United Nations Daily Highlights, 02-06-14

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From: The United Nations Home Page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.org

OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC

ASSOCIATE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Friday, June 14, 2002

SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS MANDATE OF UN MISSION IN THE DR OF CONGO

This morning, the Security Council met in closed consultations then in a formal meeting during which members unanimously adopted a resolution on the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The resolution, which extends the mandate of the UN mission (MONUC) for 12 months, condemns the recent ethnically and nationally-based calls for violence and the recent killings which took place in Kisangani on May 14th and the following days.

The Council also calls upon member states to contribute troops to enable the mission to reach its authorized strength of 5,537.

Thirty-six speakers addressed a day-long meeting on the Middle East yesterday, stressing the need for urgent action to resolve the ongoing crisis. The meeting adjourned at 8:15 p.m.

Turning to the week ahead, Secretary-General Kofi Annans monthly working luncheon with Council members has been rescheduled for next Thursday, June 20, the same day as the Private Meeting on the Middle East.

In response to a request for a press conference with Foreign Minister of Syria, Farouk Al-Shara, who is scheduled to be at the United Nations next week for the private meeting on the Middle East, the Security Council presidency have indications that he is likely to do so next week. A definite time is expected to be announced early next week.

In response to a question regarding the precise time for the press conference with the Foreign Minister of Syria, the Spokesman said that meeting would take place towards the end of next week.

UN ENVOY SAYS UNITED NATIONS WILL SUPPORT AFGHAN GOVERNMENT

The Special Representative for the Secretary-General for Afghanistan Lakhdar Brahimi told journalists today in Kabul that the role of the United Nations in the future would be to support the Transitional Government, working closely with them and provide effective help.

Brahimi also said that he was pleased with the implementation so far of the Bonn Agreement. He said that all essential landmarks spelled out in the Agreement had been respected: the Interim Government was formed according to the timetable and the Loya Jirga again had taken place according to plan.

On the fourth day of the Loya Jirga, the newly elected head of the Transitional Government of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, made a speech giving his vision of the Transitional Government. Dozens of delegates took the floor after him, expressing views on a variety of issues and making recommendations on how the Transitional Government can fulfill its obligations to the people.

The Secretary-General, in a statement issued Thursday afternoon, warmly congratulated Hamid Karzai on his election by the Loya Jirga as the head of the Afghan Transitional Authority.

Afghanistan and its neighboring countries, meanwhile, have taken new measures against the threat posed by drug cultivation and trafficking at a conference organized by the UN Drug Control Programme in Vienna.

ANNAN APPOINTS NEW DEPUTY SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR EAST TIMOR

The Secretary-General has appointed Sukehiro Hasegawa of Japan as his new Deputy Special Representative for the UN Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET) starting today.

He will succeed Dennis McNamara, who has served with distinction with the UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET), the preceding mission, and during the start-up of the present Mission. Hasegawa will also serve as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Coordinator for East Timor.

REPRESENTATIVES MEET ON GREECE-REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

Representatives of Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia met on June 13 under the auspices of the Secretary-General.

The Greek side was represented by the Permanent Representative of Greece to the United Nations, Ambassador Adamantios Th. Vassilakis.

The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia was represented by Ambassador Ivan Tosevsky.

The Secretary-General was represented by his Special Representative, Matthew Nimetz.

The parties continued to exchange views in the context of Article 5 of the Interim Accord. They decided to meet again on a date to be agreed.

UN DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL AFFAIRS IS BRIEFED ON BURUNDI

Today, the UNs department of Political Affairs is organizing an informal meeting on Burundi.

This morning, the International members of the Implementation Monitoring Committee of the Arusha Agreement and the Special Envoys/ Representatives for Burundi were invited to review the progress achieved in the peace process in Burundi and to examine how to assist the parties move the peace process forward.

In the afternoon, representatives of donor countries and institutions including the World bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will join the participants of the morning meeting to assess the dire economic situation confronting Burundi and what urgent measures could be taken to improve it.

SFOR FORCES DETAIN WANTED BOSNIAN SERB

Thursday, SFOR forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina detained Darko Mrda, wanted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and have transferred him to the Detention Unit in The Hague.

Mrda was indicted on April 16 this year, on two counts of crimes against humanity and one count of violations of the laws or customs of war stemming from incidents in August 1992. Mrda will have his initial appearance on Monday afternoon.

In other news from the Tribunal, President of the ICTY, Judge Claude Jorda, Prosecutor, Carla del Ponte and Deputy Registrar, Bruno Cathala, will travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina from June 17-21. While there, they will hold discussion on the possibility of the Tribunal deferring some of its cases to national authorities. The team will gather information on the operation of the judicial system in the country and any difficulties encountered in trying war criminals.

UNESCO HOLDS MEETING ON UNDERWATER CULTURAL HERITAGE

The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) will convene a meeting in Kingston, Jamaica, on Monday, to urge states in the Americas to ratify UNESCOs Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage.

The remains of more than three million ships and their cargoes are thought to lie beneath the world's oceans. Historical monuments such as the lighthouse in Alexandria (Egypt) and whole towns such as Port Royal (Jamaica) are also underwater.

In the Bay of Montevideo, off Uruguay, lie the wrecks of more than 200 large ships that went down between 1772 and 1930. They include frigates, brigs, corvettes, steamships and other vessels that plied the waters of the Rio de la Plata estuary.

