United Nations Daily Highlights, 03-04-01

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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, April 1, 2003

ANNAN HOPES INSPECTORS WILL RETURN TO IRAQ

Secretary-General Kofi Annan spoke to reporters upon entering the building, and expressed his hope that UN weapons inspectors would eventually return to Iraq. He noted that the inspectors work has merely been suspended, and said that, if any weapons of mass destruction were to be found, the inspectors should go back to test them.

Asked about what consequences it may have for the legitimacy of military action if such weapons are not found, the Secretary-General noted that, although the issue before the Security Council was one of disarmament, the Council had not endorsed this war.

He said, in response to a question about Iraqi threats concerning suicide attacks throughout the Arab world that, if we were to have suicide attacks around the world, most people would see it as illegal; it would be seen as terror against innocent civilians.

Asked about the humanitarian situation, he said he was concerned about the conditions in the besieged Iraqi cities. With the hot season coming, he said, if you have no water and electricity, it can lead to sanitation problems.

In response to a question about security in the port of Um Qasr and the fact that the port was idle, the Spokesman said if the United States had effective control of the port then it was style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: responsible for humanitarian aid under international law. He added thstyle="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: at local staff, mostly in the north and in the south, where the Iraqi authorities have asked us to suspend operations, were doing everything to maintain work.

In response to a question as to whether the Secretary-General had a change in attitude to the war, the Spokesman replied that style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: there is no change in his attitude. The Secretary-General style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: was against the war from the beginning in the hopes that a peaceful solution could be worked out and was deeply disappointed when the Security Council failed to reach agreement.

style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: When asked if the United Nations had identified anyone as a coordinator in post-war Iraq and if this had been discussed with any of the parties, the Spokesman said post conflict Iraq had not been discussed with any government authority. He said there is UN contingency planning for a variety of possible outcomes, but the United Nations is not prejudging the outcome of the conflict and the United Nations is not prepared to discuss the contingency planning that is going on.

UNICEF NOTES STIFLING HEAT ON IRAQ-KUWAIT BORDER, NEED FOR WATER

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said it was concentrating its work in the north of Iraq where it estimated that 280,000 persons were displaced. UNICEF has been attempting to send humanitarian aid with trucks contracted privately -- through several fronts, into Iraq, with varying degrees of success so far. Today UNICEF reported that two trucks of essential humanitarian aid are making their way through the customs and inspections processes on the border between Turkey and northern Iraq. The supplies are destined for Dohuk, Erbil and Sulaymaniyah, and would be the first time humanitarian supplies have been delivered through this route, in the north.

UNICEF also

noted that the temperature on the border between Kuwait and Iraq today is a stifling 37 degrees 99 degrees farenheit. In weather like this, the need for water, already acute in several places, becomes more and more urgent. Dehydration among young children is a concern. Access to safe water also remains a concern, and grows, as the temperature increases.

The World Food Programme reported that staff members continued to work in the three northern provinces. In Geneva, WFP reported that it hoped that its staff could return to Iraq within a month to get the food public distribution system, which was already in place in Iraq, working and reaching more than 27 million Iraqis within the oil-for-food framework. WFP estimated that 16 million Iraqis were totally dependent on the oil-for-food programme. WFP said it hoped to be able to distribute around 480,000 tons of food every month in Iraq.In response to a question on why its programme would not start for a month, WFP said that was because they estimated that there was food in the country to last until the end of April, and there was also the security situation to take into consideration.

OIL-FOR-FOOD PROGRAM IDENTIFIES $1 BILLION IN GOODS IN PIPELINE

The Office of the Iraq Programme said today that an initial assessment of contracts in the UN humanitarian pipeline for Iraq has identified over $1 billion worth of goods and supplies as potential priorities for delivery over the 45-day period established by Security Council resolution 1472 (2003), which last until May 12.

The assessment includes more than 450 contracts across the spectrum of medicines, health supplies, foodstuffs, water and sanitation and other materials identified by the Security Council as priorities for shipment.

The contracts are held by suppliers from some 40 countries representing almost every region of the world.

SMALL UN MISSION HEADQUARTERS LEFT IN KUWAIT CITY

The Secretary-General, in his latest report to the Security Council on the UN Iraq-Kuwait Observer Mission (UNIKOM), which is out on the racks today, said that conditions in the Missions area of operations deteriorated so markedly that he was finally obliged for security reasons, and because the peacekeepers could no longer fulfil their mandate, to suspend its operations on March 17.

