United Nations Daily Highlights, 03-07-17

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From: The United Nations Home Page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.org

OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY HUA JIANG

DEPUTY SPOKESWOMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Thursday, July 17, 2003

SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES INSTALLATION OF DRC GOVERNMENT

Secretary-General Kofi Annan welcomes the installation of the Government of National Unity and Transition in Kinshasa, marked by the swearing-in ceremony of the Vice Presidents today.

This is a historic milestone in the peace process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The vision of peace and reconciliation articulated in the 1999 Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement is taking shape.

The Secretary-General called on the Congolese leaders to fulfill their responsibilities in meeting the daunting challenges of transition; and steering their country onto the path of reconciliation, recovery as well as free and fair elections. The United Nations stands ready to play its part in assisting the Congolese consolidate the hard-won gains in the peace process.

UN ENVOY FOR LIBERIA SAYS PRESIDENT TO LEAVE WHEN U.S. COMES

Jacques Klein, recently appointed by the Secretary-General to be his Special Representative for Liberia, was the guest at the noon briefing, and told reporters that he expected a scenario for that country in which President Charles Taylor would leave Liberia on the day that US troops arrive there. He expected the arrival of US forces to be decided only after the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) had made clear its commitment, and the number of troops it would send, to Liberia.

In terms of Liberias political process, the United Nations was informed today that the Liberian political parties have started to make submissions to the draft peace agreement at the talks being mediated by General Abdulsalami Abubakar in Accra, Ghana. It is now clear that the deadline that had been set for those submissions, which ended today, will have to be extended to a new date due to late responses.

SECURITY COUNCIL BRIEFED ON MIDDLE EAST PEACE EFFORTS

The Security Council today held an open briefing on the Middle East, followed by closed consultations, both with the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Terje Roed Larsen.

In his address to the Council, Roed Larsen said that since June 13, the date of the Councils last briefing on the Middle East, the revived peace process based on the Quartets Road Map has made encouraging progress.

Credit for this progress, he said, should first go to the leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority. They should be commended for their courageous pursuit of peace and be encouraged to maintain positive momentum. The Quartet members, especially the US, have assisted both parties to get to this point, Roed Larsen added. He also noted the particular support of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in assisting the Palestinians to reach the June 30 cease-fire.

The challenges to the peace process remain numerous. Since the Councils last briefing, some 49 people have lost their lives: 40 Palestinians and nine Israelis. However, Roed Larsen noted a sharp decrease in violent attacks and incitement.

Roed Larsen told Council members that the construction of the Separation Wall is continuing, which is not in keeping with the Road Map.

He also took this opportunity to say clearly that a just, lasting and comprehensive peace also requires that progress be made on the Syrian and Lebanese tracks of the peace process.

Roed Larsen, in other comments, said that the account in an Israeli newspaper today regarding his meeting with President Bashar al-Assad of Syria is not correct. The quotes attributed to President Assad about the whereabouts of the missing Israelis and regarding the United States are not true. The envoy added that Assad did express to Roed-Larsen his desire to resume negotiations with Israel as soon as possible, in order to achieve a comprehensive peace in the region.

ANNAN APPEALS TO MYANMAR FOR AUNG SAN SUU KYIS RELEASE

The Secretary-General on Wednesday afternoon briefed the Security Council about last weeks African Union Summit in Mozambique, and told reporters afterward that the issues that came up during those closed consultations included the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi and Liberia.

He also mentioned the meeting he and his Special Envoy for Myanmar, Razali Ismail, held earlier that afternoon with U Khin Maung Win, Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Envoy of Myanmar, in which the Secretary-General asked for Myanmar to release Aung San Suu Kyi as soon as possible, and underlined the Governments responsibility for her protection and safety.

He added that Aung San Suu Kyi had indicated to Razali that she is prepared to resume dialogue, and he voiced his hope that the Government would accept the challenge and proceed with dialogue. He had sent that message to Senior General Than Shwe, Myanmars Prime Minister, and would await a response.

In a statement issued on Wednesday afternoon, the Secretary-General called for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and her colleagues without delay and added, I remain convinced that the only way to build durable peace in Myanmar is to release the detainees, ensure their political freedoms and begin substantive dialogue with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi immediately.

ANNAN MENTIONS DISCUSSIONS ON INTERNATIONAL ROLE IN IRAQ

Also during the Wednesday afternoon press encounter, the Secretary-General was asked about discussions going on about a possible expansion of the UN role in Iraq, and he said the issue had come up on Monday when he visited Washington. He said that US Secretary of State Colin Powell and some Senators had discussed with him how to internationalise the Iraq operation, and added that Security Council members would have to be consulted.

The Secretary-General said, I think what is important is that all of us accept the responsibility of stabilizing Iraq, because a peaceful and stable Iraq is in the interest, not only of the Iraqis, but of the region and the entire world.

