United Nations Daily Highlights, 03-03-04

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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 OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN

HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Tuesday, March 4, 2003

ANNAN: "UNITED NATIONS IS MUCH, MUCH LARGER THAN THE IRAQI CRISIS"

Secretary-General Kofi Annan, upon entering the building this morning, was asked about recent Iraqi activity, including the destruction of al-Sammoud missiles and the promise of more information on VX and anthrax, and responded that, as chief weapons inspector Hans Blix indicated, it is a positive development, although much more remains to be done.

The Secretary-General stressed the importance of Security Council unity on Iraq, and noted that the inspectors are to report to the Council on Friday. The Secretary-General added that he is in touch with governments to see how they can work together on this problem and that his good offices are always available, but, in the present circumstances, he has no plans to travel to Iraq.

He said that, if the Council were to manage to come together and resolve this crisis effectively and successfully, the credibility and influence of the Council will be enhanced.

On the other hand, he added, if the action were to be taken outside Council authority, the support for that action popular and otherwise would also be diminished.

Responding to the question of how the Iraq issue could test the UNs credibility, he said, I think the Council and the UN will not go the way of the League of Nations, and he emphasized that the United Nations is much, much larger than the Iraqi crisis.

When asked if the Secretary-General would be going to Iraq, the Spokesman replied that on entering the building this morning, the Secretary-General said the inspections were underway and there was regular contact with Iraq and he did not see what a visit by him could add to the equation.

In response to another question, on what the Secretary-General could do to promote unity in the Council on the question of Iraq, the Spokesman said the Secretary-General would not get in the middle of Council deliberations when the members were trying to bridge their differences themselves. The Secretary-General speaks with the members privately on a regular basis to encourage them to try to maintain a common position but did not have a formula for unity.

IRAQ: SECURITY COUNCIL TO HOLD OPEN MEETING, CONSULTATIONS FRIDAY

The Security Council met in consultations on its programme of work for March, after which it held its monthly luncheon with the Secretary-General.

This afternoon at 4 p.m., the Security Council has scheduled consultations on Cyprus, at which the Secretary-General is expected to brief.

[Following consultations, Council President Ambassador Mamady Traoré of Guinea told reporters that an open meeting on Iraq would be held on Friday morning with Hans Blix, Executive Chairman of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei. So far, he said, four ministers had confirmed their attendance. On Friday afternoon, Traoré said closed consultations with the UN inspectors would be held.]

The Council has scheduled consultations Wednesday on Guinea Bissau and Liberia.

FOUR MILLION CHILDREN VACCINATED AGAINST POLIO IN IRAQ

The UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) announced today that over 4 million children were successfully vaccinated against polio in Iraq.

The immunization campaign jointly run by UNICEF and the Iraqi Ministry of Health covered all 18 governorates in the country, including the three Kurdish controlled governorates in the north.

Preliminary results reveal that the campaign reached 98 per cent of the targeted4.2 million Iraqi children under the age of five. This tremendous result was achieved through the dedication of 14,000 Iraqi health workers, from over 880 different health clinics in the country.Iraq has now been polio free for the last three years.

In response to a question on the number of UN personnel in northern Iraq, the Spokesman said the number was 223 in three northern governorates.

UN WEAPONS INSPECTORS SUPERVISE DESTRUCTION OF MORE MISSILES

Weapons inspectors from the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) supervised the destruction of three more Al Samoud 2 missiles. One Al Samoud 2 launcher and five Al Samoud 2 engines were also destroyed.

Another missile team supervised the final stage of the destruction of a second casting chamber. The two casting chambers are now considered totally destroyed. Other weapons inspectors continued their regular visits to various sites.

COUNTER-TERRORISM COMMITTEE TO MEET ON THURSDAY

A special meeting of the Security Councils Counter-Terrorism Committee, expected to be attended by over 50 international, regional and sub-regional organizations, will take place on Thursday. The meeting is expected to be opened by the Secretary-General.

The introductory remarks by the Chairman of the Counter-Terrorism Committee and the Secretary-General will be open to the media. The rest of the meeting is closed.

A note to correspondents, which is out on the racks, says the committee is hoping to reach agreement on concrete steps to improve coordination between international, regional and subregional organizations with counter-terrorism programmes.

TWO REPORTS ON PALESTINIAN ECONOMY TO BE ISSUED WEDNESDAY

Wednesday in Jerusalem, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Terje Roed Larsen, and Nigel Roberts, the World Bank Director for the West Bank and Gaza, will present the findings from two reports on the Palestinian Economy.

The World Bank will discuss its major macro-economic analysis, Two Years of Intifada, Closures and Palestinian Economic Crisis.

The United Nations will present findings from its latest report: The Impact of Closure and other Mobility Restrictions on Palestinian Productive Activities, 1 January 31 December 2002. It complements the World Bank report by exploring the devastation in the West Banks productive sectors. It includes micro-economic analysis and numerous case studies about the impact of the crisis on firms and families.

UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS TO VISIT WASHINGTON, D.C.

In his first visit to the United States as High Commissioner for Human Rights, Sergio Vieira de Mello will be in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, to meet with U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice at 1:30 p.m. and then with President George W. Bush at 2:00.

His discussions are expected to focus on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories; terrorism; Iraq; the link between human rights and peacekeeping; and the forthcoming meeting of the Human Rights Commission, which begins on March 17.

