United Nations Daily Highlights, 05-09-20

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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

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

[There was no noon briefing today because the Secretary-General held a press conference with the other participants of a meeting of the Middle East Quartet that took place today at UN headquarters.]

Secretary-General Kofi Annan read the following summary of the Quartet statement:

"The Quartet met today to discuss the Israeli withdrawal and the prospects for movement towards peace in the Middle East. The Quartet welcomed the successful conclusion of the withdrawal, and the opportunity it brings to renew efforts on the Roadmap. The Quartet paid tribute to the political courage of Prime Minister Sharon, and expressed its appreciation for the responsible behavior of the Palestinians. The withdrawal is an important step towards achieving the vision of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and security.

The Quartet applauded the close coordination between the Israeli and Palestinian security services and their cooperation with the U.S. Security Coordinator, General Ward. While noting that the Palestinian Authority has condemned violence, the Quartet further urges it to maintain law and order and dismantle terrorist capabilities and infrastructure, and reaffirms the continued importance of comprehensive security sector reform.

The Quartet encouraged the work of James Wolfensohn, the Quartet Special Envoy for disengagement, to facilitate discussion between the parties to build on the success so far. The Quartet will continue to lead international efforts to support the sustainable growth of the Palestinian economy and to help strengthen the capacity of the Palestinian Authority to assume its responsibilities through an aggressive pursuit of state building and democratic reform efforts. The Quartet urges an easing of the system of movement restrictions that prevent Palestinian economic recovery, consistent with Israels security needs.

Beyond disengagement, the Quartet calls for renewed action in parallel by both parties on their obligations under the Roadmap. The Quartet urged both sides to return to the cooperative agenda reached at Sharm el-Sheikh. Contacts between the parties should be intensified at all levels.

The Quartet discussed armed groups and the political process. The PA leadership has condemned violence and has sought to encourage Palestinian groups who have engaged in terrorism to abandon this course and engage in the democratic process.

Ultimately, those who want to be part of the political process should not engage in armed group or militia activities, for there is a fundamental contradiction between such activities and the building of a democratic state.

The Quartet reaffirms that any agreement on final status issues must be reached through negotiations and that a new Palestinian state must be truly viable, with contiguity in the West Bank and connectivity to Gaza. The Quartet believes that settlement expansion elsewhere must stop, and Israel must remove unauthorized outposts. The Quartet continues to note with concern the route of the barrier, particularly as it results in the confiscation of Palestinian land, and undermines Palestinians trust in the Roadmap.

The Quartet reiterates its commitment to the principles outlined in previous statements, including those of May 4, 2004, May 9, 2005, and June 23, 2005, and reaffirms its commitment to a just, comprehensive, and lasting settlement to the Arab-Israeli conflict based upon resolutions 242 and 338."

[A full transcript of the press conference will be made available.]

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS IN THE UN SYSTEM

CLASHES ERUPT IN DARFUR; SECURITY COUNCIL TO TAKE UP SUDAN: On the eve of a briefing to the Security Council on Sudan by the Secretary-General's Special Representative Jan Pronk, the UN Mission in Sudan reports that in last 24 hours there has been renewed fighting in an area between North and South Darfur, which has resulted in the fall of the town of Shareya. It noted that the humanitarian impact is potentially serious, as 33,000 civilians in Shareya were receiving humanitarian assistance from three international NGOs whose staff have been withdrawn. The United Nations has asked for restraint to be shown by both parties. Meanwhile, the security situation in the Kalma camp housing displaced persons has further deteriorated with a large number of security incidents reported, including some 60 reported attacks on women over the last week alone.

SECURITY COUNCIL DEBATES ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN DISPUTES: The

Security Council this morning began an open debate on the role of civil society in conflict prevention and the peaceful settlement of disputes. Delivering a message on behalf of the Secretary-General, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Tuliameni Kalomoh said that civil societys role in conflict prevention needs to be fully recognized. Both the United Nations and regional organizations have to do more to tap into civil societys comparative advantages. He said that civil society is often far out in front in identifying new threats and concerns, which is one of its most important roles. Before the open debate began, Council members held consultations to discuss the possibility of issuing a Presidential Statement at the end of todays meeting.

