United Nations Daily Highlights, 05-06-22

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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

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

CONFERENCE IN BRUSSELS A WATERSHED FOR IRAQ, ANNAN SAYS

Secretary-General Kofi Annan

addressed the International Conference on

Iraq in Brussels today by saying that the meeting of more than 80 countries and organizations sends a message that the international community supports the Government and people of Iraq and is determined that Iraqs reconstruction succeeds.

The Secretary-General urged that the process of drafting a new constitution must be participatory, inclusive and transparent. Iraqis must find it within themselves to reach out to one another and address issues on which they may differ, he said.

The United Nations, he promised, will continue to implement its mandate to the fullest extent possible, and he added, We are delivering.

As the Conference ended, the Secretary-General

said that the meeting marks a watershed for Iraq, in which a sovereign, elected Iraqi Government has presented a comprehensive view of its future to the international community. He added, I am confident that this will be a turning point in Iraqs transition.

ANNAN HOLDS BILATERAL MEETINGS ON SIDELINES OF IRAQCONFERENCE

On the sidelines of the conference, the Secretary-General met with other key participants, including Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, with whom he discussed Iraq. Later in the morning, the Secretary-General spoke with the Prime Minister of Belgium, Guy Verhofstadt, and the Foreign Minister of Belgium, Karel de Gucht. They discussed the ongoing constitutional drafting process and the possibility of Belgium assistance in that process. They also spoke about UN

reform and the current situation in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Immediately following that meeting, the Secretary-General held a bilateral with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. They discuss a number of issues, including Iraq,

resolution 1559, UN reform and the situation in Uzbekistan.

Later, the Secretary-General spoke to Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi on the continuing dialogue between Iran and the governments of Britain, France and Germany on nuclear issues.

The Secretary-General also met with, among others, Amr Moussa, the head of the Arab League; British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw; Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari and Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zubari; and Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura.

IRAQGOING THROUGH MOST CRITICAL PHASE OF ITS TRANSITION PROCESS

Ashraf Qazi, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Iraq, co-chaired a session at the Brussels conference on the political process in that country, and he said at that session that Iraq today is going through the most critical phase of its transition process.

He noted that there is not much time left before the 15 August deadline for the completion of the draft text of the constitution. Nonetheless, Qazi said, there is optimism that a credible public discussion process, which will be essential to developing a sense of public ownership towards the final text of the constitution, will be possible within the time available.

D.R.

CONGO: ANNAN WELCOMES PEACEFUL START OF VOTER REGISTRATION

The Secretary-General has

taken note of the decision taken on 17 June jointly by the National Assembly and Senate of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to extend the transitional period for six months and welcomes the peaceful commencement of voter registration on 20 June in Kinshasa. This crucial step in the electoral process paves the way for the holding of elections in the DRC for the first time in forty years.

The Secretary-General appeals to all the Congolese parties to respect the decision of their Parliamentary institutions to extend the transition, and to actively participate in the process in a peaceful manner.

The Secretary-General expects the holding of the constitutional referendum and elections to be in accordance with the electoral timetable published by the Independent Electoral commission. He also urges the Government of Transition and the Independent Electoral Commission to expedite the electoral process and to keep the Congolese population regularly informed, in a transparent manner, of all major developments in this crucial process for the future of their country.

ANNAN HAILS UPCOMING MEETINGS BETWEEN GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

CIVIL SOCIETY AND PRIVATE SECTOR

The Secretary-General is

pleased that the General Assembly will hold its first interactive hearings with non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations and the private sector on 23 and 24 June. He welcomes the hearings as an important opportunity for civil society and the private sector to exchange views with Member States on how to build a more secure, just and prosperous world. He notes that the hearings come at a crucial time, as Member States discuss a draft outcome document for the World Summit in September.

The Secretary-General has written to the Permanent Representatives of all Member States, hoping that they will accept the invitation of the General Assembly President to participate personally in the hearings.

Noting that civil society contributes to the legitimacy, transparency and accountability of the United Nations, the Secretary-General also hopes that the General Assembly will engage more actively with civil society on a regular basis, as he recommended in his report

In Larger Freedom.

CYPRIOT LEADERS HAVE TO LEAD AND NOT JUST FOLLOW SUPPORTERS,

U.N. POLITICAL CHIEF TELLS SECURITY COUNCIL

The Security Council met this morning on

Cyprus and heard an assessment on the situation there from Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Kieran Prendergast.

Prendergast said that, while outsiders could help, the parties themselves had to summon the vision, courage and political will needed to make a settlement. In short, leaders had to lead, not just follow their supporters.

He welcomed the fact that all parties accepted the UN plan as a basis for resumed negotiations. At the same time, however, he regretted that confidence between the parties did not seem high.

He also said that Greece and Turkey must keep in mind that the Cyprus problem should be settled in the interests of the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots. We have his full statement upstairs.

The Security Council then held consultations on Cyprus and other matters, including Lebanon.

A presidential statement on Lebanon was read out by Security Council President, Jean-Marc de La Sabličre of France.

SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS PEACEKEEPING MISSIONIN HAITI

Prior to the meeting on Cyprus, the Security Council unanimously

adopted a resolution on Haiti, extending the mandate of the UN Mission there until 15 February 2006.

The resolution also urges Haitis Transitional Government to investigate human rights violations, and calls on all Member States to support Haitis disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programme.

U.N.

