United Nations Daily Highlights, 03-09-02

United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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, September 2, 2003

UNITED NATIONS TAKES OVER FROM MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE IN BUNIA, DR CONGO

Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in a statement issued today, welcomes the smooth transfer of security responsibilities from the Interim Emergency Multi-national Force (IEMF) to the UN Missions (MONUC) Ituri Brigade in Bunia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on September 1.

The Secretary-General expresses his appreciation to all States that have contributed troops to the IEMF, in particular the Framework Nation, France.

The Secretary-General is confident that the MONUC force on the ground, already totaling over 2,500, is prepared to implement its mandate. His intention is that MONUC will maintain the momentum of its further deployment to the region and of the peace process facilitated by the presence of the European Union-led IEMF.

The Secretary-General reminds all the key players in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in the neighboring States of their responsibility to stay on the course of peace and reconciliation, and to cooperate fully with the United Nations.

INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION TO BE CONDUCTED INTO BAGHDAD BOMBING

Asked about reports that prior to the Aug. 19 bombing of the UN building in Baghdad, some UN staff had requested to leave due to security fears, the Spokesman said he was not aware of such reports but that the United Nations is committed to staying Iraq. At the same time, he said, the United Nations is trying to reconcile its commitment to Iraq with an obligation to ensure the maximum safety for its staff, both nationals and internationals. Thats why, the Spokesman went on to say, it was decided on Friday to temporarily remove a substantial number of international staff from the country while security issues are examined on the ground.

The Spokesman also said that the UN's core humanitarian functions would continue with senior international staff remaining as well as a heavy reliance on local Iraqi staff. Other staff, he said, would be moved to neighboring countries.

Asked how such a reduction would impact UN humanitarian operations, the Spokesman said the United Nations was trying to minimize the impact on the operation. He added some administrative functions could be performed outside of Iraq.

Asked about the request from the UN Staff Union for an independent investigation into the events surrounding the bombing, the Spokesman said that in an e-mail sent to all staff today, the Under Secretary-General for Management, Catherine Bertini, it was announced that such an investigation would be conducted.

Asked about the mission to Iraq by UN Security Coordinator Tun Myat, the Spokesman said he was now back in New York and would brief the Secretary-General soon on his findings. The Spokesman added the report would be ready in the next couple of days but he did not know if and when it would be made public.

Asked what efforts were being made on the ground to differentiate the UNs presence in Iraq from that of the Coalition Provisional Authority, the Spokesman said that before the bombing the late Sergio Vieira de Mello, who had been the Secretary-Generals Special Representative, had often stressed the difference between the two.

MYANMAR: UN ENVOY RENEWS APPEAL FOR AUNG SAN SUU KYI'S RELEASE

In a statement, the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation in Myanmar, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, says that he is deeply disturbed by reports that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is on a hunger strike.

Although restrictions on information make it impossible to confirm this news, the Special Rapporteur remains gravely concerned by the continued detention of Aung San Suu Kyi at an undisclosed location, and he reiterates his earlier appeals to the Government of Myanmar to release her immediately and unconditionally.

UN ENVOY AND NIGERIAN LEADERS DISCUSS EFFORTS TO STABILIZE LIBERIA

The Secretary-Generals Special Representative in Liberia, Jacques Klein, today continued to meet with various elements of Liberian society. His meetings included one with the Liberian Senate and another with the Secretary-General of the Liberian Press Union.

In Monrovia on Monday, Klein met with visiting Nigerian PresidentOlesegun Obasanjo and Foreign Minister Oluyemi Adeniji, the former UN Special Representative for Sierra Leone. Klein thanked the Nigerian government for its support of the vanguard force of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and encouraged it to support a strong mandate for a follow-on UN stabilization force in Liberia.

On the humanitarian front, the World Health Organization, together with the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and other partners, have begun a mass measles vaccination campaign in Tubmanburg, a town northwest of Monrovia, home to thousands of internally displaced persons. In the seven-day campaign, UNICEF alone is targeting 42,000 children.

UNITED KINGDOM ASSUMES PRESIDENCY OF SECURITY COUNCIL

The Security Council President for the month of September, Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry of the United Kingdom, is holding bilateral consultations with other members of the Council on the program of work for the month.

The Council President is scheduled to hold a press briefing around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday following consultations.

