United Nations Daily Highlights, 05-03-16

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 FRED ECKHARD

SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

ANNAN WELCOMES CONVENING OF IRAQS TRANSITIONAL NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

Secretary-General Kofi Annan welcomes the convening today in Baghdad of the Transitional National Assembly (TNA) of

Iraq.

This marks an important step in Iraqs political transition process.

Now that the TNA has been convened, the Secretary-General hopes that the Transitional Government of Iraq will be formed quickly so that Iraq can move forward to the next phase of its political transition, particularly the drafting of a national constitution by the people of Iraq.

As stated by his Special Representative,

Ashraf Qazi, in his address to the Assembly upon its inauguration, the Secretary-General wishes to assure the Iraqi people and their elected representatives that the United Nations will continue to support their efforts in the political and economic reconstruction of their country, including by providing any needed assistance to Iraqs sovereign and independent constitution-making process.

To that end, his Special Representative will continue to consult with the newly elected members of the TNA and other Iraqi representatives, with a view to promoting dialogue and national reconciliation.

Qazi today told the Transitional National Assembly, The opportunities before the people of Iraq are unlimited. But the challenges facing them are also significant.

He told the Assembly that they should keep their constituents regularly informed about their deliberations, and will profit from transparency and inclusiveness during the writing of the Constitution.

ANNAN ENDS VISIT TO MIDDLE EAST VISIT AMID RENEWED HOPE FOR PEACE

The

Secretary-General has left Israel, and is on his way back to New York.

Last night, the Secretary-General wrapped up his trip in Israel at a dinner hosted by President Moshe Katsav, and

said that the inauguration earlier that day of the Holocaust History Museum at Yad Vashem had been well-timed, coming at a time of renewed hope for peace in the Middle East.

The ceremony, he added, also occurs as Israel and the United Nations continue to build a new relationship. There is a sense that Israel and the United Nations have rediscovered each other, he said.

Before dinner, the Secretary-General met with the Speaker of the Knesset, Reuven Rivlin. The Speaker shared with the Secretary-General his views on the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians.

U.N. TEAM ON HARIRI KILLING IS ON ITS WAY BACK TO NEW YORK

The team headed by

Peter Fitzgerald that was to examine the circumstances, causes and consequences of the killing of former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri has finished its inquiry.

The team left Lebanon this morning, and members of the team are expected to arrive in New York on Thursday. The team hopes to report to the

Secretary-General sometime next week.

Asked when the report by the team would come out, the Spokesman said that the results of their work will be conveyed to the

Security Council by the Secretary-General, in a format that has not yet been decided.

EASTERN DR CONGO IS BIGGEST, MOST NEGLECTED HUMANITARIAN EMERGENCY

The eastern

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is the location of the biggest and most neglected humanitarian emergency in the world even when compared to whats happening in

Darfur, Sudan.

That is the view of

Jan Egeland, the Under-Secretary-General for

Humanitarian Affairs and the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, who

briefed the press in Geneva today on humanitarian relief efforts.

Egeland said that a recent survey indicated that there were 1,000 preventable deaths in the eastern DRC each day.

NUMBER OF DISPLACED PEOPLE IN DARFUR COULD REACH THREE MILLION

On Sudan, in that

same press briefing, the Egeland warned that unless an agreement was reached soon and humanitarian agencies were given full access and freedom to operate, the number of internally displaced people in

Darfur could reach three million by the end of the year. He also noted that attacks against civilians were continuing and the abuse and rape of women was rampant.

Also in Geneva, 15 UN human rights experts issued a joint statement, saying that the violations in Darfur have been "staggering in scale and harrowing in nature." If the statement "Never again" is to have any meaning, they said, now must be the time for action.

The experts called on the

Security Council to take concrete action immediately to stop further violence. They strongly backed the recommendation of the International Commission of Inquiry that the International Criminal Court deal with the case of atrocities in Darfur.

The

UN Mission in Sudan, meanwhile, reports that 37 cases of measles have been reported from West Darfur and eight cases have been reported from South Darfur. A supplementary measles immunization campaign targeting children has begun in two locations that have reported the majority of cases.

U.N. PEACEKEEPERS HELP CLEAN UP CITE SOLEIL NEIGHBOURHOOD IN HAITI

Peacekeepers from the

UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti yesterday

carried out an operation in the Cite Soleil neighborhood of the capital Port-au-Prince, with the double-aim of helping make it more secure as well as cleaning it up.

The operation involved 200 blue helmets from the Jordanian military contingent, as well as fourteen armored vehicles, and tractors, trucks and water tankers.

