United Nations Daily Highlights, 04-12-14

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

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S NOON BRIEFING

BY FRED ECKHARD

SPOKESMAN FOR THE

SECRETARY-GENERAL

OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Tuesday, December 14, 2004

ANNAN TO MEET WITH COLIN POWELL AND CONDOLEEZZA RICE

Secretary-General Kofi Annan will leave tomorrow for Washington, D.C., where he will have meetings on Thursday morning with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice.

He will then address a meeting at the Council on Foreign Relations on UN renewal and U.S.-UN relations, taking questions from the audience afterward.

He will then fly to Brussels to attend the European Union Summit on Friday, after which he will return to New York.

Asked whether the Secretary-General would meet with anyone from the U.S. Congress, the Spokesman said he would not, with the entire trip lasting less than a full day.

Asked whether the trip amounted to damage control, the Spokesman noted that the invitation to address the Council on Foreign Relations had been a long-standing one.

He added that, although the Secretary-General does not always meet with U.S. officials on his trips to Washington, the U.S. administration said it would welcome the opportunity to discuss Iraq with him, while the Secretary-General intends to bring up other matters on which the United Nations and United States work closely, including Afghanistan, Haiti and Sudan.

HUMANITARIAN ACCESS TO CIVILIANS IN NEED IS KEY

TO PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS IN ARMED CONFLICT

The

Security Council is holding an open meeting today on the subject of Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict.

Chairing the meeting for Algeria, the Security Council

President for December, is Foreign Minister Abdelaziz Belkhadem.

The Under-Secretary-General for

Humanitarian Affairs,

Jan Egeland, briefed on the subject. Saying that humanitarian access to civilians in need lies at the heart of the protection response, Egeland outlined the challenges and proposed responses to them.

Egeland says he has been deeply disturbed at the unacceptable incidence of sexual exploitation and abuse by peacekeeping and humanitarian personnel over the past six months.

The

Secretary General, he says, has set clear standards of conduct to which all staff must be held accountable, in his Bulletin on Special Measures for Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse.

Egeland went on to say there is a pressing need to ensure that this is now rigorously enforced.

Saying that the active engagement of personnel-contributing countries is central to this process, he appealed to contributing Member States to give this issue their urgent attention and ensure that appropriate accountability mechanisms are in place.

He concluded his briefing by declaring that the status quo cannot be accepted.

We must show that the United Nations, its member States and its humanitarian and regional partners can safeguard the well-being and rights of men, women and children around the world whose lives are being shattered by armed conflict, he said.

A presidential statement is expected as an outcome of the meeting.

REPORT ON DEVELOPMENT FUND FOR IRAQ FINDS

THAT ALL KNOWN OIL PROCEEDS PROPERLY ACCOUNTED FOR

This morning, the

International Advisory and Monitoring Board for

Iraq issued its

summary report on the activities of the Development Fund for Iraq (DFI) from May 22, 2003 to June 28, 2004, the date of the dissolution of the Coalition Provisional Authority.

The audit of the fund conducted by the accounting firm KPMG, on behalf of the board, concluded that all known oil proceeds, reported frozen assets, and transfers from the

OilforFood Program have been properly and transparently accounted for in the fund.

At the same time, the Board believes that controls were insufficient to provide reasonable assurance of the completeness of export sales of and whether all DFI disbursements were made for the purposes intended.

At its most recent meeting in Washington earlier this month, the Board and the U.S. government agreed on the terms of reference for a special audit of sole sourced contracts granted by the Fund.

Asked about the findings of the report, the Spokesman said he could not speak for the Board, adding that one Board member is from the United Nations: Controller J. P. Halbwachs.

UNITED NATIONS SENDING MORE STAFF TO IRAQ

SUBJECT TO SECURITY SITUATION

Asked about comments made by

Iraqs UN Ambassador on Monday that called for an increase in UN personnel in that country, the Spokesman said that we, as much as anyone else, want to see those numbers go up.

He said that the United Nations is in the process of sending more international staff into the country, subject to the security situation.

He added, in response to another question, that the United Nations is already working with electoral personnel who have come from other countries, independent of the UN Mission in Iraq.

He declined to comment on a question about whether the multinational force should decrease its role as elections approach, saying that was a matter to be decided between the Iraqi authorities and its coalition partners.

Asked about UN involvement in Iraqi trials, the Spokesman said the United Nations was not involved, with the court system set up independently of the United Nations. He said the United Nations considers Iraq to be a sovereign nation, and would urge that international standards be respected for all trials.

