United Nations Daily Highlights, 03-03-03

United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

Monday, March 3, 2003

IRAQ: DESTRUCTION OF AL-SAMOUD MISSILE PROCEEDS

The destruction of the proscribed Al Samoud-2 missiles has been going on since Saturday, under the supervision of UN weapons inspectors. So far, 16 missiles and two warheads have been destroyed.

Inspectors are also supervising the destruction of the casting chamber. One has been totally destroyed and work on the second will be concluded this evening.

A technical meeting was held between officials of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) and Iraqi officials at the Iraqi Foreign Ministry last evening regarding the Iraqi proposals for the quantitative verification of VX and anthrax that Iraq declared it had unilaterally destroyed at specific locations.

Iraq indicated that it would soon provide UNMOVIC with their proposed approaches.

UNMOVIC conducted a private interview with an Iraqi scientist in the afternoon.

In addition to two private interviews, which were conducted by UNMOVIC on Friday evening, two more interviews had been requested that day. One interview, an Iraqi biological scientist, insisted that his interview be tape-recorded, which was not acceptable to UNMOVIC and as for the other requested interview, Iraqi authorities informed UNMOVIC that the interviewee was no longer in the country.

Teams of inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and UNMOVIC are continuing their regular visits to numerous sites.

UNMOVIC REPORT: IRAQ COULD HAVE MADE GREATER EFFORT

The 12th Quarterly report by the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) was distributed to Security Council members on Friday afternoon and is now available as a document.

The report covers events only up to February 26. Developments after that date will be mentioned when UNMOVICs Executive Chairman, Hans Blix, briefs the Council at some time this week.

In the report, Blix writes that "Iraq could have made greater efforts to find any remaining proscribed items or provide credible evidence showing the absence of such itemsIt is hard to understand why a number of the measures, which are now being taken, could not have been initiated earlier."

Blix also notes that Iraq has been cooperating on matters of process, providing prompt access to any site. There have thus been no sanctuaries in space, Blix says, nor has there been any sanctuaries in time, as inspections have taken place on holidays as well as week days.

GUINEA ASSUMES PRESIDENCY OF SECURITY COUNCIL FOR MARCH

Guinea has assumed the Security Council presidency for the month of March.

No meetings or consultations on the whole are scheduled for today.

Council President Ambassador Mamady Traoré is holding bilateral talks today with other members on the program of work for the month.

Following consultations on the program tomorrow, Traoré will brief journalists following consultations.

Asked about a possible visit by Pope John Paul II to New York to address the Security Council, the Spokesman later answered that no information had reached the UN Secretariat at this time.

LIBERIAN GOVERNMENT AND REBELS URGED TO NEGOTIATE CEASEFIRE

Late Friday, the International Contact Group on Liberia issued a statement to the press after wrapping up discussions here.

The Group urged the Government of Liberia and the rebel movement Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) to enter immediately and without preconditions into negotiations on a ceasefire, as they have both committed to do. In this regard, it urged both parties to accept Mali as mediator on behalf of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The Group agreed to call upon the Security Council to consider authorizing a monitoring mechanism for the ceasefire.

The Group also concluded that the conditions for free and fair elections did not exist, and urged the Government of Liberia to act rapidly to create such conditions before elections are held.

Representatives of Ghana, Nigeria, Morocco, France, United Kingdom, United States of America, African Union, European Union, ECOWAS Secretariat and the United Nations attended the meeting co-chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ghana, Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, and the Special Representative of the Presidency of the European Union to the Mano River Union countries, Hans Dahlgren.

Meanwhile, on the ground, more than 2,500 Ivorians and other nationals have been forced to flee a transit camp in eastern Liberia after fighting erupted, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). UNHCR says that the conflict, which erupted Friday evening, is said to have involved some Liberian mercenaries, reportedly entering from Côte dIvoire and possibly also supported by Ivoirian fighters.

BURUNDI LEADERS URGED TO COMMIT TO PEACE PROCESS

High Commissioner for Human Rights Sergio Vieira de Mello Sunday wrapped up a three-day trip to Burundi, during which he met with President Pierre Buyoya, Vice President Domitien Nadyizeye and other senior officials, and strongly appealed to all parties to commit themselves to the peace process and the Arusha agreement.

