United Nations Daily Highlights, 02-06-19

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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, June 19, 2002

"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language: AFGHANISTAN: KARZAI ANNOUNCES KEY CABINET POSTS

Afghanistan President-elect Hamid Karzai announced the key posts of his cabinet this afternoon. In his speech at the Loya Jirga tribal council, which lasted more than an hour, he named three Vice Presidents and 14 ministers. The proposal was approved with a show of hands from the delegates.

The Loya Jirga, which convened nine days ago, has fulfilled its main tasks set out in the UN-brokered Bonn Agreement, which are to elect a Head of the State for the Transitional Administration and approve proposals for the structure and key personnel of the Transitional Administration.

In his speech, Karzai also highlighted several priorities that the government would face, including education, reconstruction and security. Among the people that he thanked was the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan Lakhdar Brahimi, who he proposed be given an Afghan Passport as a token of thanks.

The Chairman of the Loya Jirga Muhammad Qasimyar congratulated the delegates for the election of the Head of State and the successful completion of the democratic process.

Before the Loya Jirga was declared over, Karzai was sworn in by the Chief Justice.

UNDP GIVES AFGHANISTAN DATABASE FOR TRACKING DONORS

The UN Development Programme (UNDP) is providing the Afghanistan Assistance Coordination Authority with a Donor Assistance Database. Supported by the Governments of Italy, the Netherlands and the United States, the database will enable the Afghanistan Transitional Administration to track the flow of aid, it will also make it easier to assess how quickly donors have been able to deliver assistance against the pledges made at the Tokyo conference last January.

The Donor Assistance Database is being posted on the Internet, and can be accessed by the media, the public, and when Internet access improves, by the Afghan people themselves. The prototype DAD can be accessed at http://aacadad.undp.org.

UN ENVOY MEETS WITH ARAFAT

The UN Special Coordinator for the Peace Process, Terje Roed Larsen, met with the Chairman Yasser Arafat, as well as other members of the Palestinian leadership.

He reiterated the UNs position against all forms of terrorism and violence. They also discussed the political situation and the prospects for renewed dialogue.

When asked if the Secretary-General had a reaction to the announcement expected by the president of the United States on an interim Palestinian state, the Spokesman said the Secretary-Generals views on a Palestinian state were known to members of the diplomatic Quartet (the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia) group on the Middle East.

UN SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE BRIEFS SECURITY COUNCIL ON BOSNIA

The Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina Jacques Klein briefed the Security Council in an open meeting this morning on the latest developments in his mission area.

In his recent report to the Security Council, the Secretary-General recommended that the Council renew the mandate until 31 December 2002.

Klein outlined to the Council a number of the mission's achievements, notably in the area of Police Reform and the creation of the State Border Service, which is one of the few multi-ethnic institutions that work.

Klein, however, did tell council members that Bosnia and Herzegovina remains "work in progress" which like many countries in transition faces major political, economic and social challenges.

He also discussed the ongoing planning for the hand-over to the European Union Police Mission which will take over from the United Nations at the end of they year.

In conclusion, he Klein told council members that the United Nations was about to successfully wrap up the most ambitious police reform and reconstruction project ever under taken by the United Nations. "We will finish this mission with our heads held high," he said.

The Council then moved into closed consultations for discussions on the renewal of the mission's mandate.

SECURITY COUNCIL CONDEMNS INTIMIDATION OF UN STAFF IN DR CONGO

During consultations, Hedi Annabi, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, briefed Council members on the recent incident of harassment of UN personnel in Kisangani in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

[Ambassador Mikhail Wehbe (Syria), President of the Security Council, in a press statement read after the consultations said the Council strongly condemns the intimidation and harassment of the UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) and its dedicated staff by the Ralliement Congolais pour la Democratie (RCD-Goma).

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SECURITY COUNCIL TO HOLD PRIVATE MEETING ON MIDDLE EAST THURSDAY

[The Security Council is scheduled to hold a closed-door private meeting on the Middle East on Thursday.]

Syrian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Farouk al-Shara, who will chair that meeting, is scheduled to hold a press conference at 11a.m. Friday.

TWO MORE ARRESTED FOR SERIOUS CRIMES IN KOSOVO

The UN mission in Kosovo has arrested four Kosovo Albanian men on suspicion of having committed serious crimes against other Kosovo Albanians in June 1999. The crimes occurred in various areas of Kosovo and involved unlawful detention and serious assault. All victims were Kosovo Albanians and most of the victims remain missing.

Today, two more suspects in the same case voluntarily surrendered to UN police.

With todays arrests, all of the targets of this operation have been located and arrested.

