United Nations Daily Highlights, 03-03-24

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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 OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN

HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Monday, March 24, 2003

SECRETARY-GENERAL NOTES HUMANITARIAN NEEDS IN IRAQ

Secretary-General Kofi Annan, upon entering UN Headquarters this morning, was asked about comments from Iraqs UN Ambassador that his actions in pulling UN staff out of Iraq cleared the way for war there, and he responded, It has to be clear that the UN workers were the last to leave.

He said that normally, UN staff is moved out of harms way, which is what happened just one day before the war started last Wednesday, and he added, They will go back as soon as it is practicable."

In terms of aiding the Iraqi people, the Secretary-General drew attention to the initiative before the Security Council to adjust the oil-for-food program, on which 60 percent of Iraqis are dependent, to keep the aid pipeline to Iraqis open. He added, Whichever authority is seen in charge at the end of the hostilities, we will work with them.

The Secretary-General drew particular attention to reports from the Red Cross that people in Basra may be facing a humanitarian disaster, with no water or electricity available to them, and he said that urgent measures must be taken to restore electricity and water there. He reminded all concerned to respect international humanitarian law.

Asked about whether the UN weapons inspectors would return to Iraq, he said that the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) still has the responsibility for the disarmament of Iraq, and has only suspended its work temporarily because of the situation on the ground. Once the conflict is over, he said, the inspectors and the oil-for-food program would both be expected to resume work.

Asked why the Secretary-General did not bring the attack on Iraq to the Security Councils attention, under Article 99 of the UN Charter, the Spokesman said that the Council was already fully engaged in dealing with the issue, and did not need for it to be referred to them. It was, he added, a subject that had been debated intensely at the highest governmental levels.

Asked further about the Secretary-Generals comments on the Iraq crisis, the Spokesman said that Annan had defended the UN Charter and nudged the Security Council toward unity on the issue, although, ultimately, the Council did not agree. His position on Iraq, Eckhard argued, has been very clear, and his voice was heard on the matter of principle, although some governments proceeded to go to war.

Regarding criticisms voiced about Annans actions, the Spokesman said the Secretary-General understood the frustrations expressed by Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan, and did not have any bitterness in his attitude toward Iraq.

Asked whether the Secretary-Generals initiative to adjust the oil-for-food program had resulted from initial efforts by the US and British Governments, the Spokesman said it had not, but had instead emanated from the Deputy Secretary-Generals Office, which aimed to coordinate the UN's humanitarian assistance to Iraq, as an effort to allow that program to continue during conflict.

UN AGENCIES PROVIDING ASSISTANCE IN NORTHERN IRAQ

According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UN agencies, along with the International Committee for the Red Cross and non-governmental organizations, are providing assistance to internally displaced persons in the three northern governorates of Iraq. They are providing food, medicine, sanitation, water, shelter, fuel and generator support.

The World Food Programme (WFP) says its national staff in Erbil off-loaded 380 tons of food into a warehouse. The cargo had arrived by truck from Turkey and had crossed the border just before it was closed. The food handlers are still operating, so the food can be distributed. The situation in Erbil is described as quiet but tense. People who had left Erbil because of the conflict are returning.

In the last week, WFP confirmed that about 5,000 internally displaced persons arrived in the northern governorates after fleeing towns controlled by the Iraqi government.

Asked about the food situation, the Spokesman said after the briefing that WFP warned that food stocks were running low, with many Iraqis having food supplies sufficient only for the next six weeks.

In Amman, the UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) reports that its staff is at work in Baghdad, focusing on the urgent need for clean water in hospitals across the capital.

UNICEF said it is concerned about the situation in Basra. Frequent power cuts and the consequent cutting of water supplies, especially to hospitals, has created a threat of disease as tens of thousands of people in their homes, hospitals and care institutions attempt to cope and find what water they can from the river and other sources. Unfortunately, the river is also where sewage is dumped.

Meanwhile, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says it is continuing to prepare campsites, transport relief supplies to the region and monitor possible border crossing points throughout the Iraq region over the weekend. No large-scale influx of refugees has been seen so far into any of the neighboring countries, and border areas are reportedly calm. UNHCR has some 200 staff in the region and emergency teams are on standby for deployment from around the world.

SECURITY COUNCIL SANCTIONS COMMITTEE ON IRAQ MEETING

There are no meetings or consultations of the Security Council today.

The Spokesman, in response to questions, noted that the Councils 661 Sanctions Committee dealing with Iraq is meeting informally today, at the experts level, following a meeting it had on Saturday.

SPOKESMAN: US HAS NOT GIVEN WORD REGARDING EXPULSIONS

Asked whether Iraqi diplomats at the UN were to be expelled, the Spokesman said the United Nations had not received word from the US State Department about such expulsions. He explained that the State Department would be required to consult with the UN Legal Counsel, who would ask them to show whether the officials activities had been determined at the highest level to be incompatible with their duties.

That had been the case, he said, with a correspondent for the Iraqi News Agency, whom the US said represented a security threat. However, Eckhard added in response to another question, the United Nations was prepared to give accreditation and workspace if another Iraqi journalist were to arrive.

