United Nations Daily Highlights, 04-04-26

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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

Monday, April 26, 2004

NOT TOO LATE TO REGAIN PATH TOWARDS MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS

The record on achieving the goals to which world leaders agreed at the Millennium Assembly is mixed, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said, although it is not too late to regain the path on which we set out with such hope.

The Secretary-General this morning opened the yearly meeting that brings together the Economic and Social Council, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization.

He told them that nations must demonstrate clearly by next year that they are truly serious about reaching the Millennium Development Goals.

He emphasized the need for national policies to focus on attaining those Goals; for greater foreign investment in developing countries; for real gains for developing countries in the Doha negotiations; for more and better aid; and for poor countries debt burdens to be addressed.

ANNAN DISAPPOINTED OVER FAILURE OF

CYPRUS

REUNIFICATION EFFORTS

On Saturday, the settlement plan for Cyprus was approved by the Turkish Cypriots and rejected by the Greek Cypriots. As a result the Foundation Agreement will not enter into force.

Speaking to reporters today, the Secretary-General said that were all very disappointed that the reunification efforts did not succeed.

He added: I hope, now that they have woken up to what has happened, they will reflect and take necessary steps to get back to the table.

In a statement read out Saturday evening in Nicosia by his Special Advisor for Cyprus, Alvaro de Soto, the Secretary-General said that a unique and historic chance to resolve the Cyprus problem has been missed.

In thatstatement, the Secretary-General said he intends to give careful thought to the implications of the result.Meanwhile, he added that

Cyprus will remain divided and militarized as it accedes to the European Union, and the benefits of a settlement will not be realized.

During the press conference, de Soto said his Good Offices mission would begin to close down.

This morning, de Soto began to pay farewell calls to a number of leaders on the island, including Tassos Papadopoulos, Mehmet Ali Talat and Serdar Denktash. De Soto will make his way back to New York and brief the Security Council.

Asked about the future of the UN force in Cyprus, the Spokesman said the United Nations would first want the dust to settle, and would then think about the future of the UN role and discuss it with the Security Council.

The Spokesman said the Secretary-General had done his level best to get the two sides to agree, but one side rejected the plan in the Saturday referendum, and now both sides would have to live with the consequences. The Secretary-Generals good offices on Cyprus, he added, ended on Saturday.

Asked about whether the travel of Cypriots across the Green Line would continue, the Spokesman said that matter was for the parties to decide, and, if they agreed on it, the United Nations could continue to facilitate the crossing. The larger question, he added, is what would be the mandate for the UN peacekeeping force.

ANNAN HOPEFUL OF POLITICAL SETTLEMENT TO FALLUJAH FIGHTING

The Secretary-General was asked by members of the press today about the situation in the Iraqi city of Fallujah, and said that it is tricky and dangerous to fight in a built-up area.

He noted that the Coalition Provisional Authority and the military on the ground have been extremely careful. The Secretary-General added, I hope they will succeed in working out a political settlement, without having to fight their way into Fallujah.

Asked when Special Adviser Lakhdar Brahimi would speak next to the press, the Spokesman said Brahimi would talk to reporters on Tuesday afternoon, following his briefing on Iraq to the Security Council.

Asked about recent reports concerning the nature of Iraqs sovereignty, the Spokesman said that the Iraqi people are in the process of deciding on the nature of a transitional government, and, to the extent that Brahimi can help that process, he will.

Brahimi, he added in response to another question, would consult this week with members of the UN Secretariat and with representatives of Member States.

Asked about Brahimis recent comments on the Middle East, the Spokesman said that he was asked a question, and he answered it, criticising Israeli policies and saying what he felt the impact of those policies was on the region and on

Iraq

.

Asked whether the Secretary-General agreed with those comments, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-Generals views on the Middle East have been laid out in his public statements made over the past seven years.

ANNAN URGES PARTIES TO NEGOTIATE FOR PEACE IN

DARFUR, SUDAN

According to a statement issued today, the Secretary-General is encouraged to learn that the Government of Sudan and the armed opposition in Darfur have agreed on a framework for continuing talks to address the problems in Darfur in a comprehensive manner. He urges the parties to continue negotiations in good faith.

The Secretary-General further calls on the parties to adhere to the ceasefire and do everything possible to prevent attacks on civilians. He underlines the need to assure unimpeded access for the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the civilian population.

The Secretary-General commends the African Unions decision to send a ceasefire observer mission to Darfur and encourages its speedy deployment.

The Secretary-General assures the parties, the Government of Chad and the African Union of the UN's support and cooperation in restoring peace in Darfur.

Meanwhile, the temporary ceasefire in western Sudan is allowing humanitarian aid workers first time access to hundreds of thousands of displaced people who were previously unreachable. UNICEF, in a press release, outlines the relief work that is underway. With the onset of the rainy season in June, the potential for outbreaks of disease due to inadequate shelter and crowded living conditions is a serious threat.

U.N. TEAM REACHES

NORTHERN UGANDA

IN WAKE OF REBEL RAIDS

Thousands of people have fled settlements in northern Uganda

in recent weeks following a series of raids by rebels of the feared Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).

Due to the recent LRA raids and reports of extensive population displacement in northern Uganda, representatives of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), World Food Programme, and the Ugandan government travelled to the affected area over the weekend to assess the situation.

According to UNHCR, the number of recently displaced Sudanese refugees in the region is estimated at 25,000. UNHCR notes that this number is a fraction of the displacement of local Ugandan population.