AL-QAIDA MONITORING GROUP MAKES RECOMMENDATIONS TO IMPROVE SANCTIONS: The latest report by the group monitoring sanctions against Al-Qaida and the Taliban and associated individuals and entities is out as a document today. It says: "Al-Qaida continues to evolve and adapt to the pressures and opportunities of the world around it, and the threat of a significant attack remains real in all areas. At the same time, there has been a revival of the threat from the Taliban." The key elements of the Security Council sanctions the Consolidated List, the assets freeze, the arms embargo and the travel ban continue to provide the basis for an effective regime, it says, butt there is scope to improve implementation of the measures and to make them more powerful. A Security Council committee is considering the recommendations.

U.N. FIGHTS PREEMPTIVE WAR AGAINST MALARIA IN NIGER: Seeking to avert a second wave of deaths among Nigers undernourished children, the World Health Organization (WHO) is

dispatching 100,000 antimalarial treatments to the west African country, where peak malaria season has begun in the midst of a humanitarian crisis. WHO will provide artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT), the most effective available treatment for falciparum malaria, the deadliest form of the disease and the type found in Niger.

INTERNET GOVERNANCE AMONG TOPICS OF GENEVA MEETING: The final preparatory meeting for the forthcoming Tunis Phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)

opened yesterday morning. The two-week meeting, which is taking place at the UN Office in Geneva from 19-30 September 2005, represents the last chance for more than 130 national delegations and over 150 other stakeholders comprising international organizations, non-governmental organizations and business entities, to arrive at an accord on key agenda items including Internet governance ahead of the second phase of WSIS, which begins on November 16.

TRADE LIBERALIZATION COULD HARM ENVIRONMENT: Environmentally-insensitive trade liberalization can lead to economically costly soil degradation, water pollution, loss of biodiversity and destruction of forests, the

UN Environmental Programme (UNEP)

said today. The warning follows the release of six new reports on the environmental impact of trade liberalization in the rice sector in China, Colombia, Indonesia, Nigeria, Senegal and Vietnam, and three months before a critical World Trade Organization meeting in Hong Kong where trade ministers will push for further liberalization under the round of negotiations agreed to in Doha, Qatar.

UNESCO RE-APPOINTS DIRECTOR-GENERAL MATSUURA OF JAPAN: The Executive Board of the

UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, (UNESCO) today

announced that it had reappointed Director-General, Koïchiro Matsuura, for a four year term. The appointment is expected to be confirmed during next months annual UNESCO general conference.

MILLIONS AT RISK IN MALAWI: The

UN Childrens Fund, (UNICEF), reports today that due to inadequate rainfall and a poor harvest, about a third of the population of Malawi will not be able to meet minimum food needs before the next harvest, which is six months away. The agency said that the hunger problem will affect 4.2 million people, of which some one million are children or pregnant women.

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE TO BE MARKED ON WEDNESDAY: The International Day of Peace will be observed at UN Headquarters and around the world on Wednesday, 21 September. The Secretary-General, who will ring the peace bell at UN Headquarters at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, has called in a statement for a global ceasefire on Wednesday, and for a minute of silence at noon on the same day.

ANNAN RECALLS IMPORTANT WORK OF SIMON WIESENTHAL: The Secretary-General was saddened to learn of the death of Simon Wiesenthal. Mr. Wiesenthals efforts to pursue justice for the victims of the Holocaust sent an important message to the world that there should be no impunity for genocide and crimes against humanity. His work through the Wiesenthal Center an NGO accredited to both the United Nations and UNESCO to promote tolerance and fight anti-Semitism made significant contributions to the United Nations own efforts in this area. The Secretary-General sends his condolences to Mr. Wiesenthals daughter and to all others who have been touched by this loss.

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