United Nations Daily Highlights, 05-08-12

United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

Friday, August 12, 2005

ANNAN DEPLORES KILLING OF SRI LANKAN FOREIGN MINISTER

After the noonbriefing, the following

statement was issued.

The Secretary-General is shocked and saddened to learn that a few hours ago, Sri Lankas Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar was shot and killed in Colombo.

He deplores in the strongest of terms this criminal and senseless act and hopes that the perpetrators will be found and brought to justice. He expresses his condolences to the family of the deceased and his sympathy with all Sri Lankans in this hour of sorrow.

Sri Lanka has lost a deeply respected statesman dedicated to peace and national unity. The Secretary-General hopes that this tragedy will not weaken the commitment of the people of Sri Lanka to achieve a durable peace in the country.

COTE DIVOIRE: ANNAN CONCERNED BY HARASSMENT OF U.N. PEACEKEEPERS

The Secretary-General is concerned by recent reports concerning the obstruction of the movement and operations of the

UN Operation in Cote dIvoire (UNOCI). In this regard, he welcomes President Laurent Gbagbos statement of 9 August calling on all Ivorians to refrain from impeding UNOCIs movements.

However, the Secretary-General regrets that UNOCI still does not enjoy the full freedom of movement required to effectively carry out its mandate, in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions. The Secretary-General expects all Ivorians to facilitate the operations of UNOCI and to refrain from any action that may undermine the peace process in Côte dIvoire.

In terms of background, UNOCI reported today that two of its unarmed military observers were harassed by hostile crowds in the town of Gagnoa, west of Abidjan.

Their vehicle was ransacked and the observers had to be rescued by Bangladeshi troops.

The incident was the second such attack on UN personnel in the same town, which is in an area controlled by the followers of the president, Laurent Gbagbo, the UN mission said.

President Gbagbo has called on the population to refrain from blocking UNOCIs mission in Cote dIvoire.

SECURITY COUNCIL BRIEFED ON GUINEA-BISSAU ELECTIONS

This morning the Security Council held consultations on Guinea-Bissau, with Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Tuliameni Kalomoh, briefing Council members on the results of the presidential elections in that country.

Under other matters, the Council discussed the recent incidents in Cote dIvoire.

ANNAN EXPECTS IRAN TO IMPLEMENT IAEA RESOLUTION

Yesterday afternoon, a

statement was issued on behalf of the Secretary-General on the International Atomic Energy Agencys

resolution on Iran.

In the statement, the Secretary-General notes that the IAEA Board has spoken with one voice, and he expects its resolution to be implemented.

ANNAN: IRAQS EXECUTIONERS MUST BE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE

On the racks today is the Secretary-Generals latest

report regarding repatriation or return by Iraq of Kuwaiti and third-country nationals or their remains.

The Secretary-General hopes that eventually more human remains will be brought to Kuwait and that the files can be closed.

He strongly condemns the executions by the previous Iraqi regime. He says that those responsible for those crimes, in particular those who ordered the executions, must be brought to justice.

U.N. SENDING SPECIAL FOOD FOR NIGERS WOMEN & CHILDREN

The World Food Programme (WFP) today announced that the first of ten WFP flights carrying corn soya blend departed today for Nigers capital, Niamey. The blend is intended for children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers as a supplement to the food rations and to combat malnutrition.

Meanwhile, WFP is continuing with its general food distribution in Niger. This week, some 5,000 persons received their rations.

The

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that, of the nearly $81 million requested in the revised Niger appeal, more than $29 million has been received to date. Pledges of an additional $13 million have also been made. The donor community has also contributed some $25 million in humanitarian assistance through other channels, bringing total donor assistance to the country to more than $54 million.

In other news, WFP has said it is concerned about chronically impoverished regions in the southern, central and eastern parts of Sudan.

WFP is increasing its assistance and providing aid to an additional 267,000 people in those areas. But the agency says that its activities are being severely hampered by critical funding shortages, a lack of sufficient jet fuel, and the rainy season.

NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUE ON UZBEK REFUGEES

The Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that negotiations are continuing to free the remaining 15 Uzbeks who are in detention in Osh, Kyrgyzstan.

