United Nations Daily Highlights, 04-08-09

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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 FRED ECKHARD

SPOKESMAN FOR THE

SECRETARY-GENERAL

OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Monday, August 9, 2004

ANNAN CONCERNED OVER WIDESPREAD FIGHTING IN IRAQ

In a statement released Saturday, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he is extremely concerned at the widespread fighting that has broken out in Iraq over the last several days, especially in the holy city of Najaf. He is particularly troubled by the high toll of dead and wounded, including civilian casualties.

The Secretary-General believes that, in such a situation, force should be a last resort. He calls for every effort to be made, even at this late hour, to work out a ceasefire and peaceful solution.

The United Nations is helping with the preparations for the National Conference, due to begin in mid-August. In the Secretary-Generals view, the Conference can be an important step in a peaceful and inclusive political transition, by promoting national reconciliation and dialogue. The United Nations is ready to extend its facilitating role to the current crisis, if this would be helpful.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Iyad Allawis offer over the weekend of a limited amnesty and wider participation in the political process are steps in the right direction.

Also on Iraq, the Secretary-Generals report on the UN Mission in Iraq is available today.

Asked about the UNs readiness to extend its facilitating role, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General was ready to provide good offices should that be requested by both sides in the ongoing fight.

Asked about the whereabouts of Special Representative Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, the Spokesman said that Qazi has left New York, and will travel to Iraq, although his arrival in Iraq will only be announced after it has been safely completed.

Asked whether the Secretary-General believes that the National Conference scheduled for 15 August should be postponed for security reasons, the Spokesman said he had no indication that the Secretary-General believed that was needed. The Secretary-General, he added, had been pleased that two additional weeks had been given to plan for the Conference, and he hopes that the time will be used to make the Conference more inclusive.

ATOMIC WATCHDOG COMPLETES ANNUAL INVENTORY IN IRAQ

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has completed its annual inventory of declared nuclear material in Iraq, and is returning to Vienna.

The Agencys Director-General, Mohamed ElBaradei, said, This weeks mission was a good first step. Now, he said, the Agency hopes it will be in a position to complete the mandate entrusted to it by the Security Council, to complete the verification process required of the Agency and the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission.

That verification mission is different from the work the IAEA did this past week, which was to inspect all declared nuclear materials, in line with Iraqs safeguards agreement.

SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES UN-SUDAN AGREEMENT

In a statement issued last Friday afternoon, the Secretary-General welcomed the agreement between his Special Representative for Sudan, Jan Pronk, and the Government of Sudan on an Action Plan for Darfur, Sudan.

The Secretary-General said he attaches great importance to substantive and verifiable progress being made during the next 30 days towards restoring full security for the Darfur region.

On Friday, Pronk traveled to Southern Sudan and met with senior leadership of the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement (SPLM). The focus of the discussions was the next round of the peace talks with the Sudanese Government. On Saturday, the Special Representative met John Garang, Chairman of the SPLM.

On Sunday, Pronk attended the Arab Foreign Ministers' extraordinary meeting held in Cairo to consider the situation in Darfur.

In a separate meeting with the Foreign Minister of Egypt, Ahmed Abul Gheit, Pronk provided him with an overview of the Plan of Action. They also discussed the provisions of Security Council resolution 1556, the needs of the internally displaced persons, the resources required for Darfur, and progress so far in deploying monitors to the region.

Asked whether the Plan of Action for Darfur agreed to last week between the United Nations and the Sudanese Government had been signed today, the Spokesman said that Pronk and Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Ismail had signed the Plan of Action last Thursday. Following this, he said, the Sudanese Cabinet has approved the document on Sunday. [The Spokesman said later that Pronk and the Foreign Minister would shortly transmit the Plan of Action officially to the Secretary-General and the Sudanese President, following which the Secretary-General would forward the document to the Security Council.]

Asked about concerns that the Sudanese Government continued to support the violence in Darfur rather than following the Plan of Action, the Spokesman said that the United Nations expects the Government to make substantial progress in the next 30 days to bring the armed elements under control, and would not expect the Government to support the armed elements.

Asked whether 30 days was not enough time to accomplish the tasks set out for Sudan, the Spokesman noted the Secretary-Generals comments last week that he believed the Security Council did not require that disarmament in Darfur be completed in 30 days, but that Sudan shows real commitment and progress towards that goal.

Asked about comments concerning the involvement of the African Union in Sudan, the Spokesman said that was a matter between the African Union and the Sudanese Government. He stressed that the Secretary-General has encouraged the AUs involvement in Sudan, and sent advisers last week to help the Union prepare for its expanded deployment in Sudan.

UN WELCOMES AGREEMENT ON VACCINATIONS IN DARFUR

Regarding humanitarian developments, the UN in Khartoum announced today that representatives of the rebel movements in Darfur have agreed to allow the vaccination of an estimated half a million children cut off from regular health services in the region.

Agreement was reached with the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), after a UN team met their representatives in the Eritrean capital of Asmara last Friday. The Sudanese Health Ministry endorsed the initiative.

