United Nations Daily Highlights, 05-03-02

United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S NOON BRIEFING

BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC

ASSOCIATE

SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Wednesday, March 2, 2005

U.N. PEACEKEEPERS BATTLE WITH LOCAL MILITIA

IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

In the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), peacekeepers from the

UN Organization Mission in the DRC (MONUC) were involved in a fierce firefight with a local militia group while carrying out a regular search and cordon operation in the Ituri district.

The operation, which was carried out yesterday morning, was aimed at flushing out militia members and dismantling a local headquarters for the militia known as the Nationalist Integrationist Front (FNI).

Around 240 peacekeepers - from Pakistan, Nepal and South Africa - were travelling near the village of Loga when they came under heavy fire. Also involved were air support units provided by India.

In the ensuing firefight, at least 50 militia members were killed and two UN peacekeepers were wounded; they have both been evacuated to South Africa.

At this stage, it is believed the militia members involved in the attack belonged to the FNI.

The operation resulted in the destruction of two militia camps, one of them believed to be battalion headquarters for the FNI militia.

The operation was part of the UN Missions more robust approach to normalize the situation in Ituri, where local militias have been carrying out premeditated attacks against the local population.

Asked to what extent today represented a change in the UN mandate in DRC, the Spokesman said that there was no specific change in the mandate. What took place today, he said, was part of the Missions more robust approach to normalize the situation and to protect the civilian population.

In response to questions, he said that the operation had not been intended to kill anyone, but to cordon off an area to deal with the militias who had been terrorizing the civilian population. The UN troops did not open fire first, he said; rather, UN peacekeepers were attacked and then returned fire upon being attacked.

He said that UN peacekeepers have the right to defend themselves if they come under fire. He noted, in response to another question, that the UN forces were fired upon by mortars and antitank weapons.

The Spokesman added that todays operation was not in response to the killing last week of nine Bangladeshis on patrol for the UN Mission.

Asked about the decision-making process in the Mission, the Spokesman said that strategic decisions are taken by its civilian and military leadership. Tactical decisions, however, are made by the local commanders on the ground. He noted, in response to another question, that the situation in the eastern DRC has been a problem for some time, which needed to be addressed.

The Spokesman responded to a question about the accuracy of the military reporting on the ground by saying that such reporting comes from the UN military force commanders and that he had no reason to doubt it.

Asked whether the attack helicopters were part of the original operation, the Spokesman said that they were, adding that the UN Mission went in with the force they believed was required for self-protection, in an obviously hostile environment.

Asked whether the current situation is an appropriate time to remove the current head of the UN Mission, William Swing, the Spokesman said that Swing has the great respect of the Secretary-General.

The Spokesman noted that the Mission has seen a number of changes in its leadership recently; among them, Patrick Cammaert, previously the UN Chief Military Adviser, had taken over as the divisional force commander for the eastern DRC.

When Swing comes to New York this week, the Spokesman added, he will discuss his own plans and the timing of any further leadership changes. Among the issues that need to be addressed is the issue of sexual exploitation allegations. Dujarric added that there is no pressure on anyone to step down at what is a very delicate time in the DRC.

COTE DIVOIRE: ANNAN CONCERNED BY VIOLENCE IN ZONE OF CONFIDENCE

Secretary-General Kofi Annan is very

concerned at the recent escalation of serious incidents in and around the Zone of Confidence in Cote dIvoire, culminating in the attack by some 100 armed youth against Forces nouvelles positions across the Zone on 28 February 2005.

Troops from the

UN Operation in Cote dIvoire (UNOCI) promptly deployed to the area and regained control of the town. During the intervention, a Bangladeshi peacekeeper was seriously injured and some 70 armed youth were captured and disarmed by UNOCI. The Secretary-General reminds the parties that everything has to be done to cooperate in earnest with the African Union mediation led by President Mbeki of South Africa, which is fully supported by the United Nations, and to avoid any steps which could contribute to the deterioration of the situation on the ground.

In this regard, the Secretary-General calls on the parties to rein in all militias and reminds their leaders, as well as those behind them, that they will be held accountable for premeditated attacks, including through the measures envisaged in Security Council

resolution 1572 (2004).

SECURITY COUNCIL CONDEMNS MURDER OF U.N. PEACEKEEPERS IN D.R.C.

The Security Council held consultations on the March program of work and other matters.

Under other matters, Security Council members first heard a briefing by Assistant Secretary-General Hédi Annabi on the recent constitutional referendum in Burundi.

Then they heard a briefing by the chair of the

Cote dIvoire sanctions committee, Ambassador Adamantios Vassilakis of Greece.

The Council also held a formal meeting to adopt a presidential statement on the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In that connection, Annabi provided a brief update on the latest developments involving UN peacekeepers in the eastern DRC.

In the

presidential statement, the Security Council condemned with the utmost firmness the 25 February attack against MONUC by the FNI in Ituri, resulting in the murder of nine Bangladeshi peacekeepers. The Council also considered that aggression near the Congolese town of Kafé, by its intentional and well-planned nature, to be an unacceptable outrage.

Immediately following the noon briefing, the Security Council President, Ambassador Ronaldo Mota Sardenberg, briefed correspondents on the March program of work.

ANNAN MEETS WITH PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT IN LONDON

The Secretary-General ended his one-day trip to London last night by meeting with the President of the

Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas.

They agreed on the importance of following through on the important agreements reached at the

London Conference held earlier that day. They also discussed Palestinian elections, for which the United Nations was providing technical assistance, as well as the prospects for the Palestinian economy, and the importance of freedom of movement for Palestinians in improving the economic situation.

