United Nations Daily Highlights, 04-06-29

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

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY MARIE OKABE

ASSOCIATE SPOKESMAN FOR THE

SECRETARY-GENERAL

OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Tuesday, June 29, 2004

ANNAN CALLS ON IRAQIS TO COME TOGETHER,

WARNS OF HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN DARFUR, SUDAN

Secretary-General Kofi Annan is in Doha, the capital of Qatar, today, where he held a press conference in the afternoon.

He began by calling on all

Iraqis to come together in a spirit of national unity and reconciliation to lay down secure foundations for the new Iraq.

Responding to a question he said that he stands ready to go to Iraq in the future, but has no immediate plans to go to Iraq now. In reply to another question, he observed, I doubt that we are going to see another Iraq very soon. I think there are lessons in Iraq for everyone.

Asked about the Sudan, the Secretary-General said, We cannot talk of comprehensive peace in Sudan if the fighting and the gross and systematic human rights abuses in West Sudan, in the Darfur region, continues.

He left Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, earlier today, where he spoke to Dubai-TV, saying that he hoped that the Iraqis will take yesterdays handover as an opportunity to come together and bring everybody under the tent. He added that he hoped the Iraqis will use the National Conference that is being planned for next month as an opportunity to pull together.

Upon arriving in Doha, he was asked if it was safe enough for the United Nations to return to Iraq, and he stressed that security is essential, not just for UN staff but for the Iraqi people and for reconstruction. He affirmed, We are prepared to do everything we can to help the people of Iraq.

Also today, the Secretary-General toured Qatars Education City, a new 800-hectare campus housing a variety of educational institutions, and talked to professors and students there. This evening, he will attend a dinner in his honor, hosted by the Emir of Qatar.

Asked why the Secretary-General would not go to Iraq immediately, the Spokeswoman noted the United Nations concerns about the security situation in the country.

DARFUR REGION CONTINUES TO CONCERN HUMANITARIAN AGENCIES

The World Food Programme (WFP) says the

Darfur region continued to be a major preoccupation, especially with the rainy season underway which had severely hampered its food delivery operations, particularly in western Darfur.

Health conditions were also a matter of concern, with water-borne diseases on the rise.

WFP said that airdrops were also being scheduled to areas where roads were impassable. WFP offices and storage facilities have also opened in 10 towns across the region. At present, WFP had access to about 70 percent of the camps for internally displaced persons in Darfur.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) announced it was starting a new round of emergency airlifts today into Chad to bring urgently needed supplies for the tens of thousands of refugees who fled Darfur.

The first of 22 flights, which will bring 16,100 additional tents for Sudanese refugees in eastern Chad, left for the region today. In all, more than 113,000 Sudanese refugees have so far been accommodated in eight camps in eastern Chad.

UN HELICOPTER CRASH IN SIERRA LEONE LEAVES 24 DEAD

The Secretary-General regrets to inform that today, at approximately 09:20 a.m. local time, an MI-8 UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) civil contractor helicopter, carrying over 20 United Nations and non-United Nations personnel, crashed in Sierra Leone, while conducting an operational flight from Hastings to Yengema.

While the rescue effort is ongoing, it appears that there may be no survivors in this tragic incident.

The United Nations has launched an investigation into the event. The Secretary-General extends his deep condolences to the families and Governments of those who have perished in this tragedy. He once again pays tribute to the men and women who have lost their lives in the name of peace in this and other important peacekeeping operations.

The Spokeswoman, in response to further questions, said that UNAMSIL had reported that at least 24 people 21 passengers and three crew members were on board the flight, which crashed into a hillside. Because of the hilly terrain, she added, the Mission had to land another helicopter three kilometers away to reach the crash sites.

She said that rescue efforts were ongoing, but there appear to be no survivors.

[UNAMSIL later reported that military personnel later confirmed that there were no survivors. The area has been secured and investigations are ongoing, the mission said.]

SECURITY COUNCIL BRIEFED ON COMPLETION EFFORTS BY TRIBUNALS

The International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda are both on track to complete their work by 2008, the heads of those two bodies told the Security Council today.

