United Nations Daily Highlights, 04-05-07

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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, May 7, 2004

SECURITY COUNCIL BRIEFED ON DARFUR CRISIS

In closed consultations of the Security Council, members heard back-to-back briefings on the two concluded UN missions to the Darfur region.

James Morris, Executive Director of the

World Food Programme, briefed on the high-level humanitarian

mission he led. He said he had never visited people as terrified as the people he met in Darfur.

Bertrand Ramcharan, the

Acting High Commissioner for Refugees, briefed on the human rights situation there, based on his report (see below).

Secretary-General Kofi Annan, on his way to the consultations, told reporters that Morris had some very concrete ideas as to what we can do. The Secretary-General also said he had been on the phone fairly regularly with the Sudanese President on their obligations and responsibilities. He also said that he would inform the Council that the African Union monitors, who are going to monitor the ceasefire in Darfur, will begin to arrive shortly.

Germany's Vice Foreign Minister Kerstin Mueller, who had just returned from Chad, also participated in the consultations.

Following consultations, Ramcharan told reporters that the events in Sudan were happening in front of the world, and that Council members had been informed about the human rights violations in Darfur. "No one can say, 'We were not told'," he said.

Prior to the closed consultations, the Security Council began its work this morning with a briefing in an open meeting by Chairman-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Passy.

ANNAN CONDEMNS ATTACK ON MOSQUE IN PAKISTAN

The Secretary-General, in a

statement issued through his Spokesman, is appalled by the news of yet another attack in a place of worship, this time in a mosque in the city of Karachi in Pakistan, which has reportedly killed about a dozen innocent worshippers and wounded about one hundred more.

He condemns in the strongest terms this terrorist act and calls for action to bring the perpetrators to justice. He reiterates his position that no political or other cause can justify brutal acts of indiscriminate violence against civilians.

The Secretary-General extends his sincere condolences to the families of the victims of this attack.

UN HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF CALLS ON SUDAN TO DISARM MILITIAS IN SUDAN

Sudan's Government should unequivocally condemn all actions and crimes committed by the Janjaweed militia and ensure that all militias are immediately disarmed and disbanded, the acting

High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a report today.

The report of the UN human rights team which visited Chad and Darfur, in western Sudan, in April and May says that, in its response to a rebellion in Darfur, the Sudanese Government appears to have sponsored the Janjaweed militia, composed of fighters of apparently Arab background.

In its interviews with refugees and displaced persons from Darfur, the team received frequent reports, often eyewitness accounts, of killings, and of sexual violence particularly rape. The mission added that it is clear from its findings that a climate of impunity has prevailed, and continues today to prevail, in Darfur.

The Acting High Commissioner calls for humanitarian workers to be given full and unimpeded access to the region. It urges the Sudanese Government to pursue a policy of national reconciliation for Darfur and adds that an international, independent Commission of Inquiry is required.

The

UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), meanwhile, started moving the first of thousands of Sudanese refugees from the southernmost tip of the 600-km stretch of Chad-Sudan border where refugees have been fleeing Darfur.

SEXUAL ABUSE OF CIVILIANS BY U.N. STAFF INVESTIGATED IN DR CONGO

The

UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has launched a comprehensive investigation into reported instances of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of civilians, including minors, by its personnel in Bunia.

The mission is determined to enforce the Secretary-Generals policy of zero tolerance of any sexual misconduct, in accordance with his Bulletin on Special measures for protection from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse, of

October 9, 2003.

The UN mission is committed to completing a full and thorough investigation as a matter of urgency, and to applying all available sanctions against any of its personnel found responsible.

U.N. AGENCIES PROVIDE AID TO CONGOLESE EXPELLED FROM ANGOLA

The UNs Office of

Humanitarian

Affairs

reports that the humanitarian situation of tens of thousands of Congolese expelled from neighbouring Angola over these past few weeks appears to be stabilizing.

The number of expellees entering into one of the main entry points has decreased from a rate of hundreds to dozens of persons crossing each day. Since the expulsions began in March, some 67,000 Congolese have been registered by local crisis committees. Its estimated that up to 100,000 Congolese migrant diamond workers will be expelled from Angola.

UN agencies, such as

UNICEF and the

World Food Programme, along with other humanitarian partners are continue to deliver aid where possible.

ANNAN SAYS HE WILL CARRY ON WORK DESPITE BIN LADEN THREAT

The Secretary-General was asked upon entering the Security Council for its consultations about his reaction to the threat against him purportedly issued by Osama bin Laden.

