United Nations Daily Highlights, 05-03-07

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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 STEPHANE DUJARRIC

ASSOCIATE

SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Monday, March 7, 2005

ANNAN MEETS WITH SECURITY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND DISCUSSES

URGENTLY NEEDED RESPONSE TO APPALLING SITUATION IN DARFUR, SUDAN

Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in a

statement today, said, The members of the

Security Council came to see me this morning, at my request, to discuss

Sudan.

I asked them to come and see me because I am worried that we are not moving fast enough to deal with the appalling situation in Darfur. There have been a lot of efforts on the humanitarian side, and by the African Union on the security side, which go in the right direction. But they are not enough. We keep getting reports which show that the killing and raping and burning are still going on.

I was glad to hear from Council members that they hope to have a new resolution in the course of this week, which will include agreement on a mechanism for holding individuals accountable for these dreadful crimes. That is good. We must send a clear message that the world is not going to tolerate them.

Meanwhile, everyone agrees that a stronger international presence on the ground is crucial. Where the African Union (AU) troops are, things are better for the population. But there are far too few of them.

What can be done? Can the AU presence be beefed up, with our help, or do we need a UN force, which could either include the AU troops or work alongside them?

I discussed those options with the Council members. We all agreed that its vital to keep the north-south peace process on track and treat Sudans problems in their totality. So we urge all donors to come through with their promises of aid for the south, and we dont think it would be a good idea to cannibalise the UN peacekeeping mission there for the sake of Darfur.

Clearly everyones first preference is for the AU to stay in the lead in Darfur, but for the rest of us to give it more effective help, while keeping other options open. Council members were glad to hear that the UN, along with the European Union and the United States, will be joining an on-the-spot assessment mission led by the AU starting later this week.

Let me add that I welcome the pressure from the public and the media for stronger and faster decisions on this issue. We here are getting thousands of letters from people urging stronger action. I am sure national governments are getting them too. I will hold a meeting next week with some of the leading NGOs, to discuss with them the best ways of canalizing this pressure so that it results in effective action by governments.

U.N. HUMANITARIAN CHIEF CALLS FOR MORE FUNDING FOR SUDAN

The Under-Secretary-General for

Humanitarian Affairs,

Jan Egeland, ended a four-day trip to

Sudan, and said he was concerned about the low level of funding to implement the 2005 work plan for the country.

Only 5% of the funds needed are in hand, and Egeland said there was a disturbing discrepancy between what the world promised to do once the peace agreement was signed and what it has delivered.

He said, Either the world comes up with the investment or we lose the historic opportunity to put right one of the worst wars of our generation.

Meanwhile,

Jan Pronk, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Sudan, today visited Asmara, Eritrea, to hold discussions with Government officials and representatives of Darfur rebel organizations. His talks will focus on attempts to resume the Abuja peace talks.

ANNAN TO VISIT SPAIN, ISRAEL, PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES

The

Secretary-General will travel to Spain this week where on Thursday he will deliver the keynote address on a global strategy for fighting terrorism to the International Summit Democracy, Terrorism and Security.

The meeting is organized by the Club de Madrid and is being held under the patronage of King Juan Carlos of Spain.

On Wednesday, the day before the conference, the Secretary-General will meet with Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.

On Friday, 11 March, the Secretary-General will join the King Carlos, Prime Minister Zapatero and visiting heads of state and government at the commemoration marking the first anniversary of the Madrid train bombings.

The Secretary-General will then travel to the Middle East.

On Monday, he will be in Ramallah to meet with the senior Palestinian leadership, including President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ahmad Qurei.

While in the Occupied Palestinian Territory he will meet with staff from the UN Relief Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), at a Womens Training Center run by UNRWA.

On Tuesday, he will begin an official visit to Israel. While in Israel, the Secretary-General is scheduled to have discussions with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Vice-Prime Minister Shimon Peres, among others.

Also on Tuesday, he and his wife Nane will be attending the inauguration of the new Holocaust History museum in Jerusalem at Yad Vashem.

The Secretary-General is expected back in New York later in the week.

Asked about the goal of the

Middle East visit, the Spokesman said that there had been a reinvigoration of the peace process in recent months, and it was a good time for the Secretary-General to see the Israeli and Palestinian leadership. The Secretary-General, he added, also looks forward to seeing the opening of the Yad Vashem museum.

SECURITY COUNCIL TO HOLD CONSULTATIONS ON SOMALIA

The

Security Council has scheduled consultations on Somalia at 3:00 this afternoon.

Winston Tubman, the Secretary-Generals Representative for Somalia, will brief the Council on the latest developments in that country.

ANNAN LOOKS FORWARD TO WORKING WITH U.S. NOMINEE ON U.N. REFORM

Asked about the nomination of John Bolton to be the next U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, the Spokesman said that the

Secretary-General warmly congratulates Bolton and looks forward to working with him on UN reform, among other issues.

The Secretary-General was called by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice this morning, who informed him of the appointment and assured the Secretary-General that Bolton would work with the United Nations on reform and a full range of other issues.

Asked about Boltons past record of demanding accountability from the United Nations, the Spokesman said the United Nations has nothing against people who hold us accountable. On the contrary, the United Nations, he said, had been dealing with accountability and would continue to do so in the months ahead.

U.N. ENVOY IN TALKS ON RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN IRAQ

The Secretary-Generals Special Representative in Iraq,

Ashraf Qazi, today met with President of the Muslim Scholars Association, Sheikh Hareth al-Dhari, for talks that focused on recent developments in

Iraq and their impact on the political process.

