United Nations Daily Highlights, 03-11-14

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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

Friday, November 14, 2003

ANNAN CALLS FOR STRENGTHENING OF DEMOCRACY AT IBERO-AMERICAN SUMMIT

The Secretary-General is in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, to attend the Ibero-American Summit. He arrived last night from La Paz together with Bolivian President Carlos Mesa.

The Secretary-General started the day by meeting the regional directors of the UN agencies. Following that, he met with the Bolivian opposition Congressman, Evo Morales.

In a press conference, the Secretary-General said that his visits to Chile, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia were a sign of his determination to play greater attention to the area. He noted that democracy must be strengthened in the region, through the rule of law, greater political participation and a drastic reduction in poverty and inequality. The Secretary-General said that the international community needed to offer the region greater social investment and debt alleviation. "These countries need some breathing space", he said.

The Secretary-General had a number of bilateral meeting this morning. He met with the Foreign Minister of Chile and is due to meet with the former President of Brazil, Fernando Henrique Cardoso (who chairs the Secretary-General's Panel of Eminent Persons on United Nations Relations with Civil Society). He is then expected to hold separate meetings with the Presidents of Colombia, Honduras, Brazil and Venezuela.

The Secretary-General will join the President of Portugal and the Prime Minister of Spain in a meeting of the Rio Group, a Latin American permanent mechanism for political consultation.

In the evening is to attend the official gathering of the Heads of State and Government who are participating in the Ibero-American Summit. During the formal opening of the Summit, the Secretary-General will address the participants. After that, he will resume bilateral meetings with the Prime Minister of Spain, and with the President of Mexico.

ANNAN WELCOMES IRANS MOVE ON NUCLEAR SAFEGUARDS

In a statement issued today through his Spokesman, the Secretary-General welcomes the recent decision by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to conclude the Additional Protocol, to act in accordance with its provisions until its entry into force, and to suspend all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities.

He encourages the International Atomic Energy Agency, the government of Iran and the other Governments that have been working with Iran on this matter to continue their efforts in this respect.

Asked if the Secretary-Generals reading of the IAEA report is that Iran has been deliberately concealing efforts to develop a nuclear weapons programmes, the Spokesman later answered that the report was a confidential one and that it will be discussed by the agencys Board of Governors next week. The Spokesman added that the Secretary-General has full confidence in the efforts of the Mohammed elBaradei, the Director-General of the IAEA, and his recent report.

Asked if the Secretary-General believed the matter should now go the Security Council, the Spokesman said that it would be up to the agencys Board of Governors to decide whether the matter is referred to the Security Council and that the Secretary-General would not want to prejudge that decision. The Spokesman went on to say that he hoped that Iran would continue to cooperate.

SECURITY COUNCIL TO DISCUSS AIDS AND PEACEKEEPING

On Monday, AIDS and peacekeeping operations will be the subject of an open meeting of the Security Council.

The head of the peacekeeping department, Jean-Marie Guéhenno, and UNAIDS chief, Peter Piot, are both expected to brief Council members.

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

MILLIONS HAVE CROSSED THE CYPRUS LINE WITHOUT INCIDENT, SAYS UN REPORT

In his latest report on the UN peacekeeping mission in Cyprus, the Secretary-General notes that as of November 2nd 2003 there have some two million crossings by Greek Cypriots going north and Turkish Cypriots going south. This steady flow has occurred with a remarkably low number of incidents.

In his report to the Security Council, the Secretary-General also says the situation along the cease fire line has been generally calm.

A demining expert recently joined the mission to advise on how to clear the minefields in the buffer zone. He has been able to have discussions with both sides on how best to proceed.

The Secretary-General recommends to the Security Council that the mission's mandate be extended a further six months until June 15th 2004.

ON TOUR OF EASTERN DR CONGO, EGELAND PRAISES HUMANITARIAN WORKERS

Jan Egeland, the UN's Humanitarian Coordinator, is continuing his visit to the north eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

He arrived today in the town of Bukaru, in south Kivu province. While the security situation has now improved in that area, just three months ago the situation was very insecure due to fighting between armed foreign groups and Congolese militias.

In Bukara, Egeland commended the work being done by humanitarian workers, often in very difficult circumstances. He also met with local authorities and local people, who expressed satisfaction with the additional assistance they have been receiving from the international community due to the improvement in the security situation.

Egeland is now in Goma and tomorrow he travels to Bunia. This visit is part of Egeland's broader goal of furthering humanitarian access and increasing humanitarian presence in previously difficult to reach areas in the Great Lakes region.

UN ENCOURAGES GOOD RELATIONS BETWEEN DR CONGO AND ITS NEIGHBOURS

The Secretary-General's Special Representative in the Democratic Republic of Congo, William Swing, met Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Kigali today to discuss developments in the region.

Swing said that his two-day visit to Rwanda was part of a broader effort to encourage the normalization of relations between the Democratic Republic of Congo and its neighbours: Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda.

