United Nations Daily Highlights, 03-02-24

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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

Monday, February 24, 2003

SECURITY COUNCIL TO DISCUSS IRAQ, MEETS ON AFGHANISTAN

At 3:30 this afternoon, the Security Council has scheduled closed consultations on Iraq.

The Security Council started the day with an open meeting on Afghanistan with a focus on security sector reform.

Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guéhenno gave an update on general developments and also drew attention to what he described as some recent and worrying security trends in Afghanistan, including increasing threats and actions against international assistance agencies.

These trends, Guéhenno said, highlight the imperative both to quicken the pace of security sector reform and to consider immediate measures to improve security.

Also briefing the open meeting were Ambassador Harold Brown of Germany, who discussed the rebuilding of the Afghan police, and Mutsuyoshi Nishimura, Ambassador of Japan in charge of Afghan Aid Coordination, on the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of ex-combatants.

A private meeting on Afghanistan followed the open session.

IN ANKARA, ANNAN PUSHES FOR PROGRESS ON CYPRUS SETTLEMENT

Secretary-General Kofi Annan arrived in the Turkish capital, Ankara, on Sunday, telling the press on his arrival that Cyprus was the question uppermost in his mind.

He said that the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots have to decide, in separate and simultaneous referenda on March 30, to approve a comprehensive settlement, and that they must come to terms in time for those votes to go forward. That time is now, he said. That is why I am here.

Asked if he still believed there would be an agreement by the end of this month, the Secretary-General replied, I would not be here otherwise. I think we can do it if the will is there.

He was also asked about the letter from chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix last Friday that ordered Iraq to destroy its al-Samoud 2 missiles by March 1. The Secretary-General replied, They have to destroy these weapons, adding that he was confident that Iraq would do so. Otherwise, he said, if they refuse to destroy it, the (Security) Council will have to take a decision on that.

This morning, he conferred with his senior advisors on Cyprus. Then, in the afternoon, he met first with Turkish President Ahmed Necdet Sezer, with whom he discussed Cyprus, and also Iraq.

After that, he met with Tayyip Recep Erdogan, the leader of the Justice and Development Party, the Turkish ruling party. He told reporters afterward that he and Erdogan had held a very constructive discussion on Cyprus and on Iraq.

On Cyprus, he said, weve been discussing and searching for a settlement for a long time, and, following discussions with the parties, we know their concerns and their worries. The Secretary-General added, I will be giving them a fresh document in the next day or so.

The Secretary-General then met with Prime Minister Abdullah Gul for an hour this evening, and, in a constructive discussion, the Prime Minister reiterated Turkey's determination to see a comprehensive settlement on Cyprus reached quickly so that it could be put to a referendum on March 30. After that meeting, the Secretary-General met privately with the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis.

He then attended a dinner hosted by the Prime Minister in his honor, after which both Gul and the Secretary-General addressed the press briefly on Cyprus.

ANNAN VOICES SORROW OVER CHINA EARTHQUAKE

The Secretary-General was saddened to learn of the powerful earthquake in the Xinjiang region of China, and of the loss of life and destruction that have resulted from the disaster.

In a statement, he conveyed his heartfelt sympathy to the people and Government of China as they cope with their losses, and assured the Government that the United Nations stands ready to assist in responding to the needs created by the tragedy.

ANNAN SEEKS ARRESTS IN PAKISTAN MOSQUE ATTACK

A statement said that the Secretary-General was appalled by the attack Saturday on a Shiite mosque in Karachi, Pakistan, which left several people dead and many injured.

He urged the Pakistani authorities to make every effort to bring to justice those responsible for this terrorist act that was apparently aimed at dividing religious communities in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. He also conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and to the Government of Pakistan.

ANNAN NOTES IRAQ, GLOBAL CHALLENGES IN MESSAGE TO NON-ALIGNED

The Secretary-General was represented at todays Summit meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, by his chief of staff, Iqbal Riza, and his Special Representative, Lakhdar Brahimi.

Brahimi delivered a message on the Secretary-Generals behalf, noting that the Summit takes place at a critical juncture, with war looming in Iraq. However, the Secretary-General adds, war, even now, is not inevitable, but the international community must make every effort to encourage Iraq to comply fully with Resolution 1441 and to cooperate pro-actively with UN inspectors.

He says of the unabated violence between the Israelis and Palestinians, Ultimately the political stalemate must be broken, and he urged the international community to encourage the parties to give the two-State vision, and the road map to attain it, their wholehearted support.

The Secretary-General also noted other challenges that must be faced, including North Koreas decision to withdraw from the Non-Proliferation Treaty, the crisis of governance now engulfing Latin America and internal conflicts in Africa, ranging from Cote dIvoire to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Sudan.

UNMOVIC COLLEGE OF COMMISSIONERS TO DISCUSS NEXT REPORT

The College of Commissioners of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) is gathering in New York today and Tuesday. During these two days, the Commissioners will review with their Executive Chairman, Hans Blix, the upcoming quarterly report on the work of the weapons inspectors, which is due on March 1.