TERJE ROED-LARSEN APPOINTED SPECIAL ENVOY

FOR SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION 1559

The

Secretary-General today informed the Security Council of his intention to appoint Terje Roed-Larsen as his Special Envoy for the implementation of

Security Council Resolution 1559 (2004).

Roed-Larsen is currently serving as the

United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process. His new appointment will be effective on January 3, 2005 at the level of Under-Secretary-General.

He will assist the Secretary-General in the preparation of his semi-annual reports to the Security Council, which the Council requested in its Presidential Statement of October 19, 2004.

In carrying out this task, Roed-Larsen would consult with the Government of Lebanon and other interested Member States and the relevant United Nations agencies in gathering the information necessary for the preparation of the semi-annual reports.

PREPARATIONS UNDERWAY FOR MEETING ON GEORGIAN-ABKHAZ ISSUE

On December 13 and 14, 2004, high-level representatives of the Group of the Friends of the Secretary-General on Georgia (Germany, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States)

met in Geneva to review the state of the

Georgian&#8209;Abkhaz peace process.

The meeting was chaired by the UN

Under&#8209;Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations. The

Special Representative of the Secretary&#8209;General for Georgia also participated. The

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees took part in the discussions on refugee returns and briefed the participants on his visit to the region.

The Friends discussed the complex situation in the peace process and key challenges related to security and political matters, return of refugees and internally-displaced persons, and economic cooperation, in preparation for a meeting that they are planning to hold with the Georgian and Abkhaz sides early next year.

They expressed their hope that until then negotiations would resume and progress on these three issues could be achieved.

They assured the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of their continued support and stressed that

UN Observer Mission in Georgia must continue to be in a position to fulfill its mandate unhindered.

They reaffirmed the Geneva Process as a valuable instrument in the Georgian&#8209;Abkhaz peace process.

DETERIORATING SECURITY POSE THREAT TO DELIVERY OF AID IN DARFUR

The

UN Mission in Sudan reports that, according to the latest

Darfur humanitarian profile made available today, there are an estimated 1.65 million people displaced by the fighting. And the number of conflict-affected persons is estimated at more than 2.2 million.

It is estimated that food was delivered to 57% of the latter category, while 61% received shelter and 43% had access to clean water.

The report indicates also that increased banditry and the deterioration in the security situation continue to pose a major threat to improvement of the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

In other developments, the UN Mission says it has received unconfirmed reports on fighting yesterday between Government forces and the rebel Sudan Liberation Army in North Darfur.

Asked whether the United Nations had stopped all humanitarian activities in Darfur, the Spokesman said it had not.

PEACEKEEPERS TO INVESTIGATE REPORTS OF FIGHTING IN EASTERN DR CONGO

The

UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has sent a team to the locality of Kanyabayonga, in the province of

North Kivu, to investigate reports of fighting between armed groups.

The team is made up mainly of soldiers, and they will assess the situation there.

The investigators will stay in Kanyabayonga, which is about 160 kilometres north of Goma, for four days.

In addition to the investigative team, a company of UN peacekeepers from India began deploying today in Rutshuru, which lies about halfway between Goma and Kanyabayonga.

Meanwhile, the

World Food Programme says that unless it receives new funds for the

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by New Year, it will be forced to cut by 30% the number of people provided with life-saving food aid and reduce the remaining beneficiaries' food rations by half. WFP says it needs at least $10 million in fresh donations, and that without food aid, a sharp rise in malnutrition rates is expected in the DRC.

RESTORATION OF SECURITY IN COTE DIVOIRE NEEDS TO BE A PRIORITY

The Secretary-Generals report on the

UN Operation in Cote dIvoire was issued today, a day after Special Representative

Albert Tevoedjre briefed the

Security Council on it.

The Secretary-General, in the wake of the recent events in that country, says that priority needs to be given to ensuring the earliest restoration and consolidation of security and the resumption of dialogue among the Ivorian parties.

The African Union initiative, led by Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and South African President Thabo Mbeki, is a most welcome step, to which the United Nations is prepared to provide all appropriate support, he writes.

He also recommended that immediate steps be taken to ensure that UN missions ability to implement its mandate is not unduly constrained. The requirements to meet the missions emergency needs, he said, include: one infantry battalion to provide a force reserve and additional air assets.