LRA rebels have been operating hit-and-run tactics in the region for years, raiding communities and forcing thousands of native Ugandans to flee their homes, displacing more than 1.5 million people in the proces

SIGNIFICANT LOSS OF LIFE REPORTED AT TRAIN BLAST SITE IN

NORTH KOREA

A UN assessment mission went to Ryongchon County

in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea on Saturday, and confirmed that the area had suffered a significant loss of life and experienced extensive damage to housing and infrastructure following last Thursdays train explosion.

The mission says that there is no need for international search and rescue operations, but there exist considerable immediate needs to provide shelter to affected families and to repair damaged buildings.

UN agencies have been providing medical supplies from existing programs to Ryongchon, and the UN system is also making available emergency grants to respond to the disaster. Those include $50,000 from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, $50,000 from the UN Development Programme and $25,000 from the World Health Organization.

SECURITY COUNCIL TO HOLD CONSULTATIONS ON WMD

At 3 p.m., the Security Council is scheduled to hold consultations on the issue of the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Under other matters, the Council is expected to hear a briefing on the latest developments in Cote dIvoire.

ANNAN APPOINTS EXPERTS TO

MONITOR DR CONGO

ARMS EMBARGO

In a letter to the President of the Security Council, the Secretary-General informed him that he has appointed the four members of the group of experts who will monitor the arms embargo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The four experts, from Cameroon, Canada, France and the United States, are part of the monitoring mechanism established by the Security Council in March to review information on the flow of illicit weapons to armed groups in the DRC, as well as the presence of any foreign military in that country.

U.N. OPERATIONS TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED IN

KANDAHAR REGION

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, reported that an explosive device hit the rear wall of a warehouse in Kunduz leased by UNHCR last Thursday, although no injuries or casualties were reported.

Also last Thursday, the Mission

says an unidentified man died while detonating an improvised explosive device on the road to the airport in the southern city of Kandahar. Another explosive device detonated near a UN electoral vehicle traveling on that same road later that day, damaging the vehicles panels and windscreen.

The United Nations is investigating these incidents, and UN staff remain in Kandahar, although all UN operations in the region have been temporarily suspended until the investigations are completed.

AGREEMENT REACHED ON UNIFIED GLOBAL RESPONSE TO AIDS

A historic agreement to adopt a unified global response to tackling the AIDS epidemic was reached Sunday in Washington, D.C., UNAIDS announced.

Donors and developing countries agreed to three core principles to improve the coordination of national AIDS responses. Those are to have one AIDS action framework in each country; to have one national AIDS coordinating authority; and to have one country-level monitoring and evaluation system.

Dr. Peter Piot, the Executive Director of UNAIDS, praised yesterdays agreement, saying, We left our flags and affiliations at the door.

Also, UNAIDS and UNICEF today jointly appointed action star Jackie Chan as a Goodwill Ambassador who will work on behalf of efforts to tackle AIDS. He is also interested in dealing with issues involving children affected by armed conflict.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

NEEDS OF CHERNOBYL

REGION NOT FORGOTTEN: Eighteen years ago today at the Chernobyl

power plant, the world suffered the worst nuclear accident in its history. In a statement issued to mark the occasion, the Secretary-General reaffirms the resolve of the United Nations to ensure that the ongoing needs of the people of the region are not forgotten. He urges the international community to provide the moral and financial support necessary to keep the affected communities from suffering the effects of this tragedy for decades to come.

NEW

EUROPE-ASIA HIGHWAY IS A MAJOR STEP FORWARD: Twenty-three Asian countries today signed an agreement to complete a trans-continental network of standardized roadways, at a Shanghai meeting of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific . In a message delivered at that meeting, the Secretary-General said that infrastructure such as highways and roads have just as crucial a role to play in creating opportunities for economic growth and social progress, and in overcoming the region's widespread poverty and inequality, and the Agreement on the Asian Highway Network is thus a major step forward.

TOO FEW DEVELOPING COUNTRIES BENEFITS FROM GROWTH OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE: In a message to the Joint Advisory Group of the International Trade Centre, the Secretary-General said that despite the increase in international trade over the past five decades, too few countries in the developing world have shared in the benefits of this growth. The message was delivered today on the Secretary-Generals behalf by the Director-General of the UN Office in Geneva.

WEST AFRICAN COUNTRIES DISCUSS NIGER BASIN DEVELOPMENT: In a message at the opening of a two-day conference on the Niger River Basin, the Secretary-General noted that the equitable distribution of water resources is one of the most important challenges that we face today. The message was delivered in Paris by his Special Representative for West Africa Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah.

DISARMAMENT CONTINUES IN LIBERIA: The disarmament and demobilization of Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) combatants in Tubmanburg, about 35 kilometers northwest of Monrovia, began Sunday, with 268 combatants, including 51 women and 75 children, joining the program. The town witnessed combatants marching to pick-up points with rifles and boxes of ammunition. UNHCR, meanwhile, said it is resuming full operations in Liberia, sending staff to previously-inaccessible areas on the heels of UN peacekeeping troops to pave the way for organised repatriation later this year. UNHCR has also completed the airlift of Liberian refugees stranded in Mali.

UNITED NATIONS TO HELP CHINA

IN SARS INVESTIGATION: At the request of the Chinese Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization is today sending the first members of an international team to help investigate the source of SARS cases recently reported in Beijing and the eastern province of Anhui. The team, which is expected to begin work on Wednesday, will include experts in epidemiology, virology, infection control, and laboratory bio-safety.

U.N. POPULATION AWARD WINNERS NAMED: Internationally acclaimed demographer, John C. Caldwell, and the Addis Ababa Fistula

Hospital, a pioneer in the treatment of childbirth injuries, have won the 2004 United Nations Population Award. The UN Population Fund said the Award is given annually to individuals and institutions for their outstanding work in the field of population and in the improvement of the health and welfare of individuals. The awards will be presented in July at a ceremony at U.N. Headquarters.