Special Representative Jan Pronk welcomed this development, saying that this is a good example of the kind of cooperation needed from both sides to deliver the relief that is urgently needed.

SECURITY SITUATION IN DARFUR REMAINS TENUOUS

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that the security situation in Darfur remains tenuous, with more violence directed at, and displacing, civilians in North and South Darfur, Sudan.

Militia men suspected to be Janjaweed attacked some 35 families in Tawilla, North Darfur, on Saturday.

Meanwhile, reports continue of attacks by armed men on horses and camels, supported by uniformed men and military vehicles, in South Darfur.

In North Darfur, there have also been reports of Sudanese authorities offering up to 100,000 Sudanese dinars, or nearly $400, to leaders of groups of internally displaced persons, to get them to persuade the displaced people to return voluntarily to their areas of origin.

Despite pressure, the internally displaced persons are choosing to stay put, because of security concerns.

Humanitarian agencies, meanwhile, have been traveling to rebel-held areas in North Darfur that had previously been off-limits, to assess the needs of the population. The latest assessment team completed its mission to three sites last Friday and said that humanitarian assistance was urgently needed for some 50,000 displaced persons there.

UN MISSION CONDEMNS MURDER OF AFGHAN ELECTORAL WORKERS

The head of the UN Mission in Afghanistan, Jean Arnault, condemned in the strongest terms the murderous attack that claimed the lives of two Afghan electoral workers in Uruzgan last Friday. He expressed his sincere hope that one member of the convoy that was attacked in Uruzgan will be found soon, and alive.

In that attack, four vehicles of a convoy from the Joint Electoral Management Body were attacked. Police managed to capture one attacker, and investigations into the incident continue.

In addition, the UN Mission reports that the number of Afghans registered to vote has now passed the nine million mark.

UN MISSION REPORTS ON MINISTERIAL MEETING ON COTE DIVOIRE

The UN Operation in Cote dIvoire (UNOCI) reports that a meeting of the Council of Ministers has taken place in that country, in keeping with the timetable agreed to at the summit co-chaired by the Secretary-General in Accra, Ghana.

The Secretary-Generals Special Representative, Albert Tevoedjre, reported that three Cabinet ministers who had been earlier dismissed from the Government did in fact participate in todays Cabinet meeting, including ministers from the Forces Nouvelles.

UN ENVOY COMMENDS PROGRESS IN BURUNDI TALKS

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Burundi, Carolyn McAskie, has commended the progress made at the talks on post-transitional power sharing held in Pretoria between 31 Burundian political parties last week.

In a statement issued in Bujumbura, the Special Representative hails the efforts exerted by the President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, and by the Facilitator, Deputy President Jacob Zuma, to narrow the gap between the parties with a view to brokering an agreement acceptable to all.

She urges all parties concerned to redouble their efforts to reach the required consensus around that agreement in the coming few days.

ANNAN CALLS FOR EMPOWERMENT OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

Today is International Day of the Worlds Indigenous People and it is also the tenth anniversary of the occasion.

The Secretary-General has marked the day with a call for governments, intergovernmental organizations and civil society to work towards empowering indigenous peoples and ensuring they take part in decisions that affect their lives.

In addition, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation of indigenous peoples, has issued a statement where he expresses his concern about continuing reports of gross human rights violations against indigenous peoples in many parts of the world.

At UN Headquarters, the Day will be observed with a ceremony and cultural presentation at 1:15 p.m. in the General Assembly lobby.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

NO SECURITY COUNCIL MEETINGS SCHEDULED TODAY: There are no Security Council meetings or consultations scheduled for today, or for Tuesday. The Councils next scheduled meeting is on Wednesday morning, when it expects to hold an open briefing, followed by consultations, on the Middle East.

UN REPORT RECORDS HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN ITURI: A report to the Security Council recording the human rights abuses which occurred in Ituri, in the northeastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, from January 2002 to December 2003, has been released. The report, drafted by the Human Rights and Child Protection Sections of the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, examines the background to the conflict and provides information about massacres and other abuses committed in Ituri over two years.

WFP AND ARAB LEAGUE SIGN MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING: The World Food Programme and the League of Arab States signed in Cairo on Sunday their first Memorandum of Understanding for future cooperation. The agreement underlines the common interests of the two organizations; in addition to exchanging information and expertise in different fields, they will work together towards identifying problems and coordinating intervention relating to food insecurity and malnutrition, particularly among women and children.

YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS INVITED TO TOUR UN OFFICE IN VIENNA: In order to contribute to a project of peace and friendship among nations, the United Nations Office in Vienna has invited 110 members of Israeli and Palestinian youth organizations for an hour-long guided tour through the United Nations office in Vienna on Tuesday.

FAO WARNS OF OVER-FISHING IN ASIA-PACIFIC REGION: The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warns that over-fishing in the Asia-Pacific region is on the rise while the abundance of more valuable fish species has declined. FAOs report, presented to the Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission in Thailand last week, calls for improved management of fishing resources in order to secure the sectors future.

Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

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