UN SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVES VISITS DISPLACED CHECHEN CHILDREN

The Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Olara Otunnu has arrived in the Northern Caucasus following official meetings in Moscow.

Otunnu met with the President of Ingushetia, Maurat Zayzikov and visited camps for internally displaced Chechens in Ingushetia, talking with children and their families. He also toured health centres, schools and sport facilities and was able to see first-hand the work of UN agencies and non-governmental organizations.

Today, he met with religious leaders in Grozny. Thursday he will visit a centre for child mine victims in Vladikavkaz and meet with heads of UN agencies.

The main objective of his visit is to assess the situation of children affected by the conflict in Chechnya and to focus attention on their plight.

SPECIAL ADVISOR ENDS ASSESSMENT MISSION TO ANGOLA

The Secretary-Generals Special Adviser on Africa, Ibrahim Gambari, has left Luanda at the end of a multi-agency technical assessment mission to Angola. The objective of the mission was to clarify the role that the Angolan Authorities wish the United Nations to play in the country.

Gambari told reporters prior to departure that the objectives of his mission were met. He said he will soon brief the Secretary General and the Secretariat as how best the United Nations can organize itself in Angola and obtain the necessary mandate from the Security Council to assist Angola in consolidating peace and promoting national reconciliation and national reconstruction in the country.

The Secretary-General is expected to submit his report on Angola - with recommendations regarding the future mandate of the United Nations Office in Angola (UNOA) - in the first week of July.

WFP BEGINS FOOD AID DISTRIBUTION IN MADAGASCAR

The World Food Programme (WFP) announced today that it has just started to distribute emergency food aid to urban centres in Madagascar, to help feed some 35,000 malnourished children affected by the current politico-economic crisis.

WFP notes that the cost of rice -- the staple food of the Malagasy people -- has increased by 375 percent, pushing it beyond the reach of many families.

Further aggravating the precarious situation is the critical lack of fuel in the country, preventing the commercial flow of food items between provinces, and making it impossible for farmers to transport their products to existing markets.

To compound the problem, a cyclone passed over northern Madagascar in mid-April, causing extensive damage and flooding to the island's main commercial port.

CELEBRITIES END TWO-DAY MEETING WITH SOCCER PENALTY SHOOTOUT

Today is the final day of the meeting of Messengers of Peace and Goodwill Ambassadors with two closed meetings this morning. This afternoon, Mrs. Nane Annan, wife of the Secretary-General, will deliver remarks at the celebrities working lunch.

Some of the Messengers and Ambassadors will take part in a soccer penalty shootout to mark Say Yes for Children World Football Days taking place today and tomorrow. The Celebrity team will include actors Roger Moore, Sir Peter Ustinov, Lino Banfi, Simona Marchini, singers Leon Lai and Harry Belafonte, Olympic medallist Johann Olav Koss and athlete Kari Jacquesson. The Diplomatic Team includes Permanent Representatives H.E. Mr. Inocencio Arias (Spain), H.E. Mr. Kishore Mahbubani (Singapore), H.E. Mr. Ahmed Aboul Gheit (Egypt), H.E. Mr. Sergey Lavrov (Russian Federation) and H.E. Mr. Alfonso Valdivieso (Colombia).

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Secretary-General's open letter to the Group of Eight known as the G-8, in which he welcomes its decision to focus on solutions to Africas problems at their annual meeting 26-27 June in Kananaskis, Canada, has been posted on the official G8 website. The Spokesman noted that although the Secretary-General, will be speaking at the summit, this letter is his major input into the G-8 summit.

The United Nations Volunteers programme (UNV) and one of the world's leading chemical companies, BASF, have launched a cooperation agreement to promote the services of corporate volunteers in developing countries. The first volunteer under the new arrangement has taken up an assignment to support partnerships between the UN system and the private sector in Panama.

Thursday is World Refugee Day. This year, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is paying special tribute to the courage and determination of refugee women.

At the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) in Arusha today, the Prosecution and Defence completed their closing arguments in the case of Laurent Semanza, former Bourgmestre of Bicumbi, in the Kigali Rural Prefecture. Semanza was charged with 14 counts of genocide, direct and public indictment to commit genocide, complicity to commit genocide and crimes against humanity and violations of the Geneva Conventions. The date for the delivery of judgement will be set later.

In response to a question on whether the Secretary-General was disappointed with the number of Heads of State confirmed to attend the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), the Spokesman said the number was picking up rapidly. He added that the Secretary-General was not unduly concerned over the number although he encourages as many as possible to participate in this, the last of three major meetings this year.

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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