United Nations Daily Highlights, 02-11-06

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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, November 6, 2002

SECURITY COUNCIL CONSIDERS DRAFT RESOLUTION ON IRAQ

The Security Council held closed consultations on Iraq today. The United States has circulated a new draft resolution on the return of weapons inspectors to Iraq.

Speaking on his way out of the Security Council, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the Council was making progress. I have always maintained, he said, thats it important the Council speak with one voice. He added that he would prefer to see a unanimous decision, 15 to O.

The Council will hold an open meeting on Kosovo in the afternoon, including the most recent report of the Secretary-General on the UN Mission there. Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean Marie Guehenno, is scheduled to brief members on recent developments.

SECRETARY-GENERAL TO VISIT BALKANS, NETHERLANDS AND FRANCE

The Secretary-General will go to Europe next week, traveling on Sunday, November 17, to Sarajevo, to pay an official visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The following day, he will visit Kosovo, before traveling on Tuesday, November 19, to Belgrade to meet with senior officials in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. He will wrap up his Balkans trip by paying an official visit to Croatia on Wednesday, November 20.

lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language: Once the Balkans trip has ended, the Secretary-General will travel on the 21st to the Netherlands, where he is to receive an honorary doctorate from Tilburg University.

lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language: He will conclude his trip to Europe by paying an official visit to France, starting on Sunday the 24th; he is to end that trip and return home on the 26th.

ANNAN MEETS WITH ADVISOR ON CYPRUS

style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-weight: On Tuesday afternoon, the Secretary-General met with his Special Advisor on Cyprus, Alvaro de Soto.

In speaking to reporters after the meeting Tuesday night, the Secretary-General said de Soto had given him a thorough briefing on his recent round of consultations. It is then for me to take the next decisions on the next steps on where we go, the Secretary-General said.

When asked whether the Secretary-General had received messages from US President George W. Bush or others on Cyprus, the Spokesman said he had received messages from the United States, the United Kingdom and the Dutch government.

Asked why the adhoc committees on Cyprus had not met, the Spokesman later answered that the United Nations had not yet received a list of members from one of the parties.

In response to a question on what the Secretary-General's next move on Cyprus would be, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General realized that time was short, but he had not made any decisions and was considering his options.

ANNAN ATTENDS LECTURE ON GENETICALLY MODIFIED CROPS

lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language: This afternoon in the Economic and Social Council Chamber, the Secretary-General hosted the second in a series of lectures dealing with issues of the day that are outside the normal range of UN topics with the lecture, this time, concerning Genetically Modified Crops for Developing Countries.

lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language: That is a subject on which peoples views may be different, the Secretary-General said, but not one on which we can afford to be indifferent.

style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language: The lecturers were Professors Jennifer Thomson of the University of Cape Town in South Africa and Daphne Preuss of the University of Chicago, who earlier attended a luncheon hosted by the Secretary-General.

TWO NEW INDICTMENTS FOR SERIOUS CRIMES LAID IN TIMOR LESTE

style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language: In Dili, Timor Leste, today, the Serious Crimes Unit issued two new indictments to the Special Panel for Serious Crimes of the Dili District Court.

style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language: The first indictment has 13 charges of crimes against humanity committed by five members of the Mahadomi militia in Manatuto District in 1999. Five of the counts are for murder and the others for torture, imprisonment, persecution and deportation. All five accused are believed to be living in Indonesia.

The second indictment is for 17 charges of crimes against humanity committed by two Indonesian officers stationed in Lautem district in 1999. The charges include 14 counts of murder, including the murders of a Dutch journalist and 21 civilians.

style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language: Arrest warrants will be requested from the Dili District Court and will be forwarded to the Attorney General of Indonesia and to INTERPOL. Timor Leste became a member of INTERPOL last month.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman; mso-fareast-font-family: Times New Roman; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA" T style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language: he first guided tour of the United Nations Headquarters took place in November 1952, and since then, tour guides from more than 100 countries have played host to more than 37 million visitors. As part of the celebrations for the fiftieth anniversary, the Secretary-General will open a photographic exhibit this afternoon at UN Headquarters. There are about 400 former guides in New York for the celebration, many of whom have gone on to successful careers in the United Nations, politics, the academy and many other fields.

lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language: In his message to mark the first observance of the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict, the Secretary-General noted that modern warfare needs environmental rules, much as earlier war highlighted the need to protect civilians and prisoners of war. It is the duty of every person, he said, every organization and every government to help preserve the Earths riches for the generations who will succeed us. style="mso-spacerun: That is the only battle we should be fighting.

Today, the United Nations received two sizeable payments to peacekeeping contributions: Germany made a payment of over $19 million and Italy a payment of over $9 million.

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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