The fifteen remained in Kyrgyzstan after 439 other Uzbeks were flown to Romania for resettlement.

The agency

said it is still concerned with the plight of the refugees, but has assurances from the Kyrgyz authorities that the Uzbeks will not be forcibly sent home.

UNHCR also

reports that its seeing a dramatic increase in the number of Burundian refugees returning home from camps in Tanzania. Many of the refugees are saying that Junes orderly elections gave them the confidence to return home after up to nine years in exile.

In other news, following a failed attempt by 300 Bhutanese refugees in camps in east Nepal to return home earlier this month, the UNHCR is

launching an information campaign warning refugees about the pitfalls of trying to return home on their own.

BANGLADESHI CHILD CAMEL JOCKEYS RETURNING HOME

The UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) has

announced the return to Bangladeshi of 36 child camel jockeys who had been working in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

A new law in the UAE banned the use of children jockeys. Some who returned yesterday are teenagers, but the group included a four year old boy.

UNICEF also reports that a group of Sierra Leone children refugees will return to their home country today from Guinea. Todays group is the first of almost 400 who will be repatriated to Sierra Leone in coming weeks, the agency said. Some of them have not seen their relatives in ten years.

In other news, UNICEF today

called for children to be kept out of harms way during the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza strip. The agency has pre-positioned supplies to take care of potential problems.

ANNAN: YOUTH SHOULD HOLD WORLD LEADERS TO THEIR PROMISES

In his

message for today, International Youth Day, the Secretary-General asks young people to hold world leaders to their promise to translate the Millennium Development Goals into reality.

He asks them not to accept a world where people die of hunger and remain illiterate. They must make sure their voices are heard, to make sure their generation is the one to defeat poverty.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

SECURITY COUNCIL WILL BE TOLD IF LEBANON INVESTIGATION NEEDS MORE TIME: Asked to comment on a wire story suggesting that the investigation into the death of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariris death would take longer than scheduled, the Spokesman reminded the questioner that

Resolution 1595 provides for a further period, not exceeding three months, to conduct the investigation, should it be needed. The Spokesman later added that the Security Council would be informed, during a briefing scheduled on 25 August, as to whether the investigation commission would need any more time than the initially mandated three months.

SPOKESMAN SAYS THURSDAY SECURITY INCIDENT WAS NOT ON U.N. GROUNDS: A correspondent expressed concern that a security incident which took place yesterday morning at a parking garage close to UN headquarters was not made known to correspondents until late yesterday evening. The Spokesman reiterated that the incident did not take place on UN premises, and did not involve UN security guards. UN Security was allowed to question the individual concerned, he said.

PRESS HELP SOUGHT IN COTE DIVOIRE: The Deputy Chief of the UN Operation in Cote dIvoire, Alan Doss, has

asked Ivorian press to contribute positively to ending the civil crisis in that country. Doss made the remarks in his final press conference in Cote dIvoire. Next Wednesday he assumes his new post as the new chief of the UN Mission in Liberia.

REFUGEE AGENCY CONCERNED WITH NEW COSTA RICAN LAW : The Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today

said it was concerned with a new Costa Rican Immigration law on its way to approval in San Jose. According to UNHCR, the law does not contain a definition of what constitutes a 1951 Status of Refugees Convention to which Costa Rica is a signatory member. The agency says the new law also lacks provisions against forced repatriation to a country where a refugee could face prosecution, and it does not contain a right to work clause for refugees.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Sunday, August 14

The first-ever International

Conference on Engaging Communities will be held from 14-17 August in Brisbane, hosted by the Government of the State of Queensland, Australia, in cooperation with the United Nations.

Monday, August 15

At 11:00am, Ambassador. Dan Gillerman of Israel will brief the press on disengagement from Gaza.

The

International Seabed Authority begins a two-week meeting in Kingston, Jamaica.

Tuesday, August 16

Kemal Dervis, incoming Administrator of the UN Development Programme, will be the guest at the noon press briefing. Mr. Dervis will be introduced by Deputy Secretary-General

Louise Fréchette.

Wednesday, August 17

The Department of Peacekeeping Operations will provide an update on political and operational issues of the

UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

A United Nations

conference on disarmament issues will be held in Kyoto, Japan, from 17 to 19 August.