United Nations Daily Highlights, 05-05-20

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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

Friday, May 20, 2005

U.N. POLITICAL CHIEF TO HEAD TO CYPRUS FOR TALKS

Kieran Prendergast, the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, and Tasos Tzionis, envoy of Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos,

concluded today a series of preliminary, informal and non-binding discussions on the

Cyprus issue. During these meetings, the Greek Cypriot delegation explained in detail their views on both procedure and substance.

Following these consultations, the Secretary-General has asked Prendergast to visit the region to listen to the views of all parties on the future of the Secretary-Generals mission of good offices on Cyprus.

He will arrive in Cyprus late on Monday, 30 May 2005. He will meet both Tassos Papadopoulos and Mehmet Ali Talat, as well as political leaders on both sides. He will stay on the island until the afternoon of Thursday, 2 June 2005, after which he will travel to Athens and Ankara for consultations, before returning to New York on 7 June 2005 to report to the Secretary-General.

Asked about todays meeting, the Spokesman said it was a general exchange of views between the Greek Cypriot side and the United Nations. Now, he said, the important thing is that Prendergast would go to the area to hear views and see how the United Nations can move forward.

Asked how these talks were initiated, the Spokesman said that, when the Secretary-General was in Moscow earlier this month, Papadopoulos had told the Secretary-General that he would send an envoy to New York. Following those talks, it was felt that there was enough interest to send Prendergast to the region and take the pulse there.

SECURITY CHALLENGES EXPECTED TO INCREASE IN HAITI

The Secretary-General says that despite recent progress, security challenges are expected to increase in Haiti in the months leading to elections. He recommends, in his latest

report to the Security Council on Haiti which is out on the racks today that the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) deploy an additional infantry battalion of 750 troops to respond quickly in likely hot spots during the pre-election period.

He advises the Council that the military ceiling for UN troops in Haiti be raised from the current level of 6,700 to 7,500. He also proposes raising the ceiling on UN police officers to nearly 1,900, from just over 1,600 today.

The Secretary-General encourages all Haitians to participate fully in both the electoral process and the national dialogue, and he adds that the Transitional Government needs to do more to secure broad participation in those processes.

He also says that the human rights situation in the country is alarming, and appeals to the Transitional Government to initiate an investigation promptly into human rights violations allegedly committed by Haitian police.

COTE DIVOIRE: ELECTORAL MISSION ARRIVES TODAY

The United Nations is deploying an electoral review mission to Abidjan,

Côte dIvoire from today through 2 June.

The mission will assess the status of preparations for the presidential elections recently set for 30 October 2005, and will hold consultations with the national authorities involved in those preparations.

The mission will focus on ongoing plans to establish a credible register of voters, taking into account the compressed timeline in which the elections are expected to be organized.

It will also review with UN staff on the ground the role of the UN system in support of the electoral process, especially in the light of the Pretoria Agreement, which has given new impetus to the Ivorian peace process.

The mission is being led by the

Electoral Assistance Division of the Department of Political Affairs, and includes staff members from the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, as well as two consultants. The mission will remain in Abidjan for a period of two weeks.

INDEPENDENT EXPERT SEEKS TO INVESTIGATE KILLINGS IN UZBEKISTAN

Philip Alston, the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights dealing with executions, today

asked the Government of Uzbekistan to enable him to visit that country urgently, to assess the current situation there.

Alston, a law professor at New York University, said he was gravely concerned about reports that hundreds of people, including women and children, were killed last Friday when Government troops fired indiscriminately to disperse a demonstration in Andijan.

Asked why the Special Rapporteur thought he could travel to Uzbekistan a day after President Islam Karimov told the Secretary-General that he did not believe an investigation was needed, the Spokesman noted that Rapporteurs are independent experts named by the Commission of Human Rights. Their strength, he said, is their independence, and it is Alstons right to say he wants to go.

He noted, in response to questions, that the Secretary-General did speak to President Karimov on Thursday regarding the situation in his country, which is of concern to the Secretary-General. The President told the Secretary-General that he did not think that the proposed international investigation committee is needed at this time.

The Spokesman added that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights today also said the indications were that President Karimov would not welcome an international investigation at this time. High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour hoped that the President could be persuaded to see the interest that the people of Uzbekistan and the international community have in setting the record straight on the recent events in that country.

MORE THAN 1,000 COLOMBIANS FLEE HOMES DUE TO FEARS OF VIOLENCE

In Colombia, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

reports that some 1,100 people, mostly Afro-Colombians, have fled seven northwestern communities because they are afraid of clashes between irregular armed groups and the Colombian Army.

The internally displaced people are now in the provincial capital, Quibdó, where the municipal authorities have been providing assistance.

Given the urgency of the situation, UNHCR is launching an emergency campaign early next week to provide them with identity documents so that they can be entered into the government's registry for internally displaced people and receive further assistance.

BUDGET COMMITTEE PRESENTS RECOMMENDATIONS ON NEW U.N. BUILDING

The Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) this morning presented to the Fifth Committee its recommendations regarding the Capital Master Plan. The ACABQ supported the Secretary-Generals proposal that the General Assembly accept the offer of the host country on an interest-bearing loan of $1.2 billion, under the conditions outlined in the Secretary-Generals

report.

The ACABQ also recommended that all options continue to be explored regarding the construction of a swing space building.

Asked where the issue of the Capital Master Plan would go next, the Spokesman said it would first go to the Fifth Committee, and then to the plenary of the General Assembly.

