United Nations Daily Highlights, 05-02-23

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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

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

SECURITY COUNCIL URGED TO PROTECT CHILDREN IN ARMED CONFLICT

The Security Council is holding an

open meeting on Children and Armed Conflict.

Olara Otunnu, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, briefed on the Secretary-Generals latest

report on the subject and outlined measures to take for the protection of children.

He concluded his remarks by reciting from a Bob Marley song: Hear the children cryin.

The children are waiting, Otunnu told the participants in the Security Council meeting. They are waiting for the redemption Songs from this Council. I know you will not let them down, he said.

The meeting is being chaired by the Foreign Minister of Benin, Rogatien Biaou, in his capacity as the

Security Council President for the month of February.

A presidential statement is expected at the end of the meeting.

U.N. POLITICAL CHIEF CALLS ON ISRAEL AND PALESTINE

TO KEEP MOVING TOWARDS PEACE DURING YEAR OF OPPORTUNITY

Under Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Kieran Prendergast,

delivered Tuesday afternoon to the Security Council the periodic briefing on the situation in the

Middle East.

He applauded Israeli and Palestinian leaders for their recent actions to revive the Middle East peace process, urging both sides to seize on this year of opportunity for peace.

He noted that since the recent summit at Sharm el Sheikh, both the Israeli and Palestinian leaders had taken action to keep up the momentum. This includes, on the Palestinian side, the restructuring by President Mahmoud Abbas of the security services and the deployment of more than 1,000 security officers throughout Gaza. On the Israeli side, Prendergast cited the release of more than 500 Palestinian prisoners and the decision to halt punitive demolitions of houses.

He called on the international community to provide political and financial support to the process.

Prendergast added that even as hopes are rekindled on the Israeli/Palestinian front, people around the Middle East were angered and outraged by the cold-blooded terror attack in Lebanon that took the life of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and others.

Afterwards, Council members met in closed consultations to continue their discussion on the Middle East.

During those consultations, France introduced a draft resolution on

Cote dIvoire.

U.N. ENVOY DISCUSSES POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS WITH IRAQI LEADERS

The Secretary Generals Special Representative in

Iraq,

Ashraf Qazi, met today with Interim Vice President Ibrahim Jafari. Jafari has been nominated for the post of Transitional Prime Minister by the United Iraqi Coalition, which won the majority of seats in the Transitional Assembly.

The talks focused on political developments in Iraq ahead of the convening of the Transitional National Assembly and the role the UN will play in supporting the political process in the post elections process.

Qazi held similar talks with representatives of the Kurdish list that won over 75 seats in the elections. In talks with the group, which included Interim Vice President Rouch Nouri Shaways, Interim Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh and Interim Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zubari, Qazi also stressed that the UN stands ready to support the Iraqis in the constitution making process if asked by the Iraqi authorities, as stipulated by Security Council

resolution 1546 (2004).

U.N. MISSION IN SUDAN REPORTS OF DETAINED RELIEF WORKERS IN DARFUR

The UN Advance Mission in

Sudan continues to receive reports of insecurity in Darfur, including the detention of relief workers.

Seven Sudanese staff members of one relief group were detained for 24 hours following food distribution Monday in West Darfur, before being released with assistance from the African Union.

Meanwhile, over the weekend, two international and two Sudanese members of one non-governmental organization were detained by SLA rebels over the weekend, but have since been released.

The Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Sudan,

Jan Pronk, ended his visit to Rumbek, in southern Sudan, yesterday. He is now in Germany, where he is to meet with Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer and other senior officials.

IRAN: UNITED NATIONS SENDS STAFF TO EARTHQUAKE-HIT AREAS

The UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have

dispatched staff to areas affected by the earthquake that hit Zarand, in Irans Kerman province.

A WHO field team is currently visiting Zarand, while technical staff are providing support for disease surveillance teams.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has been informed that weather conditions in the region are difficult, as there is heavy snowfall, resulting in a number of road blockades.

KOSOVO: LATEST REPORT NOTES TANGIBLE PROGRESS

BUT SAYS STANDARDS HAVE YET TO BET MET

The Secretary-Generals latest

report on Kosovo notes that, although tangible progress has been made, none of the eight standards, which were laid out for Kosovo by the international community, has been completely met.

Praising democratic structures and growing political maturity in Kosovo, the report also says that the security situation has remained stable since last June.

At the same time, however, it notes that Kosovo Serbs still consider themselves at risk, and that members of the majority community need to better engage them.

The Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Kosovo,

Sřren Jessen-Petersen, is presently in New York, and will brief the Security Council on the report tomorrow morning.

