United Nations Daily Highlights, 03-02-25

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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

Tuesday, February 25, 2003

ANNAN SAYS REAL PROGRESS CAN BE MADE ON CYPRUS

Secretary General Kofi Annan arrived at Athens, Greece, this morning.

Before his departure from Ankara, Turkey, he told reporters that he had had very good discussions with the Turkish leaders, saying, I am encouraged and heartened that we can move ahead on our terms to settle the Cyprus issue and that real progress can be made.

He again addressed the press upon arrival in Athens, when he stressed why it is so urgent to settle the Cyprus issue. He warned that another postponement beyond early March would amount to saying no to European Union accession by a united Cyprus.

The Secretary-General referred to the revision of the UN plan as the culmination of the most intensive process of negotiations that has ever occurred on the Cyprus problem, and represents the best of what the United Nations can do to help the parties reach an agreement.

In the afternoon, the Secretary-General attended a signing ceremony of the Olympic Truce in the presence of Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou, with whom the Secretary-General also held a one-on-one meeting. The Olympic Truce was endorsed in the Millennium Declaration, which calls on Member States to stop all wars and conflicts while the Olympic Games are being played. The Secretary-General said that the brief moments when the guns fall silent for the Olympic Truce provided an important opportunity for UN peacekeepers and humanitarian workers to do their work.

This evening, the Secretary General is expected to meet with Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis and with Foreign Minister Papandreou, before he attends a dinner hosted by the Prime Minister in his honor.

IRAQ: SECURITY COUNCIL TO RESUME CONSULTATIONS THURSDAY

Monday afternoon, the Security Council met in closed consultations for close to three hours during which a draft resolution on Iraq was introduced by the United Kingdom and co-sponsored by the United State and Spain.

The French presented to a joint memorandum, co-written with Germany and Russia, regarding the disarming of Iraq.

Out as a Security Council document is a letter from Iraqs Foreign Minister, Naji Sabri replying to allegations made by US Secretary of State Colin Powell during an open meeting of the Security Council on February 5th.

Consultations on Iraq are schedule to resume this Thursday morning.

Meanwhile, the College of Commissioners of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) continues to meet. They are discussing the upcoming quarterly report, which its Executive Chairman, Hans Blix, is set to hand in to the Security Council on March 1st. The oral presentation of the report to the Council will take place early next week, although no date has yet been formally set.

According to the weekly Oil for Food report, Iraqi oil exports under UN auspices totaled 11.9 million barrels last week for and the total value of exports for the week was $338 million at current prices and exchange rates. The average price of Iraqi crude for the reporting period was $28.55 a barrel.

Asked if Hans Blix has the authority to ask Iraq to destroy the missiles without specific authorization from the Security Council, the Spokesman answered that UNMOVIC has a mandate regarding the disarmament of Iraq and that Blix has determined, following the advice of international experts, that the Al-Samoud 2 was indeed proscribed by Security Council resolutions. He has the authority to order their destruction, the Spokesman added, and it is also his responsibility to report back to the Security Council on Iraqs compliance with his instructions and relevant Council resolutions.

Asked what would happen to the UN observer force on the Iraq/Kuwait (UNIKOM) border in case of an attack by the United States or any other country and would the Secretary-General report such violations, the spokesman said that with resolution 687 (1991), the Security Council guaranteed the inviolability of the international border between the Kuwait and Iraq and created UNIKOM to deter violations of the boundary and DMZ. The Secretary-General, the Spokesman added, has an obligation under that resolution "to report regularly to the Council on the operations of the unit and to do so immediately if there are serious violations of the zone or potential threats to peace." The Spokesman went on to say that since 1991, UNIKOM has monitored the DMZ and has reported violations on land, in the airspace and, since 1999, in the waters within that zone.

The United Nations, the Spokesman later added, is certain that members of the Security Council are aware of these provisions, which they themselves drafted. He encouraged reporters to address any hypothetical questions about future events to Council members.

SECURITY COUNCIL DISCUSSES IMPROVEMENT IN TARGETED SANCTIONS

Today, the Security Council heard a presentation in a public meeting by the State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Sweden, Hans Dahlgren on the findings of the Stockholm Process on the Implementation of Targeted Sanctions. UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Danilo Turk also made a statement.

Dalhgren presented the final report of the Stockholm Process Making Targeted Sanctions Effective: Guidelines for the Implementation of UN Policy Options -- which puts forward a number of ideas and concrete recommendations on ways to strengthen the capacity of the United Nations system, and of Member States, to implement targeted sanctions.

