United Nations Daily Highlights, 03-02-18

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

OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY HUA JIANG

DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

UN

HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Tuesday, February 18, 2003

ANNAN IN ROME, MEETS WITH ITALIAN LEADERS AND POPE

Secretary-General Kofi Annan is in Rome today, where he is to have an audience this evening with Pope John Paul II, and is also to meet with Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Secretary of State for the Holy See.

Earlier today, the Secretary-General had a working lunch with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, with discussions focusing on Iraq, and also touching on Afghanistan, North Korea and Cote dIvoire.

The two men spoke to the press afterward. The Secretary-General noted Europes key role in the Iraq crisis, not just on the political side but also on the possible humanitarian consequences of the conflict.

He said that Monday, in Brussels, Belgium, he had the opportunity to brief European Heads of State and Government on UN contingency planning if war arises.

Asked about how much longer UN inspections in Iraq should continue, the Secretary-General said the inspectors will carry on with their work until the Security Council decides otherwise.

He noted that there is no time limit in the Security Councils resolutions, but a debate is going on in the Council about how much more time is needed.

Shortly before the audience with the Pope, during which he expected once more to talk about Iraq, the Secretary-General met with Italys President, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.

ANNAN URGES EU TO ACT WITH COOPERATION, PERSISTENCE ON IRAQ

In Brussels on Monday, the Secretary-General urged European Heads of State and Government to stay focused on Iraq and its obligations to disarm and to avoid the tendency of turning on each other.

He told journalists after he addressed the closed summit meeting, We should approach this issue positively. What is required at this stage is cooperation, persistence and constant pressure.

He added that it was imperative for Iraqs Government to understand the gravity and urgency of the situation, and to choose compliance over conflict.

The Secretary-General also discussed the impact of the Iraq crisis on the United Nations, saying that if the Security Council can resolve it successfully and effectively, its credibility and influence will he considerably enhanced. But if action is taken without the Councils authority, he warned, then the legitimacy and support for that action will be seriously impaired.

The Secretary-General also held several meetings in Brussels after he arrived at mid-day there from New York via Paris. Among his meetings were one with Turkish Prime Minister Abdullah Gul, with whom he discussed Iraq and efforts to conclude an agreement on Cyprus by the end of this month, and a one-on-one meeting with Belgiums King Albert II.

He also met with Pat Cox, the President of the European Parliament, and eight leaders of European political groups, who emphasized their strong commitment to the multilateral process and the UNs central role on Iraq.

In the evening, before he flew to Rome, the Secretary-General discussed Iraq further with Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel.

He also met with Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis, discussing Iraq and Cyprus.

SECURITY COUNCIL TO HOLD OPEN MEETING ON IRAQ TODAY

The Security Council, at 3:00 p.m., is scheduled to begin an open debate on Iraq, with 60 non-Council members inscribed to speak so far, according to the Security Council Presidency.

Non-Council members will take the floor first.

The debate is expected to continue Wednesday.

This debate was requested by the Non-Aligned Movement.

UNICEF SET TO START IMMUNIZATION CAMPAIGN IN IRAQ

Health workers in Iraq will begin a five-day immunization programme on Sunday 23. The campaign aims to vaccinate 4 million Iraqi children against polio, according to the UN Children's Fund, UNICEF.

At the same time, health workers and volunteers will intensify routine measles immunization for children under the age of five years. UNICEF says that close to half a million children under five have not been vaccinated against measles.

U2 SURVEILLANCE FLIGHTS START OVER IRAQ

Over the weekend and yesterday, the work of the weapons inspectors continued in Iraq.

On Monday, the IAEA held a private interview with a Senior Engineer connected with Iraqs procurement history related to 81mm aluminum tubes.

Meanwhile, teams from UNMOVIC visited ammunition, chemical and missile sites in and around Baghdad as well as in the Mosul region.

IRAQ GIVES UP PRESIDENCY OF CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT

On Friday, the Iraqi Government sent a letter to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva informing its secretariat that it will not assume the Presidency of that body when it was scheduled to do so, on March 17.

The Conference on Disarmament rotates its presidency by alphabetical order, and Iraq was to begin a four-week term as President in mid-March, but it has now passed up that role, so Ireland will instead assume the Presidency on March 17.

MIDDLE EAST: UN ENVOY PRESSES FOR POLITICAL SOLUTION

The suffering of Palestinians and Israelis today the deaths and injuries, the economic devastation, the profound insecurity can end only through a political solution said the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Terje Roed Larsen, in a speech delivered in London to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee on Palestinian Reform. This meeting is part of a number of activities of the diplomatic Quartet on the Middle East -- comprising the UN, European Union, Russian Federation and United States -- taking place in London this week.

Bringing this conflict to an end is entirely within the power of the parties in London the Israelis, the Palestinians and the International Community, Larsen added.

The task of this gathering is to seek ways to break the dilemma that has us maintaining our intense humanitarian engagement -- despite the lack of political progress.

He said a start would be an agreement on the minimum needs and basic rights of the civilian population, whatever the prevailing security circumstances. We must ensure that every teacher and pupil is able to get to school, every patient has access to health care, every worker can reach his or her workplace; every household has access to safe and affordable water, Larsen told the participants.