In an open meeting, Judge Theodor Meron, President of the Yugoslavia Tribunal, said that the current shortfall in contributions from Member States has hindered the Tribunals staffing efforts, warning, Our work is now imperiled. He said that, at the moment, there are still doubts that credible war crimes trials can take place domestically in Croatia or in Serbia and Montenegro.

Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte criticized the failure by the authorities in Serbia and Montenegro, and in Bosnias Republika Srpska, to arrest or obtain the surrender of twenty indicted suspects who are still at large.

The work of the Rwanda Tribunal is still on track, and there is every reason to believe that the trials will be completed by the 2008 deadline, said that Tribunals President, Judge Erik Mose.

Prosecutor Hassan Jallow added that fifteen of the indicted fugitives still remain at large, with many of them located in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Earlier today, the Security Council unanimously extended the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Golan Heights by six months, until the end of December.

FORMER CROATIAN SERB LEADER SENTENCED TO 13 YEARS IN PRISON

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia today sentenced former Croatian Serb leader Milan Babic to thirteen years in prison, for the persecution of Croats and other non-Serbs in Croatias Krajina region in 1991 and 1992.

Babic had pleaded guilty to persecution, and, in a plea agreement, the Tribunal prosecutor had recommended a sentence of no more than eleven years for him. But the Tribunal, upon reviewing Babics case, said that such a sentence did not achieve the purposes of punishment nor do justice, and it opted for a longer sentence.

SECURITY COUNCIL MISSION TO WEST AFRICA RETURNS WEDNESDAY

The Security Council mission to

West Africa is scheduled to return to New York today.

British Ambassador Emyr Jones Perry is expected to brief the Security Council on Wednesday on the mission that he led.

ANNAN: SITUATION IN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC REMAINS FRAGILE

In his latest

report to the Security Council on the situation in the Central African Republic, the Secretary-General notes that the situation in the country remains fragile. However, there is hope for a return to stability as the parties are managing the political transition through consensus.

Keeping this spirit of consensus is essential to the success of the transition, the Secretary-General writes.

In his appeal for support for the Republic, the Secretary-General underscores the risk of spillover of the

Darfur conflict in the country. If the crisis in the Sudan persists, it is very likely that refugees in Chad will be pushed in the Central African Republic.

FOCUS ON INTERNATIONAL AID HAS SHIFTED

The focus of international aid and policy advice has shifted too far away from setting up reliable infrastructure, leading countries to miss opportunities to escape from extreme poverty, according to a report the Secretary-General submitted to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

The report, presented to the High Level Meeting of ECOSOC underway this week, recommends infrastructure investment and productive development strategies, to unleash domestic potential for attracting investment and sustaining economic growth.

UNHCR SAYS SITUATION IN DR CONGO REMAINS TENSE

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that the situation in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo remains tense, with refugees continuing to flee to Burundi amid reports of continued fighting in their homeland. On Monday, more than 200 Congolese crossed into Burundi the biggest group to cross over this past week.

UNHCR estimates that the number of Congolese refugees who have fled to Burundi now stands at 34,000 .In addition, a UNHCR emergency team arrived in Burundi over the weekend to reinforce existing staff.

MORE INVESTMENT NEEDED IN LATIN AMERICA, ANNAN SAYS

Latin America and the Caribbean need to invest more in universal access to education and health including reproductive health and family planning.

That was part of the Secretary-Generals message to the meeting of the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean Ad Hoc Committee on Population and Development, which is meeting in Puerto Rico today and Wednesday.

The Secretary-General said there is also a need for stronger efforts in promoting womens rights in the region.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

SEVERE FOOD SHORTAGES AFFECT SOMALIA: The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that severe food shortages continue to affect people in the northern pastoral and southern agricultural areas of Somalia because of prolonged drought. Many parts of the agricultural areas of southern Somalia have reported total to near-total crop failure due to lack of water. The Food and Agriculture Organization has predicted a cereal shortfall of about 70,000 metric tons.

TREATY ON PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES ENTERS INTO FORCE: The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture entered into force today, as 55 countries have now ratified it. The Food and Agriculture Organization says this legally binding treaty offers a multilateral approach for accessing genetic resources and sharing their benefits.

Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

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press/media only

Fax. 212-963-7055

All other inquiries to be addressed to (212)

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