United Nations Daily Highlights, 04-01-21

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From: The United Nations Home Page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.org

BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC

ASSOCIATE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Wednesday, January 21, 2004

ANNAN CONSIDERS HOW BEST THE UNITED NATIONS CAN HELP IRAQ

Secretary-General Kofi Annan this morning met with German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer in Baden Baden, and told reporters afterwards that their talks touched on problem areas like Iraq, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Afghanistan, as well as German-U.N. relations and the Secretary-Generals high-level panel on UN change.

Asked about recent political developments in

Iran

, the Secretary-General expressed his hope that Iranians would find a way to resolve their differences so that they could hold free and fair elections with participation of all the parties.

Asked about UN efforts to find a settlement in Cyprus, he said that his settlement proposal was still on the table, and that he is waiting to hear from all parties that they are ready to resume negotiations. He added, We havent reached the stage where I would get involved yet, but noted that he expected to meet with the Prime Minister of Turkey at Davos in the next few days.

In response to questions on when he might send a UN team to Iraq, the Secretary-General said he was in touch with parties in

Iraq

and was still considering how best the UN can help.

In New York, asked about the continuing dialogue following the

Secretary-General's January 19th meetings with senior representatives of the Iraqi Governing Council and the Coalition Provisional Authority, the Associate Spokesman said that contacts with both members of the Iraqi Governing Council and of the Coalition Provisional Authority, whether in person or over the phone, were continuing. This was an ongoing process in which the Secretary-Generals staff was involved. Asked for an update on when the UN security mission would be leaving for

Iraq, he said he had nothing to report on that matter.

ANNAN RECEIVES GERMAN MEDIA PRIZE

In

Baden-Baden Tuesday evening, the Secretary-General received the German Media Prize, which is based on a poll of the editors of the most important media in

Germany. The jury said that the Secretary-General stands, like no other politician, for the basic ideals of the United Nations, striving for a better organized and peaceful world.

In his acceptance speech, the Secretary-General expressed his hope that the world would not allow its attention to be monopolized by

Iraq

in 2004, as it was in 2003.

He pointed to three tasks that confront us in the coming year: to refocus the worlds attention on development, to start rebuilding our system of collective security and to rebuild trust and confidence between peoples of different faiths and cultures.

ANNAN: FRAGILE STABILITY OF SOUTHERN LEBANON IS

THREATENED

The Secretary-General says that the past six months have been marked by numerous incidents threatening the fragile stability of southern

Lebanon, including exchanges of fire in the Shaba farms area and air strikes and shooting incidents across the Blue Line.

In a report to the Security Council, which is out on the racks today, the Secretary-General says that, although the violent incidents that took place along the Blue Line were contained, they led to the deaths of six people in the area, and tensions were frequently high.

It remains a matter of concern, he said, that

Israel

persists in its provocative air violations of sovereign Lebanese territory. At the same time, Hezbollahs firing of anti-aircraft rounds across the Blue Line is also a violation, and one that poses obvious mortal risk.

He also notes with concern the discovery of explosives along the Blue Line, and says the UN peacekeeping mission, UNIFIL, will continue to work closely with the parties to facilitate the verification of such devices.

The Secretary-General recommends that the Security Council renew the UNIFIL missions mandate by six months, until the end of July.

UN AGENCY REPORTS FRESH ISRAELI INCURSION

IN

GAZA

CAMP

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has provided details about

Israels demolition of buildings yesterday in the Rafah Refugee Camp in southern

Gaza, as well as in part of Rafah town which had re-housed Palestinian refugees in the 1970s.

Israeli forces demolished 36 buildings that were home to 412 people. A fresh incursion began this morning, the Agency adds, details of which have yet to be confirmed.

Since the start of the current strife in late 2000, around ten thousand people in Rafah have been made homeless by the house demolitions, the Agency says.

UN ENVOY CONDEMNS ATTACKS ON PEACEKEEPERS IN D.R.

OF CONGO

Today, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Secretary-General's Special Representative William Swing strongly condemned recent attacks on UN troops in Ituri by members of the Union of Congolese Patriots militia (UPC).

Following several incidents in which the UN Ituri Brigade has been fired upon, Swing conveyed his indignation to UPC leader Thomas Lubanga, noting that the UN Mission does not accept the notion of uncontrolled groups.

Swing also stressed that the UN Mission was in Ituri to protect the civilian population and restore peace and that its troops would respond robustly to any attack.

SPECIAL COURT MOVES TO PREVENT CIVIL UNREST IN SIERRA LEONE

The Registrar of the Special Court for Sierra Leone has ordered that all communications involving indicted suspect Sam Hinga Norman except for those with his legal representation - be restricted for a period of fourteen days, after a telephone intercept recorded late Monday.

The content of the intercepted conversation indicated his involvement in coordinating activities calculated to cause civil unrest in

Sierra Leone

.

