United Nations Daily Highlights, 02-05-20

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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 20, 2002

INDEPENDENT EAST TIMOR SEEKS MEMBERSHIP IN UNITED NATIONS

Early this morning, as midnight struck in East Timor, tens of thousands of East Timorese gathered at a massive site near the capital, Dili, to celebrate the birth of their new nation.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan addressed the crowd just minutes before the UN flag was lowered, and the East Timorese flag was raised, to mark the birth of the country. He told the thousands gathered, "Your identity as an independent people will be recognized by the whole world.

He said, I still recall the day, 45 years ago, when my own country Ghana attained its independence. Tonight, I am as excited as I was then."

Then, after the Timorese flag was raised at midnight, Parliament President Francisco Guterres declared East Timor's birth as an independent nation, and then swore in Xanana Gusmão as East Timor's new president. Gusmão told the crowd, Today we are a people standing on equal footing with all other people in the world.

Later on Monday morning, the Government of East Timor was sworn in, and the National Parliament held its inaugural session, in which it adopted a resolution seeking UN membership. The Secretary-General told the Parliament at its first session that he would be honored to pass its resolution on to the Security Council, adding that, in light of the support he had witnessed, I do not anticipate any obstacle to your membership.

Also in the morning, the Secretary-General dedicated the new UN House in Dili, saying, Now that independence is achieved, the challenge of nation-building remains.

He is scheduled to stay in Singapore overnight before traveling back to New York. Upon arriving at his hotel in Singapore, he was welcomed by that countrys Deputy Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong.

Asked about when East Timor and Switzerland will join the United Nations, the Spokesman said East Timors inclusion was on the fast track, adding that the formal process for their entry had yet to begin.

OVER WEEKEND, ANNAN PLEDGES UN SUPPORT FOR EAST TIMOR

On Sunday, when he arrived in East Timor, the Secretary-General held a press conference in which he pledged continued UN support for East Timor. He told reporters, For us, this is not the end of the road, we are not saying goodbye. Its a new beginning, and we will be here to work with the government.

Prior to the Sunday evening independence ceremony, he also held several bilateral meetings, with Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, Australian Prime Minister John Howard and Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Lafer.

On Saturday morning, the Secretary-General wrapped up his official program in Indonesia by meeting with Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda in Jakarta. He thanked the Foreign Minister and the people of Indonesia for their cooperation in dealing with East Timor, saying that he looks forward to a very strong relationship between Indonesia and East Timor.

SECURITY COUNCIL PAYS TRIBUTE TO EAST TIMOR

The Security Council today held a public meeting, presided over by Singapore's Foreign Minister, Prof. S. Jayakumar, to commemorate East Timors independence, with more than 30 countries inscribed to speak. A Presidential Statement is expected to be adopted at the end of the meeting.

Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette opened the meeting, saying that East Timors independence was a moment of inspiration for the international community and that its people had set an example for other nations in their steadfast adherence to the core values of the (UN) Charter to reconciliation and the creation of democratic institutions that can safeguard human rights.

The Deputy Secretary-General paid special tribute to the peacekeepers and UN staff who had died while trying to help East Timor in its hour of need. She also urged the international community to remain committed to East Timor in the future.

To commemorate the independence of East Timor today, the UN Postal Administration today issued a set of commemorative stamps. The stamps, two in each currency of the postal Administration, feature photographs of East Timorese artifacts.

ANNAN VOICES CONCERN AT FIGHTING ALONG INDIA-PAKISTAN LINE

The Secretary-General is very concerned at the high level of casualties due to persistent firing along the Line of Control and the working boundary in Jammu and Kashmir.

He calls on both sides to exercise maximum restraint to avert a further escalation of tensions.

ANNAN CONDEMNS SUICIDE BOMBINGS

Regarding the suicide bombings in Israel of yesterday and today, the Secretary-General reiterated, in a statement, his unequivocal and longstanding condemnation of all terrorist acts from whatever quarter.

He said that attacks on innocent civilians are morally repugnant and contrary to international law.

