United Nations Daily Highlights, 03-09-15

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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, September 15, 2003

ANNAN NOTES AREAS OF CONVERGENCE ON IRAQ

Secretary-General Kofi Annan spoke to reporters upon returning to work this morning in New York, and said that he thought the session in Geneva among the five permanent Security Council members had been very good, adding, You shouldnt forget that this was the first time since the war that the permanent five have sat in one room to discuss this crucial issue of Iraq.

He said that there had been areas of convergence, and that the five foreign ministers had agreed that power should be handed over to the Iraqis as soon as possible. The question, he added, is what kind of timetable there should be for handing over power, with some discussion of a short-term timetable for an interim Iraqi government and then a longer-term one for elections and a democratically elected government.

The Secretary-General said of the UN role that it has to be clearly defined by the Security Council and achievable, and the security environment should permit the United Nations to do its work. But he added that, while the United Nations has experience in facilitating political processes and establishing democratic governments, we are not going to go in and run Iraq.

On Saturday, the Secretary-General met at the UN headquarters in Geneva with the foreign ministers of the five permanent members of the Security Council to conduct a thorough review of the main issues regarding Iraq. Discussions on the Middle East were also on the agenda of the meeting.

In a press conference following the meeting, the Secretary-General said that the ministers had a good discussion in a constructive atmosphere on Iraq, with a view to identifying points of convergence. While consensus is essential, and achievable, it is not enough, the Secretary-General said, adding that the Councils approach must be coherent and well defined.

In answering a question about the timing of a vote on Iraq, the Secretary-General said that should be addressed by the members themselves and added that the vital thing is not just voting but having a solid and workable resolution that will help to win the hearts and mind of the Iraqi people.

Regarding the Middle East, the Secretary-General said the permanent members of the Security Council had reaffirmed their commitment to the Quartets Road Map and recognized that both sides have obligations under the Road Map that must be fulfilled. He also announced that the Quartet would meet at the Principals level later this month in New York to consider all relevant aspects of the issue and determine how best to help the parties move forward with the process.

At the start of the Geneva meeting, the Secretary-General spoke of Anna Lindh, the recently assassinated Swedish Foreign Minister, saying she had been a great Foreign Minister and a determined friend of the United Nations. But most of all we miss her, the Secretary-General said, her personality, her dynamism, her intellect and the passion with which she defended causes she so strongly believed in. The participants then stood for a moment of silence in Anna Lindhs honor.

Earlier Saturday, the Secretary-General had two bilateral meetings at his hotel, the first with Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and the second with French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin.

ANNAN REGRETS END OF TRADE TALKS IN CANCÚN

The Secretary-General, in a statement, regretted that the ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization in Cancún, Mexico, was suspended without agreement, but hopes this is not the end of the road, and that the Doha Round will still deliver on its promise of greater exchange and prosperity for all, especially the developing countries.

He also notes that for the first time the developing countries have found their collective voice in international trade negotiations and acted in concert to defend their interests, notably on the issue of agricultural protection and subsidies. He believes this is a positive development, which holds great hope for the future.

At the press encounter upon arrival this morning at the UN headquarters, the Secretary-General was asked about the breakdown of the talks in Cancún. The Secretary-General said he knew that it was going to be a difficult session, but added, I had expected it to achieve much more than they achieved. Not much was achieved, he acknowledged, saying that he hopes that the parties will go back and reflect and then come back in a determined fashion to try and fashion an agreement within the next year or so.

UN ENVOY FOR MIDDLE EAST SAYS PROCESS IS AT STANDSTILL

The Security Council began an open debate on the Middle East with a briefing from Terje Roed Larsen, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, who said that the recent cycle of terror attacks and extrajudicial killings has broken the Palestinian cease-fire and brought the process to a standstill. Over the past month, 81 people have lost their lives to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: 38 Israelis and 43 Palestinians.

Roed Larsen said that, since a suicide bombing in Jerusalem killed 23 people on August 19, violence has increased, with Israel declaring an all-out war against Hamas and other groups. Late last week, Israel announced that its Security Cabinet decided in principle to remove Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat in a manner and at a time of its choosing.

Roed Larsen noted that Arafat is democratically elected, and as such, the legitimate leader of the Palestinians. He embodies Palestinian identity and national aspirations. He is now far from irrelevant.

He said that, unfortunately, the implementation of the Road Map never effectively began. I am afraid, viewing the situation with hindsight, that we moved too slowly and with incremental steps at the initial stages of implementation.

Given the current situation, he said, it might be appropriate to speed up the Road Map process and take bold steps on settlements and security to help jump-start the process. If the Road Map is abandoned, he warned, we would surrender to those who want to reign through force and terror.

There are about 40 speakers inscribed for today's debate.