In remarks to the press after the meeting, Qazi said these discussions are part of consultations he is holding with Iraqi representatives of all political forces to discuss means of advancing the political process.

Earlier in the day, Qazi visited the headquarters of the Iraqi Islamic Party where he held similar talks with the party president, Muhsen Abdul Hamid.

In meetings he has been holding with Iraqi leaders from across the political spectrum ahead of the convening of the Transitional National Assembly, Qazi has also been discussing ways through which the United Nations can further contribute to the advancement of the political process with a view to encouraging broader participation in political efforts to restore peace and stability to Iraq.

ANNAN TAKES NOTE OF SYRIAN PRESIDENTS SPEECH ON LEBANON WITHDRAWAL

The

Secretary-General

took note of the speech delivered on Saturday in Damascus by the Syrian President Dr. Bashar Al-Assad and will study it carefully.

Meanwhile, he has requested his special envoy,

Terje Roed-Larsen, to travel to Beirut and Damascus this week to discuss with Lebanese and Syrian officials the full, complete and immediate implementation of

Security Council resolution 1559.

Prior to traveling to those two countries, Roed-Larsen will go to Brussels to meet with European Union officials.

Asked about the impact of Hezbollahs stated support for Syria, the Spokesman said an assessment on the situation would come when Roed-Larsen visits Lebanon and Syria later this week to discuss the full and immediate implementation of resolution 1559.

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL ENDS VISIT TO U.N. MISSIONS IN WEST AFRICA

The Deputy Secretary-General,

Louise Fréchette, today ended a four-day visit to Cote dIvoire, the last of three West African countries she has visited to highlight the

Secretary-Generals zero-tolerance policy regarding sexual exploitation.

Yesterday, the Deputy Secretary-General met with Ivorian Prime Minister Seydou Diarra, to inform him about her mission on the zero-tolerance policy, and also to review with him the current political situation in the country.

They discussed South Africas mediation, in which the Deputy Secretary-General reiterated UN support for President Thabo Mbekis efforts.

She also said that the United Nations was ready to assist the Ivorian authorities in organizing transparent, free and democratic elections.

The Deputy Secretary-General met with President Laurent Gbagbo on Friday, and reviewed the current situation in the country and the UN contribution to the peace process.

On Saturday, following a meeting with the senior management of

the UN Operation in Cote dIvoire, the Deputy Secretary-General held a press conference to explain her efforts to sensitize UN staff about sexual exploitation and abuse, and the policy the UN has adopted to deal with that problem.

Fréchette is now in Berlin, and will go to Kosovo on Thursday to explain the zero-tolerance policy.

While in Berlin, she will have meetings with Joschka Fischer, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany and with Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, MP, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development. She is also scheduled to address officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and to hold discussions with parlementarians of the Bundestags Subcommittee on the United Nations as well as with representatives of civil society. These discussions will focus on the challenges and perspectives for the United Nations in 2005, and on this year's reform debate at the United Nations.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

AFGHANISTANS PANJSHIR VALLEY NOW FREE OF ALL KNOWN HEAVY WEAPONS: Afghanistans Panjshir Valley is now free of all known heavy weapons, the

UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan

reported yesterday. The Mission says that 115 heavy weapons were collected in the valley, and were deactivated and placed in a secure compound. Nationwide, there are now 8,630 heavy weapons collected.

MALNUTRITION RATES IN NORTH KOREA HAVE DECLINED: Malnutrition rates among children in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea have declined over the past two years, according to survey results announced today by the

World Food Programme and the

UN Childrens Fund. The two agencies attributed the improvements in part to significant levels of international support. At the same time, however, those malnutrition rates are relatively high, and one-third of mothers remain malnourished and anemic. Malnourishment among mothers, which contributes to child malnutrition, has not improved over the past two years.

PANEL DISCUSSION TO BE HELD IN OBSERVANCE OF WOMENS DAY: Tomorrow, in observance of International Womens Day, there will be a panel discussion on gender equality from 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. at UN headquarters. It will be moderated by Shashi Tharoor, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information. Speakers will include Rachel Mayanja, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women, and Nafis Sadik, of the High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change.

DEPLETED FISH STOCKS REQUIRE RECOVERY EFFORTS: Rebuilding depleted wild fish stocks is a challenging necessity,

according to a

report released today by the

Food and Agriculture Organization. It says that 24% of marine stocks are over-exploited, depleted, or recovering from depletion, and thus need rebuilding. Seven of the top ten marine fish species are fully exploited or overexploited.

REGIONAL MEETING CALLS FOR URGENT REFORM OF FOOD SAFETY SYSTEMS: Near East food safety regulators and experts from some 20 countries and international organizations yesterday called for increased surveillance and better data on food-borne diseases and resolved to step up efforts to improve

food safety throughout the region. The call came at the end of the first-ever

Near East Regional Food Safety Meeting sponsored by the

Food and Agriculture Organization and the

World Health Organization and hosted by the Jordanian Government.

W.H.O. APPOINTS ETHIOPIAN SUPERMODEL AS GOODWILL AMBASSADOR: The

World Health Organization (WHO) today

appointed Ethiopian fashion model

Liya Kebede as its Goodwill Ambassador for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health. Kebede will help WHO in its campaign to improve the health of mothers and children. Her appointment comes exactly one month before

World Health Day 2005, and her first official function will be to take part in the global World Health Day celebrations in New Delhi on 7 April.