Asked about who would decide what needs to be done to internationalise the operation, the Spokeswoman said it would be up to the members of the Security Council.

UN ENVOY FOR IRAQ MEETS WITH IRANIAN PRESIDENT

The Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, just returned to Baghdad following visits to Iran and Syria.

In a meeting this morning in Tehran, President Mohammed Khatami expressed Irans strong support for the United Nations engagement in Iraq and said that a greater role for the UN would bring a greater chance for the establishment of peace. He added that his country stands willing to work with the UN to restore peace and stability in Iraq, which would benefit the entire region.

Vieira de Mello briefed President Khatami on the formation of the newly-created Governing Council in Iraq, which he believed had been given tangible prerogatives and reflected the various national components of Iraq. The Council, he said, needed all the support it could get in order to assert itself as the true, independent authority of Iraq, and be able to steer the country to the election of a democratic, representative government.

The Special Representative later met Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi. They also discussed the role of the UN in Iraq now and in the future.

UN IRAQ PROGRAM GIVES PRIORITY TO $1.9 BILLION IN CONTRACTS

The Office of the Iraq Programme said today that more than $1.9 billion worth of contracts for heavy equipment and spare parts for Iraqs oil and electricity sectors have been given priority for immediate delivery following consultations this month with the Coalition Provisional Authority, Iraqi representatives and UN agencies.

The relevant UN agencies and programs will begin to work directly with suppliers concerned with the prioritized contracts to expedite shipments once locations have been identified for their delivery.

The UN Childrens Fund says that although the conflict may be largely over, Iraqi children continue to be maimed and killed at a steady pace by the remnants of war. Since the end of the war, more than a thousand children have been injured by weapons, such as cluster bombs dropped by coalition forces, or the thousands of tons of munitions stockpiled and abandoned by Iraqi forces in public buildings and residential areas of Iraq.

One particular and newly identified danger, UNICEF says, comes from children playing with Soviet-era missiles abandoned by Iraqi forces. There are around 100 surface to air missiles, many lying around Baghdad in various stages of decay. Many of these have been looted for scrap metal, dangerously weakening the superstructures. Experts say that small leaks through punctures or cracks produce a dark yellow smoke which, if inhaled, can be deadly.

On Wednesday, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees began registering the Palestinian refugees in Iraq who were previously registered with the Government. It will take three months to complete the process, which involves some 80,000 Palestinians. The Palestinians, currently languishing in a tented camp in the middle of Baghdad, will soon be moved to a vacant apartment block identified by UNHCR.

UN COMPENSATION COMMISSION MAKES AVAILABLE $190 MILLION

The UN Compensation Commission in Geneva, made available today available more than $190 million to 25 governments and one international organization for distribution to more than 1,000 claimants.

The largest recipients of this round of payments are Kuwait, Syria and India.

UN REPORTS RESUMED DEMINING ALONG MAIN AFGHAN ROAD

The UN Mission in Afghanistan said that all demining activities along the Kabul to Kandahar road have resumed, following the suspension of operations on May 22, and are moving along at a fast pace thanks to a new technology that is being used there.

The technology is called the Mechanical Explosive Dog Detection System. It means that, instead of taking the mine dogs to the minefield, samples from the contaminated area are brought to the dogs, who work in a laboratory.

The UN Mine Action Centre has also decided to resume demining in the southeastern and southern regions. Demining was suspended in 10 provinces in the southwest and southeast of Afghanistan on May 22.

The Mission also said that President Hamid Karzai has issued a decree on the convening of the Constitutional Loya Jirga. The decree says that there will be 450 elected members and 50 selected members totaling 500 constitutional Loya Jirga delegates, and sets out procedures for the election of those representatives.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

FAO SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH EUROPEAN COMMISSION: The Food and Agriculture Organization and the European Commission today in Brussels signed an agreement designed to create a closer strategic partnership between the two institutions in the fields of development and humanitarian aid.

HABITAT ASKED TO WORK WITH AFRICAN UNION: The UN Centre for Human Settlements (UN Habitat) noted the decision taken at the recent African Union summit asking the agency to work more closely with the Union to help in the fight against the urbanization of poverty.

BERTINI WINS WORLD FOOD PRIZE: Catherine Bertini, former Executive Director of the World Food Programme and current Under-Secretary-General for Management, has been selected to receive the World Food Prize for 2003. She was chosen for the Prize last night by the World Food Prize Foundation for her decade of leadership at WFP, changing the agency into a relief organization that delivered food aid to more than 700 million people in more than 100 countries during her term. She also received credit for pioneering the channelling of food aid through women. The prize is worth $250,000.

UN PEACEKEEPING BUDGET: Germany and the Netherlands each contributed nearly $4 million to the UN peacekeeping budget today, while the United Kingdom contributed about $2.7 million.

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