SECRETARY-GENERAL CONDEMNS MASSACRE IN KASHMIR

The Secretary-General condemned in the strongest possible terms as a cowardly act of terrorism the Sunday massacre of twenty-four Kashmiri Hindus, including women and children, that took place near the town of Shopian in Kashmir.

He sent his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families.

UN RIGHTS ENVOY SUSPENDS MYANMAR MISSION AFTER BUGGING

The UN Special Rapporteur dealing with human rights in Myanmar, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, has suspended his fact-finding mission to the country after discovering a listening device during interviews with inmates at Insein Prison on Saturday. He left Yangon today.

Pinheiro, who was scheduled to end his fifth visit to Myanmar on March 26, informed the countrys authorities that he had found the bug, in the form of a wireless microphone, under the table in the room where he was conducting his interviews. Under these circumstances, he said, he felt obliged to interrupt his mission.

Pinheiro reports that the authorities had expressed regret on learning of the incident and given the assurance that it would be investigated in full.

UN ENVOY ATTENDS LAUNCH OF AFGHAN SCHOOL YEAR

In Afghanistan, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Lakhdar Brahimi, joined President Hamid Karzai and other senior Afghan officials at the ceremony held over the weekend to launch the beginning of the Afghan school year.

In his impromptu remarks, Brahimi called unacceptable the attacks against schools, mostly girls schools, in some part of the country last year. He said, Neither the religion of Afghanistan, nor the culture, nor any tradition and certainly not the tradition of Jihad, allow something like this to happen. He added that those who attack schools are the enemies of the people, religion and culture of Afghanistan. He called on Afghans to unite against these destructive elements who are not serving any principles that the people of Afghanistan recognize as their own.

He also said the UN system was doing its best and expressed the hope that more would be done by all involved in the education sector to help Afghan girls and boys to have the education they deserve.

ANNAN SAYS BOUGAINVILLE PEACE PROCESS IS STRONGER THAN EVER

The Secretary-General, in his latest report to the Security Council on the work of the UN Political Office in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, says that the peace process there is undoubtedly stronger than it has ever been before, but it still needs nurturing.

The report says that the UN Office expects to complete its work by the end of this year, by verifying the placement of collected weapons in secure, double-locked containers under its supervision. The election of an autonomous Bougainville government is also expected to take place before the end of the year.

UN HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF CONCERNED BY CONFLICT IN LIBERIA

High Commissioner for Human Rights Sergio Vieira de Mello today expressed his profound concern at the armed conflict in Liberia, and, in a statement, urged all parties to the conflict to commit themselves immediately to the protection of civilians.

He has continued to receive credible reports of serious abuses and human rights violations by both parties, including extrajudicial killings, torture, rape, the deliberate targeting of civilians, abductions and the forced recruitment of children and displaced persons.

ANNAN MARKS SUCCESSES IN REDUCING SPREAD OF TUBERCULOSIS

Today is World Tuberculosis Day, and, in his message, the Secretary-General said that the Directly Observed Therapy Short-Course (DOTS) has been one of the most successful public health interventions, helping to save lives and reduce the spread of the disease. The program now covers 155 countries and 60 percent of the worlds population.The Secretary-General called for an expansion of the program in order to meet the target of detecting 70 percent of all infections and curing 85 percent of those detected by 2005.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said that more than 10 million patients have been successfully treated under DOTS, 90 percent of them in developing countries. Director-General Gro Harlem Brundtland said that efforts must now be concentrated on the 22 high-burden countries that account for 80 percent of global cases and called for additional funding for TB control programs.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

DAY OF SOLIDARITY WITH DETAINED OR MISSING STAFF: At a time when at least 39 staff members of the UN family of organizations are under arrest or detention or are missing, the 18th annual International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members will be observed Tuesday. This year, a lapel pin intended to highlight the importance of staff security and safety will be distributed. In a brief ceremony Tuesday, Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette will accept the first pin from Elaine Collett, the wife of Alec Collette, who was abducted by armed men in 1985 near Beirut Airport while on assignment for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

UNESCO CULTURAL PROPERTY MEETING: The Committee of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) dealing with the return of cultural property meets in its 12th session in Paris, beginning Tuesday. On the agenda will be the differences between Greece and Britain over the Parthenon Marbles, also known as the Elgin Marbles, which are kept in the British Museum, and between Germany and Turkey over the Bogazkoy Sphinx, which is currently in a museum in Berlin. The committee will also consider methods to limit the illicit trafficking in cultural property.

WORLD METEOROLOGICAL DAY: General Assembly President Jan Kavan noted World Meteorological Day on Sunday by highlighting the connection between climate change and the control of greenhouse gases. He called on all Member States to participate actively in managing the damaging emissions of those gases, finding ways of reducing carbon dioxide levels and developing renewable energy sources.

GENEVA CONVENTIONS: In response to a question, the Spokesman said that the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs was the depository of the Geneva Conventions.

BUDGET: The United States today made a payment of more than $106 million to the peacekeeping budget.

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