United Nations Daily Highlights, 03-10-07

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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, October 7, 2003

MIDDLE EAST: ANNAN ASKS ENVOY TO BE IN CONTACT WITH REGIONAL PARTIES

In a statement issued in New York, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Terje Roed-Larsen, condemns last nights attacks from Lebanese territory across the Blue Line, which killed an Israeli soldier. This constitutes a clear violation of the Blue Line and Security Council Resolutions, and could escalate tension between Israel and its northern neighbors.

Roed-Larsen urges the Government of Lebanon to exert control over the use of force from all its territory.

He calls on all sides to abstain from further action that could increase the already high level of tension in the region, and work exclusively through diplomatic means.

To this end, the Secretary-General has asked the Special Coordinator to be active in his contacts with all parties, including regional governments, at this difficult and dangerous juncture. The Secretary-General is increasingly concerned at the risk of escalation.

In Jerusalem, the Special Coordinator was to meet with the Director General of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Yoav Birar.

Meanwhile, the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon is investigating the incident and it has increased its patrols along the Blue Line.

U.N. MISSION INVESTIGATES KILLINGS IN NORTHEAST DR CONGO

The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has found 65 bodies in Katchele, northeast of Bunia. The Mission sent an investigation team to the area after being alerted by the leader of Union of Congolese Patriots.

The team found 23 people killed in a church, and others who were buried in a mass grave; most of the dead were children. There are also some 20 wounded who are being treated in hospitals.

From the evidence gathered, a group of Lendu, believed to be from near-by villages, armed with rifles and machetes, attacked Katchele early on the morning of October 6.

The Mission has deployed a number of Pakistani soldiers to the location. It will also launch a full-scale investigation of the incident and will search for weapons, which could be linked to the massacre, and individuals who might have been involved.

SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT BRIEFS PRESS ON OCTOBER PROGRAM

Yesterday afternoon, the Council met for about three hours to discuss the U.S. draft resolution on Iraq. No further discussions on the resolution are scheduled at this time.

In addition to Iraq, the Security Council took up three other subjects under other matters. The United Kingdom introduced a draft Presidential Statement on the Sudan peace process. There was a brief discussion on Afghanistan and on the draft resolution on the Middle East submitted on Sunday by Syria.

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

The Security Council President, U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte, is scheduled to hold a press conference here at 12:30 p.m. on the program of work for the month.

U.N. IRAQ-KUWAIT OBSERVER FORCE ISSUES FINAL REPORT

Published today is the Secretary-Generals final report to the Security Council on the UN Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission. As you know, the missions mandate came to an end yesterday.

The report, which covers the period of June 16th to October 1st, explains that during that time the mission provided support to the UN humanitarian agencies operating in Iraq.

The missions staff now consists mostly of civilian workers, both local and international, who are focusing on the liquidation of the mission which is to be completed in about a month.

U.N. KOSOVO ENVOY INVITES LEADERS FROM PRISTINA, BELGRADE FOR TALKS

Harri Holkeri, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Kosovo, today sent out formal invitations to the leaders of Serbia and Montenegro and the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government in Kosovo, so that they can take part in the launch of a direct dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade on practical issues of mutual concern. That event will take place on October 14 in Vienna.

Holkeri has also invited the Contact Groups member Governments the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and Russia to participate as facilitators in the dialogue.

ANNAN TO ADDRESS HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES THIS AFTERNOON

This afternoon, the Secretary-General will address a seminar in the Economic and Social Council Chamber to mark the 40th anniversary of the Papal encyclical Pacem in Terris and will note that, in it, Pope John XXIII wanted to see a time when the United Nations can effectively safeguard human rights.

The Secretary-General will say that, many times, many human beings have not found the United Nations to be an effective safeguard of their personal rights, in places from Rwanda in the mid-1990s to countries whose problems were met with a hesitant and tardy response, like Liberia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo this year.

He will note that with UN bodies, Member States become reluctant and cautious to embarrass other Governments.

In the prepared remarks, he is to say, In the Commission on Human Rights, especially, we have increasingly seen States motivated more by political solidarity with each other than by an impartial concern to uphold human rights throughout the world.

SECRETARY-GENERAL MEETS AFRICAN AMERICAN CIVIL SOCIETY LEADERS

As part of the Secretary-Generals initiative to strengthen UN ties with civil society, representatives of nearly 80 organizations representing the African American community will meet with the Secretary-General for lunch at the United Nations today, and will also take part in a day-long series of briefings on the work the United Nations does.

At todays lunch, the Secretary-General is to discuss his conviction that it is in Americas interest today to work through the United Nations, just as it was in the days when Ralph Bunche and other African Americans played vital roles in drafting the UN Charter and creating the multilateral framework.

HUMANITARIAN SITUATION DETERIORATES IN WESTERN SUDAN

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports today that the situation in the Greater Darfur Region of western Sudan continues to deteriorate in spite of a cease-fire agreement.

The Office says militias continue to destroy livelihoods and cause displacement. Malnutrition rates have reportedly increased, and humanitarian groups do not have the human and financial resources to cope.

Sudan is home to the world's largest internally displaced population.

ANNAN TO RECEIVE AWARD ON BEHALF OF LATE UN ENVOY VIEIRA DE MELLO

The Secretary-General will accept an award that has been awarded posthumously to his former Special Representative in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello.

The UN Association of the USA and the Business Community of the United Nations will confer the Global Humanitarian Action Award to Vieira de Mello at a dinner tomorrow.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS:

ANNAN TO PAY TRIBUTE TO GORBACHEV: The Secretary-General, in remarks to mark a Gala Awards Dinner in New York tonight in tribute to Mikhail Gorbachev for his work as the founding president of Green Cross International, says that the Green Cross programs reflect Gorbachevs unwavering commitment to peace, especially by addressing the environmental causes and consequences of conflict.

U.N.-BUSINESS COOPERATION TO BE ADDRESSED BY ANNAN: The Secretary-General is expected to drop by tonight at a dinner hosted by the U.S. Council for International Business, in honor of Charles Holliday, Jr., the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Dupont. In remarks, he will talk at that event about the work done through the Global Compact to promote corporate citizenship and bring the United Nations and businesses together in seeking solutions to societal problems.

GOODWILL AMBASSADOR ANGELINA JOLIE RELEASES JOURNALS: UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie today released two journals on her recent experiences with displaced people in Kosovo and Sri Lanka.

STUDY LAUNCH ON DISPLACED PERSONS IN COLOMBIA: The refugee agency (UNHCR) and a private-enterprise initiative are launching today a comprehensive study of the situation of hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people [IDPs] in Colombias capital. The study draws attention to the critical situation of IDPs in the capital, where they have fled to escape the fighting between irregular armed groups and the Colombian Army.

AFRICANS TO DISCUSS ACCESS TO SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: According to the UN Economic Commission for Africa, delegates from 40 African countries will attend the third meeting of the Committee of Sustainable Development in Addis Ababa today to discuss access to science and technology to the poor in Africa. The Committee is expected to make recommendations on the ways of implementing this at the end of the four day meeting.

FOOD AID NEEDED FOR EAST AND CENTRAL AFRICA: James Morris, Executive Director of the UN World Food Programme (WFP), today reiterated an appeal for $1.5 billion, the value of over 2.8 million tonnes of food which 11 countries in East and Central Africa badly need.

U.N. BUDGET: Barbados and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have both paid their UN regular budget dues in full for this year, bringing the number of countries that are paid in full for 2003 to 111. Barbados paid its full assessment of more than $121,000, while the DRC paid more than $54,000.

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