United Nations Daily Highlights, 05-08-02

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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

SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Tuesday, August 2, 2005

ANNAN ENVOY TO ATTEND GARANG BURIAL CEREMONY IN SOUTHERN SUDAN

The Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Sudan, Jan Pronk, will attend the burial ceremony of Vice President John Garang scheduled to take place in Juba in southern Sudan on Saturday, August 6.

The

UN Mission in Sudan, meanwhile, reports that violence continued today in various parts of Khartoum and its outskirts. In one incident, southern Sudanese from squatter and displaced persons areas in the outskirts of Khartoum attacked a market, which they looted.

In another area in the outskirts of Khartoum, northerners attacked a school and reportedly killed six or seven people, including children, according to the UN mission. The southerners, the mission says, reportedly retaliated and killed an Imam from the same area.

A 12-hour curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. remains in effect in Khartoum.

In southern Sudan, the situation is reported to be calm.

In response to a question, the Spokesman said that Pronk was in close contact with the Sudanese Government about the recent violence. He said that the United Nations hopes that these are isolated events and that calm will quickly return to Khartoum and its environs.

SECURITY COUNCIL BEGINS WORK UNDER JAPANESE LEADERSHIP

The

Security Council this morning held consultations to adopt its program of work for August, in its first meeting under Japans Security Council Presidency. Japanese Ambassador Kenzo Oshima, the Council President, spoke to reporters about the Councils work over the coming month.

Also in this mornings consultations, Council members received a briefing from Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean Marie Guéhenno on

Sudan, including the weekend death of Garang.

Council members then went into a formal meeting to adopt a

Presidential Statement on Sudan, in which the Council expressed its profound regret over Garangs death. It called on all Sudanese to honor his memory by restoring peace and calm throughout Sudan.

Council President Oshima preceded that meeting by expressing Council members regret over the death of King Fahd of Saudi Arabia.

IRAN CONFIRMS IT WILL RESUME URANIUM CONVERSION

The

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that it received a note verbale from Iran yesterday, saying that Iran has decided to resume its uranium conversion activities at Isfahan.

The Agency, in a letter it wrote in response,

informed Iran that, in order to implement effective safeguards at Irans uranium conversion facility, it would need to install additional surveillance equipment, as well as to verify the nuclear material in question. The IAEA further said that it was in the process of preparing the necessary equipment, which it would be installing sometime next week.

The Agency told Iran that it is essential that Iran refrain from removing its seals and moving any nuclear material until the surveillance equipment is installed and the IAEA has verified the material.

Asked about the Secretary-Generals views about the situation, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General urges restraint and patience on the part of the Iranian authorities. He believes that they should wait for the latest proposal from the three European States -- France, the United Kingdom and Germany -- before making any attempts to restart their nuclear activities, Dujarric said.

In his dealings with the three European Union countries, the Secretary-General is convinced that they are constructively engaged in the search for a solution and therefore encourages Iranian authorities to continue to work with them. The Secretary-General, he said, supports the process between the EU-3 and Iran.

U.N. ENVOY WINDS UP TALKS WITH SOMALIA'S PRESIDENT, PRIME MINISTER

The Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Somalia,

Francois Lonseny Fall, returned to Nairobi yesterday after talks in Jowhar with President Abdulahi Yusuf Ahmed and Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi of the Transitional Federal Government.

Security permitting, Fall plans to visit Mogadishu later this week for discussions with the Speaker of Parliament, MPs and Cabinet Ministers, as well as civil society groups there.

Yesterdays meeting in Jowhar focused on three key issues: the seat of the transitional Federal Institutions, security and reconciliation. At a joint press conference following the meeting, Prime Minister Gedi expressed the Governments willingness to work with the United Nations and in particular with Fall on resolving the current difficulties.

MORE THAN 3 MILLION VOTERS REGISTERED IN D.R. CONGO

At 5:30 pm on Sunday, 31 July, the voter registration process closed in Kinshasa, the capital of

Democratic Republic of Congo. More than 2.9 million Kinshasa residents registered, out of an estimated 3.5 million potential voters.

Meanwhile, registration has been continuing for the past week in the western province of Bas-Congo and in northeastern Orientale Province. By Sunday, 230,000 people had registered there.

Registration centers are scheduled to open next Sunday in southeastern Katanga province and in the Central, Eastern and Western Kasai provinces.

The elections will be the largest ever supported by the United Nations. The polls are to usher in the Democratic Republic of the Congos first democratic government in some 40 years, and are to replace the current transitional power-sharing administration.

UNITED NATIONS HELPS UZBEK REFUGEES IN ROMANIA

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

reports that a team of specialists has arrived in Romania to help organize the resettlement of some 439 Uzbek refugees who arrived last Friday from Kyrgyzstan. The agency is also negotiating for the release of 15 others who are still in the Kyrgyz city of Osh.

And, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, issued a statement praising Romania for hosting the refugees on a temporary basis, while they are awaiting resettlement. Arbour called the gesture generous and courageous, particularly since the country is recovering from disastrous flooding.

Asked who will take in the Uzbek refugees, the Spokesman said that was a matter that UNHCR was working on right now.

U.N. FOOD AGENCY SAYS NIGER CRISIS APPEAL UNHEEDED

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization today

renewed its call for emergency assistance to drought victims in Niger.

The FAO said the appeal it made in May had gone largely unheeded. The agency so far has received about an eighth of the money it requested. Some 2.5 million people are at risk, FAO said.

Also in Niger, the UN Childrens Fund

reports that it has begun a training program for local health workers. The World Health Organization

says it is working on programs for children suffering from malnutrition.

URGENT FOOD SUPPORT NEEDED FOR SOUTHERN AFRICA

In addition to Niger, several countries in southern Africa are entering a critical phase in their chronic food insecurity situation. Thats the finding of recent assessments by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP), and the Southern Africa Development Community.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), reports that urgent support is needed for the affected countries, which include Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, and Zambia.

ANNAN REPORTS ON SIERRA LEONE INTEGRATED OFFICE PROJECT

The Secretary-Generals addendum to his

report to the Security Council on the

UN Mission in Sierra Leone is out on the racks today. In it, the Secretary-General outlines his recommendations for the proposed integrated UN office in that country, and his ideas for security arrangements for the Special Court there.

The integrated office, which would be established when the UN peacekeeping mission ends its work in Sierra Leone at the end of this year, would be headed by an Executive Representative, who would also serve as a UN Resident Coordinator.

The Security Council has scheduled consultations on Sierra Leone for August 10.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY CONTINUES WORK ON SUMMIT DRAFT

The

General Assembly is continuing today its informal consultations on the revised draft outcome document on UN reform for the September summit.

General Assembly President Jean Ping plans to submit to Member Sates a second revised version of the draft outcome document later in the week, on Friday.

Following the drawing of lots by the Secretary-General yesterday afternoon, Thailand will occupy the first front row seat in the General Assembly Hall during the 60th session of the Assembly.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

SECRETARY-GENERALS SHOULDER HEALING NORMALLY: Asked about the Secretary-Generals health following his shoulder surgery last month, if he would need further surgery, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General had said everything was fine. It is only normal, the Spokesman added, that his arm would still be in a sling at this point.

ANNAN LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH U.S. ENVOY: Asked about the Secretary-Generals meeting today with John Bolton, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General had received Boltons credentials. We look forward to working with him, Dujarric added.

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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