United Nations Daily Highlights, 05-06-17

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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, June 17, 2005

HOPEFUL TREND IN ISRAEL & PALESTINE MARRED BY VIOLENCE & LOW LEVEL OF TRUST, U.N. POLITICAL CHIEF SAYS

Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Kieran Prendergast today told the

Security Council that the

Israelis and Palestinians are slowly and not without difficulty meeting to coordinate implementation of Israels initiative to withdraw from Gaza and parts of the northern West Bank.

He said those meetings, and a meeting scheduled in the next few days between the Israeli Prime Minister and the Palestinian President, are indicative of a hopeful trend since the beginning of the year. Yet renewed violence and the low level of mutual trust continue to work against progress.

Prendergast noted that in Israel, opponents of disengagement still voice their opposition to the planned withdrawal. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority still faces a number of serious internal challenges, which have deepened partly as a result of the Authoritys efforts to institute comprehensive security reform. He called recent violent incidents among the Palestinians deeply disturbing.

He also expressed the UNs particular concern over the serious escalation in rocket and mortar attacks by Palestinian militants against Israeli targets. Prendergast reminded both sides of the need to take special care to protect innocent civilians, in accordance with international and humanitarian law.

He also briefed the Council on

Lebanon, saying it is imperative at this very delicate period that all concerned exercise the utmost restraint and maintain calm along the Blue Line.

Noting the completion of Lebanons elections on Sunday, Prendergast said it is a major achievement for Lebanon to have held elections on time. He called on all concerned parties to respect Lebanons sovereignty and cease any actions that could be destabilizing.

The Council followed his briefing with consultations, in which Council members discussed the Middle East further.

SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS UN GOLAN HEIGHTS MISSION

The

Security Council began its work this morning by unanimously

adopting a six-month extension of the

UN Disengagement Observer Force in the Golan Heights.

Meanwhile, the Secretary-General transmitted a

report to the Security Council on the work of the

International Advisory and Monitoring Board for the Development Fund for

Iraq.

That report notes the audit reports received by the Board from the KPMG firm. Those reports continue to be critical of the controls in place in the spending ministries, the United States agencies and the Iraqi administration concerning Development Fund resources.

TOP UN INVESTIGATOR IN LEBANON BELIEVES VEHICLE CAUSED EXPLOSION

A day after the international commission into the killing of former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, and twenty others, was

declared operational, its head investigator, Detlev Mehlis, gave a thorough press briefing in Beirut.

At this point, Mehlis said, he is 99.9% sure that the explosion which killed Prime Minister Hariri was above ground, with explosives having been placed in a white Mitsubishi pick-up truck. Mehlis asked anyone with information on this truck or on any other aspect of the crime to come forward.

By the next few days, he will have a staff from over 20 countries. He said that all of his staff shared one goal: to uncover the truth.

UN ENVOY WRAPS UP MISSION TO BOLIVIA

Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Jose Antonio Ocampo, the Secretary-Generals Personal Envoy for Bolivia, wrapped up a mission to that country last night, following a meeting with President Eduardo Rodriguez to brief him on his delegations work.

The delegation had also traveled to the city of Santa Cruz on Thursday.

The delegation is expected back at UN Headquarters on Monday, and they will report to the Secretary-General on their work.

INVESTIGATION TO PROCEED IN DILEEP NAIRS CASE

In response to questions asked in recent days about former Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services Dileep Nair, the Spokesman said that, following a review by a third party of the allegations regarding OIOS management, the Secretary-General has decided to proceed with an investigation.

The initial review was carried out by Jerome Ackerman, a former President of the UN Administrative Tribunal.

The Secretary-General has asked Ackerman to conduct the investigation with haste, and to complete it within 30-45 days.

Asked what Ackerman is to investigate, the Spokesman said that he would look into the hiring of people in Nairs office, as well as general management issues within OIOS.

The Spokesman added that the Secretary-General had earlier this year received more information about those issues by the Staff Union, and he decided to turn to a third party to see if there was enough information to proceed with an investigation.