SECRETARY-GENERAL CONDEMNS COUP IN GUINEA-BISSAU

The Secretary-General, in a statement issued on Sunday, condemned the weekend coup d'état in Guinea-Bissau and called for the restoration of constitutional order.

He further called on the parties concerned not to resort to any acts of violence or retribution and urged that every effort be made to ensure the safety and security of all.

MEETING OF POTENTIAL TROOP CONTRIBUTORS FOR LIBERIA TODAY

The Security Council has scheduled a meeting this afternoon with potential troop and civilian police-contributing countries to the proposed UN peacekeeping operation in Liberia.

Recommendations on the size, structure and mandate of a follow-on UN force in Liberia are contained in the report of the Secretary-General, which was distributed to Security Council members Friday afternoon.

Council members are scheduled to hear a briefing on Tuesday on the report by the Secretary-Generals Special Representative, Jacques Klein.

On the humanitarian front, aid workers arrived in the small coastal town of Harper in southern Liberia over the weekend for the first time since May, when forces from the rebel group Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL) put an abrupt halt to relief efforts.

UNICEF BEGINS WORKSHOP ON TEACHING IN AFGHANISTAN

The UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) and the Afghan Ministry of Education have started a key workshop on the coordination of teacher training programs in Afghanistan.

UNICEF said that it would mark the beginning of a new era for raising the quality of teachers in Afghanistan. There are an estimated 100,000 teachers now working in the formal education sector in Afghanistan. However, less than 15 percent of teachers possess a professional teaching qualification, and most have less than a Grade-12 level of schooling.

UNICEF has supported a nationwide rapid training program for 26,000 primary school teachers to date in 2003, focusing on new methodologies for the teaching of the Dari and Pashto languages, as well as mine risk education. Thirty percent of the participants in this training program have been women.

REPORT ON THE WORK OF THE UNITED NATIONS ISSUED TODAY

The Secretary-Generals annual report to the General Assembly on the work of the United Nations was issued today, and in it, the Secretary-General says that the United Nations is not an end in itself. Rather, it is an instrument for achieving common ends. As a result, he says, to achieve its purposes, the United Nations requires a shared consensus about its fundamental goals from its Members.

He notes that the past year has been a trying one in terms of peace and security, with the war in Iraq severely testing the principle of collective security and the resilience of the Organization, and he says that the August 19 attack on the UN headquarters in Iraq was the most deliberate and vicious attack against the United Nations in its history.

While the immediate and urgent challenges of peace and security require attention, the report adds that it is also important that they should not divert attention from UN work in economic and social development. At present, the report notes, there is a wide gap between the rhetoric of inclusion and the reality of exclusion.

ANNAN SUPPORTS IAEA EFFORTS ON STRONGER SAFEGUARDS

The Secretary-General issued a message to the 47th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, delivered by Nobuyasu Abe, Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs.

In the message, the Secretary-General expresses his support for the Agencys continuing efforts to strengthen international safeguards and calls for the early resumption of the Agencys safeguards activities in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.

He also points out that while the international community is rightly concerned about the potentially dangerous use of nuclear technology, that technology remains an important factor in economic development.

ANNAN NOTES PROGRESS ON LANDMINES SINCE 1999 CONVENTION

In a message to the 5th Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction, the Secretary-General notes that, since the entry into force of the Convention in 1999, more than two-thirds of all states have banned anti-personnel mines and joined efforts to address their impact on people. He calls on those states that have not yet done so to become part of this process without delay.

In the message, which was delivered in Bangkok, Thailand, the Secretary-General also urges all states affected by anti-personnel mines to do their utmost to develop and implement plans to clear mined areas, to destroy stockpiles, and to provide assistance to victims and mine risk education.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

INTERNAL OVERSIGHT OPENS OFFICE FOR INVESTIGATIONS IN VIENNA: The Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) today opened an office in Vienna, at that citys International Centre, and the Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services, Dileep Nair, spoke at a ceremony there to welcome the opening. Nair said that the decision to relocate parts of the Investigations Division, while maintaining a small staff at UN Headquarters in New York, was based on strategic considerations as well as on the reality of resource constraints.

ANNAN ADDRESSES LECTURE ON ISLAM AND THE WEST: The Secretary-Generals lecture series continued today with a lecture on Islam and the West by Professor Seyyed Hussein Nasr of George Washington University, and the Secretary-General introduced Nasr by questioning whether there is any clash of civilizations, and stating his belief that in every country, there are people of different religion and cultures who need to respect each other and live peacefully together.

ANNAN RECOMMENDS EXTENSION OF GUATEMALA MISSION: The Secretary-General's latest report on the UN Verification Mission in Guatemala (MINUGUA) is out on the racks today. In his report, the Secretary-General recommends a renewal of the mandate, until December 31, 2004, to contribute to a smooth transition of the new Government that will assume office in January 2004 and to continue to accompany Guatemala in its peace-building process.