United Nations Daily Highlights, 03-02-21

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

OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY MARIE OKABE

ASSOCIATE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

UN

HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Friday, February 21, 2003

ANNAN PRESSES PARTIES TO ADVANCE SEVERAL PEACE PROCESSES IN AFRICA

This morning in Paris, Secretary-General Kofi Annan met for over an hour with the Presidents of South Africa, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), to discuss ways to advance the peace process in the DRC.

The proliferation of armed groups in the eastern part of the country is destabilizing the situation and undermining the peace process, they agreed. The Secretary-General felt that the mandate of the UN Mission in the country might have to be strengthened to address that problem.

In the end, stability could best be achieved by the establishment of a broad-based government, formed through the inter-Congolese dialogue, which could extend its control to all parts of the country.

The Secretary-General then attended the final working session of the Africa-France Summit.

In the margins, he held a series of bilateral meetings, beginning with meeting with the President of Burundi, Pierre Buyoya, with whom he discussed ways to accelerate the peace process in that country.

He then spoke with President Idriss Deby of Chad on the current state of relations between Chad and the neighboring Central African Republic.

At the close of the Summit, the Secretary-General joined President Jacques Chirac of France, South African President Thabo Mbeki and President Paul Biya of Cameroon for a concluding press conference.

Asked what can be done to make men more aware of their responsibilities regarding AIDS, the Secretary-General said it was a question of leadership, at the national as well as at the community level. He cited Senegal, Uganda and Botswana as countries that have taken positive action and said, All around the continent, there are good practices that we can learn.

He then returned to his hotel, where in the late afternoon, he met the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, Prince Saud al Faisal.

UN TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT TEAM TO TRAVEL TO COTE DIVOIRE

The Secretary-General also met with the new Prime Minister of Cote dIvoire, Seydou Diarra, who described his efforts to form a Government of national unity, along the lines agreed in Paris last month. He stressed the urgent need to assure the public and to get the economy back on track.

He said that a UN team would arrive in Abidjan soon to assess the security situation in the country, and he had asked that two UN human rights experts be part of that team.

The Secretary-General is sending a multi-disciplinary technical assessment mission to Cote d'Ivoire to gather the necessary information on the ground, which would enable him to prepare recommendations to the Security Council on the role the United Nations could play in support of the implementation of the Linas-Marcoussis Agreement. The mission is scheduled to depart Saturday and remain in Cote dIvoire until March 5.

Meanwhile, discussions are underway on a possible human rights inquiry mission to the country.

SECURITY COUNCIL BRIEFED ON COTE D'IVOIRE AT ANNAN'S REQUEST

In New York, the Security Council met in closed consultations to briefed on Cote dIvoire, at the request of the Secretary-General, by Kieran Prendergast, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs. He briefed members on the political, security, humanitarian and human rights situation in that country.

[In a press statement read by the Security Council President, German Ambassador Gunter Pleuger, Council members called again on all Ivorian political forces to implement fully and without delay the Linas-Marcoussis Agreement and to cooperate with the Committee tasked with monitoring the agreement's implementation. Members of the Security Council also encouraged the newly appointed Prime Minister to continue his efforts towards the establishment of a balanced and stable government. And they called on all parties to respect human rights and international humanitarian law for the entire population regardless of its origin. They invited donors to provide assistance to meet these challenges.]

UN WEAPONS INSPECTORS PRESS ON WITH WORK IN IRAQ

An missile team from the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) inspected the Musaayib Power Station to check for possible storage of missile-related items.

An UNMOVIC biological team carried out an aerial inspection of two sites to the west and northwest of Baghdad.

The International Atomic Energy Agency interviewed two members of Iraqs former gas centrifuge programme. One was an engineer and the other a magnet specialist.

UN STAFF NOT BEING EVACUATED FROM IRAQ

Asked to confirm press reports that UN staff was being evacuated from Iraq, the Spokeswoman said there was no evacuation underway and that there are currently nearly 700 international humanitarian and UNMOVIC/IAEA staff operating in Iraq. She added that all operations are being provided at full capacity, according to the UN Security Coordinator's Office.