These underwater treasures attract professional looters who use increasingly advanced technology to systematically pillage them.

WFP TO END EMERGENCY OPERATION IN KOSOVO

Noting the dramatic improvement in the socio-economic situation in Kosovo, the World Food Programme (WFP) today announced the end of its emergency operation there and said it would officially close its office in Pristina on June 30.

The Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Kosovo, Michael Steiner met today with Albanian family associations of the missing at the headquarters of the UN Mission (UNMIK). After addressing the family associations to inform them of progress made in efforts to find Kosovos missing, Michael Steiner announced that the new head of the office of missing person has arrive and began working today. He added that there are more than 40 people dedicated exclusively to resolving the problem of Kosovos missing.

UNHCR REPORTS ON CHECHENS, SOMALIS AND LIBERIANS ON THE MOVE

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today said it was assured by Moscow that an estimated 150,000 Chechens living in neighboring Ingushetia would not be forced back to their volatile Northern Caucasus homeland. The Russian authorities assured UNHCR that only those willing to go back would be returned.

UNHCR also today said it will begin transferring some 5,000 Somali refugees from the unsafe border between Kenya and Somalia into a safer area inside Kenya. The Kenyan government yesterday gave its approval for such a move following negotiations with UNHCR. Dozens of refugees, who have been stranded at the border for nearly two months, have already died of disease and malnutrition.

UNHCR said at least 6,800 Liberians have taken refuge in Guinea since the 5th of June, fleeing intense fighting in northern parts of their homeland.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Force Commander of the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), Lt. Gen. Daniel Opande, toured the border areas along Sierra Leones eastern province, from 11-13 June, to assess the security situation in the light of growing hostilities in Liberia. In all his visits along the border areas, the Force Commander urged his troops to maintain constant vigilance to ensure that the border remained safe and free from armed incursions. He stressed that Sierra Leonean returnees and Liberian refugees must be properly screened to prevent the flow of weapons into Sierra Leone.

Deputy Secretary-General, Louise Fréchette, will receive an honorary degree from Carlton University in Ottawa, Canada tomorrow. In her address, she will talk about the role governance and the privilege of public service.

There are currently 45,000 military personnel and civilian police from 87 countries as well as some 3,800 international and 7,700 local staff are serving in peacekeeping operations, according to the latest background note on UN Peacekeeping Operations. The outstanding contributions to peacekeeping are about $1.35 billion as of 31 May.

On Monday, the Secretary-General will deliver the opening address at the meeting of the General Assembly on Information and Communication Technology. The two-day High-Level meeting will address the digital divide that excludes two-thirds of the worlds population from the benefits of the digital revolution.

When asked what was the subject of the Secretary-Generals meeting on Sunday in Rome with his Special Advisor on Cyprus, Alvaro De Soto, the Spokesman said that the meeting was part of a series of regular briefings on the ongoing face-to-face talks in Cyprus.

In response to a question on when the meeting would take place between the Secretary-General and the president-elect of Colombia, the Spokesman responded that the meeting would take place on Monday.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Saturday, June 15 Deputy Secretary-General, Louise Fréchette, will deliver an address at Carlton University in Ottawa, Canada, where she will receive an honorary degree.

Sunday, June 16

Olara Otunnu, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, will visit the Russian Federation, including the Northern Caucasus, until 24 June.

"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language: Monday, June 17

The Security Council is scheduled to hold consultations on Bosnia and Herzegovina. The report on Kuwaiti property is due today.

The High-Level Meeting on Information and Communication Technologies for Development of the General Assembly begins its two-day meeting today. The Secretary-General will deliver the opening statement.

The Executive Board of the UNDP and UNFPA will begin its annual session, which lasts until 28 June.

The UN Commission on International Trade Law, UNCITRAL, begins its 35th session in New York, and will last until 28 June.

The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention of the Commission on Human Rights begins its 33rd session in Geneva. The session will end on 21 June.

Today is World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. A closed-door meeting on terrorism will be held in Turin at the UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute. UNCTADS Least Developed Countries Report 2002: Escaping the Poverty Trap will be presented at a press conference By Jeffrey Sachs, the Secretary-Generals Special Advisor on the Millennium Development Goals at 11:14 a.m. in Room 226.

The Ad Hoc Committee for the Negation of a Convention Against Corruption begins its second session in Vienna, lasting until 28 June. President of the General Assembly, Dr. Han Seung-soo will address the meeting on Friday. The World Trade Organization announced that a new session of the agricultural negotiations will start today and will continue until Thursday, 20 June.

The President-elect of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe, will hold a press conference at 12:30 p.m. following the noon briefing.

Tuesday, June 18

The Security Council is scheduled to hold consultation on Somalia.

The two-day meeting of Messengers of Peace and Goodwill Ambassadors begins today in New York.

Wednesday, June 19

The Security Council is scheduled to hold a formal meeting on Bosnia and Herzegovina in the morning and consultation and a public meeting on Afghanistan in the afternoon.

Thursday, June 20

The Security Council is scheduled to hold a private meeting on the Middle East. The mandate of the International Security Assistance Force expires today. The Secretary-Generals monthly luncheon with members of the Council takes place today.

The President of the General Assembly will visit the United Nations offices in Vienna until 25 June.

Friday, June 21

The Security Council is scheduled to hold consultation on Kuwaiti property. The mandate of the UN mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH) expires today.

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

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