Asked what would be the consequences of this investigation, given that Nair has retired from the United Nations, Dujarric said that it would give Nair a chance to clear his name, and would give the staff members closure. For the United Nations, it would provide lessons in how to improve management within OIOS.

Asked whether Nairs pension could be affected, the Spokesman said that pensions as a matter of policy belong to the staff members.

UNHCR SAYS NUMBER OF REFUGEES FELL IN 2004

The UN Refugee Agency

published its annual global statistics for 2004 this morning. They note that, while the global number of refugees fell to 9.2 million, the lowest total in almost a quarter of a century, the numbers of internally displaced and stateless people remained high.

The findings also show that, besides the Palestinians cared for by the

UN Relief and Works Agency, Afghans remained the largest refugee group, while Sudanese refugees saw the biggest increase in their numbers. The top asylum-granting countries were Iran and Pakistan.

The statistics were released just ahead of World Refugee Day, which will be observed on Monday. To mark the occasion, the new High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres,

will leave over the weekend for his first field mission, a three-day visit to Uganda.

UNHCR: CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC REFUGEES GOING TO CHAD

The UN Refugee Agency, or UNHCR,

reports that more than 8,500 refugees from the Central African Republic have arrived in southern Chad since the beginning of the month, because of clashes between government forces and unidentified armed groups.

As an emergency measure, UNHCR has sent high-protein biscuits, plastic sheeting, blankets and cooking sets to the area.

Currently, Chad is hosting more than 210,000 refugees from

Darfur, as well as an additional 30,000 from the Central African Republic, who arrived in 2003 after a military coup.

ECOSOC RECEIVES REPORT ON DEVELOPMENT OF HAITI

In 2004 the

Economic and Social Council tasked an Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti to advise it on the long-term development of that country, which has now come out with a

report in which it recommends that one of the first actions of the new Haitian Government, to be installed on 7 February next year, could be to consider a

Millennium Development Goal-based Poverty Reduction Strategy, in close consultation with a broad range of national actors.

The new Government could also focus on a few areas that would demonstrate to the Haitian people that action is being taken. Consideration could be given to so-called quick win projects as identified by the Secretary-Generals Millennium Task Force.

PEACEKEEPER SHOT IN BURUNDI HAS DIED

On 3 June, a South African peacekeeper was shot in the head at a polling station in

Burundi. Regrettable, he has died of his wounds in a Pretoria hospital.

Also, a routine patrol by the

UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti in Haitis Cité Soleil came under fire on Thursday. Two soldiers from the Peruvian contingent were injured. Both are reported to be in a stable condition.

ANNAN ADDRESSES DOCTORS ON WORLD HEALTH

On Thursday night,

Secretary-General Kofi Annan

addressed the Doctors of the World Health and Human Rights Leadership Awards Dinner.

Telling attendees that his first job had been with the

World Health Organization, he said that the world must not think of health exclusively as a development or security issue, but instead adopt a more holistic approach.

The Secretary-General also said that greater resources must be devoted to disease surveillance and response, and that new and serious efforts should be made to build health systems in developing countries.

He added that we must move away from the kind of health interventions that parallel peacekeeping without peace-building -- humane and essential, but often unsustainable.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

SUPPORT OF GENERAL ASSEMBLY FOR ANNAN IS CLEAR: Asked whether the Secretary-General would consider going to the

General Assembly for a show of support, the Spokesman said there is no need for him to seek reaffirmation. The support of Member States for the Secretary-General is clear, he said, and the Secretary-General is proceeding with his work on

UN reform.

ANNAN DOES NOT RECALL MEETING WILSON: Asked about the recent statement made by former Cotecna employee Michael Wilson, the Spokesman said that the United Nations had seen Wilsons retraction. The Secretary-General, he said, stands by what he said, that he has no recollection of meeting Wilson in Paris in late 1998. He added that the United Nations looks forward to Paul Volcker concluding his work on the issue.

SECRETARY-GENERAL MEETS BROOKLYN BOROUGH PRESIDENT: Asked about the Secretary-Generals meeting today with Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, the Spokesman said it was a courtesy call of about 10 to 15 minutes, requested by Markowitz, during which the Borough President said he would welcome the United Nations in Brooklyn. On that matter, Dujarric added, there is nothing new to announce regarding the Capital Master Plan.