LIBERIAN COMBATANTS URGED TO DISARM

The UN mission in Liberia announced the launch of a nationwide campaign to inform commanders, combatants and communities about the disarmament, demobilization, rehabilitation and reintegration program.

The campaign was launched yesterday in Tubmanburg, headquarters town of the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy, located 50 kilometres northwest of

Monrovia

. Cartoon flyers depicting the process were distributed to the combatants.

Yesterdays event was the first in a series of field visits to inform and sensitize combatants and communities on the program, a campaign agreed by all parties as one of the necessary prerequisites to a resumption of disarmament and demobilization of combatants.

MORE SUDANESE REFUGEES FLEE INTO

CHAD

The UN

High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today dispatched teams to the border region of

Chad

to look into reports of some 18,000 new Sudanese refugees fleeing continued violence in western

Sudan

's Darfur region over the past five days.

Local authorities in the border area north of the town of

Adre

in eastern

Chad

told a UNHCR team there Tuesday that some 8,000 refugees had arrived in three different sites. The new arrivals had reportedly fled from fighting in

Sudan

's Djerbira canton since 16 January.

VITAMIN DEFICIENCIES HOLD BACK WORLD ECONOMY

A new report from UNICEF and the Micronutrient Initiative finds that lack of basic vitamins and minerals in the diet is damaging the health of one-third of the worlds people and holding back the economic development of virtually every country in the southern hemisphere.

Few outside specialist circles are aware of what vitamin and mineral deficiency means for individuals and nations.

But the report, released today at the World Economic Forum in Davos, finds that a lack of key vitamins and minerals is responsible for impairing intellectual development, compromising immune systems, provoking birth defects, and consigning some 2 billion people to lives below their physical and mental potential.

NEW PLANS OUTLINED TO CURB HIV/TUBERCULOSIS INFECTION

The World Health Organization plans to expand collaboration between national programmes for tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, in an effort to curb the growing pandemic of TB and HIV co-infection.

The plans principal focus is on Africa , where 70% of the worlds 14 million people are co-infected live.

The new policy guidelines define the necessary activities to address the dual epidemic and give clear guidance on how to carry out the activities.

Taken together, the two epidemics represent a massive challenge to public health 40 million people are currently infected with HIV, and 5 million are infected every year. According to WHO, one-third of the worlds population is now infected with the TB bacillus.

ERITREAN HUMANITARIAN CRISIS FAR FROM OVER

The top UN official in

Eritrea

told journalists in

Geneva

today that the humanitarian crisis in that country is far from over.

Eritrea

has some of the highest malnutrition rates in Africa,

said Simon Nhongo, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Eritrea.

The UN Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal for

Eritrea

in 2004 seeks to address the humanitarian needs of 1.9 million people affected by war or drought.

Nearly $100 million of that amount required would go for food-related interventions.

WORLD

MARATHON

CHAMPION BECOMES AMBASSADOR AGAINST HUNGER

Today in

Rome, world marathon record holder and Olympic medalist, Paul Tergat, was appointed Ambassador Against Hunger by the World Food Programme.

Paul Tergat is a natural advocate for the fight against hunger. Growing up in the drought and poverty-stricken region of Baringo, in

Kenya, he was one of the hundreds of children who received free school lunches from the World Food Programme.

Now aged 34, Tergat will use the high-profile platform of international athletics to raise awareness of how food aid can transform the life of a hungry child by boosting energy, school attendance and concentration on study.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

SECURITY COUNCIL: No meetings or consultations of the Security Council were scheduled for today.

PSYCHOANALYSTS ON RACISM: On Thursday 22 January, starting at 10:30 a.m. in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, several psychoanalysts will offer their perspectives on anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and racism. The panel discussion is part of the DPI/NGO schedule of briefings, and it will be moderated by Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information Shashi Tharoor.

NEW PRIZE FOR ENVIRONMENT-FRIENDLY ENTREPRENEURS

: A new initiative to support entrepreneurs in environment and development was launched today at the World Social Forum in Mumbai and the World Economic Forum in Davos.

The initiative, to be known as the Seed Awards, will reward partnerships between community groups, businesses, worker organizations or local authorities, which aim to promote development while protecting the environment. The awards for innovative proposals will be presented every two years.

UN BUDGET DUES: Three more countries paid their UN regular budget dues in full for this year:

Australia

, which paid more than $22 millions;

Canada

, which paid more than $40 million; and

New Zealand

, which paid more than

$3 million. So far this year, 18 Member States have paid their dues in full.

UN WEBSITE IN WORLDS TOP 100 SITES VISITED: Lastly, our colleagues at the UN web site report that last year the site had over 2.5 billion hits. This is a sharp increase from 2002 during which the site had received 1.6 billion hits. This places the UN website in the top 100 internet sites visited.