He

responded that the United Nations will take precautions, and that he intends to carry on with his life and his work.

Asked about the recent apologies from U.S. officials concerning the photographs of prisoner abuses in Iraq, the Secretary-General said he was relieved that U.S. officials have taken it seriously, including President Bush, by saying that he was sorry for what happened. He added, I hope the people in the region pay attention to that reaction.

BRAHIMI DISCUSSES POLITICAL TRANSITION,

DETAINEE TREATMENT WITH IRAQI LEADERS

The Secretary-Generals Special Advisor, Lakhdar Brahimi, continues his discussions in

Iraq. Today he met a number of members of the Governing Council to discuss the political transition and to listen to their views.

Among the Council members he met were, Sheikh Ghazi, a tribal leader from Mosul, Dr. Mahmouh Othman, Adel Abdel Mahdi of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, and Adnan Pachachi.

Also attending his meeting with Dr. Othman was the newly appointed Iraqi Minister for Human Rights, Bakhtyar Amin. They discussed the situation surrounding the treatment of detainees, which Brahimi again condemned. The minister briefed him on the mechanisms that were being put in place to ensure that these incidents do not occur again.

Lastly, Brahimi also met with the National Security Advisor of the Council of Ministers, Mouwafak al-Rubei.

UNHCR announced today that convoys of Iraqis returning home had resumed on Wednesday. More than a 100 Iraqis who insisted on returning to their country, were bussed in from camps in western Iran, to the Basra region. UNHCR had suspended the convoys for security reasons more than a month ago. More than 6,000 Iraqis have returned from Iran with assistance from the UN refugee agency since convoys started last November, while some 4,800 have returned from Saudi Arabia.

ANNAN ASSURES VOLCKER OF FULL COOPERATION WITH INDEPENDENT INQUIRY

Thursday afternoon, the Spokesmans Office made available a statement from Paul Volcker, the Chairman of the

Independent Inquiry Committee into the Oil for Food Programme.

In his statement, Volcker said that, at his request, the Secretary-General had taken the necessary steps to ensure that all UN staff cooperated fully with the investigation and the all relevant documents are secured solely for the committees use.

Also on the issue of documents, Volcker said as the investigation proceeds, and as the committee arrives at an understanding of the substance and scope of the relevant documentation, including material in Baghdad, the committee will consider appropriate disclosure.

Subsequently, the Secretary-General issued a

statement, through his Spokesman, in which he fully accepts the arrangements set out by Volcker.

In the statement, the Secretary-General again assures the Inquiry of the full cooperation of all United Nations staff. He earnestly hopes that the Inquiry will reveal the full truth about the management of the Programme, and repeats his undertaking to waive the immunity of any official found by the Inquiry to have broken the law.

Asked whether Paul Volckers investigation of allegations of corruption in the Oil-for-Food Programme was credible, given the United Nations refusal to make public 55 internal audits of that Programme, the Spokesman said the naming of Volcker to head the investigating panel was irrelevant to the institutional position taken by the United Nations in relation to the release of documentation.

Asked about the manner in which documentation would be released to the public, the Spokesman said internal audits, carried out by the UNs Office for Internal Oversight Services, are a management tool and it is common practice in both the public and private sectors to not release them publicly.

The Spokesman added that audits carried out by external auditors, as well as weekly reports, were all given to the Security Councils 661 Sanctions Committee, which deals with Iraq.

Its our obligation to inform the Committee of the results of those audits and share those reports with them, Eckhard said. If members of the Committee want to share those reports with the press, thats for members of the Committee to do. But we are not obligated to turn over the external audits to the press.

The Spokesman noted that the United Nations has handed over all documentation, including both internal and external audits, to Volcker. His investigation is just getting underway, Eckhard said.

Asked if not sharing the reports indicated a cover-up, the Spokesman said that he resented the accusation. Theres been a lot of irresponsible charges made in the media over the last several weeks about the United Nations, Eckhard said. Weve been essentially tried and convicted in the press, on the basis of virtually no evidence. Weve turned over all of the documentation to a panel thats been appointed to study it.

ANNAN GREATLY CONCERNED AT ESCALATION ALONG THE BLUE LINE

The

UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon reported that early this morning local time, there was an exchange of fire between Hizbollah and Israeli Defense Forces across the Blue Line in the Shab'a Farms area.

According to the Israeli army, one Israeli soldier was killed and five others wounded. There are conflicting claims by both sides as to how the incident started. The UN mission is investigating.

