United Nations Daily Highlights, 04-04-30

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

THE NOON BRIEFING

BY FRED ECKHARD

SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF

THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Friday, April 30, 2004

UN STABILIZATION FORCE FOR HAITI APPROVED BY SECURITY COUNCIL

The Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution (1542) establishing the United Nations Stabilization Mission in

Haiti (MINUSTAH) as of 1 June 2004 for an initial period of six months.

The new mission is mandated to ensure a secure and stable environment, to support the constitutional and political process underway, and to support efforts to promote and protect human rights.

The resolution also emphasizes the need for Member States, the UN, regional organizations such as the OAS and CARICOM, and the international financial institutions, to contribute to the long-term social and economic development of Haiti.

The Security Council also adopted a Presidential Statement on Cote d'Ivoire in which it expressed its grave concern at the current impasse in the peace process as defined by the Linas Marcoussis Agreement.

In the statement, the Council also expressed its readiness to consider further steps to encourage full implementation of the agreement.

Regarding Kosovo, the Council also adopted a Presidential Statement, in which it expressed its full support for the "Standards before Status" policy.

ANNAN DISTURB BY MISTREATMENT OF IRAQI PRISONNERS

The Secretary-General, in a

statement released through his Spokesman, was deeply disturbed by the pictures of Iraqi prisoners being mistreated and humiliated by their guards in the Abu Gharib prison.

He hopes that this was an isolated incident and welcomes what appears to be a clear determination on the part of the US military to bring those responsible to justice, and to prevent such abuses in the future. In all circumstances, and in all places, the Secretary-General is strongly opposed to the mistreatment of detainees.

He reiterates that all detainees should be fully protected in accordance with the provisions of international human rights law.

Asked whether the Spokesman was making a veiled reference to Guantanamo, the Spokesman said that the reference to all places and all times would refer to every place, including Guantanamo.

ANNAN TO HOST MIDDLE EAST QUARTET MEETING IN NEW YORK

In London, the UNs

Middle East Envoy Terje Roed Larsen joined his colleagues from the European Union, Russia and the United States to prepare for Tuesdays Quartet meeting.

The meeting on Tuesday morning will be hosted by the Secretary-General in his office at UN headquarters in New York.

The attendees, in addition to the Secretary-General, will be US Secretary of State Colin Powell, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Irish Foreign Minister Brian Cowan, EU High Representative Javier Solana, EU External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten.

Following the meeting, there will be press conference at which the Secretary-General will read out a statement on behalf of the Quartet.

Asked about a letter from the Secretary-General to Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat, the Spokesman said that the letter was written in response to one from Arafat. There is nothing in the letter that is not consistent, in content and tone, with the line of the Quartet, which has delivered a tough stance to both the Israelis and the Palestinians, he added.

UN OFFICIALS VISIT CAMPS IN DARFUR, SUDAN

The UN High Level Mission to

Sudan, led by

World Food Programme head James Morris, continued its work in Darfur today. Teams led by Morris and by Ambassador Tom Eric Vraalsen visited camps in Darfur, and are scheduled to fly back to Khartoum later today.

Meanwhile, a UN human rights team which has been conducting a separate visit to Darfur is expected to return to Geneva this weekend, and to report to acting High Commissioner for Human Rights Bertrand Ramcharan next week.

While on the topic of Sudan, the

UN Refugee Agency

reports that hundreds of Sudanese refugees have crossed back into their homeland after fleeing raids by the rebel Lord's Resistance Army on refugee settlements.

So far, the

raids have displaced more than 25,000 refugees in northern Uganda.

UN HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION IN THAILAND VIOLENCE

The acting

High Commissioner for Human Rights, Bertrand Ramcharan, today called on Thailand to carry out swift and transparent investigations into the killings that took place on Wednesday in the south of the country. At least 112 people, including five police officers and soldiers, are said to have died that day in clashes between law enforcement officers and assailants.

He also urged that immediate measures be taken to ensure full respect for the human rights of all concerned, including those detained following Wednesdays confrontations.

UNHCR CONCERNED AT NEW EUROPEAN UNION REFUGEE REGULATIONS

The UN Refugee Agency today

expressed its concern at yesterdays European Union legislation on asylum, which it warned may lead in practice to breaches of international refugee law.

The Asylum Procedures Directive, agreed to yesterday in Luxembourg, contains no binding commitment to satisfactory procedural standards, and could allow states to adopt or continue worst practices in determining asylum claims, UNHCR says.

UNHCR details its concerns in todays briefing notes, which also

announces that Russias Memorial Human Rights Centre has been named this years winner of the Nansen Refugee Award. That Award is given annually to individuals or organizations that have distinguished themselves in work on behalf of refugees.

