United Nations Daily Highlights, 03-03-07

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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

Friday, March 7, 2003

style="line-height:12.0pt;mso-layout-grid-align:none; SECURITY COUNCIL TO HOLD CONSULTATIONS ON IRAQ AT 5 P.M. TODAY

The Security Council is scheduled to meet in consultations on Iraq this afternoon at 5 p.m.

Earlier today, in the presence of Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the Security Council held an open meeting on Iraq, during which chief weapons inspectors Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei provided updates on the status of inspections. All Council members, including 11 foreign ministers, and Iraq spoke during the meeting. Following the meeting, the Secretary-General hosted a luncheon with Security Council members.

BLIX CAUTIONS ON A RUSH TO JUDGEMENT ON IRAQI COOPERATION

Blix, the Executive Chairman of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), formerly presented his 12th quarterly report to the Security Council this morning, the first report that actually describes three months of inspections. In addition he updated the Council on developments since the publication of the report.

Most notable in those recent developments is the destruction of the Al-Samoud missiles. Blix noted that while until today 34 al Samoud missiles had been destroyed he has been informed that no work on the destruction took place today. I hope this is a temporary break, Blix said.

The destruction of those missiles is a substantial measure of disarmament Blix told Council members, the first since the middle of the 1990s.

We are not watching the breaking of toothpicks. Lethal weapons are being destroyed, the UNMOVIC chief declared.

Blix also highlighted movement on a number of other fronts, notably information relating to chemical and biological weapons.

He cautioned against a rush to judgment on the accelerated pace of initiatives from the Iraq side since January. This is welcome, he said, but the value of these measures must be soberly judged by how many question marks they actually succeed in straightening out. This is not yet clear.

How much time would it take to resolve the key remaining disarmament tasks?, Blix asked. In answering his own question, he said that while cooperation can and is to be immediate, disarmament and at any rate the verification of it cannot be done instantly

Even with a proactive Iraqi attitude, induced by continued outside pressure, it would still take some time to verify sites and items, analyze documents, interview relevant persons, and draw conclusions.

ELBARADEI: NO INDICATION OF RESUMED NUCLEAR ACTIVITY IN IRAQ

In his presentation to the Security Council, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei said that nuclear inspections in Iraq are moving forward.

He told the Council that there is no indication of resumed nuclear activities at any inspected sites or in buildings that have been identified as reconstructed or newly-built since 1998, nor is there any indication that Iraq has attempted to import uranium since 1990.

ElBaradei said, After three months of intrusive inspections, we have to date found no evidence or plausible indication of the revival of a nuclear weapons program in Iraq. He added that, over the past three weeks, possibly as a result of ever-increasing international pressure, Iraq has been forthcoming in its cooperation, including private interviews and the provision of evidence.

UNMOVIC BIOLOGICAL TEAMS INSPECT TWO SITES

Today in Iraq, a biological team from the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) inspected the maintenance department of the railway station in Mosul, among other sites in that city.

Another biological team returned to the al-Aziziyah Airfield and Firing Range to continue supervising the excavation of R-400 aerial bombs and took samples from the remainders of containers that Iraq said had been used to transport biological agents.

In response to a question on violations of the Iraq-Kuwait border, the Spokesman said the Secretariat reported the incidents, mentioned in yesterday's briefing, to the Security Council and he was not aware that the Council had taken the item up. He added that the UN Secretariat would be reporting further developments to the Security Council today.

TOP UN REFUGEE OFFICIAL VISITS POSSIBLE CAMPSITES IN IRAN

High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers has returned to Geneva after completing a 10-day, three-nation mission to Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran. In Iran yesterday, UNHCR noted that Lubbers visited possible new campsites for Iraqi refugees in the west of the country. Lubbers said that while war is not inevitable, it is important that governments in the region and the humanitarian community work to be prepared. He said the Iranian government has been exemplary in its efforts to handle a possible Iraqi influx.

UNHCR said 10 sites, each designed to accommodate about 20,000 people, were being planned.