His discussions focused on the protection of civilians, the reform of the judiciary, the strengthening of Burundis capacity to deal with human rights issues and support from his office for the countrys peace process.

The High Commissioner requested that civilians be protected by the army and the armed groups, and called for an end to the culture of impunity. Trust can be restored through making accountable those who are responsible for gross human rights violations, such as the massacre that took place in Itaba, and settling the issue of prisoners and detainees.

Vieira de Mello added that the recruitment of child soldiers and their participation in the conflict is unacceptable.

VIOLENCE HINDERS RETURN OF REFUGEES TO NORTHERN AFGHANISTAN

In Kabul Sunday, the High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers said at a news conference that security concerns still hindered the return of refugees in the northern parts of the country.

Lubbers said that some local commanders still continued in a way to do things they should not do anymore, like harassing people, taking away land that do not belong to them and drafting people to do services. He urged the leaders in the northern region to take responsibility personally to go after local commanders when necessary.

UNHCR expected a return of 1.2 million refugees and 300,000 internally displaced people this year, he said, adding the agency will require $195 million for the Afghan programme. However, it has only received $16 million in the first two months of this year.

Also in Afghanistan, the UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), together with the Ministry of Health, started a three-day immunization campaign to protect millions of children in Afghanistan against the threat of polio. Teams of vaccinators and monitors will go from house to house and village to village in select areas of the country, to reach approximately 2.5 million children from newborns to five-year-olds.

ANNAN TO ADDRESS G8 GROUP ON AIDS AND FOOD SECURITY

The G-8 Contact Group will hold a ministerial level meeting on food security here at UN headquarters on Wednesday. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is scheduled to address the meeting on the link between food security, HIV/AIDS and governance in Africa.

The Secretary-General announced on 20th February, the creation of the Commission on HIV/AIDS and Governance in Africa. The Commission will look at the challenges to governance of the epidemic and design effective responses to the threats.

It will meet four or five times in its 18-month life and will be supported by a Secretariat and Task Teams dealing with specific topics such as public services, food security and the family. It will present interim reports and a final report based on the input from Expert Groups and the Task Teams.

Commissioners will be chosen from a number of eminent Africans and non-Africans who have offered their leadership and weight to the fight against HIV/AIDS, including prominent political, academic and religious leaders. The Secretariat of the Commission will be based at the UN Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa.

UNRWA DISMAYED AT INDISCRIMINATE USE OF FORCE BY IDF IN CIVILIAN AREAS

On Saturday, according to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), an Israeli tank was fired upon near the Khan Younis refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. During the retaliatory fire by Israeli forces a 12-year-old girl was shot in the head while sitting at her desk in an UNRWA school.

On Sunday, Peter Hansen, Commissioner-General of UNRWA, visited her and her family at the intensive care unit of Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Hansen has expressed his dismay at the Israeli military's indiscriminate use of force in civilian areas of the Palestinian territories.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS:

ANTI-TOBACCO CONVENTION APPROVED: The Intergovernmental Negotiating Body for the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control agreed Friday in Geneva on a text of the Convention governing tobacco taxation, smoking prevention and treatment, illicit trade, advertising, sponsorship and promotion and product regulation. Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director-General of the World Health Organization, called the agreement a milestone. The final text will be presented to the World Health Assembly in May for adoption.

RESOURCE EXPLOITATION IN THE DRC: The Secretary-General, in a letter to the President of the Security Council, informed him of his intention to reappoint Ambassador Mahmoud Kassem as the Chair of the Panel of Experts on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and Other Forms of Wealth in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for a period of six months. The Council extended the panels mandate when it adopted Resolution 1457 on January 24th of this year. The reconstituted Expert Panel is expected to reassemble in early March 2003 in New York for consultations, including with Member States, before proceeding to the Great Lakes region of Africa.

UN BUDGET: Two more full payments of contributions to the 2003 regular budget were received today. Brunei Darussalam made a payment of more than $445,000 and, for the first time, Timor Leste paid more than $13,000. We now have 56 fully paid-up Member States.

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

United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next Article