SUDANENVOY HEADS TO KAMPALAFOR TALKS WITH UGANDAN LEADERS

The Special Representative for

Sudan, Jan Pronk, is traveling to Kampala, Uganda, where he will be discussing with the Ugandan authorities a range of issues, in particular assistance to UN deployment of troops and equipment. UN troops and assets to be positioned in certain southern areas have to transit through neighbouring countries, in particular Uganda.

Pronk is expected to discuss the opening of the Yei-Juba road, which, according to the mission, is of strategic importance for all operations (humanitarian, relief, development) of all actors operating in southern Sudan.

KYRGYZSTAN URGED NOT TO FORCIBLY RETURN UZBEK ASYLUM-SEEKERS

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour and High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres today urged the Kyrgyz Government to allow all Uzbek asylum-seekers in the country to be properly screened to determine whether or not they are refugees and to ensure their protection under international refugee and human rights law.

The High Commissioners also urged the Government of Uzbekistan to refrain from any action aimed at ensuring the forcible return of Uzbek asylum seekers to their country, including apparently coercing their relatives to plead for their return.

LAOS NO LONGER A MAJOR SUPPLIER OF ILLEGAL OPIATES

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime today launched its Laos Opium Survey in Vientiane, in the

Lao Peoples Democratic Republic.

The survey shows a 73 percent decline in opium poppy cultivation and a 67 per cent drop in opium production since 2004.

This marks the first time in many years that the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic no longer qualifies as a major supplier of illegal opiates to the international drug market.

MORE THAN $20 BILLION NEEDED TO REVERSE SPREAD

OF A.I.D.S. IN DEVELOPING WORLD IN 2008

Almost $22 billion will be needed in 2008 to reverse spread of AIDS in the developing world, according to latest estimates. These figures feature in a

new report on estimated funding needs, produced by the Joint UN Programme against HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), which is to be released to the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board at the end of June.

We have come a long way in mobilizing extra funds for AIDS, moving from millions to billions, but we still fall short of the $22 billion needed in 2008, said Dr Peter Piot, UNAIDS Executive Director. AIDS poses an exceptional threat to humanity and the response needs to be equally exceptional, recognizing the urgency as well as the need for long term planning and financing.

U.N. PROCUREMENT OFFICER UNDER INVESTIGATION RESIGNS

Alexander Yakovlev, Procurement Officer, who is being investigated by Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) for possible misconduct,

submitted his resignation yesterday evening. The Assistant Secretary-General for Central Support Services accepted his resignation this morning with immediate effect. Mr. Yakovlev was also informed that the OIOS investigation will continue despite his resignation.

Separately, the Independent Inquiry Committee (IIC) requested last night that Mr. Yakovlevs office be sealed to allow them to access materials that might pertain to their investigation. The UN complied with that request.

Asked whether Yakovlev would cooperate with the OIOS investigation, the Spokeswoman said she understood that he had given the assurance that he would cooperate fully.

Asked about the OIOS investigation, she said that it began when the allegations came to light concerning whether Yakovlev had sought employment from a relative from a firm that did business with the United Nations. The Officer-in-Charge of OIOS, she added, is Barbara Dixon.

Asked about the IIC investigation, she said that was a separate move from the OIOS investigation. The Spokeswoman added that the United Nations understood that IIC investigators would come to the United Nations today to examine the contents of Yakovlevs office.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY CONTINUES PLENARY MEETINGS

ON FINAL DOCUMENT FOR SEPTEMBER SUMMIT

The General Assembly (GA) has been conducting informal meetings of the plenary yesterday and today on the draft outcome document of the September summit, which GA President Jean Ping submitted to Member States in early June.

Later in the week (Thursday and Friday, 23-24 June), the GA will hold informal interactive hearings with civil society representatives, as part of the preparations for the September summit. Approximately 200 civil society organizations are registered to take part in the hearings, which consist of plenary meetings and interactive roundtable sessions focusing on the four theme clusters of the Secretary Generals In Larger Feedom report.

On Monday morning, 27 June, there will be a brief commemorative event in the GA Hall, from 9:30 to10:00, in observance of the 60th anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Charter. The GA President and the Secretary-General will make statements.

Asked about UN participation in the 60th anniversary commemoration of the UNs founding in San Francisco, the Spokeswoman said that Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information Shashi Tharoor would travel to San Francisco to represent the Secretary-General.

Next week, Monday and Tuesday (27-28 June), the GA will hold a High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

MAURICE STRONG NO LONGER U.N. KOREAENVOY:Asked about Maurice Strongs status, the Spokeswoman said that he had stepped aside from his duties as the Secretary-Generals Special Envoy dealing with the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.

NO ANNOUNCEMENTS ON FORMER MIDDLE EAST ENVOY: Asked whether Personal Envoy Terje Roed-Larsen would return to the Middle East, the Spokeswoman said she had nothing to announce on that.

SLIGHT DROP IN CEREAL TRADE FORECASTED: World cereal trade is set to decline slightly in the 2005/06 marketing season, according to the first forecast in the June issue of Food Outlook,

released today by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). FAO puts global cereal trade in 2005/06 at 230 million tonnes, or 1.3 percent below the previous season, mainly due to lower wheat import demand.

F.A.O. WARNS INDONESIAN FISHERMEN ABOUT SUB-STANDARD BOATS: Fishermen in Sumatra who survived the tsunami are having their lives put at risk by the delivery of poorly constructed boats to replace the craft they lost in the December 26 disaster, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

warned today. The problem had arisen because many non-governmental organizations engaged in post-tsunami relief efforts lacked the technical expertise to appreciate the poor quality of the boats they are having built.

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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