United Nations Daily Highlights, 03-02-06

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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

UN

HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Thursday, February 6, 2003

UNMOVIC CHIEF MEETS WITH BRITISH PRIME MINISTER

This morning Hans Blix, the Executive Chairman of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), was in London, where he met with Prime Minister Tony Blair for forty minutes, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw for thirty minutes and officials from the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office. They discussed the state of the inspections and the upcoming trip to Baghdad.

Blix is making his way to Baghdad where he and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei are expected to arrive Saturday morning for two days of talks with Iraqi officials.

Blix and ElBaradei will give a press conference at the Canal Hotel in Baghdad after the talks end on Sunday, February 9, tentatively scheduled for 7:00 p.m. local time.

They are scheduled to depart Baghdad early Monday, February 10.

SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS HE IS NOT GOING TO BAGHDAD

On Wednesday afternoon, following the Security Council meeting on Iraq, Secretary-General Kofi Annan told reporters that the Council debate had been a good discussion, adding, "I still believe that war is not inevitable." He noted that all Security Council members said they wanted Iraq "to be pro-active in cooperation with inspectors," and he expected that the UN weapons inspectors would factor the information that US Secretary of State Colin Powell provided into their work.

He added that the message to Iraq has been very clear, and the chief weapons inspectors would be going back to Baghdad in the next few days "to give them the same message in the name of a united international community."

In response to a question, the Secretary-General said, I am not going to Baghdad but the inspectors are going, and they should be listened to."

Asked if he was aware of a proposal by former South African President Nelson Mandela to travel to Baghdad, with the blessing of the Secretary-General, the Spokesman said he was not aware that Mandela and the Secretary-General had ever discussed such a trip.

Asked for a response to Mandelas recent comments that the recent US stance towards the United Nations on Iraq had been because a black man was Secretary-General, the Spokesman said the Secretary-General does not think this is a racial matter.

ANNAN TO DELIVER MAJOR SPEECH ON IRAQ AT COLLEGE IN VIRGINIA

The Secretary-General will leave Friday afternoon for Williamsburg, Virginia, where on Saturday he will speak at William and Mary Colleges Charter Day ceremony marking the 310th anniversary of the founding of the college by Great Britains King William III and Queen Mary II.

The Secretary-General hopes to use this speech to re-state the fundamental principles that must be borne in mind as the international community weighs questions of war and peace regarding Iraq.

He will also receive an honorary doctorate in the ceremony which is scheduled to start at 10:00 a.m. William and Mary is the second oldest university in the United States.

He will be accompanied by his wife Nane, and they will be returning to New York late Saturday.

UN KOSOVO ENVOY BRIEFS SECURITY COUNCIL

The Security Council held a formal meeting this morning to receive a briefing on Kosovo by the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Kosovo, Michael Steiner.

Steiner presented the Secretary-Generals latest report on Kosovo, which says that significant achievements were made there towards the end of 2002, including Kosovos second municipal elections and the extension of the UN Mission in Kosovos authority to northern Mitrovica.

However, the Secretary-General adds, Kosovo remains a considerable way from reaching the individual benchmarks and targets that have been set before it.

Steiner told the Council that he will concentrate on three priorities for the year ahead: reducing the crime rate; improving the economy, and particularly dealing with the unemployment problem; and encouraging the formation of a multi-ethnic society. He added, I dont believe that 2003 is the time for finally solving Kosovos status. But it is the time to lay the groundwork for the political process which in the end will determine status.

The Council also adopted a Presidential Statement on Kosovo at the conclusion of todays meeting, in which it welcomed the progress made in 2002 and reaffirmed its full support of targets in eight key areas for Kosovo's progress, as well as its commitment to a multi-ethnic and democratic Kosovo.

Also today, the Council held its monthly luncheon with the Secretary-General.

UN TO REMOVE NON-ESSENTIAL STAFF FROM COTE DIVOIRE

The UN Security Coordinators office has taken note of recent developments in Cote dIvoire, including several violent demonstrations and xenophobic radio broadcasts, and has recommended that all non-essential UN staff leave that country.

There are currently some 120 international UN staff in Cote dIvoire, and a maximum of 80 staff is expected to remain in the country. Also, specific security clearances will be needed for any other staff to go into the country.

On Tuesday. Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Kieran Prendergast, at the Secretary-General's request, briefed the Security Council in closed consultations on Cote d'Ivoire. In that briefing, he highlighted the Secretary-General's continuing and strong concern of the danger of a further deterioration of the situation, building on the existing ethnic, communal and religious tensions in that country.

ANNAN SAYS DISARMAMENT TOPS INTERNATIONAL AGENDA

In his remarks at the meeting with the Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters, the Secretary-General noted that this year the Board met at a time when the question of disarmament was at the very top of the international agenda.

An ominous cloud hangs over the Boards deliberations this year, he said. This cloud represents the concerns of all humanity about the many dangers posed by weapons of mass destruction especially nuclear weapons.

He warned about the rising military expenditures and added the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea and Iraq are only the tip of the iceberg among challenges posed to international security.

The Secretary-General underscored the critical role that civil society had played in the area of disarmament and expressed hope that the Board would arrive at new ways to make civil society a true partner.

The Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters is holding a closed meeting in New York through Friday.