Meanwhile, the World Food Programme said

that 60 per cent of the population in Iraq depended totally on the oil-for food programme to survive. If the programme was interrupted, this would cause serious problems. The population had about six weeks of supplies. WFP was pre-positioning food in the region which could help 900,000 persons for 10 weeks.

ANNAN TO ATTEND INAUGURATION OF INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT

On Saturday evening, the Secretary-General is scheduled to leave New York for The Hague in the Netherlands.

On Tuesday, he will be present at the inauguration of the International Criminal Court, which will include the swearing in of the courts first 18 judges. He is expected to deliver a speech at the ceremony.

While in the Netherlands, the Secretary-General will be meeting with the Dutch Prime Minister Dr. Jan Peter Balkenende and Minister for Foreign Affairs Jaap G. de Hoop Scheffer.

Also, on Monday, as he has previously announced, the Secretary-General is scheduled to meet with the Turkish Cypriot Leader, Rauf Denktash, and the Greek Cypriot Leader, Tassos Papadopoulos. He will be expecting them to them to tell him whether or not they are prepared to agree the plan to simultaneous referendum on March 30.

The Secretary-General is expected to hold a press conference in The Hague late on Monday afternoon.

The Secretary-General is scheduled to be back in New York on March 12.

UN AGENCY CHIEF: RELENTLESS CYCLE OF VIOLENCE WEAKENS THE WILL TO PEACE

Peter Hansen, Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), said he was deeply distressed and saddened by the loss of life in Jabalya refugee camp [in the Gaza strip], and by the indiscriminate and excessive use of force by the Israeli military in densely populated residential areas.

According to UNRWA, during an eight-hour incursion by Israeli military that began shortly before midnight on March 5, 11 Palestinians were killed, including three youths under 15 years of age. Some 140 Palestinians were injured.

The relentless cycle of violence had only the day before claimed the lives of 15 Israelis, many of them children, in a suicide bombing on a bus in Haifa, Hansen said.

With each succeeding attack and counter-attack, the will to peace is weakened, and the prospect of a just solution to the conflict made ever more tenuous, he said.

ANNAN PLEASED AT AGREEMENT ON DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

In a statement issued through his Spokesman, the Secretary-General said he was pleased to learn that the parties to the inter-Congolese dialogue reached agreement in Pretoria on March 6, 2003 on all outstanding issues relating to the draft transitional constitution, military and security issues.

He commended them for the spirit of cooperation and compromise they showed in the interest of peace and stability in their country and encouraged the Congolese parties to cooperate fully with efforts of the Facilitator, Sir Katumile Masire, to convene the formal session of the inter-Congolese dialogue as soon as possible to ratify the agreement and establish the transitional institutions, including the Government of National Unity without further delay.

He also expressed his appreciation to the Government of South Africa for the critical role they played in cooperation with his Special Envoy, Mustapha Niasse, to help the Congolese parties reach agreement on the transitional arrangements and commended the efforts of his Special Envoy and his team for helping steer the negotiations to a successful conclusion.

The United Nations, the UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) in particular, stands ready to continue to work closely with the Congolese parties in implementing the All-Inclusive Agreement.

The Secretary-General is deeply concerned by the heavy fighting over the control of Bunia, which took place recently and the threat it poses to the civilian populations, who have already paid an unacceptably high price in the many years of the conflict. It is extremely disquieting that the fighting could result in a new round of inter-ethnic violence and massacres.

He urges all parties in the strongest possible terms to cease hostilities immediately and stop any acts of violence against civilians, including humanitarian personnel. The belligerents should be reminded that the pursuit of the military option and human rights violations on any level are unacceptable.

CENTRAL ROLE OF WOMEN HIGHLIGHTED IN WOMENS DAY DISCUSSION

Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette addressed a discussion at UN Headquarters to mark International Womens Day, which will be observed tomorrow. She said that the Millennium Development Goals made it clear that gender equality was not only a goal in its own right but critical to the ability to achieve all the others. She went on to say that the focus must be on the education of girls and that women must be at the center of the fight against HIV/AIDS.