HAITI: U.N. PEACEKEEPERS CARRY OUT SECURITY OPERATION

The

UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti

carried out an early morning operation in Cite du Soleil, a Port au Prince neighborhood where armed groups have been active.

The aim of this operation which involves peacekeeping troops, UN police and UN aviation units is to restore law and order to the neighborhood.

The area is currently under the control of UN forces which plan to establish a permanent presence there, although theyll gradually transfer responsibility for law and order to Haiti's National Police.

No deaths or injuries have been reported so far.

The

World Food Programme (WFP) today released a music video by Haitian singer/songwriter Wyclef Jean. The new Creole song called 'Gonaives' seeks to raise awareness and support for thousands of people still recovering from last Septembers massive floods. During his recent visit to

Haiti, the Grammy-award winner helped WFP workers distribute food aid.

ANNAN DISCUSSES U.N. REPORM WITH LATIN AMERICAN, CARIBBEAN STATES

The

Secretary-General today met the Ambassadors of the Latin American and Caribbean Group of Member States, to discuss the

report of the

High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change.

Todays meeting comes a day after the Secretary-General held discussions on the report with three other regional groups, from Africa, Asia and the Western European and other states.

U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY RESOLVES ALMOST ALL CASES OF EAST TIMORESE

CHILDREN SEPARATED FROM FAMILIES

The

High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

says that it has resolved almost all of the more than 4,000 cases it had to deal with of children being separated from their families following the 1999 conflict after which

Timor-Leste became independent from Indonesia.

UNHCR says that, by the end of last month, some 2,300 children had been reunited with their families, and agreements were made for more than 1,100 to stay with their caregivers in Timor-Leste and Indonesia. UNHCR says that it has now found suitable solutions for all but 107 cases.

Robert Ashe, the UNHCR regional representative in Jakarta, complimented the Indonesian and Timorese Governments for trying to find solutions for the children, calling their work proof of your commitment to your children, who will be the future of both your countries.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

BRAHIMIS STATEMENT DOES NOT REFLECT U.N. POLICY: According to a

statement by the Spokesman, the remarks attributed to the Secretary-Generals Special Adviser,

Lakhdar Brahimi, made at the Arab Strategy Forum in Dubai today, do not reflect United Nations policy, nor that of the Secretary-General. The

Secretary-General has been working closely and harmoniously in the Quartet with the United States, the Russian Federation and the European Union to promote a settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians as part of a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the region. The statement adds that US leadership is indispensable.

ISRAELI AND PALESTINIAN HEALTH OFFICIALS TO CO-AUTHOR MAGAZINE:

Israeli and Palestinian health professionals supported by the

World Health Organization have

joined together to co-author a bi-monthly health magazine called Bridges. It is a unique publication, written, edited, produced and managed jointly by Palestinian and Israeli academics and health professionals to address pressing health concerns faced by the people in the region.

LIBERIAN REPATRIATION OPERATION PICKING UP PACE: The

High Commissioner for Refugees

says the

Liberian repatriation operation is picking up pace, with the first returns arriving back from Cote d'Ivoire yesterday and the start of the repatriation by sea from Ghana set for tomorrow.

CHINA TO COMMIT MORE RESOURCES TO WORD FOOD PROGRAMME: Having lifted 300 million of its own people out of poverty in less than a generation surely one of the greatest achievements of the 20th century China has now pledged to commit more of its considerable resources to helping us help those in desperate need elsewhere,

James Morris, Executive Director of the

World Food Programme (WFP),

said in Beijing today. Speaking at the end of a five-day visit to China, he noted that that country had promised to share its expertise, as well as funds, with WFP.

CONFERENCE TO REVIEW PROGRESS ON RIGHTS OF ARAB AND AFRICAN CHILDREN: In a continued effort to keep the spotlight on the exploitation, violence and abuse of children, over 50 Arab and African countries are meeting in Rabat, Morocco to review progress made since the Yokohama Congress and to agree on areas requiring accelerated action. Hosted by the Government of Morocco and supported by

UNICEF among others, the forum will discuss progress in five key areas agreed upon under the Stockholm Agenda for Action - coordination and cooperation, prevention, protection, recovery and re-integration, and child participation.

MORE INVESTMENT IN AGRICULTURE NEEDED TO REACH MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS: Greater investment in agriculture and rural development is essential to spur economic growth in developing countries and to achieve the

Millennium Development Goals, the

Food and Agriculture Organization

said today on the 40th anniversary of its Investment Centre, established in 1964 in partnership with the World Bank to increase support to agriculture.