REFUGEE APPLICATIONS IN INDUSTRIALIZED WORLD CONTINUE TO DECLINE

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that applications for asylum in industrialized countries continued to fall in the last quarter and noted the most dramatic decrease was in the numbers of Iraqi asylum seekers.

The most significant quarterly decreases were recorded in the United Kingdom (down 34 percent), Spain and Ireland (both down 31 percent), Germany (down 24 percent) and Sweden (down 22 percent). Elsewhere, Canada dropped by 21 percent and the U.S. by 7 percent.

Central Europe was the only region to show an increase of 27 percent. The biggest increases in this region were in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Among the countries of origin, the most dramatic decrease was in the numbers of Iraqis seeking asylum down 43 percent compared to the first quarter.

The sharpest increase in asylum applications was among Russians, who rose 54 percent to become the largest group overall during the second quarter.

UN ENVOY CONDEMNS LATEST ETHNIC ATTACK IN KOSOVO

In a statement issued Monday, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Kosovo, Harri Holkeri strongly condemned the attack in a village in the Gjilane region in which one Kosovo Serb was killed and four others injured on Sunday evening. This is a deplorable act and stains Kosovos image in the world, he said.

The acting UNHigh Commissioner for Human Rights Bertrand Ramcharan also strongly condemned the recent series of attacks throughout Kosovo and appealed for an immediate end to the violence. Sunday's attack underlines the urgency of ridding Kosovo of criminal and destructive influences and of establishing a democratic society fully based on the rule of law and respect for human rights, Ramcharan said in a statement.

ANNAN WELCOMES POLISARIO RELEASE OF MOROCCAN PRISONERS

The Secretary-General, in a statement released Monday, welcomed the release of 243 prisoners of war repatriated by the Frente Polisario to Morocco by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The Secretary-General also expressed the hope that the Frente Polisario will release all remaining prisoners, in accordance with the relevant Security Council resolutions and in compliance with international humanitarian law.

He also urged the parties to continue to cooperate with the ICRC to resolve the fate of all those unaccounted for since the beginning of the conflict.

UN ENVOY URGES ASIAN NATIONS NOT TO IGNORE THE THREAT OF HIV/AIDS

The Secretary-Generals Special Envoy on HIV/AIDS in Asia Nafis Sadik today, during the annual meeting of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) in Bangkok, called on ministers and senior officials from 47 Asian nations not to ignore the threat of HIV/AIDS and its devastating impact.

According to Sadik, AIDS is no ordinary crisis and it must call forth an extraordinary response. We cannot continue to live in a make believe world.

On Monday, Director-General Jong-Wook Lee of the World Health Organization at the annual meeting of the WHO African Regional Committee called for urgent treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS in Africa, and stressed the need to ensure that women can give birth safely, according to a WHO press release issued in Johannesburg, South Africa.

UNITED NATIONS BANS SMOKING IN ITS HEADQUARTERS

In a bulletin to staff issued last Friday, the Secretary-General announced that from 1 September, no smoking shall be permitted in any of the UN premises at Headquarters. He said that the ban is for the purpose of eliminating the risks associated with second-hand smoke and is consistent with the principles developed by WHO on tobacco control as well as applicable local laws.

Asked if these new regulations would apply to diplomats as well as staff, the Spokesman said that while the Secretary-General did not have the authority to compel diplomats to follow these regulations, he did hope that they would comply voluntarily.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS:

COTE D'IVOIRE: The UN mission in Cote DIvoire says that the transitional government of that country has formally asked the United Nations for assistance during general elections due in 2005. The mission says that Prime Minister Seydou Diarra made the request in a letter addressed to the Secretary General.

SUDAN: The number of Sudanese refugees fleeing to eastern Chad since April of this year has now reached some 65,000, reports UNHCR. The refugees, many of them in poor health, are fleeing fighting in the Darfur region of western Sudan. A truce between the Khartoum government and southern rebels of the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) has largely held while peace talks continue in Kenya. UNHCR says this leaves the war in Darfur as Sudans main battlefront.

RWANDA: The World Food Programme today warned that urgent contributions are needed in Rwanda to prevent malnutrition among refugees and drought victims there. WFP is appealing for 6,200 tonnes of food worth $ 3.3 million to continue assisting more than 93,000 people until February 2004.

style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-weight: Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

United Nations, S-378

New York, NY 10017

Tel. 212-963-7162 - press/media only

Fax. 212-963-7055

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

United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next Article