United Nations Daily Highlights, 03-11-24

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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, November 24, 2003

(Tomorrow is a Eid Al-Fitr, an official holiday. The noon briefing will resume on Wednesday, November 26.)

ANNAN WELCOMES PAKISTANS TRUCE OFFER IN KASHMIR

AND INDIAS POSITIVE RESPONSE

In a statement issued today through his Spokesman, Secretary-General Kofi Annan warmly welcomes the announcement by Pakistan of its decision to implement a unilateral ceasefire along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir with effect from the Eid Al-Fitr and Indias positive response to the offer.

He is encouraged by recent efforts by the two countries to build confidence in their relations and to address outstanding problems.

The Secretary-General is following with interest the recent proposal by India of a number of confidence-building measures and Pakistans response to them.

He urges the two countries to continue these efforts with patience and resolve. The Secretary-General remains at their disposal to assist in any way they consider mutually beneficial.

SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS U.N. PEACEKEEPING FORCE IN CYPRUS,

HOLDS MEETING ON CENTRAL AFRICA

The Security Council voted unanimously to extend the mandate of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) for a further six-month period ending the fifteenth of June 2004.

Security Council members then went into a formal meeting on the Central African region. Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Tuliameni Kalomoh briefed on the report of the multi-disciplinary assessment mission to Central Africa which he led in June.

COUNCIL MEMBERS TO DISCUSS RESOLUTION ON IRAQ SANCTIONS COMMITTEE

At 3.30 p.m. today, the Security Council has scheduled consultations to discuss a draft resolution on an Iraq sanctions committee.

The consultations are expected to be followed by a formal meeting.

SECURITY COUNCIL TO DISCUSS COTE DIVOIRE

Also this afternoon, the Security Council is scheduled to discuss Cote DIvoire in an open meeting followed, followed by a private meeting attended by a delegation from the Economic Community of West African States. (ECOWAS).

Asked for information about the Secretary-Generals meeting this morning with Mohamed Chambas, the Executive Secretary of ECOWAS, the Spokesman later said that he met Chambas, and a delegation of ECOWAS foreign ministers from Ghana, Cote D'Ivoire, Guinea and Nigeria, and the Permanent Representative of Senegal. The delegation thanked the Secretary-General for his efforts toward restoring peace in Cote D'Ivoire and appealed to him for his continued support for the efforts to strengthen the UN mission. The Secretary-General stressed the need for the parties to meet their commitments and implement the Linas-Marcoussis Agreement.

In response to a question regarding the Secretary-General's position of upgrading the Cote dIvoire force to a full fledged UN peacekeeping force, the Spokesman referred the journalist to the latest report of the Secretary-General on Cote D'Ivoire.

ANNAN MEETS WITH SPLM LEADER JOHN GARANG

[In response to a question about the meeting, the Spokesman later said that John Garang, leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, briefed the Secretary-General on the progress being made in the Sudanese peace process.

Garang also briefed in detail on the issue of security arrangements, which is one of the key agreements reached so far by the parties. They discussed the remaining issues in the peace process. Garang also discussed efforts to strengthen the capacity of the SPLM to manage its part of the peace agreement.

The Secretary-General reaffirmed the UNs willingness to help implement the agreement reached and strongly encouraged the parties to persevere in the remaining negotiations in order to reach a successful conclusion.]

TOP U.N. PEACEKEEPING OFFICIAL MEETS WITH ACTING PRESIDENT OF GEORGIA

Jean-Marie Guehenno, Under-Secretary-General for Peace-keeping Operations, who is visiting the UN Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG), today met with Nino Burjanadze, Acting President of Georgia.

Guehenno used this occasion to confirm the continued commitment of the United Nations to the Georgian-Abkhaz peace process. In this context, he emphasized the importance of the observation of the cease-fire agreement and of the UN role in efforts aimed at finding a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Abkhazia, Georgia. He expressed his appreciation for steps undertaken within the constitutional framework aimed at overcoming the recent political problems in the country.

In a statement released through his Spokesman on Saturday, the Secretary-General had reiterated his call to all parties to exercise restraint, and urged them to do everything possible to initiate a viable political dialogue towards a peaceful solution to this crisis.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING RISING IN LATIN AMERICA

Human trafficking is an issue of growing concern in Latin America, with numerous networks operating to smuggle migrants within the region and into North America, Europe and Asia.

On Friday, experts at a regional conference in Bogota, Colombia, which was jointly organized by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and the Embassy of Sweden, stressed that Governments should provide victims of smuggling networks who are willing to testify with special protection, rather than immediately sending them back to their countries of origin.

INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ELIMINATION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

Tomorrow is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

To mark this day, we have available a message from the Secretary-General which calls for action on behalf of countless women around the world whose daily lives are marred by violence and abuse.

Also available is a message from the Acting High Commissioner for Human Rights.

UN REFUGEE AGENCY CRITICIZES E.U. ASYLUM LAW

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers warns that a crucial piece of European Union asylum law may erode established international standards.

The warning came in a letter to Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, current holder of the EU Presidency, ahead of a meeting Wednesday of EU interior ministers in Brussels.

DRC: THOUSANDS OF CIVILIANS FOUND LIVING IN FEAR AND FACING SHORTAGES

In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the UN Mission is assisting the Transitional Government in the demobilization of some 700 fighters from the Mai-Mai militia who have decided to lay down their weapons and return home. The ex-combatants are part of a larger group of 2000 Mai-Mai who gathered last week in the eastern town of Kindu. Two-thirds of those who gathered have opted to integrate into the DRCs national army.

In another item from the Democratic Republic of Congo, a recent humanitarian assessment mission to the eastern Walikale region conducted by the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Jan Egeland, found thousands civilians living in fear of numerous armed groups and facing basic shortages in food supplies and health services.

MORE THAN 1,000 SOLDIERS DEMOBILIZED IN AFGHANISTAN

The demobilization and reintegration processes are continuing in two pilot areas in Afghanistan, Kunduz and Gardez. In Gardez, 403 former soldiers had been demobilized by the end of this Saturday, while 677 had done so in Kunduz. Reintegration will continue after the Eid holiday, the UN mission in Afghanistan said on Sunday.

Regarding staff security, the mission is assessing staff in the south, the southeast and the east in light of on-going projects and operations those areas. The mission is looking how operations can continue with a reduced presence if that is warranted. These are temporary measures to lower visibility until the situation is reassessed again in probably another two weeks.

DECEMBER FIRST IS WORLD AIDS DAY

The UN Childrens Fund today formally appointed Kami, the HIV-Positive Muppet as one of its Global Champions for Children. This character appears regularly on the South African version of the well-known childrens programme, Sesame Street. In relation to that I have a few other mentions.

Tomorrow in London, UNAIDS will launch its annual epidemic update. The agencys chief, Peter Piot, will hold a press conference there to mark the launch.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

ANNAN TO MAKE IRAQ APPOINTMENT SOON: In response to a question about the timing the Secretary-General's appointments for Iraq, the Spokesman said mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; as a first step he would soon name someone to handle operations on the ground, who would serve as an acting Special Representative, until a formal appointment of the latter is made.

STATE OF FOOD REPORT TO BE RELEASED TUESDAY: The Food and Agriculture Organization will release its annual report, The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2003.

Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

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New York, NY 10017

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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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