When asked who invited the High Commissioner to visit Washington, the Spokesman said the invitation came from the government of the United States.He added that it was not unusual for heads of agencies and programmes to be invited by governments for official visits.

ANNAN SUGGESTS POSTPONEMENT OF DOWNSIZING OF TIMOR MISSION

The Secretary-Generals Special Report on the United Nations Mission in East Timor is out today.

A detailed plan for downsizing and ultimate withdrawal of the United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET) had been endorsed by the Security Council at the time the mission was first established, at Timor-Lestes independence on 20 May 2002. Since then, however, the report notes that there have been symptoms of a significant deterioration in the security environment that suggest that these downsizing plans are no longer appropriate.

The report also points out that the stability of the new Government has also been challenged by an apparent resurgence of armed violence in outlying areas of the country, and particularly in the border region. The report argues that if UNMISET downsizes as foreseen, this would further weaken the operations ability to respond to civil disturbance and to threats posed by armed groups.

To address these risks, the report suggests the need to postpone and adjust the downsizing of UNMISET.

FOUR HELD BY PEACEKEEPERS IN TIMOR

The UN Mission in Timor Leste said that four suspects detained in connection with the attacks in Atabae appeared in court in Dili this afternoon. Two civilians were killed in the attacks on a truck and bus on 24 February.

The suspects, detained by Peacekeeping Forces, were handed over to UN Police and Timor-Leste Police early this week.

The peacekeepers on-going search operations have found that the armed groups operating in Timor-Leste are sophisticated. The Mission says that all this indicates a real threat for future security within the western districts of Timor-Leste.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

IRAQ OIL EXPORTS HIGHEST IN FOUR WEEKS: The latest figures from the Office of the Iraq Programme show that for the week ending February 28, Iraq exported 13.2 million barrels of oil, the highest level in four weeks. The total value of last weeks expert was approximately $370 million for an average price of $28.70 per barrel.

HUMANITARIAN NEEDS IN ANGOLA: The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Angola reports that the needs of some 314,000 people are now critical. OCHA says a combination of seasonal rains, dilapidated infrastructure and mine infestation have cut off humanitarian access. Though Angolas 30-year long conflict ended in April 2002, the humanitarian crisis in Angola remains one of the worst worldwide, says the update

UN EXPERTS TEAM TRAVELS TO MEET REBELS IN COTE DIVOIRE: Hedi Annabi, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, who is leading a multi-disciplinary technical assessment mission to Cote DIvoire, traveled to Bouake today along with the Secretary-Generals Special Representative Albert Tevoedjre, to meet with rebel groups. The team aims to gather the necessary information on the ground, which would allow the Secretary-General to prepare recommendations to the Security Council on any possible role the United Nations could play in support of the implementation of the Linas-Marcoussis Agreement on Cote D'Ivoire.

REFUGEE FLOW EASES FROM CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC TO CHAD: The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said today that eight hectares of forest in Chad have been cleared for a temporary site that will accommodate thousands of people who have fled fighting in neighbouring Central African Republic amid reports of killings and atrocities. Over the past few days, the influx into Chad of Central African refugees and Chadian nationals, who had been living in CAR, subsided to between 100 and 150 a day, from a daily high of 1,000 last week.

UN PREPARES PROBE INTO FIGHTING IN ITURI, DR CONGO: The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) is having consultations with the groups controlling the Borogo area in the Ituri region, in order to send a mission to investigate reported fighting of last week and alleged killings. The mission will go to the area as soon as security condition allows.

UNCERTAINITY SURROUNDS EUROPEAN ECONOMIC OUTLOOK: The Economic Commission for Europe, in its Economic Survey for 2003, estimates that real gross domestic product (GDP) in European Union countries will grow by only 1.6 percent this year, and it projects a GDP expansion in the United States of 2.5 percent for this year. Uncertainty surrounding the short-term economic outlook is amplified by the increasing possibility of a war in Iraq. The survey says this uncertainty has already contributed to the weakening of consumer and business confidence. The consensus of forecasters is now for a recovery to start in the second half of 2003 and to gain further momentum next year.

NEW HEAD APPOINTED FOR ICAO: The International Civil Aviation Organization announced yesterday that Taïeb Chérif of Algeria has been appointed as its new Secretary General. Chérifs three year term will begin 1 August and he will replace Renato Claudio Pereira of Brazil who has served two terms as head of the Organization.

NEW REPORT SAYS MILLIONS WILL REMAIN HUNGRY: The Food and Agriculture Organization today issued its latest global assessment of the long-term outlook for food and agriculture. The report says the world will be better fed by 2030, but hundreds of millions of people in developing countries will still remain chronically hungry, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. The projections in the report cover 140 countries and 32 crop and livestock commodities and look at supply and demand for all major agricultural commodities and sectors.

UNICEF TO ASSIST CHILDREN IN SRI LANKA: The United Nations Children's Fund announced an agreement with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elan of Sri Lanka to develop an Action Plan on children affected by war in the north east of the country. Included in the agreement are temporary transit centres that will allow the children to be assessed and plans made for their futures.

UN BUDGET: Pakistan today became the 57th Member State to pay its 2003 regular budget contribution in full with a payment of more than $820,000.

TREATIES: This morning, Mexico ratified the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocols on the trafficking in persons and the smuggling of migrants.

Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

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