United Nations Daily Highlights, 04-09-29

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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 FRED ECKHARD

SPOKESMAN FOR THE

SECRETARY-GENERAL

OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Wednesday, September 29, 2004

COTE D'IVOIRE: ANNAN REGRETS LIMITED PROGRESS IN REFORMS;

URGES LEADERS TO IMPLEMENT PEACE ACCORD PROVISIONS

Secretary-General Kofi Annan noted that the extraordinary session of the National Assembly convened by President Laurent Gbagbo of Cote dIvoire on August 11, 2004, to consider the draft legislation envisaged under the Linas-Marcoussis Agreement ended on Tuesday.

Observing that an important deadline of the Accra III Agreement would not be met, he expressed regret, in a statement, at the very limited progress made during this session in the adoption of legislative reforms that are key to progress in the peace process in Côte dIvoire.

He once again urged all Ivorian political leaders and parliamentarians to implement fully and in a timely manner all provisions of the Accra III Agreement in the interest of ensuring the restoration of normalcy and stability in Côte dIvoire.

U.N. ENVOY, URGES QUICK DEPLOYMENT OF "BIG FORCE" IN DARFUR

Jan Pronk, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Sudan, is currently in Brussels, to meet European Union officials at their invitation. Discussions focused on the situation in the Sudan, support for an expanded African Union monitoring mission in Darfur and urgent humanitarian assistance needs.

"We need a big force with a broad mandate," Pronk told reporters in Brussels.

Such a force, Pronk said, would not only monitor the ceasefire, which is being breached not only by the government in Sudan but also the militia operating in Darfur, but to oversee all types of other agreements which are necessary for in order for people to return to their villages and also for people to be secure in the camps. He urged quick deployment, is possible as early as October.

The UN Mission in Khartoum reported today that no security incidents have been reported during the last couple of days. However, incidents in Darfur, including attacks by the rebel Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) on Government and military and police camps, continued to be reported during the past two weeks.

The mission also reported an incident on September 23 in which police cleared a gathering of approximately 3,000 people, loaded them into trucks and drove them to different locations. An inter-agency visit on September 27 to some of the areas where the gatherers were returned received reports that militias, suspected to be Janjaweed, continue to harass and intimidate them.

SECURITY COUNCIL TO DISCUSS SUDAN ON THURSDAY

Consultations are scheduled at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday in the Security Council on the just concluded mission to Sudan by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, and Juan Mendez, the Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on the prevention of genocide. Arbour has agreed to speak to the press following those consultations.

The Secretary-General will also attend that session.

At 3:00 p.m. Thursday, the Security Council will also have a private meeting with the Foreign Minister of Sudan.

Jan Pronk is arriving in New York on Thursday. He is expected to brief next Tuesday on the Secretary-Generals second 30-day report on the progress, or lack thereof, by the Government of the Sudan towards meeting the requirements of Security Council Resolution 1556 to restore security in Darfur. That Security Council is expected to receive that report Monday.

Also, a progress report on the UN Mission in Sudan established under Resolution 1547 is expected to be issued by week's end.

SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES RELEASE OF HOSTAGES IN IRAQ

In a statement issued on Tuesday afternoon, the Secretary-General welcomed the news of the release of the Iraqi, Egyptian and Italian civilian hostages in Iraq.

He once again called for the immediate release of all the remaining hostages in Iraq. He strongly condemns all hostage taking, which no cause can justify, and appeals to all parties to adhere strictly to the fundamental precepts of human rights and respect for human life.

MORE THAN SIX MILLION IRAQIS DEPEND ON FOOD RATIONS

The World Food Programme today said that 6.5 million people in Iraq remain highly dependent on food rations.

According to a WFP survey, some 2.6 million Iraqis are so poor that they have to re-sell their food rations to buy basic necessities, including medicines and clothes. Another 3.6 million Iraqis would become food-insecure if the rationing system was discontinued.

The study adds that around 27 percent of all Iraqi children below the age of five are chronically malnourished. That number would increase dramatically without the rationing system.

HAITI: NEW FOOD/WATER DISTRIBUTION POINTS SET UP TO ASSIST FLOOD VICTIMS

The United Nations continues to provide assistance to the flood-ravaged city of Gonaives in Haiti.

According to UN Force Commander Ribeiro Pereira, five protected food and water distribution points have been established so far. Helicopters with supplies are making some 10 to 15 flights per day and up to two protected convoys are making their way from the capital to Gonaives each day.