There is no time to lose, she said, if we are to reach the Millennium Development Goals by the target date of 2015. Only by investing in the worlds women can we expect to get there.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

NEW REPORTS OF REFUGEE FLOWS FROM CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: UNHCR says it is checking reports of new refugees from the Central African Republic turning up in the Republic of Congo. This reported new influx into the Republic of Congo from the south-westernmost part of CAR comes amidst a continuing outflow of Central African refugees and former Chadian immigrants from the north of the country into southern Chad.

UN AGENCY FLAGS PLIGHT OF REFUGEES IN LIBERIA: UNHCR expressed its extreme sadness by news that two aid workers for one of its implementing partners, the U.S.-based Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), were killed in Liberia. The workers had been missing since last week's rebel attack in Toe Town, in the east of Liberia. There were no details of the whereabouts of a third ADRA working who had gone missing. UNHCR says it remains extremely concerned about the fate of some 2,500 Ivorian refugees and other West Africans who had been staying in our Toe Town transit center and scattered into the surrounding forest in the wake of the attack.

AL-QAEDA SANCTIONS LIST IS REVAMPED: The 1267 sanctions committee has reformatted its consolidated list on individuals and entities linked to al-Qaeda. The Committee also strongly encourages Member States to provide it with any information currently missing on the list.

UN HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICIAL ENDS VISIT TO KYRGYZSTAN: Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Bertrand Ramcharan finished a three-day visit to Kyrgyzstan today, in which he met with President Askar Akaev and other senior officials, to discuss recent initiatives advancing human rights in the country and stressing the importance of actually implementing human rights. He urged that the recently revised Constitution, as well as relevant laws, be interpreted and applied in the letter and spirit of international human rights norms.

MORE THAN 500,000 WOMEN/GIRLS DIE IN CHILD BIRTH ANNUALLY: To mark International Womens Day tomorrow, the United Nations Children's Fund is calling attention to the large number of women and girls who die in childbirth in developing countries. More than half a million women and girls die each year giving birth, 99 percent in developing countries. UNICEF says in sub-Saharan Africa a woman has a one in 13 chance of dying in childbirth, while in developed countries the figure is one in 4,085.

UNESCO TO HONOR LITERACY TRAINER IN BURKINA FASO: Tomorrow, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Koichiro Matsuura, deliver his message on the day at a training centre for girls and women. He will also present the UNESCO bronze medal to Pauline Kabore, one of the first women to benefit from the UNESCO literacy programme in Burkina Faso, and who is now a trainer herself.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Sunday, March 9

The Secretary-General is expected to depart for The Hague, the Netherlands.

Monday, March 10

In The Hague, the Secretary-General is scheduled to meet with the Cypriot leaders to receive responses on whether they agree to submit the plan for Cyprus to separate, simultaneous referenda on March 30.

The Security Council is scheduled to hold consultations on Timor-Leste, to discuss the Secretary-Generals latest report on the UN Mission there. Also, there will be a meeting with troop-contributing countries to the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea.

In Montreal, the Convention on Biological Diversity Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice will take place through Friday, to assess the current status of mountain biodiversity.

The FAO Committee on Forestry will meet in Rome, and the State of the Worlds Forests 2003 will be launched at the meeting.

Tuesday, March 11

The Secretary-General is scheduled to attend the swearing-in at The Hague of the judges for the International Criminal Court.

The Security Council has scheduled consultations on the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Wednesday, March 12

The Security Council has scheduled consultations on Somalia.

Friday, March 14

The Security Council has scheduled consultations on Cote dIvoire. It is also expected to consider a resolution extending the mandate of the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea, which otherwise would expire on Saturday.

Economists Jeffrey Sachs, Jagdish Bhagwati and Joseph Stiglitz will participate in the latest of the Secretary-Generals public lecture series, on Globalization: Winners and Losers. The Secretary-General is expected to make introductory remarks.

Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

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All other inquiries to be addressed to (212) 963-4475 or by e-mail to: inquiries@un.org

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