UN MISSION REPORTS RE-ELECTION OF SIERRA LEONE PRESIDENT

The UN Mission in Sierra Leone reports that President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah received 70 percent of the vote in last weeks general elections and was re-elected for a five-year term.

Kabbahs Sierra Leones Peoples Party won 83 seats of the 112 seats contested in Parliament.

The official results were announced Sunday afternoon by the National Electoral Commission and Kabbah was sworn in on the same day, the UN Mission reports.

WFP HEAD WARNS OF SHORTFALLS IN AFGHANISTAN, NORTH KOREA

The Executive Director of the World Food Programme, James T. Morris, warned Monday in a press release issued in Rome that severe funding shortages are threatening two of the Agency's largest emergency operations, in Afghanistan and North Korea.

Addressing WFP's Executive Board in Rome for the first time since his appointment, Morris warned that the Agency's Afghan reconstruction program has a 46 percent shortfall, while lack of donations for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea this month stopped WFP from feeding one million people.

In this climate of funding shortages, Morris told WFP's Executive Board that he would use his five-year tenure to widen the Agency's fund-raising efforts into the private sector to tap corporations, foundations and individuals.

ANNAN NOTES PROGRESS OF LAW OF THE SEA AFTER 20 YEARS

In a report on oceans and the Law of the Sea, the Secretary-General notes that, 20 years after the Convention on the Law of the Sea was opened for signature, it is fast approaching universal participation, with 138 parties to the treaty. The accomplishments over the past two decades are impressive, the Secretary-General says, but the challenges of implementing the treaty are also formidable.

Thus, he writes, in this anniversary year, the international community should focus its efforts on actions that would contribute to the realization of optimal benefits from the worlds oceans and seas. At the same time, nations must minimize the problems that have arisen, including limitations in harnessing marine potential and the degradation of the marine environment.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

Asked about when the next round of talks between the Secretary-General and Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri would take place, the Spokesman confirmed that it would be held in early July, but could not give details on the precise date or venue. It would likely be coordinated with one of the Secretary-Generals trips, he said.

Asked about the travels of UN Deputy Special Representative to Kosovo, Charles Brayshaw, in Washington, D.C., the Spokesman later said that Brayshaw was accompanying Kosovo Prime Minister Bajram Rexhepi to meetings with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and World Bank and International Monetary Fund officials this week.

Asked about reported U.S. efforts to provide legal immunity to international peacekeepers, the Spokesman said that was a matter being discussed in the Security Council. He noted reports that the United States had dropped a proposed amendment from a resolution last week on East Timor.

An addendum to the Security Councils report on its recent mission to the Great Lakes Region of Africa was issued, containing two documents: a non-paper entitled International Conference on Peace, security, democracy and development in the Great Lakes Region; and the communiqué issued following the joint meeting of the Political Committee of the Lusaka Cease-fire agreement and the Security Council mission.

On Saturday, a Bosnian Serb who was accused of committing abuses against Bosnian Muslims and Croats at the Omarska and Keraterm detention centers was transferred to the detention unit of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia at The Hague. The suspect, Dusan Knezevic, is charged with crimes against humanity and war crimes, involving the killing, beating and physical abuse of prisoners at Omarska and Keraterm.

The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, issued a statement on Colombia, late on Friday. She said she deeply regretted the attacks in the press from high ranking Colombian officials against the work carried out by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Colombia in connection with the monitoring mission undertaken by OHCHR after the massacres in the Department of Choco. She expressed her support for the work carried out by OHCHR and its Director, Mr. Andres Kompass and added that the mission was undertaken within the mandate entrusted by the Government to OHCHR in Colombia. The High Commissioner also said she looked to the Government of Colombia to support the integrity of her Office and its staff in Colombia in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding with the Government.

The first World Ecotourism Summit opened in Quebec City, Canada yesterday, and Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme, used the occasion to highlight and promote sustainable tourism. He said the Summit would help towards the development of well-managed tourism and its conclusions would be a valuable contribution to the World Summit on Sustainable Development, to be held in Johannesburg in August.

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