This incident came less than 48 hours after a day of heavy Israeli air incursions into Lebanon, Hizbollah anti-aircraft fire across the line and an Israeli air strike on Hizbollah positions.

The Secretary-General is greatly concerned about this new escalation along the Blue Line and strongly urges both parties to exercise restraint.

FRECHETTE SAYS UNAIDS IS EXAMPLE OF HOW U.N. SYSTEM SHOULD OPERATE

The

Deputy Secretary-General is in Geneva today where she participated in UNAIDS first Global Staff meeting, which brought together more than 300 of its Geneva and country-based staff. In her address to the meeting, Frechétte reviewed the broad challenges facing the UN today and the need to continue pursuing UN reform.

UNAIDS is a great example of what the United Nations can and should be; it is a unified voice heard loud and clear around the world. She highlighted that the strength of UNAIDS was that it brings together partners in the United Nations system as well as civil society and the private sector. Frechétte also underlined the Secretary-Generals deep personal commitment to the fight against the pandemic.

Following her address staff from different regions took the floor to comment on their day-to-day work and the challenges they face. Issues were raised on stigma and discrimination, building coalitions of support, including with people living with AIDS, and conflict situations.

We all need to be a little humble in terms of what we can accomplish unless there is grass root support. Unless we connect with the people our impact would not be felt," the Deputy Secretary-General said.

Earlier in the day, the Deputy Secretary-General met with Ruud Lubbers, the High Commissioner for Refugees.

U.N. HUMANITARIAN CHIEF VISITS COLOMBIA

Today is the third day of the five-day visit to

Colombia by Jan Egeland, the

UNs Emergency Relief Coordinator. He held meetings in Bogota with the UN country team, representatives of civil society, and donors. This afternoon he will visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and will meet President Álvaro Uribe Vélez.

Egeland is evaluating Colombias humanitarian situation, and this includes visits to internally displaced persons its estimated that the cumulative number of people displaced over the past decade stands at 3 million.

Egeland has called for more effort to help displaced people, adding that the international community must look for solutions to the crisis.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

LIBERIAN DEFENSE MINISTER TURNS IN PERSONAL WEAPONS: In a symbolic disarmament ceremony yesterday, the

UN mission in Liberia reported receiving personal automatic weapons from Minister of Defense Daniel Chea. He submitted one AK-47, one shot-gun and a sub-machine gun, saying that he was disarming himself as part of the charting a new course for Liberia. The ceremony marked the start of disarmament of ex- Government of Liberia militias at Kakata. Two hundred and fifty-one combatants voluntarily turned in their weapons to UNMIL peacekeepers in an orderly and controlled manner, and were transported for demobilization to the cantonment site at VOA.

ATTACKS IN NORTHERN UGANDA DISPLACE SUDANESE REFUGEES: UNHCR reports that more than 31,000 Sudanese refugees have been displaced from their settlements in northern Uganda in recent weeks, following repeated raids by marauding rebels of the feared Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).

AFGHAN REFUGEE RETURN PROGRAM REACHES MILESTONE: The

UN Refugee Agency reports that its Afghan repatriation programme has reached another milestone, with more than 2 million refugees returning from Pakistan and 700,000 leaving Iran. This has pushed the total number of returns past the 3 million mark since the agency started helping them return home in early 2002.

NANE ANNAN TO RECEIVE FOUR FREEDOMS AWARD ON BEHALF OF SECRETARY-GENERAL: Nane Annan will be receiving the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Award in the Netherlands tomorrow, on behalf of the Secretary-General. The Secretary General had originally planned to attend but due to international development that require his presence here at UN headquarters, he can no longer attend the ceremony. The Four Freedoms Award are presented to national and world citizens of whove made extraordinary contributions to advancing freedom on a global scale.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Monday, May 10

The Secretary-General will speak to the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, which begins a meeting in New York.

The Security Council has scheduled a public meeting on Timor-Leste.

The guest at the noon briefing will be Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland, who will discuss his visit to Colombia.

At 12:45 p.m., Oscar de Rojas, Chief of the Financing for Development Section of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and Richard Samans of the World Economic Forum will give a press briefing on a memorandum of understanding between the UN and the Forum.

Tuesday, May 11

The Security Council has scheduled a public meeting on Kosovo.

The World Health Report for 2004 will be launched in Geneva.

Wednesday, May 12

Thursday, May 13

Friday, May 14

The Security Council has scheduled a formal meeting on Timor-Leste, as well as consultations on Cote dIvoire.

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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