United Nations Daily Highlights, 05-05-16

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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

MARIE OKABE

ASSOCIATE

SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Monday, May 16, 2005

ANNAN DEPLORES OUTBREAK OF VIOLENCE IN UZBEKISTAN

Secretary-General Kofi Annan has been following events in Uzbekistan over the past few days with great

concern. He deplores the outbreak of violence in the city of Andijan. He is saddened by the news of the loss of life including civilians, and appeals to all parties concerned for restraint in the use of force.

The Secretary-General calls on all parties concerned to comply with international humanitarian law and cooperate fully with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees' (UNHCR) emergency team deployed to the region for providing assistance to refugees coming from Uzbekistan.

U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY TEAM ASSESSES NEEDS OF HUNDREDS OF UZBEKS

ON KYGYRZ BORDER WHO FLED VIOLENCE

The UNHCR team from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) arrived on the Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan border Sunday to assess the needs of hundreds of Uzbeks who fled violence in their homeland.

The three-member UNHCR team, from the agency's office in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, confirmed that some 560 Uzbeks had arrived on Saturday in Suzac, in the Jalalabad Oblast region of Kyrgyzstan. UNHCR noted that all 560 newcomers on Sunday were registered by the Kyrgyz authorities.

UNHCR expects regional governments to maintain an open border policy and will cooperate with them to respond to humanitarian needs arising from the situation in Uzbekistan.

Asked if the flow of refugees from Uzbekistan into Kyrgyzstan had stopped, the Spokeswoman responded that UNHCR was monitoring two border areas. As of now, the agency only had the figure of 560 registered refugees.

There were some reports of more people waiting on the Uzbek side, trying to cross into Kyrgyzstan, and UNHCR would be updating her on any further developments. She added that UNHCRs statement had been very clear about the need to keep international borders open to anyone seeking international protection.

ANNAN WELCOMES DISARMAMENT TIMETABLE FOR COTE DIVOIRE

The Secretary-General

welcomes the agreement on the timeframe and modalities for the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process in Cote dIvoire, as well as a plan for the restructuring of the armed forces, signed by the Chiefs of Staff of the Ivorian National Armed Forces (FANCI) and the Forces Nouvelles (FN) on 14 May 2005, under the auspices of the National Commission for Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration.

The Secretary-General urges the parties to implement their respective commitments in close cooperation with the United Nations and in accordance with the agreed timetable. The Secretary-General also calls on the Ivorian parties to ensure expeditious implementation of the other aspects of the Pretoria Agreement.

The UN Operations in Côte dIvoire (UNOCI) also welcomed the agreement and reiterated its availability to support the implementation of the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of former combatants.

ANNAN TELLS GRADUATES: UNITED NATIONS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS

The Secretary-General today

delivered the commencement address at the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, in which he told the students that he was far from complacent about the United Nations today.

The United Nations, he is saying, is a work in progress, and it must move with the times. That is why, he is saying, he has put before the Member States the blueprint of the "In Larger Freedom" report, so that the world body can be overhauled to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

His commencement addresses spells out the meaning of "larger freedom," and how the people who work for the United Nations are in the front lines of the effort to win larger freedom -- whether through elections in Iraq, peace efforts in Haiti and Sudan, or efforts to take care of those suffering from AIDS.

GUINEA-BISSAU: ANNAN CALLS ON POLITICAL LEADERS

NOT TO MAKE STATEMENTS THAT COULD EXACERBATE TENSIONS

The Secretary-General, according to a statement issued Sunday evening, is deeply concerned to hear of statements which appear designed to disrupt the ongoing transitional process in Guinea-Bissau.

The aim of this process is to restore constitutional governance in the country through the holding of presidential elections on 19 June 2005.

He calls on all segments of Bissau Guinean society, in particular political leaders, to desist from any actions or statements that could undermine peaceful and orderly electoral and transitional processes, or otherwise exacerbate tensions in the country.

LEBANON: ANNAN URGES RESTRAINT AFTER EXCHANGE OF FIRE ACROSS "BLUE LINE"

According to a statement issued late Friday, Secretary-General views with deep concern Friday's exchange of fire along the Blue Line. These events, which began with shells being fired from

Lebanon towards an Israeli military position along the Blue Line, prompting an Israeli artillery and air response, constituted the third violation of the Blue Line in recent days and a worrisome escalation of the situation.

The Secretary-General calls on all parties to exercise the utmost restraint in a situation that continues to be fragile, not just in

Lebanon, but also in the wider region. He also reiterates his call on the Government of Lebanon to extend its control over all of its territory, to exert its monopoly on the use of force, and to put an end to all attacks emanating from its territory.

The Secretary-General once again urges all parties to fully respect the Blue Line, which was unanimously determined by the Security Council, and reminds them that one violation cannot justify another.

TIMOR-LESTE STILL IN NEED OF INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE

This afternoon at 3 p.m., the Security Council will hold a closed meeting with troop-contributing countries to the UN Mission in Timor-Leste. Following that at 3:45 p.m., there will be an open meeting on the situation in that country.

Before the Council is the Secretary-Generals end of mandate report on the UN Mission in Timor-Leste. The report, which is out on the racks today, observes that, despite remarkable strides towards self-sufficiency, Timor-Leste still needs further support from the international community.

It welcomes the Councils decision to remain engaged by maintaining an operational presence on the ground until May 2006.

In other news, we told you on Friday that the Security Council held a briefing on its recent mission to Haiti. That missions

report is now out on the racks. Among other things, it notes that, although the UN Mission in Haiti had deployed slowly, it was now working well, despite difficult circumstances.