The Secretary-General noted that the revised route of the separation barrier in the West Bank still encroaches on a substantial amount of Palestinian land.

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL TAKES ZERO TOLERANCE MESSAGE TO SIERRA LEONE

Concluding her visit to the

UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), the Deputy Secretary-General today met with the UN Missions Force Commander, Lieutenant General Joseph Owonibi, Marc Howard of the International Police Services, national military contingent commanders, and national police contingent commanders. She emphasized the Secretary-Generals zero tolerance policy regarding sexual exploitation and abuse by peacekeepers.

Among the issues discussed was the need for increased pre-deployment training on sexual exploitation and abuse issues for peacekeepers coming to UNMIL, improved staff welfare and recreation programs for UNMIL peacekeepers and international police officers, and the need for increased investigative personnel and resources.

Before leaving Monrovia, Liberia, for Freetown,

Sierra Leone, the Deputy Secretary-General spoke to reporters.

The Deputy Secretary-General then travelled to Freetown and began the second leg of her mission.

Her first appointment will be with the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Sierra Leone,

Daudi Mwakawago. During her stay, she plans to meet with the UN Senior Management Team, the UN Country Team, and mission personnel working on these issues; and she will conduct a town hall meeting with the entire mission civilian and military staff.

HAITI: SECURITY SITUATION REMAINS PRECARIOUS

The security situation in

Haiti remains precarious, and the possibility of outbreaks of violence cannot be ruled out, the Secretary-General says in his latest

report to the Security Council on that country.

He says that it is essential to continue a firm and even-handed approach in dealing with armed groups that challenge the authority of the State. He also calls on Haitis Transitional Government to establish a national disarmament and demobilization commission.

The Secretary-General also calls on all political parties and Haitian voters to join in the electoral process, with the first round of parliamentary and presidential elections scheduled to take place in November. At the same time, he remains concerned about allegations of human rights abuses, and calls on the Haitian authorities to take appropriate action if those allegations are substantiated.

SOUTH DARFUR: MORE THAN 20 KILLED IN ATTACK

The UN Advance Mission in

Sudan continues to receive reports of violence in Darfur.

Earlier this week, a UN assessment team heard reports from many internally displaced persons of an attack that took place in South Darfur on February 23, in which approximately 26 people were killed while traveling to Salakoyo.

Meanwhile, there is a high risk of a measles outbreak in Ezo County, in Southern Sudan, according to another inter-agency assessment mission. In response, a measles campaign is taking place in that county.

IRRIGATION PROGRAM UNDERWAY IN IRAQ

The United Nations Development Group Trust Fund is carrying out a $35 million program to strengthen basic irrigation, as well as farming skills, in

Iraq.

The program is also designed to encourage professionals and technicians from different disciplines to work together to benefit farmers in Iraq.

KOSOVO: U.N. ENVOY MEETS WITH LEADER OF F.Y.R. MACEDONIA

The Secretary-Generals Special Representative in

Kosovo, Søren Jessen-Petersen,

met this morning in Pristina with Prime Minister Vlado Buchkovski of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Jessen-Petersen welcomed the opening of a Macedonian trade office in Pristina, noting that now all states in the region, with the exception of Serbia and Montenegro, have such offices in the city.

The two also discussed border demarcation and the return of refugees.

MORE GIRLS NEED TO BE IN SCHOOL, ANNAN SAYS

If we are to succeed in our efforts to build a healthier, peaceful and equitable world, classrooms must be full of girls as well as boys.

That is what the Secretary-General said in a

video message to the Conference on Gender Parity in Education, being held today in Washington, DC.

He added that, although the worlds leaders set a target for girls to catch up with boys in primary and secondary education by this year, most of the more than 100 million children not in school today are girls.

U.N. ASSESSES DAMAGE IN CYCLONE-HIT PACIFIC ISLANDS

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is

sending disaster assessment teams to the Cook Islands and Tokelau, in the Pacific Ocean, to help gauge damage from Tropical Cyclone Percy.

The Cook Islands Government has declared a state of emergency for two of its northern islands, one which now has only ten houses left intact. Cyclone Percy is now headed towards one of the Cook Islands southern atolls.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

U.N. ENVOY TO RETURN TO LEBANON BEFORE SUBMITTING REPORT: Asked when UN Special Envoy Terje Roed-Larsen would return to Lebanon, the Spokesman said that Roed-Larsen was expected to go back to the region before he submits his report on the implementation of

resolution 1559 in April.

STUDENT CONFERENCE ON GLOBAL HEALTH STARTS TOMORROW: The

UN International School will be holding a

conference on global health in the General Assembly Hall, tomorrow and Friday, 3 and 4 March. Speakers will include Morgan Spurlock, director and producer of the Oscar-nominated film Super Size Me. The annual event is organized and run by students.

PROJECT TO IMPROVE WATER MANAGEMENT IN NILE BASIN COUNTRIES: The ten countries within the Nile River basin will

benefit from better access to information on the availability, use and development potential of the Nile resources they share, thanks to a new project aimed at improving water resource management in the region, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) announced today. The US$5 million project, funded by the Government of Italy, will be implemented by participating country governments with assistance from FAO.

Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

United Nations, S-378

New York, NY 10017

Tel. 212-963-7162 -

press/media only

Fax. 212-963-7055

All other inquiries to be addressed to (212)

963-4475 or by e-mail to: inquiries@un.org

United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next Article