UNITED NATIONS STUDYING TEXT BEFORE U.S. CONGRESS

Asked about legislation currently being considered by a committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Spokesman said that the United Nations is taking a look and studying this text, which it only recently received.

He called it a piece of legislation which is still in committee and which will be debated within the U.S. legislature. Consequently, Dujarric said, the United Nations does not want to insert itself into this debate and comment on its details.

However, the Secretary-General is clear in his position on the use of withholding as a tool for reform, he said: It is counterproductive, particularly at a time when reform is the primary agenda item. The best way to undertake reform is for the Member States to engage in discussion. The Secretary-General has put forward proposals, and they are being actively debated within the membership.

Asked how many staff work for the Department of Public Information (DPI), the Spokesman said it was about 400 in New York and 300 elsewhere. He noted, in response to further questions, that the Committee on Information has made specific requests on where that Departments resources can go.

Asked about outdated DPI accreditation forms, the Spokesman said that the new head of Media Accreditation, Gary Fowlie, had promised to change those. More generally, he noted that the head of the Department, Shashi Tharoor, has revamped it and has tried to maximize the Departments resources, while taking into account the tasks mandated by the General Assembly.

NUMBER OF ASYLUM SEEKERS FALLS IN INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRIES

Statistics from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), for the first quarter of 2005,

show that the number of asylum seekers arriving in industrialized countries continues to fall steadily.

The quarterly total of 81,900 asylum applications in the 36 industrialized countries is down 13 percent, compared to the last quarter of 2004, and 17 percent lower than during the first three months of last year.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

BURUNDI: TWO PEACEKEEPERS DEAD: Preliminary reports indicate that this morning, at around 7:30 a.m. local time, a member of the South African contingent of the UN Operation in Burundi (ONUB) opened fire on a group of soldiers from his own contingent, killing one and wounding four others. The alleged perpetrator later turned his weapon on himself, taking his own life. ONUB is currently carrying out a full investigation into the incident.

MANY RESORTS IN TSUNAMI-HIT AREAS BACK IN BUSINESS: The UN Special Envoy for Tsunami-affected Countries,

Bill Clinton, today said in a video message that some potential tourists simply do not know that many of the resorts in the

tsunami-hit regions have fully recovered and are open for business. He was addressing the first

Regional Conference on Tourism Communications in Bali, Indonesia. The two-day gathering was organized by the UNs

World Tourism Organization and sponsored by Visa International-Asia Pacific.

NO SECURITY COUNCIL MEETINGS: The Security Council has scheduled no meetings or consultations today.

ANNAN HOLDS FIRST MEETING WITH HEAD OF LEBANON INVESTIGATION TEAM: The Spokesman, in response to a question, confirmed that todays meeting between the Secretary-General and Detlev Mehlis, the head of the investigation into the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, was their first. Mehlis will be in New York until the latter part of next week, meeting UN officials so he can hit the ground running when he gets to Beirut.

INDEPENDENT RAPPORTEURS COULD LOOK AT TORTURE ALLEGATIONS: Asked about allegations of torture and mistreatment by US forces in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, the Spokesman said that the UNs independent rapporteurs on human rights could follow up, and added that the U..S authorities have said they would investigate the allegations.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Monday, May 23

The Security Council will hold consultations on Burundi. It will also meet with the troop contributing countries for the UN Missions in Burundi and in Haiti.

At 10:30 a.m., there will be a briefing organized by the Mission of Morocco on humanitarian issues concerning Western Sahara.

At 11:15 a.m., there will be a press conference by Mayors for Peace, with Taib Ali Taib Bahaber speaking to the press.

The guest at the noon briefing will be Palitha Kohona, Chief of the Office of Legal Affairs Treaty Section. He will be here to mark the launching of the book entitled Focus 2005: Treaties Responding to Global Challenges.

At 1:15 p.m., Goodluck Diigbo, the President of Partnership for Indigenous Peoples Environment, will give a press briefing on the launching of an Internet portal for indigenous peoples worldwide.

At 3:00 p.m., there will be a press conference by the Native Womens Association of Canada. Sherry Lewis, Executive Director of the Association, will brief on developments with regards to violence against indigenous women in Canada.

Tuesday, May 24

The Security Council has scheduled an open briefing, followed by a private meeting, on the work of the Special Court for Sierra Leone.

From 10:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in Conference Room 7, there will be a panel briefing to explore the work of the Commission for Africa and the Secretary-Generals Advisory Panel on the work done by the New Partnership for African Development.

At 11:00 a.m., there will be a press briefing on the Non-Proliferation Treaty, featuring former US Defence Secretary Robert McNamara and delegates from Germany, Canada and Sweden.

The Deputy Secretary-General will address the meeting of the International Working Group on Sport for Development and Peace, in the ECOSOC Chamber. At 12:45 p.m., there will be a press briefing by the Working Group.

The Deputy Secretary-General will also address a luncheon hosted by the 2005 Global NGO Executive Forum.

Wednesday, May 25

The Security Council has scheduled consultations on Haiti.

Thursday, May 26

In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the Secretary-General and Alpha Oumar Konaré, the Chair of the African Union Commission, will co-chair a donors meeting to support the African Union mission in Darfur, Sudan.

The Security Council has scheduled an open debate on peace-building, which the Deputy Secretary-General will address.

Friday, May 27

The Security Council has scheduled a public meeting on Kosovo.

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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