TIMOR-LESTE: INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT WILL STILL BE NEEDED

AFTER U.N. MANDATE EXPIRES

Although Timor-Leste has made progress in recent years in establishing state institutions, international assistance will be crucial for the countrys long-term security and stability, after the mandate of the

UN Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET) expires on May 20, the Secretary-General says.

In a

report to the Security Council, he says the Timorese authorities will continue to require assistance for border management and control; the development of a professional police service and of critical institutions; and the observance of democratic governance and human rights.

Following analysis by transition working groups, the Secretary-General recommends therefore that a scaled-down UN Mission be maintained for a 12-month period, until May 20, 2006.

That Mission would include 35 military liaison officers, down from 42 at present, and 40 police officers, down from the current 157. The number of civilian advisers would also be reduced, from 58 now to 45, while the Mission would have ten human rights officers, down from the current 14.

As the Secretary-General writes, it is critical to support Timorese institution-building efforts, to protect the gains made until now.

ANNAN SUPPORTS TOUGHER INSPECTION STANDARDS TO VERIFY

COMPLIANCE WITH NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY

The Secretary-General will meet with his

Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters this afternoon, and he will tell them that the

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty faces serious challenges to its credibility.

The Treaty, which is marking its 35th year, will be reviewed in a

conference this May. The Secretary-General says he will urge states to agree soon on an agenda for that conference.

He is to tell the Advisory Board to give serious consideration to a proposal to raise the bar for inspection standards, by establishing an additional protocol as the norm for verifying compliance with the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL DISCUSSES U.N. REFORM WITH EUROPEAN LEADERS

Deputy Secretary-General

Louise Fréchette is in Strasbourg, France, today, where she is scheduled to address the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament. Her speech will discuss UN reform.

This evening, the Deputy Secretary-General will meet with the President of the European Parliament, Josep Borrell Fontélles.

She also attended a working lunch hosted by Edward McMillan-Scott, Vice-President of the European Parliament with the chairs of political groups in the parliament. Fréchette also met with Luisa Morgantini, the Chair of the Development Committee, and Elmar Brok, the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

The main subjects have been UN reform, the recommendations of the High Level Panel Report, the Secretary-General' s March Report and the Millennium Project Report, progress towards the Millennium Development Goals and relief coordination in humanitarian emergencies.

The Deputy Secretary-General also had discussions with Stavros Dimas, Commissioner for Environment. Environmental issues, climate change and water were among the key topics discussed.

UNITED NATIONS WARNS THAT BIRD FLU COULD SPREAD TO HUMANS

The World Health Organization (WHO) today repeated its warning that bird flu continues to pose a serious risk to humans. The agency is also concerned by the risk that the virus will mutate into a form that can be transmitted from person to person, thus igniting a global flu pandemic.

The warning came at a regional meeting on bird flu, which opened today in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Also present at the meeting was a representative from the Food and Agriculture Organization, who

called upon the international community to help Asian countries tackle the virus.

For its part, WHO is coordinating the preparation of flu vaccines, assisting with disease surveillance efforts, and helping countries to produce pandemic preparedness plans.

U.N. HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICIAL TO REVIEW

STAFF COUNCILS INFORMATION ON DILEEP NAIR

Asked about the timetable by which the United Nations would review information provided by the UN Staff Council about the Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services,

Dileep Nair, the Spokesman said that Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources Management Rosemary McCreery was to meet with a representative of the Staff Council this week.

The Spokesman said that the Staff Council had presented information concerning charges made against Nair, which all involved administrative matters.

He noted that the Secretary-General had told the Staff Council that if they submitted such information in writing, McCreery would meet with a Staff Council representative to review it, after which it could be presented to Chief of Staff Mark Malloch Brown. The Spokesman added that we dont expect to drag this out.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

REPORT PROPOSES BAN ON THIN PLASTIC BAGS IN KENYA: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) today welcomed a Kenyan report that would

ban ultra-thin plastic bags in Kenya and slap a hefty levy on thicker ones. According to the report, funded in part by UNEP, the bags block gutters and drains, choke farm animals and marine wildlife, and can fill with rainwater, offering ideal breeding grounds for malaria-carrying mosquitoes.

PHILIPPINES TO HELP IMPROVE FOOD ACCESS IN PACIFIC ISLANDS: The Philippines will send 28 experts and technicians to six Pacific Island countries, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

says. The initiative is part of FAO's South-South Cooperation Programme, which aims to strengthen cooperation among developing countries, to improve agricultural productivity and ensure better access to food.