United Nations Daily Highlights, 05-07-15

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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

DEPUTY

SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Friday, July 15, 2005

ANNAN UNDERGOES SHOULDER OPERATION

Secretary-General Kofi Annan is undergoing an operation today to repair a shoulder injury.

The Secretary-General hopes to be able to go home later in the day.

Asked whether the Secretary-General would be away from UN Headquarters for at least a week, the Spokeswoman said that it was expected that he would be recovering at home for at least some days next week.

Asked whether the Secretary-General would meet with officials from the Group of Four nations on Sunday or Monday, the Spokeswoman said that he did not expect to meet with any officials over the weekend.

UNITED NATIONS CONDEMNS TARGETED KILLINGS

The office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the

Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO), Alvaro de Soto, condemns todays targeted killings of Palestinian militants in the West Bank and Gaza.

Without prejudice to Israels right to legitimate and proportional self-defense, UNSCO reiterates the United Nations consistent and vocal opposition to extra-judicial killings.

The restraint that Israel has observed, by and large, in the last few months, has been noted. It is to be hoped that, at a time when the Palestinian Authority is clearly moving to enforce law and order, Israel, and all other parties, will refrain from activities that might contribute to a further escalation of the situation.

Earlier today, Alvaro de Soto also condemned yesterdays Qassam rocket fire against Nativ haAssara, which killed an Israeli woman and left others wounded. The incident illustrated once again the imperative and urgency of ensuring security and ending violence.

ANNAN NAMES NEW SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR LIBERIA

The Secretary-General has informed the Security Council of his intention to appoint

Alan Doss of the United Kingdom as his Special Representative for Liberia to replace Jacques Klein.

The Security Council is expected to respond within the next couple of days.

Doss has had a long and distinguished career with the United Nations. He is currently serving as Principal Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Côte dIvoire.

U.N. AIDS EXPERT TO BRIEF SECURITY COUNCIL MONDAY

On Monday morning, Peter Piot, Executive Director of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), will brief the Security Council on progress made on implementing Security Council

resolution 1308, which was adopted five years ago and called on the United Nations and member states to develop effective AIDS education, prevention, testing and treatment strategies for peacekeepers

ELECTION REPRESENTATIVE FOR COTE DIVOIRE NAMED

The Secretary-General has decided to appoint

António Monteiro of Portugal as the High Representative for the Elections in Côte dIvoire.

Monteiro is a former Portuguese Foreign Minister and he has also served as Portugals Permanent Representative at the UN.

The

UN Mission in Cote dIvoire, meanwhile, reports that it chaired a reconciliation meeting between ethnic groups inside the zone of confidence as part of its work to bring peace in a region known for its inter-ethnic clashes. The UN mission proposes to help rehabilitate the houses that have been destroyed, rehabilitate the village school and bring the two communities together in a spirit of peace and reconciliation.

SECURITY COUNCIL COMMENTS ON SOMALIA, SUDAN

There are no meetings or consultations of the

Security Council scheduled today.

Yesterday afternoon, following its consultations on Somalia, the Security Council adopted a

Presidential Statement, expressing its concern at recent disagreements and increased tensions among Somali leaders.

The Council said it stands ready to consider in due course a request by the African Unions Peace and Security Council for an authorization of an exemption on the arms embargo imposed against Somalia.

Afterward, Council President Adamantios Vassilakis of Greece read out a

statement to the press, welcoming the inauguration of the Presidency of the new Government of National Unity in

Sudan on 9 July. The members of the Council congratulate the people of Sudan on this historic event which is the result of the hard work and determination of the parties, he said, adding, For lasting peace in Sudan, there must be an end to the conflict in Darfur.

U.N. MISSION IN HAITI CONDEMNS JOURNALIST MURDER

The

UN Mission in Haiti has issued a

communiqué condemning as brutal and vile the murder of Haitian journalist Jacques Roche, whose body was found Thursday.

The mission said the attack was also an assault on the freedom of expression and a crime against the entire Haitian society.

TWO MILLION VOTERS REGISTERED IN D.R. CONGO

At a rate of 130,000 a day, the voter registration process in the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Kinshasa, has this week passed the 2 million mark. DRC has an electorate of an estimated 28 million.

Also in the

DRC, UN peacekeepers conducted yesterday further operations in the Kivus, the purpose being, as before, to widen the zone of influence of the UN force there, to flush out armed groups from the area, and to enhance the confidence of the local population in the peacekeepers.

U.N. EXPERTS ASK IRAN TO HELP JAILED JOURNALIST

Five senior experts who report on

human rights today expressed their profound concern at the alleged continued refusal by the Iranian authorities to provide the imprisoned journalist Akbar Ganji with appropriate medical attention for his severe asthma.