Meanwhile in Iraq, four UNMOVIC missile teams performed five inspections at various missile related locations. Another UNMOVIC team inspected munitions fragments at an old destruction site.

Asked whether Iraq had informed UNMOVIC about whether it would destroy its al-Samoud 2 missiles, the Spokesman said that, as of early this morning, UNMOVIC reported that it had not so far heard from Iraq. He added, in response to another question, that all the al-Samoud 2 missiles would have to be destroyed, because they exceed the maximum range allowed in Security Council resolutions.

UN ASSESSMENT MISSION ARRIVES IN COTE DIVOIRE

Thirteen members of a multi-disciplinary technical assessment mission to Cote d'Ivoire led by Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hédi Annabi has arrived in the country to begin its work.

The mission, including political, humanitarian, human rights and security components, are in Cote dIvoire at the Secretary-Generals request 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 remain in Cote dIvoire until March 5.

Meanwhile, as continuing instability limits their access to people in need, humanitarian agencies in Cote dIvoire are receiving consistent reports of abuses against civilians, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Shortages of food and access to health care are also taking their toll on civilians caught in conflict.

The western area of Cote dIvoire along the border with Liberia remains highly unstable.

OCHA says reports of atrocities and lawlessness, particularly in the west, and of large numbers of displaced persons fleeing violence, are extremely worrying.

REFUGEES FROM CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC FLEE INTO CHAD

An additional 15,000 Central African refugees and returning Chadians, some of them wounded, have fled to southern Chad in the last four days amid raging fighting between government and rebel forces in western Central African Republic (CAR).

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says that since last Wednesday an average of 1,000 people per day have been crossing the border.

The increased influx now brings the total number of refugees and returning Chadians around towns and border villages to an estimated 21,000 people.

Plans are underway to set up a camp for the refugees and to transport the returning Chadians home.

UN MISSION RESPONDS FOLLOWING BUS ATTACK IN TIMOR LESTE

Today in Timor Leste, a minibus carrying civilians was attacked by an armed group in the Bobonaro district near the border with West Timor. The Timor Leste National Police and UN police responded and were joined by the Quick Reaction Force of the UN Peacekeeping Mission. The Mission reports that one passenger was killed and three seriously injured. Two of those who were seriously injured were taken to Dili and the third to the regional Peacekeeping Force medical centre.

Earlier in the day, a truck was similarly attacked in the same area. UN police are assisting the Timor Leste police in investigating the incidents.

AIDS VACCINE TRIALS SHOW PROMISE, UNAIDS CHIEF SAYS

Peter Piot, Executive Director of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), said today that the preliminary results of a large-scale trial for an AIDS vaccine were promising. The trials, being conducted by the U.S. company VaxGen, show a protective effect among the non-Caucasian population, but had a minimal effect on the Caucasian participants.

Piot said the trials indicate that a vaccine can work but that there was need for more targeted research to find out why the vaccine only seems to work on certain population sub-groups.

Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director-General of the World Health Organization, said that continued research into HIV vaccines remained an urgent global need and especially for vaccines against the most prevalent HIV sub-types that are devastating sub-Saharan Africa.

A total of 22 candidate vaccines are being tested in developing countries, including Brazil, Haiti, Peru, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago and Uganda.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

SERBIAN POLITICIAN TO APPEAR BEFORE UN TRIBUNAL: The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) today confirmed that Serbian politician Vojislav Seselj was transferred today to the Tribunals detention unit, with his initial appearance before the court to be scheduled shortly. Seselj was indicted earlier this month on eight counts of crimes against humanity and six counts of war crimes.

USE OF FORCE IN THAILAND: The UN rapporteur who deals with extrajudicial executions, Asma Jahangir, today expressed her deep concern at reports of more than 100 deaths in Thailand following a crackdown on the drug trade. She cited allegations of the excessive use of force during law enforcement operations by the Thai authorities. She called on the Thai authorities to carry out transparent and independent investigations into each individual death.

HUMANITARIAN ACTION PLAN FOR COLOMBIA: The United Nations presented a Humanitarian Action Plan for Colombia to the international donor community. Out of the total budget of $79.4 million, $48.9 million still needs to be raised. The Plan aims to ensure respect for, and access to, human rights for the population affected by the humanitarian crisis. Last year, more than a quarter of a million people were forced to flee their homes due to armed conflict, with indigenous people being particularly affected.

UN ENVOY FOR CHILDREN/CONFLICT IN SIERRA LEONE: The Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Olara Otunnu, is in Sierra Leone for a weeklong visit to assess the status of war-affected children, now that the country has entered the post-conflict, peace-building phase. Two initiatives that were proposed by Otunnu in his report Agenda for action for the Children of Sierra Leone in 1999 will be inaugurated during his visit. The initiatives are the National Commission for War-Affected Children and the Voice of Children, a radio station run by and for children.

UN BUDGET: Madagascar today became the 50th Member State to pay its 2003 regular budget contribution in full with a payment of more than $28,000.