-nation tour. The delegation met today with President Paul Kagame and other senior officials. The meeting with the President lasted two hours and was described as positive.

Following those meetings, the Council Ambassadors were to hold a joint press conference with Kagame before heading back to New York via Cairo, Egypt.

Sunday, the Ambassadors were in Burundi where they met with President Pierre Buyoya as well Deputy President Domitien Ndayizeye, among others. At a press conference before departing Bujumbura, Ambassador Jean-David Levitte of France, who is leading this mission said: The message of the Security Council to President Buyoya was simple: continue reform. Levitte added that the Council encouraged the transitional government and parliament to fully implement in the coming months the political, social and economical reforms that are part of the Arusha agreement.

ANNAN RECEIVES PROFILE IN COURAGE AWARD

This morning, at the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston, the Secretary-General was presented with the Profile in Courage Award by Caroline Kennedy, President of the Kennedy Library Foundation.

In accepting the award, the Secretary-General paid tribute to the late President, saying "few Presidents...defined their times in the way John Kennedy did."

He recalled that as a student at MacAlaster College he heard Kennedy's inaugural address. "His youth and vigor made it a vigorous age," he said. "His boldness and courage made it an adventurous age. And his belief in man's ability to meet great challenges made it an age when anything seemed possible."

He described true leadership as convincing people that giving in to fear and hatred will not bring peace. "This is when leaders must make decisions of conscience," he said, referring to the Middle East, "and choose compromise over conflict, negotiation over violence, peace over war."

At a press encounter with U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy before the ceremony, he was asked how he found the courage to deal day in and day out with the deprived and unfortunate. He replied, "In many ways, you give them a voice, you encourage them and then you see hope in their eyes. And that's what cheers me on."

Sunday evening, the Secretary-General and his wife Nane were guests of honor at a reception and dinner hosted by the JFK Library Foundation.

ETHIOPIA RE-OPENS BORDER WITH ERITREA

The UN mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) is reporting that the Ethiopian government has suspended measures imposed on April 27 and re-opened the borders with Eritrea as scheduled.

The Special Representative of the Secretary General, Legwaila Joseph Legwaila, who had been in Addis Ababa since the measures were imposed, crossed the border and left the Ethiopian capital this morning for Asmara, Eritrea.

The regular UNMEE flights have not resumed yet, but are scheduled to do so on Wednesday.

The UN Mission says it does not yet have a full picture of the movements of its peacekeepers across the Ethiopian-Eritrean border.

Issued today as a document is the decision by the independent Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission transmitted by the Secretary-General to the Security Council President.

ALARMING NUMBER OF CHILDREN TRAPPED IN CHILD LABOR

In a grim sign of the challenges the Special Session will face, the International Labour Organization, in a report issued today, says that an alarming number of children continue to be trapped in the worst forms of child labor.

The report is titled A Future without Child Labour, and it says that 246 million children are involved in child labor, or one out of every six children between the ages of five and 17.

Also, one in eight of all the worlds children or some 179 million children in all is still exposed to the worst forms of such child labor, in which a childs physical, mental or moral well-being is endangered.

According to the report, some 8.4 million children are trapped in unconditional child labor, including slavery, forced labor, forced recruitment for armed conflict and prostitution.

ANNAN HOPES FOR FURTHER TALKS WITH IRAQI OFFICIALS

After the talks with the delegation headed by Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri ended last Friday, the Secretary-General briefed the Security Council on those talks, and then told reporters that the talks moved forward, and he hoped that, within a month, there will be further talks with constructive proposals after the delegation has reported back to Baghdad.

The talks, he said, focused on disarmament, but he also noted that Sabri had confirmed information received from Arab League Secretary-General Amre Moussa that the Iraqis are ready to return the Kuwaiti national archives, and would work with the United Nations to transfer the assets back to Kuwait. If that transfer happens, he said, it will be a positive development.

Hans Blix, the chairman of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission dealing with Iraq, said he had advised the Security Council that, if the Iraqis were to provide cooperation in all respects then one could come to a result within a time span of a year.

NEW UN POLICE COMMISSIONER APPOINTED FOR BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

The Secretary-General intends to appoint Police Commander Sven Christian Frederiksen of Denmark, as Commissioner of the International Police Task Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina, upon the expiration of the tour of duty of the current Commissioner, Vincent Coeurderoy of France, at the end of May.

This is not just a usual succession of Police Commissioners for the UN Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Frederiksen will serve not only as the UN Missions final police commissioner, but he will also continue on as the first Commissioner of the European Union Police Mission (EUPM) that is to take over responsibilities from the UN Mission on January 1, 2003, once the UN Mission has fulfilled its mandate.

To ensure smooth transition and continuity, Frederiksens primary task will be to bring the UN Mission to a successful conclusion. The European Union will appoint a senior officer to undertake the planning for the EU Police Mission under Frederiksens general supervision.

KOSOVO: UN ENVOY COMBATS CIGARETTE SMUGGLING

In Kosovo today, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative, Michael Steiner, announced a regional conference to discuss ways to combat cigarette smuggling, which is to take place in Pristina this Friday. Officials from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia have all been invited to take part.

Steiner said, Cigarette smugglers are stealing from the people of Kosovo, and we are talking big bucks here. Participants at the conference will discuss coordinated steps to end the region-wide practice of avoiding taxation on the transport and sale of cigarettes. At present, customs officials in Kosovo estimate that some eight million euros elude customs control in Kosovo every year.

ANNAN TELLS CHILDREN: YOUR VOICES WILL BE HEARD

The General Assembly Special Session on Children is to begin later this week, and Sunday, the Secretary-General addressed the Childrens Forum organized by non-governmental organizations that takes place for three days before the Special Session.

He told some 300 children at yesterdays gathering, I hope you will help us follow up afterwards to make sure we keep out promises. He told the children, Your voices will be heard I promise you that.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

As part of the General Assemblys Special Session on Children, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Olara Otunno, today opened an exhibition at UN Headquarters of photographs called The Impact of Armed Conflict on Girls. The more than 100 photographs draw attention not only to the impact of armed conflict on girls but to the disproportionately little care they receive. The exhibition is co-sponsored by the United Nations Children's Fund, the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender issues and Advancement of Women and the Government of Canada.

mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;mso-fareast-language: This afternoon, the United Kingdom became the 28th country to sign the Protocol Against the Illicit Manufacture of and Trafficking in Firearms, Their Parts and Components and Ammunition supplementing the United Nations Convention Against Organized Transnational Crime.

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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