In closing he reiterated the fact that only a comprehensive plan like the road map can succeed in resolving these dilemmas. Regrettably, Larsen said, while the Road Maps clock is wound, it is not yet ticking. And while we are confident that will start soon, there is an absolute imperative to improve the lives of ordinary people right now.

ANNAN TO SEND TEAM TO CAMBODIA FOR TALKS ON KHMER ROUGE TRIAL

Last Thursday, February 13, the Secretary-General received a letter from Prime Minister Hun Sen inviting him to send a United Nations team to Phnom Penh to resume detailed negotiations for an agreement on Khmer Rouge trials.

The Secretary-General wrote back on Friday last week, accepting that invitation and offering to send a team to Phnom Penh either later this week or, alternatively, in the beginning of March.

The Secretary-General is now waiting for a reply from Prime Minister Hun Sen, informing him which of those dates would be most convenient for the Government of Cambodia.

The General Assembly has asked the Secretary-General to report to it by March 18 on the progress of negotiations.

LIBERIA: FIGHTING FORCES THOUSANDS TO FLEE THEIR HOMES

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees says that the western part of Liberia saw renewed fighting over the past week that has prompted more than 30,000 people to flee their homes and head for the capital, Monrovia.

And about 6,000 Liberians have gone into Sierra Leone, with thousands more reportedly on the way.

In Côte d'Ivoire, UNHCR says its offices continue to receive desperate requests from some of the estimated 40,000 Liberian refugees in the area wanting to be evacuated to a safe area or moved to other countries in the region.

NEW DEPUTY REPRESENTATIVE NAMED IN DR CONGO

The Secretary-General has appointed Behrooz Sadry as Deputy Special Representative for the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Sadry has a distinguished career with the United Nations, and has most recently served as the Secretary-Generals Deputy Special Representative for Sierra Leone.

He assumed his functions in Kinshasa on the 17th of this month.

FOUR KOSOVAR ALBANIANS TRANSFERRED TO UN TRIBUNAL

Three Kosovar Albanians Haradin Bala, Isak Musliu and Agim Murtezi were today transferred to the Detention Unit of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) at The Hague, following their detention in Kosovo by KFOR forces. A fourth accused, Fatmir Limaj, has escaped arrest, departing Kosovo, Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte said.

The four Kosovars were indicted by the Tribunal for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in a Kosovo Liberation Army prison camp in 1998, where Serb and Albanian civilians were imprisoned, and some were tortured or killed.

ANTI-TOBACCO MEETING OPENS IN GENEVA

The Sixth and final meeting of the Inter-Governmental Body for the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control began yesterday in Geneva. Director General of the World Health Organization, Gro Harlem Brundtland said the Convention was only the first step in a long process and that once the main Convention was adopted, the process of creating protocols to address specific issues would begin.

WHO has also released the report Bollywood: Victim or Ally? which examines 400 recent Indian films and reveals that 80 percent show some sort of tobacco use. About 900 films a year are produced in the Mumbai-based Indian film industry, which has influence that reaches to countries around the world.

The theme of this years World No Tobacco Day, to be observed on 31 May is Tobacco Free Films, Tobacco Free Fashion.

The International Labour Organization will hold a meeting on 24 to 28 February in Geneva to consider, for the first time, the future of the world's 100 million workers who depend in some way on the production, manufacture and distribution of tobacco for their livelihood.

The meeting is to discuss what ILO officials called stagnating or declining employment in the global tobacco sector as well as the uncertain future of millions of non-unionized, informal sector workers including impoverished women and children.

About 6 million tons of tobacco are produced each year in some 120 counties, with 80 per cent of production coming from the developing world and 70 per cent from six countries: Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, the United States and Zimbabwe.

OVERWHELMING RESPONSE TO CYPRUS ANTHEM AND FLAG COMPETITION

Monday at 5 p.m. local time was the deadline for the submission of entries for a UN-sponsored competition for a new Cyprus flag and anthem.

The United Nations has so far registered upwards of a 1,000 entries, with some more still being registered. Submissions from abroad are expected to continue to arrive by mail over the next two days.

According to the UN mission in Cyprus most contestants submitted multiple entries. They came from individuals, schools and commercial graphic design firms. Standards were very high, very professional. Anthem compositions were submitted as scores, with some accompanied by recordings on tape and CD of renditions by full orchestra.

One flag design was submitted by the Greek Cypriot father and Turkish Cypriot mother of a talented three-year-old. Entries were sent from Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, of course, and from as far a field as Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States. Others came from the United Kingdom, Spain, Belgium and Norway.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS:

CATTLE DISEASE: The Food and Agriculture Organization has said that Pakistan has declared itself free of the deadly cattle disease rinderpest. To be declared free of the disease, a country must have had no outbreak for at least two years, must have stopped vaccination and a surveillance system must be in place. Rinderpest is a highly infectious viral disease that can destroy whole populations of cattle and buffaloes.

FARMING TECHNOLOGY: FAO warns that the gap between rich and poor farmers and between technology development and technology transfer is widening. The FAO said that biotechnology has to be redirected to address the needs of poor countries if the divide is to be narrowed.

UN BUDGET: The United Kingdom today made a payment of more than $61 million to the peacekeeping budgets.

FRENCH WEBSITE: As of today, the French-language version of the Spokesmans website is now on line.

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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