United Nations Daily Highlights, 02-10-04

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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

Friday, October 4, 2002

ANNAN URGES ACTION TO DEFEAT TERRORISM, UNDERLYING FACTORS

Secretary-General Kofi Annan spoke at the open meeting of the Security Council to commemorate the one-year-anniversary of the Committee on Counter-Terrorism.

He said, Just as terrorism must never be excused, so must genuine grievances never be ignored simply because terrorism is committed in their name. It does not take away from the justice of a cause that a few wicked men or women commit murder in its name. It only makes it more urgent that the cause is addressed, the grievances heard, and the wrong put right.

He added, As the United Nations unites to defeat terrorism in the months and years ahead, we must act with equal determination to solve the political disputes and long-standing conflicts which generate support for terrorism. To do so is not to reward terrorism or its perpetrators; it is to deny them the opportunity to find refuge, in any cause, any country. Only then can we truly say that the war on terrorism has been won.

In addition to the Secretary-General, 46 speakers were inscribed to address the open meeting, titled Threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.

A presidential statement will be adopted at the end.

The Council met first in consultations to discuss Kosovo, during which members discussed a Security Council mission to Pristina, Kosovo and Belgrade, planned for October 25-27. The mission will be led by Ambassador Ole Peter Kolby of Norway. The terms and reference and composition of the mission are still being determined.

ANNAN TO HOLD SECOND DAY OF CYPRUS TALKS

The Secretary-General is scheduled this afternoon at 3:00 p.m. to meet again with H.E. Mr Glafcos Clerides, the Greek Cypriot leader, and H.E. Mr Rauf Denktash, the Turkish Cypriot leader.

This morning, in response to a question on the Cyprus talks, the Secretary-General said, We are pursuing our efforts and we are going to work very hard in search for a solution.

This morning, the Secretary-Generals Special Adviser on Cyprus, Alvaro De Soto, met with the two leaders together for a working meeting.

ANNAN HOPES COUNCIL GUIDANCE ON IRAQ WILL COME SOON

The Secretary-General spoke to reporters briefly after leaving the Security Council this morning, and he was asked whether UN weapons inspectors should go forward with plans to go to Iraq, or whether they should wait for the Security Council to work on a new resolution.

He noted that chief weapons inspector Hans Blix himself addressed that issue Thursday when talking to reporters after briefing the Security Council, and had indicated that the inspectors were ready, but, as the Council was discussing further guidance, it would be appropriate for him to know what that guidance was before he resumes work in Iraq. The Secretary-General added, I hope that will be forthcoming shortly.

Blix and International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Mohammed ElBaradei are in Washington, D.C., today, where they are scheduled to meet with senior U.S. officials.

NEARLY $ 1 BILLION AWARDED FOR LOSSES FROM IRAQ'S INVASION OF KUWAIT

On Thursday afternoon in Geneva, the Governing Council of the UN Compensation Commission concluded its latest session by approving awards amounting to nearly a billion dollars. The total amount awarded at this session exceeded $995 million, bringing the total compensation that the Commission has awarded to date above $43.6 billion.

The largest of the awards was $694 million for claims by Kuwaits Ministry of Defence and the Kuwait Oil Company for the removal and disposal of mines and unexploded ordnance.

September 30 was the deadline for submission of late claims by the Palestinian Authority on behalf of individuals who did not have the opportunity to file their claims by the original deadline, on January 1, 1996. While the final total of claims from the Palestinian Authority is not yet computed, it is estimated that some 45,000 claims were submitted by them.

ANNAN URGES UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION ON MILLENNIUM GOALS

The Secretary-General today presented to the General Assembly his first annual report on the progress achieved towards implementing the Millennium Declaration, and he warned them, as he did when talking to you earlier this week, to take decisive action to make sure that the pledges made in that Declaration are actually fulfilled.

He told the General Assembly that it has a particularly important role to play, and urged it to follow the process vigorously and in an integrated fashion. The Millennium Declaration, he said, has given us a big picture. We must not allow that picture to be fragmented and dealt with piecemeal by different processes in different committees. We need to keep the whole of it firmly in view.

UN SECURITY OFFICERS RETRIEVE FOUR BULLETS AFTER SHOOTING

Following the incident Thursday afternoon in which a man climbed the gate outside the UN Headquarters building and fired seven shots, UN security conducted a floor-by-floor search of the building to find any bullets. Security officers retrieved three bullets that hit the 20th floor, where an American Express office is located, and one that went through the window of a ladies room on the 118th floor.