In response to questions about the staffing situation in Iraq, she added that earlier this month it was decided that until the situation on the ground becomes clearer, the United Nations would allow staff that may wish to leave Iraq to do so. This is being done on a voluntary basis, she said.

She added that the number of staff fluctuates from day to day due staff rotations. During this period, staff members who work in Iraq but are currently out of the country, will only return to Iraq if deemed absolutely crucial for the ongoing operations.

UN ATOMIC AGENCY CHIEF VISITS IRANIAN URANIUM ENRICHMENT PLANT

IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei, began a three-day visit to Iran today, at the invitation of the Iranian Government. He visited the site of Nartanz, which the Iranian authorities described as a uranium enrichment facility that is under construction.

Saturday, ElBaradei will meet with Iranian President Mohammed Khatami and other senior officials, and, on Sunday, he will wrap up his visit with a press conference at 10:00 a.m., Tehran time.

TWO MILLION AT RISK OF HUNGER IN ETHIOPIA

With crop production down drastically across the Tigray region of Ethiopia as a result of poor and erratic rainfall combined with reduced agricultural input use, over 2 million people or 60% of the region's population are at risk of hunger during 2003, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Unless further food contributions are received, relief food stocks are expected to run out in March/April.

UN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONER TO TRAVEL TO PAKISTAN, BURUNDI

High Commissioner for Human Rights Sergio Vieira de Mello will begin an official three-day visit to Pakistan, starting next Monday, which will be immediately followed by a two-day visit to Burundi.

The visits are at the invitation of both those Governments.

In Pakistan, the High Commissioner will meet with President Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali and other senior officials, as well as with UN and non-governmental representatives.

He will also deliver a speech in Islamabad on current human rights challenges and will visit a UNHCR refugee camp in Peshawar, and, on February 25, he will inaugurate in Islamabad the 11th workshop on regional cooperation on human rights in the Asia-Pacific Region.

The High Commissioner on Thursday also expressed his concern at reports about the killing of 28 Palestinians in recent days in Gaza.

As he has said on many occasions, such indiscriminate use of force in civilian areas can never be justified.

Vieira de Mello strongly reiterated his call to the Israeli authorities to cease such actions, which can only damage any possible peace process in the region, and he appealed to all parties to refrain from any further violent action.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

NON-ALIGNED SUMMIT: The Secretary-General is being represented at the Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, by Lakhdar Brahimi, Special Representative for Afghanistan, and Iqbal Riza, his chief of staff. On Monday, Brahimi is expected to deliver a message on the Secretary-Generals behalf.

AIDS: The UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) today launched a new website on gender and HIV/AIDS. The web portal is a one stop shop on the gender dimensions of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and aims to provide researchers, policy-makers and practitioners with the latest information in a user-friendly informative format.

UN HABITAT: The UN Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) the human settlements programme, announced an increase in funding from the government of the Netherlands. The new funds will be used in programmes aimed at urban poverty reduction, urban youth development, slum upgrading and urban governance.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Sunday, February 23

The Secretary-General is scheduled to leave Paris for Ankara, Turkey.

Monday, February 24

The Secretary-General is scheduled to be in Turkey, where he will discuss the peace plan for Cyprus.

The Secretary-General is expected to issue a message for the Non-Aligned Movement Summit that begins today in Malaysia. The Secretary-General will be represented at the Summit by Chef de Cabinet Iqbal Riza and Special Representative for Afghanistan Lakhdar Brahimi.

The Security Council has scheduled an open briefing, followed by consultations, on Afghanistan.

The guest at the noon briefing will be Philip Emafo, President of the International Narcotics Control Board, who will launch the Boards annual report.

Tuesday, February 25

The Secretary-General is scheduled to go to Athens, Greece, for further discussions on the Cyprus plan.

The Security Council has scheduled a public meeting on general issues relating to sanctions. At 3:15 p.m., Swedens UN Mission is sponsoring a press briefing on the Stockholm Process on the Implementation of Targeted Sanctions.

Wednesday, February 26

The Secretary-General is expected to travel to Larnaca, Cyprus.

The Security Council has scheduled consultations on the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Thursday, February 27

Friday, February 28

The Secretary-General is expected to return to New York over the weekend.

The German Presidency of the Security Council ends today, with Guinea to take over the Council Presidency for the month of March.

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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