The medical centre at Evin prison is reportedly not equipped to treat his asthma, they say in a joint statement, and Ganjis health has deteriorated.

The human rights experts urge the Iranian authorities to take all necessary measures to provide Ganji with adequate conditions of detention, including the necessary medical attention as required by his condition.

WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME SEEKING HELP FOR TOGO

The World Food Programme (WFP) today

appealed for $3 million to feed 66,500 people who were displaced by the recent political turmoil in Togo.

So far, WFP has managed to borrow enough funds from its other operations. But now food stocks are running low and there is no sign of the refugees returning home, the agency reports.

The food aid would go to Togolese refugees in

Benin and Ghana, internally displaced people within Togo itself, and local communities that are hosting the displaced.

SMALL ARMS SPECIALISTS AGREE ON TRACING PLAN

Today is the last day of the Second Biennial Meeting of States to Consider the Implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, which ran for a week at UN Headquarters.

Nearly eighty States participated in the meeting, which was chaired by Ambassador Pasi Patokallio of Finland, and submitted detailed reports on progress made in implementing the Programme of Action.

In addition, a working group presented the meeting with a politically binding international

instrument to enable States to identify and trace illegal small arms and light weapons. That instrument will now go before the General Assembly during its upcoming session.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT TO MEET SUNDAY ON U.N. REFORM

General Assembly President Jean Ping will meet with the G4 Foreign Minister son Sunday morning, at 11:00 in his office. This will be a closed meeting, but photo-ops will be allowed at the beginning.

The General Assembly is scheduled to hold a plenary meeting on Monday at 3:00 pm to discuss the draft resolution submitted by the African Union on Sec. Council reform.

Ping will be traveling to Gabon during part of next week. He will be away starting Tuesday and will be back on Friday, 22 July, the day he plans to submit to the General Assembly a revised draft out come document for September summit.

The 5th Committee held informal (closed) consultations this morning from 10:00 to 11:00 on the Capital Master Plan.

UNESCO NAMES SEVEN NEW WORLD HERITAGE SITES

The UN Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization,

UNESCO, has placed seven new sites on its World Heritage List, marking them for conservation and protection. The sites range from cool fjords in west Norway to some 244 tropical islands in Mexico.

Other sites on the new list are in South Africa Egypt, Japan, Thailand and Panama. UNESCO also extended two sites already on the list; Indias Valley of the flowers National Park and uninhabited islands off the coast of Scotland.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

U.N. ENVOY CALLS ON SUDANESE PARTIES TO ABIDE BY BOUNDARY COMMISSIONS DECISION: The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sudan, Jan Pronk, welcomes the Abyei Boundary Commissions (ABC) presentation of its final report to the Presidency of the Government of National Unity. He now calls on all parties to abide by the decision, and reiterates the UNs commitment to help the people of Abyei in building a peaceful future within the framework of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

ALLIANCE OF CIVILIZATIONS: Asked about the Trust Fund for the

Alliance of Civilizations, the Spokeswoman noted that the Alliance had only been launched on Thursday, and there was no money in the Trust Fund yet. She added that there would be a more formal session of the Alliancethis fall.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Monday, July 18

The Security Council has scheduled an open briefing on Resolution 1308, dealing with HIV/AIDS and UN peacekeeping.

At 11:15 a.m., UNIFEM will hold a press conference to highlight womens role in preventing and resolving conflict at the local and regional levels on the eve of a global civil society conference on conflict prevention, taking place at the UN from the 19-21 July.

Tuesday, July 19

Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Ibrahim Gambari will open a three-day session at UN Headquarters. From Reaction to Prevention: Civil Society Forging Partnerships to Prevent Violent Conflict and Build Peace.

Wednesday, July 20

The Security Council has scheduled an open meeting on the work of the Counter-Terrorism Committee and the 1267 and 1540 Committees.

At 11:15 a.m., UNIFEM is sponsoring a press conference by the Women's Rights Caucus of the global conference "From Reaction to Prevention - Civil Society Forging Partnerships to Prevent Violent Conflict and Build Peace."

Thursday, July 21

The Security Council has scheduled an open meeting, followed by consultations, on the Middle East.

Rosario G. Manalo, current Chairperson of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, will be a guest at the Noon Briefing

Friday, July 22

The Security Council has scheduled an open meeting, followed by consultations, on Sudan. The Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Sudan, Jan Pronk, is expected to brief the Council.

The guest at the noon briefing will be Ashraf Qazi, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Iraq.

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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