Chief of Security Michael McCann said that the individual, who has been identified as Steven Kim, was apprehended by UN and U.S. security officers shortly after he fired his gun, and, after initial questioning by UN Security, he was transferred to the custody of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation.

He was found with papers that Chief McCann characterized as a rambling description of human rights problems in North Korea.

No one was injured in Thursdays incident.

On Thursday night, the Secretary-General, in a press encounter with CNN, said he was confident in the work being done cooperatively between UN Security and the New York police, and added, I see this as an isolated event, and I dont think the staff should worry.

UN HUMANITARIAN ENVOYS CONCLUDE TRIP TO SUDAN

Emergency Relief Coordinator Kenzo Oshima and the Secretary-Generals Special Envoy for Humanitarian Affairs in the Sudan, Tom Eric Vraalsen, have gone to Nairobi, Kenya, following the end of their mission to Sudan, during which they stressed to both the Government and the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement (SPLM) the need for unimpeded humanitarian access and the need for a return to the negotiating table.

Oshima will be travelling to Ethiopia and Eritrea from Nairobi.

Meanwhile, the World Food Programme reports that the flight ban in southern Sudan is affecting a third of WFP's aid recipients in Sudan.

UN ENVOY: CHILDREN IN SOUTH AFRICA FACING SEXUAL VIOLENCE

UN special rapporteur Juan Miguel Petit, who deals with the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, warned of an apparent increase in sexual violence against South African children.

He said there are reports that young children are being targeted as sexual partners by people who believe that doing so could reduce the risk of contracting AIDS, as well as reports that instances of child rape have occurred because of the mistaken belief that sleeping with a virgin could cure AIDS.

Petit recommends treatment and support for children affected by HIV/AIDS and urges steps to deal with sexual violence against children in South Africa.

FIRST UN HUMAN RIGHTS ENVOY TO VISIT SAUDI ARABIA

The Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers of the UN Commission on Human Rights, Dato Param Cumarswamy, is scheduled to conduct an official mission to Saudi Arabia from October 20 to 27. This is the first time that the Government of Saudi Arabia has invited a Special Rapporteur of the Commission for an official visit.

During the mission the Special Rapporteur is expected to meet with officials from the Government, the Judiciary and other bodies involved in the administration of justice. He is scheduled to present a report of the mission to the 59th session of the Commission on Human Rights next spring.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Seventh Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Conference will be held in the Hague, Netherlands from October 7-11. In his message to the Conference, the Secretary-General says that progress continues to be made in the destruction of declared chemical weapons and add that vigilance and a renewed commitment to the full implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention are more necessary than ever.

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia Thursday withdrew its indictment against one suspect, Zoran Marinic, after the prosecutors filed a request stating that Marinic was a low-level indictee, and noted that the UN Security Council, in a presidential statement of July 23, 2002, had said it would be more appropriate that low-level accused be tried before a national court. Consequently, the arrest warrant against Marinic, whose whereabouts remain unknown, has been withdrawn.

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said today that despite a ban on the international trade in ivory since 1989, studies have revealed that a significant illegal trade still continues. The studies, conducted by the Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS), point out that the illegal trade is driven mainly by large, unregulated domestic markets in some Asian and African countries, with China, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Thailand being the most frequent source or destination of illegal ivory.

World Teachers Day will be marked Saturday and, in a joint message, the heads of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) call on governments to ensure that teachers have good physical and moral conditions in which to work, and are paid a decent salary. They pay tribute to teachers who often work under difficult conditions and noted that there is a shortage of teachers in many countries.

The Secretary-General is scheduled to go to New York University this evening, where, at 7:15, he will stop by at the New York University School of Law for a reception in honor of one of the professors there, Thomas Franck, who is well known for his work on the United Nations and his writings on issues ranging from de-colonization to nationalism.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS Saturday, October 5

Today is World Teachers Day.

Sunday, October 6 Monday, October 7 The Seventh Session of the Conference of States Parties of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons will begin in The Hague, and it is to last through Friday.

Today is World Habitat Day.

Tuesday, October 8 The Security Council is expected to hold its monthly luncheon with the Secretary-General.

Wednesday, October 9 The Secretary-Generals latest report to the Security Council on Prevlaka is expected by the middle of the week. This is the International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction.

Thursday, October 10 The International Court of Justice is expected to issue a ruling on the Bakassi Peninsula between Nigeria and Cameroon.

The Security Council expects to hold consultations on the UN Mission of Observers in Prevlaka (UNMOP). Today is World Mental Health Day.

Friday, October 11 The Security Council will hold an open meeting on small arms. 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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