ANNAN ISSUES MESSAGE ON YEAR OF SPORT: The Secretary-General, along with International Olympic Committee President, Jacques Rogge, today issued a message for this years Olympic Day Run and the International Year of Sport and Physical Education 2005. Noting that well-designed sports programs can be catalysts for economic growth and cost-effective ways to improve health and education for young people, the Secretary-General also calls on the sporting community to re-dedicate itself to community service, the advancement of humankind and universal peace.

DESERTIFICATION DAY OBSERVED: Today is World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. In his

message for the Day, whose theme this year is Women and Desertification, the Secretary-General draws attention to one of the worlds most alarming processes of environmental degradation, which threatens the health and livelihoods of more than one billion people, and which causes an estimated $42 billion in lost agricultural production each year.

TRIBUNAL OFFICIALS MET US SECRETARY OF STATE: The President and Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunals for

Rwanda and the

former Yugoslavia met this week with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Washington. She expressed the full support and appreciation of the United States for the Tribunals work.

WORLD LEADERS URGED TO PUT NATURAL CAPITAL AT CENTRE OF POVERTY ERADICATION: Sound and solid investment in the environment will go a long way towards meeting international targets on poverty reduction, the supply of drinking water and fighting the spread of infectious diseases, the head of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)

said today. Speaking at a regional launch of a new UN report on the Millennium

Development Goals, UNEP Executive Director Klaus Toepfer said: "The goods and services delivered by nature including the atmosphere, forests, rivers, wetlands, mangroves and coral reefs are worth trillions of dollars."

MORE THAN TWO MILLION DISPLACED IN COLOMBIA: The UN High Commissioner for Refugees

estimates that more than two million people have been displaced inside Colombia by a decades-old conflict between the government, guerrilla and paramilitary groups. In a recent incident alone, some 2,500 persons were displaced or trapped in their villages due to heavy fighting in the province of Antioquia. UNHCR calls on all parties to the Colombian conflict to respect international humanitarian law and refrain from involving the civilian population in armed conflict.

TSUNAMI LED TO ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE IN MALDIVES: A report issued by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) today

found that the Indian Ocean tsunami caused significant impact on the Maldives environment. Although Maldives world-famous resorts are in good condition and largely open for business, the tsunami generated approximately 290,000 cubic meters of waste on the countrys 69 inhabited islands that were severely damaged by the tsunami. Asbestos from crushed roofing material was mixed into the debris.

POST-TSUNAMI ASSESSMENT DELIVERS ROAD MAP FOR SRI LANKAS SUSTAINABLE RECONSTRUCTION: More than 15,000 wells have been made unusable and over 500 million kg of rubble generated in Sri Lanka as a result of the Indian Ocean tsunami, according to a final report into the environmental impacts of the tsunami

launched today by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Sri Lankan Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Monday, June 20

The Security Council has scheduled consultations on missing Kuwaiti property in Iraq and on the work of the International Advisory and Monitoring Board dealing with Iraq.

Tuesday, June 21

The Security Council has scheduled a formal meeting on Liberia sanctions. It then intends to hold an open debate on the protection of civilians.

The General Assembly will hold a closed informal meeting on the draft outcome document for the September summit.

Wednesday, June 22

The Security Council has scheduled consultations on Cyprus.

In Brussels, senior UN officials, including the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Iraq, Ashraf Qazi, will take part in the International Conference on Iraq, co-hosted by the US and the European Union.

At 2:30, General Assembly President Jean Ping will brief the press on the informal interactive hearings on Thursday and Friday with representatives of NGOs, civil society and the private sector.

Thursday, June 23

The Security Council has scheduled consultations on Guinea-Bissau, and on the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea.

The General Assembly will hold informal interactive hearings today and Friday on preparations for the September summit.

The World Health Organization will release a report on genetically modified food.

Friday, June 24

The Security Council has scheduled an open meeting, followed by consultations, on Afghanistan.

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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