United Nations Daily Highlights, 04-02-17

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

BY

FRED ECKHARD

SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Tuesday, February 17, 2004

ANNAN TO MAKE OFFICIAL VISIT TO JAPAN

Secretary-General Kofi Annan is scheduled to leave on Friday for an official visit to Japan. He is due back in New York in the middle of next week.

More details about his trip will provided towards the end of this week.

ANNAN "EXTREMELY CONCERNED" BY SITUATION IN HAITI

The Secretary-General was asked by a reporter, upon entering the building today, about the situation in Haiti, and said that the United Nations was extremely concerned.

He

said that the United Nations has been in touch with the Caribbean Community and the Organization of American States in reassessing its own participation and how it should become more actively engaged. He added, I may have some announcements in the next few days.

The

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs remains concerned about the humanitarian situation and the insecurity which is affecting the transport of food aid.

In the meantime, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees,

UNHCR, is stepping up its contingency planning and urging Haitis neighbours to receive refugees in the event of an exodus.

Asked if the Secretary-General had any reaction to the suggestion by French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin that a UN peacekeeping force be sent to Haiti, the Spokesman the Secretariat had no reaction. The Spokesman encouraged the journalists to seek the views of members of the Security Council.

Asked for the status of the UNs recent humanitarian mission to Haiti, the Spokesman later answered that the mission to Haiti has been on the ground for eight days and will remain there until the end of this week. On Friday, the Spokesman said, the UN Resident Coordinator launched an appeal to set up a humanitarian corridor from Port-au-Prince, through Gonaives and to the northern regions of the country.

Asked for more details on the Secretary-Generals anticipated announcement, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General had decided sometime ago to increase the UNs humanitarian involvement in the country but he was also looking for ways to be plugged-in to the political situation on the island.

Asked if the Secretary-General was about to appoint a Special Representative, the Spokesman said he did not want to anticipate any decision by the Secretary-General.

Asked who was the current advisor to the Secretary-General on Haiti, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General currently relied on the Department of Political Affairs, under the leadership of Under Secretary-General, Kieren Prendergast.

ANNAN EXPECTS TO DECIDE ON IRAQ RECOMMENDATIONS

BY THE END OF THE WEEK

Lakhdar Brahimi, the Secretary-Generals Special Advisor, is in Abu Dhabi today where is scheduled to meet the Emir.

Over the weekend, he was in Kuwait where he attended the meeting of Foreign Ministers from Iraq, its neighbours and Egypt. Brahimi is expected back in New York tomorrow.

The rest of the team, which had stayed longer in Iraq, is expected to arrive back in New York this afternoon.

In his comments to the press this morning, the Secretary-General said he expected to decide on the teams conclusions before he travels to Japan.

Asked how the Secretary-Generals conclusions would be released, the Spokesman said that they would first have to be sent to the Iraqi Governing Council and the Coalition Provisional Authority, who had requested this mission, and it could be expected that the Secretary-General brief members of the Security Council.

Asked about the mechanics of how and when this would actually be done, the Spokesman said that the exact mechanics and schedule had yet to be worked out. He added that it was a tall order for all this to be concluded prior to the Secretary-Generals to Japan as he would have to meet with Brahimi, the technical electoral team and then formulate recommendations.

IRAQ FUND MONITORING BOARD LAUNCHES WEB SITE

The International Advisory and Monitoring Board for Iraq (IAMB) has set up now set up a web site,

www.iamb.info, where its has posted its press releases, minutes of meetings and other relevant information.

During its last meeting in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, the board received a briefing by the Coalition Provisional Authority on the financial functions and operations for the Development fund for Iraq.

The Board was also told that the CPA had invited proposals by February 18 for external audits. The IAMB will then have to approve duly qualified external auditors.

CYPRUS TALKS SET TO RESUME THURSDAY

Alvaro de Soto, the Secretary-Generals Special Advisor for

Cyprus, is expected to land on the island in just a few minutes.

On his way to Cyprus, de Soto held a series of meetings with European officials in Dublin and Brussels.

As the Secretary-General said on Friday, the talks will re-convene in on Thursday with direct meetings between the two parties in the presence of his Special Advisor. The technical committees on laws and treaties will re-convene on the same day.

SECURITY COUNCIL MEETS TO DISCUSS CENTRAL AFRICA SITUATION

The Security Council is holding an open

meeting today on the recommendations of the Security Council mission to Central Africa in June 2003.

Tuliameni Kalomoh, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, summarized advances attained in addressing the recommendations made on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi and the international conference on the Great Lakes region.

He mentioned the arrival of a UN multi-disciplinary reconnaissance mission in Bujumbura today to examine the situation on the ground and assess how the Transitional Government could best be supported to ensure the successful conclusion of the peace process.

Wednesday, Security Council members will receive their periodic briefing on the situation in the

Middle East. Delivering that brief will be the UN Middle East Envoy Terje Roed Larsen.

REPORT SHOWS ALARMING SPREAD OF HIV/AIDS IN EASTERN EUROPE

Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States have some of the fastest growing rates of HIV/AIDS in the world, and the disease threatens the regions prospects for economic growth, and human development. Those are some of the findings of a

UN Development Programme report released today.