Meanwhile, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations is making extraordinary efforts to expedite the arrival of additional peacekeepers to Haiti. These are contingents which have already been pledged to the United Nations and which are currently pending arrangements for transport of troops and heavy equipment.

The launch of the UN Flash Appeals in response to the recent natural disasters in Grenada and Haiti will take place this Friday. UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland will brief the press on the subject on Friday.

SECURITY COUNCIL PLEASED WITH PROGRESS IN GUINEA-BISSAU

The Security Council held consultations this morning on Guinea Bissau. Tuliameni Kalomoh, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, gave an update on recent developments.

The Security Council President, Ambassador Juan Antonio Yañez-Barnuevo of Spain, told the press afterward that Council members were pleased to know that the process of post-conflict peace-building in that country has been proceeding satisfactorily, and that preparations were underway for presidential elections next year, with UN assistance. The Security Council will be in close touch with other organs of the United Nations, in particular the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), to support the ongoing efforts.

SECRETARY-GENERAL TO CHAIR CONSULTATIONS ON MYANMAR

Starting at 3:00 this afternoon, the Secretary-General will hold informal consultations on the situation in Myanmar with a group of interested nations, as well as with the World Bank and the UN Development Programme.

The Member States present for that meeting will be Australia, France, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam. The Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Myanmar, Razali Ismail, will also attend.

ANNAN SAYS PANEL SHOULD DEAL WITH COLLECTIVE SECURITY

The Secretary-General today told the Foreign Ministers of the Non-Aligned Movement that the work of the High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change should help refashion our notions of collective security.

He said that our era is one of accelerating interdependence, which demands effective collective policies and institutions. But he noted that some countries may emphasize one set of threats over another, adding that the United Nations cannot do this. He expects the Panels analysis to focus on the issue of collective action.

SECURITY COUNCIL RECEIVES REPORT OF LIBERIA PANEL OF EXPERTS

Out as a document today is the

mid-term report of the Panel of Experts on Liberia containing an interim assessment of compliance on diamond and timber sanctions, which has been submitted to the Security Council by the Chairman of the Security Council Committee on Liberia, Ambassador Munir Akram of Pakistan.

On timber, the Panel says the sanctions remain effective. It notes that there are persistent allegations in Monrovia that companies are exporting to Cote DIvoire and Guinea. It also says that although there is widespread compliance with timber sanctions, few of the necessary reforms have been implemented.

On diamonds, the Panel says that the Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy continues to demonstrate commitment towards satisfying the requirements of the Security Council for the lifting of the current embargo on the export of Liberian rough diamonds. However, its biggest obstacle remains funding of the materials and mechanisms necessary for the implementation of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, which imposes extensive requirements to certify that shipments of rough diamonds are free from conflict diamonds.

The Panel is expected to present by December 10 a final report covering the entire sanctions regime, including the arms embargo, travel ban, the assets freeze and the humanitarian and socio-economic impact of the sanctions.

YEARLY MATERNAL DEATHS TOLL IS HALF A MILLION WOMEN

Every minute of every day, at least one woman in a developing country dies in childbirth adding up to more than half a million each year.

In response to this, the World Health Organization and the Partnership for Safe Motherhood and Newborn Health are intensifying support to countries around the world to ensure that a woman doesnt die while giving birth to her child.

The aid will come in various areas from training skilled birth attendants who can help a woman give birth safely, to the basic issue of recording the cause of a woman's death.

UNICEF URGES ACTION IN SOUTH ASIA AGAINST CHILD SEX TRADE

UNICEF, the UN Childrens Fund, is calling for better enforcement against child traffickers and more cross border cooperation by governments in South Asia.

UNICEF says that it seems that more and more women and children are leaving countries like Nepal and Bangladesh and many are ending up being abused in a highly lucrative sex trade. UNICEFs comments come on the sidelines of a three-day meeting in Sri Lanka to review efforts to stop the commercial sexual exploitation of children in South Asia.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

U.N, ENVOY ON MIDDLE EAST IS IN NEW YORK: Asked whether UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Terje Roed Larsen would come to New York when the Secretary-Generals report on Lebanon came out, the Spokesman later said that Roed Larsen is currently in New York, where he has been at work since the start of the General Assembly.

UNCTAD ISSUES REPORT ON DEBT: The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has released its debt report, entitled Debt Sustainability: Oasis or Mirage. It argues that debt servicing at any level is incompatible with attaining the UN Millennium Development Goals and calls for a total cancellation of Africas debt.

Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

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press/media only

Fax. 212-963-7055

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