UN TAJIKISTAN MISSION TO GO FOR ANOTHER YEAR, ANNAN TELLS COUNCIL

The Secretary-General says that the UN peace-building office in Tajikistan is continuing to make an important contribution to that countrys post-conflict transition, and he says that he intends to continue its work for another year, until June 1, 2005.

In a

letter to the Security Council, which we have upstairs, the Secretary-General writes that the viability of Tajikistans peace process will be tested by parliamentary elections in early 2005.

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL TO LEAVE FOR EUROPE

Next week, the Deputy Secretary-General, Louise Fréchette, will be on an official trip to Europe.

She will first attend the official launch of the

Global Compact in Rome. This is an initiative by the Italian Government, the

International Labour Organization and the private sector within the framework of the Secretary-Generals 1999 Global Compact to gather the world of business and labour around universal principals on human rights, work norms and environmental protection.

On Wednesday Ms. Frechette will visit the UN System Staff College in Turin, where she is the President of the Board.

Finally on Friday, she will be in Geneva to address the first ever global meeting of the staff of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS, known as

UNAIDS.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS:

GROUP OF 77: The Secretary-General yesterday afternoon

celebrated the fortieth anniversary of the

Group of Seventy-seven coalition of developing nations, but he also warned that overall, the world has become a much more unequal place than it was forty years ago. He says that, if there is anything that the past four decades have taught us, it is that opportunities for development need to be more evenly distributed.

DRUGS: Antonio Maria Costa, the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, has completed a visit to the Vatican where his activities included an audience with the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II. Costa thanked the Pope for his Message of Peace delivered on 1 January this year, which stressed the importance of justice, the universal principle of UN work, and the contribution of the Church towards building peace. Following the audience with the Pope, Costa met the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, for an exchange of views and prospective collaboration in the prevention and treatment of drug abuse and crime.Their discussion included possible cooperation between UNODC and Catholic charities around the world.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: The

Commission on Sustainable Development concludes its Twelfth Session today. As you know, the Commission has been reviewing progress since the World Summit on Sustainable Development particularly in the three areas of: water, sanitation and human settlements.

WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY: The UNs Department of Public Information has organized activities in observance of World Press Freedom Day which is this coming Monday. The first part of the observance starts at 10 a.m., in Conference Room 2, with statements from the Secretary-General, as well as the director of UNESCOs New York office and the President of the UN Correspondents Association. It will be followed by a panel discussion at 10.50 a.m. on the topic: Reporting and Under-reporting: Who Decides? The panel will be made up of representatives from the media, NGOs and the UN.

The guest at the Noon Briefing was Kalman Mizsei, Director of the UN Development Programme's Regional Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. He briefed journalists on the expansion of the European Union and its implications for the development of the region.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Monday, May 3

The President of the Security Council for the month of May, Ambassador Munir Akram, is expected to discuss the program of work in bilateral consultations with other Council members.

Over the weekend, the UN High-Level Mission led by James Morris is expected to wrap up its work in Sudan and to depart from the country.

The guest at the noon briefing will be Carina Perelli, head of the Electoral Assistance Division in the Department for Political Affairs, who will discuss Iraq.

The Deputy Secretary-General will begin a trip to Italy and Switzerland.

Today is World Press Freedom Day. The UNs Department of Public Information has organized activities in observance of the Day. The first part of the observance starts at 10 a.m., in Conference Room 2, with statements from the Secretary-General, as well as the director of UNESCOs New York office and the President of the UN Correspondents Association. It will be followed by a panel discussion at 10.50 a.m. on the topic: Reporting and Under-reporting: Who Decides? The panel will be made up of representatives from the media, NGOs and the UN.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is hosting a three-day consultation to identify the factors that allow diseases to jump from animals to humans. The consultation, held jointly with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Office International des Epizooties (OIE), in collaboration with the Dutch Health Council, will take place at WHO's Geneva Headquarters, from 3-5 May.

The United Nations Forum on Forests will hold its Fourth Session at the Palais des Nations in Geneva from 3 to 14 May 2004.

Tuesday, May 4

The Secretary-General and Nane Annan will mark the 25th anniversary of Refugees International.

The Security Council is expected to hold consultations on its program of work for May. Afterward, Security Council President Munir Akram will talk to reporters about the Councils work over the coming month.

In Rome, the Deputy Secretary-General will mark the launch of the Global Compact in Italy.

Wednesday, May 5

The Deputy Secretary-General will visit the UN System Staff College in Turin, Italy.

Agriculture ministers from 44 European member States and representatives of the enlarged European Union will discuss food safety and quality at the Food and Agriculture Organizations 24th Regional Conference for Europe between 5-7 May in Montpellier, France.

Agriculture ministers from 44 European member States and representatives of the enlarged European Union will discuss food safety and quality as well as the important role played by agricultural research in sustainable rural development.

Thursday, May 6 Friday, May 7

The Deputy Secretary-General will speak at the global UNAIDS staff meeting in Geneva.