SENIOR U.N. OFFICIALS DISCUSS HUMANITARIAN/SECURITY ISSUES IN DARFUR

The Secretary-Generals Special Advisor, Lakhdar Brahimi, and Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Marie Guéhenno, together with the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for

Sudan, Jan Pronk, visited Darfur over the weekend.

Among those they met with were African Union officials, and UN personnel operating in Darfur. Discussions focused on the humanitarian and security situation in the Darfurs.

Today, the three -- Brahimi, Guéhenno and Pronk -- held a meeting in Khartoum with the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Al-Tigani Fadhel, followed by a meeting with First Vice President Ali Othman Taha.

Asked if Brahimi, Guéhenno and Pronk had issued a statement after their meeting today in Khartoum, the Spokeswoman said she had not seen one. She did, however, explain that Brahimi was there to garner support for the African Union mission in Sudan, and that Guéhenno was there to get a firsthand look at how the United Nations was responding to the overall needs on the ground.

Asked when Brahimi and Guéhenno were returning to Headquarters, the Spokeswoman said they would be leaving Sudan on 19 May.

IRANIAN NUCLEAR ISSUE NOT BEFORE SECURITY COUNCIL

Asked for information on reports that the United States and United Kingdom were seeking to refer the Iranian nuclear issue to the Security Council, the Spokeswoman said that, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), there had been no further developments since the end of last week.

Pressed about the Secretary-Generals remarks on that issue to USA Today, the Spokeswoman replied that she could not further interpret the Secretary-Generals remarks; they stood as they were. She noted that, as of now, the Iranian nuclear issue was not before the Security Council. Whether or not to send the matter to the Council was up to the IAEAs Board of Governors.

UNITED NATIONS SUPPORTS WOMENS SUFFRAGE

Asked about a UN reaction to Kuwaiti women being granted the right to vote, the Spokeswoman said the United Nations in general welcomes the idea of women gaining suffrage.

An official UN statement would soon follow, she added.

U.N. MANAGEMENT REFORM BRIEFING TO BE HELD TOMORROW

At 11:00 a.m., there will be a background briefing with a senior UN official on UN management reform in the press briefing room at UN headquarters.

When a journalist inquired about rumors that the Secretary-General was planning to promote Mark Malloch Brown, the Chef de Cabinet, to the rank of Deputy Secretary-General, the Spokeswoman added that she could neither confirm nor deny the rumors that the journalist had heard.

The Spokeswoman also said she would try to provide journalists with a fact sheet on management reform later this evening.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

LATEST REPORTS ON OIL-FOR-FOOD ARE A MATTER FOR U.S. CONGRESS AND VOLCKER: Asked about the Secretary-Generals reaction to recent comments made by Robert Parton in Washington, D.C. about the

oil-for-food inquiry, the Spokeswoman said the matter was between the U.S. Congress and Paul Volcker, the head of the Independent Inquiry Committee.

U.N. POLITICAL CHIEF MEETS WITH CYPRIOT OFFICIALS: Responding to a question on Cyprus, the Spokeswoman said Ambassadors Tasos Tzionis and Andreas Mavroyannis were currently meeting with Kieran Prendergast, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs. She went on to explain that this was the first of what might be several meetings. Any readout would most likely have to wait until the end of those consultations. She suggested that journalists contact the Mission of Cyprus for more information.

NO ITINERARY YET FOR COMMISSION OF EXPERTS IN INDONESIA: Asked about the itinerary of the UN Commission of Experts dealing with Timor-Leste and Indonesia, which was scheduled to arrive in Indonesia on Wednesday, the Spokeswoman later said that the itinerary had not been finalized. The final schedule was expected to be agreed upon by Wednesday, and would be shared with journalists when it was ready.

SESSION ON INDIGENOUS ISSUES OPENS: Today marks the opening of the fourth session of the UN Permanent Forum on

Indigenous Issues. Addressing the Forum, the Deputy Secretary-General said indigenous peoples must be part of revitalizing the United Nations -- both as contributors and beneficiaries. She added that the United Nations would continue to be indigenous peoples partner in their quest for dignity.

FOREST FORUM MEETING BEGINS TODAY: The fifth session of the

UN Forum on Forests begins today, and will run until the 27th of May. More than 300 government officials, including 40 ministers responsible for forests, will meet here at Headquarters and consider a recent report by the Secretary-General, which says that deforestation and forest degradation are continuing at an alarming rate.

ANNAN ISSUES MESSAGES ON FAMILIES, ASIA & EUROPE: The Secretary-General has issued three messages. The first was for the International Day of Families, which was celebrated yesterday. The

second message was to the 61st session of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, and the

third to the Third Summit of the Council of Europe.

SOCCER STAR RONALDO VISITS MIDDLE EAST ONBEHALF OF UNITED NATIONS: UN Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador and Real de Madrid soccer star Ronaldo made

visits in the Middle East today. He went to Ramallah in the West Bank, where he saw antipoverty projects. I hope to see a Palestinian soccer team when there will be peace, he told a news conference. He also visited the Israeli city of Herzliya, where he visited a soccer programme for Israeli and Palestinian youth.

LANDMINE ANNOUNCEMENT WINS TOP AWARD: A video public service announcement about landmines, produced for the UN Mine Action Service by a New York advertising firm, was awarded the Gold Award at the World Media Festival in Hamburg last Thursday. The announcement may also be viewed online at

http://www.stoplandmines.org/slm/index.html.

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

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