LOCAL UN COMMANDER CALLS FOR END TO RENEWED FIGHTING IN LIBERIAN PROVINCE

The Force Commander for the UN Mission in Liberia travelled yesterday to an area where fighting had been reported between former Government troops and rebel forces, where he called for an immediate halt to hostilities.

The Force Commander, General Daniel Opande, directed all sides in Gapo Town, in the county of River Cess, to remove all roadblocks from major roads to enable civilians to move freely. He warned that all commanders would be held accountable for atrocities committed by their troops.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has issued a comprehensive update on the work being done by UN agencies to meet the needs of vulnerable Liberians, especially internally displaced persons.

UN REPORTS DROUGHT IN PARTS OF SOMALIA ARE THE WORST IN LIVING HISTORY

The current drought in Sool Plateau and Gebi Valley of Somalia is the worst in living memory, according to the office for the coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

For four years, rains have either partially or completely failed. A recent assessment found that over 90,000 people out of the 650,000 in the area are at risk due to the continued drought.

People are trying to cope by selling their possessions and getting credit to buy food and waterwhich is becoming increasingly difficult.

ITALY HONOURED FOR WORK ON BEHALF OF DISABLED

President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi of Italy, on behalf of his country, will accept the seventh annual Franklin Delano Roosevelt International Disability Award here at the United Nations on Monday.

The ceremony will take place in the Economic and Social Council chamber at 11:00 a.m., and will also include disability rights advocate Christopher Reeve, General Assembly President, Julian Hunte and Nane Annan.

Italy is being honoured for its exemplary efforts to improve the lives of people with disabilities.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS:

IRAQ: Asked when the discussions on UN operations in Iraq currently taking place in Cyprus would on end, the Spokesman said they were expected to end on Saturday.

YUGOSLAV TRIBUNAL: The Secretary-General has appointed Kevin Horace Parker to serve as a judge at the International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, starting on the fourth of December. He would serve out the remainder of Judge David Hunt's term, which will expire on November sixteenth, 2005; both judges are Australian.

The Secretary-General took that decision following consultations with the Security Council and General Assembly.

TOLERANCE: This Sunday is the International Day for Tolerance. The Secretary-General, to mark the occasion, says that the upsurge of intolerance represents a universal threat to democracy, peace and security. He warns that no modern society can be built, or can flourish, by cultivating intolerance.

GIRLS EDUCATION: The UN Children's Fund says it supports the urgent call from leaders of the Education for All (EFA) movement to "drastically accelerate" actions on behalf of the estimated 65 million girls who are currently denied their right to an education. The Children's agency is pleased with the agreements made at the EFA meeting in New Delhi that concluded this week, particularly the recommendations to support UNICEF's own acceleration strategy to get more girls into school and to strengthen the United Nations Girls' Education Initiative.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Saturday, November 15

The Secretary-General will depart from Bolivia for New York, ending his four-nation trip to Latin America.

Sunday, November 16

Today is the International Day for Tolerance, which the Secretary-General will mark with a message.

Monday, November 17

The Security Council will hold an open briefing on HIV/AIDS and its effect on peace and security issues.

The Secretary-General will meet with Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.

At a ceremony at UN Headquarters, Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi will accept the seventh Franklin Delano Roosevelt International Disability Award on his country's behalf.

The World Health Organization and the UN Children's Fund will provide guests at the noon briefing to discuss the campaign for polio eradication.

Tuesday, November 18

The Secretary-General will launch the 2004 Consolidated Appeal on behalf of the UN's humanitarian agencies, covering 21 different crises worldwide. The guests at the noon briefing will be Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland and UN Development Programme Administrator Mark Malloch Brown, who will discuss the Consolidated Appeal.

The Security Council has scheduled a public meeting, followed by a private meeting, on Guinea Bissau.

UNODC: Extended Bureau Meeting of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, at the Vienna International Centre (VIC)

Wednesday, November 19

The Secretary-General will present the 2003 UNEP Sasakawa Environment Prize to this year's two co-winners, Environment Minister Xie Zhenhua of China, and Brazilian wildlife champion Dener Giovanini, at a dinner ceremony at the New York Historical Society. A press release is on the racks, dated 27 October. Contact Jim Sniffen, at the UNEP NY Office, x-3-8094, for more details.

The Security Council has scheduled an open briefing, followed by consultations, on the Middle East. In the afternoon, Benon Sevan, Executive Director of the Office of the Iraq programme, will brief the Council in consultations on the "oil-for-food" program, which expires on Friday.

Thursday, November 20

The Security Council has scheduled a public meeting on the Great Lakes Region. It will also hold its monthly luncheon with the Secretary-General.

Today is Africa Industrialization Day and the Universal Children's Day.

Friday, November 21

The Security Council has scheduled an open briefing on the expiration of the "oil-for-food" program, which takes place today. It also has scheduled consultations on Cyprus.

Today is World Television Day.

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

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