The report is the first comprehensive study of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 28 countries of East and South Eastern Europe, the Baltic and the Commonwealth of Independent States. The report finds that the impact of HIV/AIDS is compounded by still insufficient public awareness, frequent stigmatisation and the lack of adequate policy instruments to cope with the disease.

U.N. ENVOY CONDEMNS KILLING OF DE-MINERS IN AFGHANISTAN

The Secretary-Generals Special Representative for

Afghanistan, Jean Arnault, condemned the brutal and cold-blooded murder last Saturday of four Afghan mine clearance workers, the first deminers to be killed in the country since October 2001.

He said the deminers are invisible heroes, who, without any thought of self, put their own lives at risk every day, and he urged the authorities to investigate their killing.

GEORGIAN AND ABKHAZ OFFICIALS MEET UNDER U.N. AUSPICES IN GENEVA

Representatives from Georgia are in Geneva today for the third meeting of the Group of Friends of the Secretary-General.

The talks are aimed at taking stock of the peace process in Georgia and plan for next steps.

The meeting is being chaired by a senior United Nations official. The Group of Friends is made up of representatives of France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

NUCLEAR AGENCY CHIEF TO RETURN TO LIBYA

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Mohamed ElBaradei will visit Libya on February 23-24, to meet with senior Libyan officials and review progress in the Agencys work.

Libya has asked the IAEA to ensure through verification that all of Libyas nuclear activities are placed under safeguards and exclusively for peaceful purposes.

The Director General's February visit is the second in three months to Libya, following a trip last December.

U.N. TEAM VISITS BAKASSI PENINSULA

The Sub Commissions on Affected Populations and on Demarcation of the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission, are currently visiting the southern portion of the Land Boundary between Cameroon and Nigeria.

The Sub-Commission on affected populations will assess the situation of the border communities, and the Sub-Commission on Demarcation will take necessary steps in view of the demarcation activities.

This is not the first field trip by the Sub-Commission on Affected Populations. It already visited the Lake Chad area and other sections of the land boundary where it met numerous border communities. During the latter visits, the populations met expressed their desire to continue to live in peace with brothers and sisters across respective border.

NEW REPORT SAYS NOTES HUMAN RIGHTS CONDITIONS IN CUBA

A report just issued by the

Personal Representative of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on Cuba, points out that political dissidents sentenced to heavy prison sentences in Cuba are being held in very trying physical and psychological conditions.

French judge Christine Chanet, notes with concern that her calls for clemency in these cases have gone unheard. In addition, she is critical of the April 2003 execution of three people accused of hijacking a ferry in spite of Cubas moratorium on the use of the death penalty.

Chanet calls on the Cuban Government to stop depriving the population of its basic rights and freedoms and appeals for a number of measures to be taken in this regard. The report will be submitted to the next session of the UN Human Rights Commission.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

FOUR ARRESTED IN KOSOVO FOR SERIOUS CRIMES: Four people were arrested on Monday in

Kosovo in connection with serious crimes, including the murder of Kosovo Albanians. All of the suspects are members of the Kosovo Protection Corps, and one senior officer is amongst those detained. The Secretary-Generals Special Representative in Kosovo, Harri Holkeri, has informed top leaders in the province of the arrests, telling them that the action in no way constitutes an indictment of the Kosovo Protection Force.

AIRLIFT BEGINS FOR SUDANESE REFUGEES IN CHAD: The UN refugee agency,

UNHCR, today started daily flights to bring more than 250 tons of relief aid to 110,000 refugees along the Chad-Sudan border, where local resources are being stretched to the limit. On Tuesday, an Ilyushin cargo plane set off with non-food supplies from Mwanza, Tanzania, for Abeche, the main city in eastern Chad.

HUMAN RIGHTS TO BE EXAMINED IN COLOMBIA: The

Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Ambeyi Ligabo, will visit Colombia from February 22 to 29 at the invitation of the Government. Ligabo is expected to meet with senior Government officials dealing with the media sector, representatives from the press and legal systems, as well as representatives of the UN system and other intergovernmental organizations. Through these meetings, Ligabo intends to collect first-hand information, as hes been examining the extent of human rights violations linked to the right to freedom of opinion and expression, freedom of association, and peaceful assembly in Colombia.

"RIGHT TO FOOD" BEING LOOKED AT IN ETHIOPIA: Jean Ziegler, the

Special Rapporteur on the right to food, is in Ethiopia at the invitation of the government there. Ziegler is studying the realization of the right to food. Hes due to meet the Governments Disaster, Prevention and Preparedness Commission and will undertake field trips. Zieglers visit began yesterday and ends on February 27. Hes expected to present his preliminary findings to the Commission on Human Rights in April 2004. A full report will be submitted in 2005.

MEETING TO DISCUSS BIO-SAFETY ISSUES: More than 1,000 delegates from Governments and organizations will meet in Kuala Lumpur from February 23 to 27 to discuss the

Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. The Protocol, a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity, was adopted in January 2000 in order to protect biological diversity from the potential risks that could be posed by genetically modified organisms.

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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