United Nations Daily Highlights, 02-05-30

United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

Thursday, May 30, 2002

MIDDLE EAST ENVOYS OF "QUARTET" MEET ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER

The so-called "Quartet" of Middle East Envoys, which includes UN Special Coordinator Terje Roed Larsen, and representatives of the United States, Russia and the European Union, met Wednesday night with Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres.

During the meeting, which was described as serious and concrete, there was a very constructive exchange of ideas concerning the peace process, including a proposed conference.

On Saturday, the Quartet is too meet with European Union Foreign Policy chief Javier Solana and U.S. Envoy Bill Burns.

Asked if he could give more information on a Middle East conference, the Spokesman said that he could not give more information as ideas were still being discussed. The Secretary-General, the Spokesman added, has said that a meeting should not take place until there is a firm framework and a timeline, which is being discussed now.

"SOCIO-ECONOMIC MELTDOWN" OCCURRING IN PALESTINIAN TERRITORY

Citing what it called a "socio-economic meltdown" in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the International Labour Organization today called on Israel to ease restrictions on the movement of Palestinian workers and urged the international community to support emergency measures aimed at creating jobs and promoting social dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians.

The report is to be presented by ILO Director-General Juan Somavia to the 90th Session of the annual International Labour Conference on June 3-20.

Pledging full ILO support for social dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians, Somavia said the report "must be read with a sense of empathy and compassion for all concerned."

"Any resolution of the conflict, Somavia said, must be based on dialogue where the voice of workers in the occupied Arab territories and their families get a fair hearing in order to assist them in their hope of achieving conditions of decent work."

"At the same time, the voices of workers in Israel must be heard and listened to," he said. "No one can be satisfied with the present situation or, worse still, a further escalation of conflict."

RATE OF RETURN OF AFGHAN REFUGEES EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced today that more than 800,000 people had returned to Afghanistan since the Afghan Interim Administration and UNHCR started the assisted return program three months ago.

The pace of the return has exceeded expectations as 800,000 is the figure that UNHCR had planned for the whole year and it has strained aid agency resources as well as Afghanistans absorption capacity.

The UN Mission in Afghanistan announced that phase I of the Loya Jirga selection process was almost finished in all districts. There remains about 22-25 to be concluded. Some of those will be districts where the Loya Jirga Commission will appoint the delegates due to a lack of conditions in the district for the selection process to be carried out. Some of the areas have already concluded phase II which is expected to be completed around June 5.

The Special Representative for the Secretary-General for Afghanistan Lakhdar Brahimi will have a star role in Afghanistans popular BBC radio soap opera New Home, New Life. He will play himself in an episode to be aired on the first day of the Loya Jirga. He talks to the characters about the important role of the Afghan people in the decision making process.

SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS MANDATE OF UN GOLAN OBSERVER MISSION

The Security Council this morning unanimously adopted a resolution extending the mandate of the UN Observer Force in the Golan Heights for a further seven months.

This afternoon, the Council's working group on Peacekeeping Operations is scheduled to meet.

ANNAN APPOINTS EXPERTS FOR SOMALIA ARMS EMBARGO

Secretary-General Kofi Annan has appointed a two-member team of experts to provide the Security Council Sanctions Committee on Somalia with an action plan to improve the enforcement of the arms embargo.

That plan would detail the resources and expertise needed by a future Panel of Experts to generate independent information on violations of the arms embargo and to provide recommendations on possible practical steps for strengthening enforcement of the arms embargo.

The Committee took note of the appointment during a meeting it held this week and issued a press release saying it was "gravely alarmed" at the use of military weapons on a large scale inside the country, as well as the continued flow of arms and ammunition supplies from outside.

At their meeting, Committee members decided to send a letter to all Member States reminding them of their obligation to comply with the arms embargo and to report all available information on any violations or suspected breaches.

FOOD STARTS TO REACH VICTIMS OF FIGHTING IN THE REPUBLIC OF CONGO

The World Food Programme (WFP) says it has started feeding some 15,000 people affected by fighting and looting in the Pool Region, south of the capital, Brazzaville.

The report comes amidst growing concern about tens of thousands more people trapped in the conflict areas inaccessible to WFP.

The UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Kenzo Oshima, on behalf of UN humanitarian agencies operating in the Republic of Congo, called on the warring parties to enter into negotiations to guarantee safe humanitarian access to tens of thousands of displaced people believed to have found refuge in forests or small villages.

Sustained, secure and unconditional access throughout the Pool Region is needed to meet the needs of the displaced population suffering the combined effects of violence and two months without assistance.

ANNAN LEAVES FRIDAY FOR EUROPEAN TRIP

The Secretary-General departs New York this weekend to visit four countries - Ukraine, the Russian Federation, Switzerland and Italy.

He's expected to return to New York on June 11.

Asked to confirm the dates of the upcoming talks between the Secretary-General and the Government of Iraq, which are to take place in Vienna, the Spokesman said he could not yet confirm the dates as discussions were still ongoing.

TENSIONS BETWEEN INDIA AND PAKISTAN IS OF GRAVE CONCERN WORLDWIDE

Asked what the Secretary-General and the international community could do to ease the tensions between India and Pakistan, the Spokesman said the face off between the two countries, involving more than one million soldiers, is of grave concern world wide.

The Secretary-General is aware that a number of world leaders are, on a bilateral basis, doing what they can to reduce tensions and the Secretary-General, of course, encourages those efforts.

The Secretary-General, the Spokesman went on to say, has also made his own views clear in telephone conversations with the President of Pakistan and the Indian Foreign Minister.

UNITED NATIONS REPRESENTED AT GROUND ZERO CEREMONY

Gillian Sorensen, the Assistant Secretary-General for External Relations, represented the Secretary-General at a ceremony marking the end of the recovery effort at the World Trade Center site.

No speeches were made at the solemn ceremony, which included the tolling of a firehouse bell, an empty stretcher carrying the flag of the United States and a bagpipers playing as the last 30 foot steel column was removed from the site.

WHO AND UNAIDS JOIN TO SPEED AFRICA AIDS VACCINE PROGRAMME

In a joint press release issued today, the World Health Organization and the UNAIDS announced they will be holding a meeting in Cape Town in early June to accelerate research and testing for the development of an AIDS vaccine for Africa and to raise the $233 million required for the African AIDS Vaccine Programme.

WHO and UNAIDS said that although Africa hosts two thirds of the people living with HIV around the world, it still only receives 1.6%, or the equivalent of $41 million, of the global aid spent on HIV research annually.

In an attempt to rectify this discrepancy, the June 3-4 meeting in Cape Town will group together African scientists, politicians, multilateral and donor organizations and research agencies who will also define a plan of action for the next seven years.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT PREPARATIONS WRAPPING UP

Today in Bali, Indonesia, the final Preparatory Committee meeting for the World Summit on Sustainable Development focused its attention on the draft implementation program to be adopted later this year in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Lowell Flanders, senior official of the Summit Secretariat, said that work on the implementation programme was progressing well but there were a few areas, including trade and finance, natural disasters and the establishment of a solidarity fund for poverty eradication, that needed further deliberation. He added that if agreement was not reached by the end of todays meetings, the chairman of the Preparatory Committee would convene a committee of the whole Friday morning to try to reach agreement.

ANNAN HAS "A GENUINE INTEREST IN PEOPLE"

Asked if todays New York Times article on the Secretary-General gave the impression that he only sees High Society people at the expense of spending more time with the common people, the Spokesman said he believed that the point of the article was that the Secretary-General works hard after hours to reach out to important elements of New York society in a way that his predecessors did not.

Supporters of the United Nations in this country, the Spokesman added, feel the Secretary-General's efforts in this regard have had a very positive effect in terms of the relations between the United Nations and the Host Country. The article does not mean, he said, that the Secretary-General is indifferent to the common people.

The Secretary-General has a genuine interest in people, not just people with power and money, he said.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENT

San Marino, with a payment today of more than $22,000, became the 79th Member State to pay its 2002 regular budget contribution in full.

Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General United Nations, S-378 New York, NY 10017 Tel. 212-963-7162 - press/media only Fax. 212-963-7055

All other inquiries to be addressed to (212) 963-4475 or by e-mail to: inquiries@un.org

United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next Article