DE SOTO TO TRAVEL TO NEW YORK TO BRIEF ANNAN ON CYPRUS TALKS

Asked why the Secretary-General Special Advisor on Cyprus, Alvaro de Soto, is coming to New York, the Spokesman said de Soto will be here next week to brief the Secretary-General on the ongoing talks in Cyprus between the Turkish Cypriots and the Greek Cypriots.

Asked if the Secretary-General had sent a letter to Prime Minister Costas Simitis of Greece and Prime Minister of Abdullah Gul of Turkey inviting them to New York for talks, the Spokesman said the Secretary-General had sent letters to them, not to invite them to New York, but to emphasize the urgency of their pressing ahead without delay to finalize the security aspects of his revised December 10 proposal.

UNICEF TO DELIVER "SCHOOLS IN A BOX" FOR AFGHAN CHILDREN

The UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) has started to deliver new school materials in Afghanistan as part of the to School campaign.

The first of a total of 315 tons of Schools in a Box began arriving in Kabul this week as part of seven planned airlifts, each containing enough classroom stationery and basic materials for 80 children. This delivery will contribute to a total of 3,200 tons of school supplies, due to start pouring into Afghanistan in the next few weeks.

UNICEF is working with the Afghan Ministry of Education to ensure supplies are available in 2003 for a total of 4.5 million girls and boys in Afghanistans schools, with a specific focus on increasing the enrolment of girls at primary level.

Also in Afghanistan today, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) has signed two agreements with the Afghan Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry. The first project, which is worth about $400,000, will benefit 5,000 Kuchi families. The project aims at ensuring the survival of their livestock during the critical period of winter and early spring.

Another agreement signed was on the emergency monitoring and control of locusts in northern Afghanistan. The direct beneficiaries of this $391,000 project are the farmers and livestock owners of the infested areas who stand to lose their crops.

UN SENDS TEAM TO ASSESS TO TORNADO DAMAGE IN DR-CONGO

From the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports it has sent a mission to Bandudu province in the western part of the country. The team will follow up on reports of loss of life and heavy damage caused by a tornado.

Government sources say the tornado killed more that 160 people and left close to 2,000 families homeless.

Together with officials from the DRC Ministry of Health, UN officials are now traveling by boat to the hardest-hit areas.

The team will report back Friday, at which time a more detailed assessment of damage and casualties will be provided.

ECOWAS BACKS UN PROPOSALS TO PROTECT CHILDREN IN WAR

The 26th Summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has called on its members to adopt a plan of action on war-affected children proposed by Olara Otunnu, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict.

The proposal calls for the inclusion of child protection measures in ECOWAS peacemaking and peacekeeping activities and the development and strengthening of a network of child protection and advocacy agencies in the region.The plan of action also call for the establishment of ECOWAS as a child soldier-free zone, with initiatives aimed at reducing the recruitment of children as soldiers and the strengthening of traditional African values for the protection of children.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS:

AL-QAEDA: The Secretary-General, in a letter to the Security Council, says he has reappointed the five-member Monitoring Group established under Resolution 1363, which concerns the sanctions placed against al-Qaeda and associated entities. The Secretary-General says the composition of the Group, which is chaired by Michael Chandler of the United Kingdom, will be unchanged.

UNICEF: The United Nations Children's Fund calls for governments to honor their promises to take action to end female genital mutilation. Executive Director Carol Bellamy said an estimated two million girls are at risk from the practice, which not only violates the rights of children, but also has serious health consequences. She added, There is no better time to start taking action than today, the very first International Day of Zero Tolerance of Female Genital Mutilation. The Day was launched today at the Inter-African Committee for Traditional Practices, meeting in Addis Ababa.

LEPROSY: The World Health Organization said in Yangon, Myanmar, today, at the annual meeting of countries where leprosy is endemic, that although there has been great progress in eliminating the disease, there were still serious concerns in several countries. In 1985, there were 122 countries where the disease was endemic and today 108 of those countries have already reached their goal of eliminating the disease. Ninety percent of the cases of leprosy today are found in India, Brazil, Nepal, Madagascar, Mozambique and Myanmar.

SIERRA LEONE: United Nations Messenger of Peace and Academy award-winning actor Michael Douglas left Sierra Leone on Wednesday, following a five-day visit during which he filmed a UN documentary on child soldiers and reviewed progress made since the end of Sierra Leones 10-year conflict. The documentary, a collaboration of the UN Department of Public Information and the New York-based RCN Production Company, is part of a 10-series program on UN themes.

MENINGITIS: WHO, in partnership with the drug company GlaxoSmithKline and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is making a new meningitis vaccine available to several African countries.The effort comes just months after a new strain of the disease killed more than 1,700 people in Burkina Faso. The first shipment of 100,000 doses of the new vaccine is being sent to Burkina Faso. In all, 3 million doses will be sent to 21 countries in the meningitis belt, which stretches from Ethiopia to Senegal.

BUDGET: Sweden paid its 2003 regular budget contribution in full, with a payment of more than $13 million, before the end of the due period, which was last Friday. Sweden has, therefore been included in the Honor Roll list of those countries that have paid in full and on time. Also, on Wednesday, France made a payment of more than $87 million to become the 39th Member State to pay its contribution in full.

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