United Nations Daily Highlights, 05-05-18

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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

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

UNITED NATIONS POLITICAL CHIEF TO RETIRE

It is with real regret that the Secretary-General

announces the retirement of

Kieran Prendergast, who has been Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs since March 1997.

He wishes to thank Sir Kieran for his outstanding service in that post over the past eight years, during which he has given invaluable advice on many of the most difficult issues that the United Nations has to confront, as well as conducting many sensitive diplomatic missions and managing one of the Organizations most important departments.

Sir Kieran will leave the Department of Political Affairs (DPA) at the end of June, but will remain on staff until the end of the year. After taking accumulated leave due to him during the summer he will, at the Secretary-Generals request, spend the fall semester as a Goodman Fellow at Harvard University, where he will write a report drawing on his experience at DPA and recommending how the United Nations can best fulfill its responsibilities in the areas of mediation support and conflict resolution.

Meanwhile, the Secretary-General is reviewing possible replacements for Sir Kieran at the head of DPA. Since his own mandate will only run for a further 18 months after Sir Kierans departure, his priority is to find someone already thoroughly familiar with the work of the United Nations, who can ensure full continuity in the leadership of the Department. He expects to make an announcement shortly.

Asked whether the Secretary-General might send Prendergast to Cyprus as a mediator, the Spokesman said that such a thing was likely, but there was no announcement to be made yet.

He noted that discussions with a delegation from Cyprus have been taking place in New York. Preliminary substantive discussions had taken place on Tuesday, and are to continue today.

Asked whether there would be a shortlist of candidates for Prendergasts replacement, the Spokesman said that the United Nations prepared such shortlists only for heads of agencies, and not for internal appointments.

MIDDLE EAST: DOUBTS & SUSPICIONS MUST BE ADDRESSED

THROUGH CONSTRUCTIVE ENGAGEMENT

Recent events in the Middle East should be seen over time as a new start on the road towards peace rather than a slide back into conflict and violent confrontation, Kieran Prendergast, the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs,

told the Security Council in an open meeting this morning.

Prendergast expressed hope that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority will resume in the near future the dialogue they began in Sharm el-Sheik in February. The doubts and suspicions on both sides may be understandable, Prendergast said, but they need to be addressed through constructive engagement and sustained bilateral contacts.

Israeli disengagement from Gaza should be seen as a highly significant step, Prendergast said, but he added that we are concerned by reports of a slow but steady increase in violent incidents that have damaged trust.

Further delays by Israel in handing over the remaining three Palestinian cities and in releasing prisoners threaten seriously to undermine President Abbas and the United Nations remains extremely concerned about the continued construction of Israels barrier in the West Bank.

Prendergast added that the situation in Lebanon remains fragile despite some recent hopeful signs.

He confirmed that Detlev Mehlis, the Commissioner of the International Independent Investigation Commission into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri, will travel to Lebanon shortly, and that his staff will be deployed on a rolling basis in the coming weeks to enable the work of the Commission to proceed as quickly as possible.

He also expressed serious concern about the escalating tensions along the Blue Line in recent days, saying that while last weeks firing incidents were ultimately contained, the risk was great that events could spiral out of control.

The open briefing was followed by Council consultations, also on the Middle East.

IRAQ: U.N. AGENCIES DELIVER AID TO FAMILIES FLEEING VIOLENCE

The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq and the UN Humanitarian Coordinators office are coordinating the humanitarian response after an estimated 2,000 families fled the fighting in the Iraqi city of Al Qaim.

Agencies are delivering initial assistance and assessing needs while monitoring returns to Al Qaim now that the fighting in the area appears to have ended. Agencies are also pre-positioning food and other items in the region, to expedite distribution to the city once access there is more reliable.

The shortage of ambulances to evacuate severe cases from the city remains a concern, as the hospitals surgery facilities are reported not to be functioning properly.

U.N. ENVOY TO VISIT FOOD INSECURE COUNTRIES IN SOUTHERN AFRICA

James T. Morris, the Secretary-Generals Special Envoy for Humanitarian Needs in Southern Africa, will start his fifth trip to the region on Sunday as southern Africa moves into yet another year of immense humanitarian need.

During his 11-day mission, Morris plans to visit four countries -- Zambia, Malawi, Botswana and Zimbabwe -- affected by the 'triple threat' of food insecurity, weakened capacity for governance and AIDS.

Morris will be joined by Ann M. Veneman, newly-appointed Executive Director of UNICEF, on a two-day mission to Malawi which is one of the countries worst-affected by the regional dry spell, rising malnutrition rates, and HIV/AIDS.

The HIV-AIDS driven crisis in the region is considered so grave that the Special Envoy will hold a review meeting in Johannesburg on May 25 that will include the Executive Directors of UNICEF and UNAIDS, Peter Piot, as well as 10 country representatives from the United Nations system in southern Africa.

WEST AFRICANS FACE FAMINE FOLLOWING LOCUSTS AND DROUGHT

Some six million people across West Africa's semi-arid Sahel region face famine after last year's plague of locusts and drought destroyed their crops and grazing land, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization's office in Senegal.

The office adds that subsistence farmers across the region have started selling their livestock and eating the seed corn which they were planning to plant this June.

UN agencies have recorded an alarming rise in child malnutrition in Niger, Mali and Mauritania.

FORCED RELOCATION MUST END IN SUDAN, U.N. MISSION SAYS

Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guehenno and Jan Pronk, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for

Sudan, are in the Nuba Mountains today where they are scheduled to meet with the Commander of the Joint Military Commission.

Meanwhile, the UN Mission says it received reports, currently under investigation, that police and security forces surrounded a squatter area outside Khartoum in an attempt to prevent internally displaced persons from leaving the area with the intent of relocating them.

The UN Mission expressed its deep concern at the situation. It said that the process by which demolitions, relocations and plot allocations are being carried out constitute human rights violations, including forced return.

The mission, in its weekly briefing, said every attempt must be made at this time to stop demolitions and relocations, until suitable alternative arrangements are made, says the mission. In all instances, the Mission said, forced relocation must end in the interests of protecting rights and livelihoods and preventing the loss of life.

U.N. ELECTORAL CHIEF TO STAY IN LEBANON FOR ONE MORE WEEK

The head of the UNs Electoral Assistance Division, Carina Perelli, said today she would extend her stay in Lebanon for an additional week in order to continue her consultations.

She and her team arrived in Beirut on 6 May, and have been conducting an extensive series of meetings with government officials and political figures regarding the upcoming elections and the provision of technical electoral assistance in the post-election period.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

U.N. TRIBUNAL REFERS CASE TO BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA: The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia

decided yesterday to refer the case against one suspect, Radovan Stankovic, to Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is the first time that the Tribunal has referred one of its indictments to a national jurisdiction. The parties have fifteen days to file an appeal.

ASIA-PACIFIC COMMISSION SESSION ENDS: The 61st session of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) ended in Bangkok today. Among its achievements was the adoption of a landmark

resolution to establish a new Regional Training Centre for Information and Communications Technology for Development. The Centre is expected to open in 2006 in the Republic of Korea.

U.N. BUDGET COMMITTEE TO CONSIDER NEW U.N. BUILDING: The Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions will consider this afternoon the Secretary-Generals

report on the Capital Master Plan (CMP). It will then orally present its recommendation to the Fifth Committee on Friday morning. The Fifth Committee will have informal consultations on the CMP on Friday afternoon.

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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