The Stockholm Process proceeds from the assumption that to make targeted sanctions effective, they have to be implemented through a chain of actions involving all levels of decision making: the Security Council, its Sanctions Committees, the Member States and their administrative agencies. International governmental organizations, the private sector and nongovernmental organizations also have roles to play. It also suggests measures to be taken to deal with those who try to evade sanctions.

The Security Council President, German Ambassador Gunter Pleuger, in remarks to the press following the meeting said members of the Security Council acknowledged that targeted sanctions are a useful tool to focus pressure on targeted states and entities, while minimising unintended impact on civilian populations and non-targeted states and entities. He added that the Council welcomed Sweden initiative to launch the Stockholm Process.

UN TEAM TO HOLD TALKS IN CAMBODIA ON KHMER ROUGE COURT

The Secretary-General has informed Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, in a letter which went out Monday, that a UN team led by Legal Counsel Hans Corell will arrive in Phnom Penh on March 13, for negotiations on an agreement between the United Nations and Cambodia regarding the trial of Khmer Rouge leaders. The team is to remain in Phnom Penh until March 17.

The Secretary-General said in his letter that he looks forward to fruitful negotiations in Phnom Penh on the remaining parts of a draft agreement, which was discussed during exploratory meetings held in New York last month.

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

CONGOLESE PARTIES MEET TO DISCUSS TRANSITIONAL ISSUES

As a follow-up to the December 17th All Inclusive Agreement, two technical committees have been meeting in Pretoria since yesterday under the auspices of the joint UN/South Africa mediation team. The UN side is headed by the Secretary-Generals Special Envoy Moustapha Niasse.

Of the two committees, on which all the parties of the Inter Congolese dialogue are represented, one is working the constitution of the transitional committee and the other on military and security issues.

All the parties seem determined to quickly move forward the outstanding issues and expedite the conclusion of the ICD and the establishment of the transitional government.

Meanwhile, the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo said late Monday that a UN helicopter carrying the Force Commander, Gen. Mountago Diallo, was shot at 15 minutes after taking off from Bunia. No one was hurt though a bullet pierced the cockpit. The helicopter continued its flight unhindered. While the source of the fire has not yet been established, the UN mission strongly condemned this attack and reminded all the parties of their responsibility for the safety of UN personnel in the DRC

Published today is the Secretary-Generals latest report to the Security Council on the UN mission in the DRC. In the report he presents an overview of the political, military and humanitarian situation in the country. While the signing of an all-inclusive agreement in December of last year was an important step for peace in the DRC, their continues to be military confrontation on the ground. He notes that situation in the Ituri region and in the Kivus continues to be volatile.

Asked about the representation of women in the Inter-Congolese Dialogue, the Spokesman later added that Niasse has repeatedly encouraged the parties to include women in the dialogue process.

NEW NUTRITION GUIDE ISSUED FOR PEOPLE WITH HIV/AIDS

The Secretary-Generals Special Envoy for AIDS in Africa, Stephen Lewis, has stressed that hunger and AIDS combined were devastating populations in Africa. Hungry people are too weak to fight off infection and the ill dont have the energy or strength to work the land.

Today, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization launched a new guide for people living with HIV/AIDS. Recognizing the link between infection and nutrition, the manual offers simple and practical suggestions for a diet designed to bolster the immune system, boost energy levels and help the body fight the ravages of the disease.

Almost 95 percent of people with HIV/AIDS live in developing countries where access to healthcare, resources and drugs is poor. A balanced diet provides them with a positive way to respond to the illness and help them to live longer, more comfortable and productive lives.

LIBERIAN REFUGEES ASK TO BE TAKEN OUT OF COTE DIVOIRE

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees reports today that in Abidjan, Cote dIvoire, Liberian refugees continue to demonstrate in front of the UNHCR office asking to be evacuated out of the country or moved to a safer location inside the country.

Many of them have been in dire conditions in makeshift sites in Abidjan since the conflict erupted last September.

To date, efforts to get the government to identify a safer location for the Liberians have produced no results, according to UNHCR.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS:

HUMAN RIGHTS: High Commissioner for Human Right Sergio Vieira de Mello today addressed the start of a workshop on regional cooperation on human rights in Asia and the Pacific, which is taking place in Islamabad, Pakistan, and he said that we currently live in a world in which there is a sense that no one is safe. In a world marked by insecurity and awareness of terrorism, he said, it may sometimes feel as if we no longer have any stable points of reference to chart our way through the uncertainties of the world. But he said he was firmly convinced that a comprehensive strategy for security can and must be guided by the rule of law and respect for human rights.

UN BUDGET: One more Member State paid its 2003 regular budget contribution in full today. Italy made a payment of more than $68 million, becoming the 51st fully paid up Member State.

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