Members of the Ecuadorian and Chilean military contingents later joined the Jordanians.

As well as maintaining a visible presence to help deter violence there, the UN peacekeepers also rid the neighbourhood of huge piles of rubbish which had been cluttering roads and affecting the health of residents.

In addition, the peacekeepers distributed food and water to the residents.

ERSKINE BOWLES APPOINTED DEPUTY SPECIAL ENVOY FOR TSUNAMI RECOVERY

The

Secretary-General today appointed Erskine Bowles as the Deputy Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery.

At the request of the Special Envoy, former U.S. President

Bill Clinton, Bowles will leave for the region today to assess how the global humanitarian community has responded to the disaster.

Bowles will also attend an Asian Development Bank conference in Manila on 18 March.

Following Bowles' visit to the region, President Clinton will convene a meeting of UN agency heads in New York to discuss the status of their tsunami recovery work.

UNICEF IS APPALLED BY MASSACRE OF KENYAN CHILDREN

The

UN Childrens Fund, or UNICEF,

says that it is appalled by the killing of at least 16 children in clashes between rivalling clans in

Kenya.

UNICEF Representative Heimo Laakkonen expressed horror at the viciousness of the attack on the Garre clan, which took place yesterday. The shocking reality is that children seem to have been the primary target, he said.

The attack took place in the Mandera District, where over twenty thousand people have been displaced by violence in recent months.

U.N. ENVOY WELCOMES DIRECT TALKS BETWEEN SERBIA AND KOSOVO

The head of the

UN Interim Administration in Kosovo,

Soren Jessen-Petersen, today welcomed the resumption of direct talks between Serbia and Kosovo.

The talks are to resolve the issue of more than 3,000 people still missing five years after the North Atlantic Treaty Organization drove out Yugoslav troops amid ethnic fighting between Albanians and Serbs.

WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME TO ASSIST DROUGHT VICTIMS IN UGANDA

The

World Food Programme (WFP) has launched a six-month food relief operation in Uganda to assist nearly 600,000 people suffering from drought in the northeastern region of Karamoja.

Even before the poor harvest of 2004, the regions malnutrition rate of 18.7% was the highest in the country. WFP says it is greatly concerned about the situation, and has started distributing food and assisting health centres across the region.

To maintain its full activities until December 2005, WFP currently requires an additional $54 million.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

DAMAGE REPORTED IN SOUTHERN COOK ISLANDS FOLLOWING CYCLONE: Turning now to Cyclone Percy, which struck the South Pacific last month, a UN emergency team has completed assessments in the southern Cook Islands and confirmed that they are not in a state of emergency. In Tokelau, however, significant damage has been reported on three atolls, with extensive beach erosion, a massive loss of staple crops, and destroyed fish habitats being areas of particular concern.

NO SECURITY COUNCIL MEETINGS TODAY: There are no meetings or consultations of the

Security Council scheduled for today.

BENON SEVAN GRANTED AN EXTENSION TO RESPOND TO OIL-FOR-FOOD COMMITTEE: Asked about the responses by Benon Sevan and Joseph Stephanides to the report by the Independent Inquiry Committee examining the oil-for-food program, the Spokesman said that Sevan had been granted an extension to give him time to respond, and he still has some time left under that extension. Stephanides, he added, replied within the two-week original deadline, and is awaiting a decision on his case.

DILEEP NAIR CASE TO MEET MALLOCH-BROWN AT END OF WEEK: Asked when the case of the Under-Secretary-General for

Internal Oversight,

Dileep Nair, will be dealt with, the Spokesman said that Nair will meet with Chef de Cabinet Mark Malloch Brown when he returns from Malaysia at the end of this week. After that discussion, Malloch Brown will decide whether to re-open an investigation based on complaints made by the UN Staff Council.

NO COMMENT ON U.S. NOMINATION OF CANDIDATE FOR WORLD BANK PRESIDENCY: The Spokesman declined to comment on the announcement that the United States had nominated Paul Wolfowitz to be World Bank President, saying that the selection of a President is a process in which the

Secretary-General is not involved. Asked about comments made by

Jeffrey Sachs on Wolfowitz, the Spokesman said that any remarks that Sachs may have made would be in his role as a Columbia University professor, not as a UN official.

CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM OF SPOKESMANS OFFICE ALWAYS WELCOME: Asked about comments by former U.S. Ambassador to the UN Richard Holbrooke criticizing the UN press operation as antiquated, the Spokesman said that, if Holbrooke were referring to the Spokesmans Office, he would welcome any constructive criticism that the former Ambassador may have.

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