By March 21, he added, UNIKOM had evacuated all its personnel, with the exception of a small headquarters, consisting of 12 military officers, 20 essential civilian staff and some local staff, which remains in Kuwait City.

That headquarters, he said, will undertake liaison duties and provide valuable support to other UN activities as the need arises, and he recommended that the Security Council maintain that small peacekeeping presence for three months, until July 6, subject to any further Council decisions.

HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION DISCUSSES IRAQ

In Geneva today, the Commission on Human Rights discussed the situation of human rights in Iraq, and the special rapporteur dealing with that topic, Andreas Mavrommatis, drew attention to what he called the imperative necessity for continued action to promote human rights in that country.

That, he said, presupposes an adequate UN human rights presence in Iraq, which, in cooperation with the authorities, could assist in the gradual attainment of full compliance with international human rights norms.

Mavrommatis also emphasized that the war should be over at the soonest and that events such as the carnage in the marketplace of Baghdad would not occur again."

MEXICO ASSUMES PRESIDENCY OF SECURITY COUNCIL FOR APRIL

Ambassador Adolfo Aguilar Zinser of Mexico took over today as President of the Security Council for the month of April and is having bilateral consultations with other Council members.

He is scheduled to hold a press conference Wednesday, following consultations on the Council's program of work.

Available on the racks today is a letter from last month's Security Council President, Ambassador Mamady Traoré of Guinea, to the Secretary-General, saying that the Council has extended the deadline for nominations of short-term (or ad litem) judges to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, until April 15.

ANNAN MEETS WITH VISITING PALESTINIAN JOURNALISTS

The Secretary-General met Monday afternoon with a group of eight visiting Palestinian journalists, and discussed with them the current situation in Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

On the latter issue, he said he was very happy that U.S. President George W. Bush had reasserted that he intends to press ahead with the so-called road map, or plan to resolve the Middle East crisis, by the Quartet comprising the United Nations, European Union, Russian Federation and United States, and he said, I would hope that now that Abu Mazen has been appointed Prime Minister, the road map will be released and the parties can sit at the table to discuss its implementation.

He said that, unlike the sequential approach that had been tried before, which he said has not worked, the road map places parallel demands from both parties and envisages a monitoring mechanism to ensure that both parties are performing.

UN REFUGEE AGENCY REPORTS INCURSIONS INTO VENEZUELA FROM COLOMBIA

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees says that incursions into Venezuela by irregular armed groups from Colombia and reported armed clashes in the border between the two countries have reportedly caused the forced displacement of hundreds of people.

UNHCR says that these events signal a worrying escalation of the Colombian conflict and underscore the growing humanitarian impact on the countries neighboring Colombia.

UNHCR appealed to all combatants to respect the rights of the civilian population, and to all governments in the region to continue to abide by their international obligations and ensure the right to asylum.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

WFP WORKER STILL HELD IN LIBERIA: WFP said one aid workers abducted last week in Liberia is still missing, although his three colleagues have been released.

MULTILINGUALISM COORDINATOR APPOINTED: The Secretary-General has appointed Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information Shashi Tharoor as Coordinator for Multilingualism. Since 1999, that post has gone to a senior Secretariat official to coordinate questions relating to multilingualism throughout the UN Secretariat. Tharoor, an Indian national, will perform his new functions in addition to his responsibilities as the head of the Department for Public Information. The post was previously filled by Miles Stoby of Guyana.

UN ASSISTS VICTIMS OF BOLIVIA LANDSLIDE: The UN Country Team in Bolivia is responding to a landslide that occurred in the town of Chima, Bolivia, some 250 kilometers from La Paz, yesterday.Though preliminary reports indicate that damage was extensive, the number of those killed or missing as a result of the disaster cannot yet be confirmed. In support of the Bolivian authorities own relief efforts, an assessment mission including representatives of the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF), is underway. WFP is providing enough 5.5 metric tonnes of food, enough for the 200 affected families for 15 days. The World Health Organization, together with the Pan American Health Organization (WHO/PAHO) will provide medicines.

SARS IN HONG KONG: The World Health Organization is concerned about the cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS, in a Hong Kong apartment complex as the disease seems to be transmitted there in a way that is not yet understood. So far, 213 people from the complex, with a total of 15,000 residents, are suspected of having SARS. The latest figures from WHO indicate more than 1,800 cases in 17 countries resulting in 62 deaths so far.

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