United Nations Daily Highlights, 05-09-26

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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

Monday, September 26, 2005

KOFI ANNAN ENCOURAGES SUPPORT OF NON-PROLIFERATION INITIATIVE

Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs Nobuyasu Abu today read a

message on the Secretary-Generals behalf at the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna.

In the message, the Secretary-General said that this months World Summit was a failure when it came to dealing with disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation. He encouraged all countries to support the initiative of a group of States led by Norway to chart a way forward on those issues.

The Secretary-General also welcomed the outcome of the six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula, and voiced his continued hope that there can be an outcome satisfactory to all parties concerning Irans nuclear program.

The IAEA Conference also endorsed by acclamation a third, four-year term for Director General Mohamed ElBaradei. ElBaradei, in a

statement to the Conference, outlined priorities for the coming years.

At the end of week-long meetings beginning 19 September, the IAEA Board of Governors

adopted on Saturday a resolution on the implementation of safeguards in Iran. The resolution finds that Irans failures and breaches constitute non-compliance and calls on Iran to return to the negotiating process. It was adopted by a vote of 22 in favor, one against and 12 abstentions.

Asked about the Secretary-Generals response to the latest developments on Iran, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General has taken note of the developments over the weekend in the IAEA concerning that country, and he will continue to monitor the situation.

ANNAN ALARMED BY ESCALATING VIOLENCE BETWEEN ISRAELIS & PALESTINIANS

Over the weekend, the Spokesmans Office issued a

statement saying that the Secretary-General was alarmed by the escalation of violence between Israel and armed

Palestinian factions in recent days, which risks stymieing efforts to seize the momentum generated by Israels withdrawal of settlements from Gaza and the northern West Bank.

He said that all parties should be careful to avoid proactive actions at this critical time, and must at all times take the greatest care to avoid civilian casualties and observe international humanitarian law.

ANNAN CONDEMNS ATTEMPTED KILLING OF LEBANESE JOURNALIST

In a

statement, the Secretary-General strongly condemned the attempted assassination of May Chidiac, a prominent and respected

Lebanese journalist. He called on the Lebanese Government to bring to justice the perpetrators and instigators of this, and other, attacks and to ensure an end to impunity.

He called on all parties in Lebanon to preserve national unity during these critical days.

TOGO: U.N. TEAM INVESTIGATES HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva has issued a report detailing the conclusions of a fact-finding mission sent to Togo in June this year.

The 45-page

report is currently available in French only.

High Commissioner Louise Arbour dispatched the mission to Togo to look into allegations of violations of human rights during the crisis set off by the death of President Gnassingbe Eyadema in February. The team was in Togo from 13 to 24 June and also visited Benin and Ghana to interview people who had fled the violence in Togo.

IMPUNITY STILL PREVAILS IN DARFUR, SUDAN

The Secretary-Generals Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide,

Juan Mendez, spoke to reporters in Khartoum today at the end of his visit to

Sudan.

Mendez noted that there is a strong sense in Darfur that impunity continues to prevail.

He also said he perceived a significant disconnect between the Governments account of its actions to address Darfurs problems and its evaluation of the conditions there on the one hand, and the accounts of Darfuris with whom he met during the course of his visit on the other.

He said he intends to report to the Secretary-General with recommendations to protect civilians and prevent human rights abuses, to promote conditions for the safe return of internally displaced persons and refugees, and to offer some contributions towards the resolution of the crisis.

ZIMBABWE: VISIT BY ANNAN WOULD HAVE TO BE PROPERLY PLANNED

Asked about a report in a state-run newspaper in Harare today which quotes Zimbabwean officials as saying that a visit by the Secretary-General to that country had been aborted, the Spokesman noted that some of the reporting from the Zimbabwean media about that matter was flawed.

The Secretary-General, the Spokesman reiterated, has expressed his willingness to go to

Zimbabwe, but any visit would have to be properly planned, in terms of its agenda and its aims. Contacts between the UNs Department of Political Affairs and the Zimbabwean Ministry of Foreign Affairs are ongoing, he added.

The Spokesman said, in response to a further question, that the United Nations had not set any conditions or timeframe for such a visit.

U.N. MISSION LOOKS AT HUMANITARIAN CHALLENGES IN D.R. CONGO

Margareta Wahlstrom, the UNs Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, arrived today in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo, where she will be leading an inter-agency mission.

That mission will examine both the humanitarian and developmental challenges confronting the country before the UN country team issues its 2006 humanitarian action plan.

In other news, the Secretary-General appointed Haile Menkerios of Eritrea as his Deputy Special Representative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY ENDS ITS GENERAL DEBATE

The

General Assemblys General Debate

concluded Friday evening, with President Jan Eliasson

saying, The extent to which we -- all of us in this Assembly -- can muster a spirit of urgency and common purpose in the coming days and weeks will ultimately determine whether the World Summit goes down in history as a missed opportunity for the UN, or -- as I hope -- as the start of the most substantial reform programme in the history of the Organization.

A total of 185 speakers took the floor during the Debate, including 44 Heads of State or Government.

There are no formal meetings of the plenary until Thursday, when it will take up the Report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization.

The President is holding intensive bilateral meetings and consultations to prepare his plan for implementation of the Summit outcome.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

TSUNAMI EARLY WARNING FUND LAUNCHED IN THAILAND: A regional trust fund to support

tsunami early warning arrangements in the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia was

launched today in Bangkok with a $10 million contribution from the Government of Thailand. The fund, which will be managed by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, will contribute to the broader UN tsunami response by supporting a network of national and regional early warning centres.

BIRD FLU STRATEGY STILL UNDER-FUNDED: The global strategy for the control of bird flu remains largely under-funded, the Food and Agriculture Organization

said today. The agency said that only $20 million had been pledged towards the target of $100 million that was set when international agencies agreed upon the global plan last May. Vaccination and stockpiling of drugs are also behind schedule, the agency said.

UNITED NATIONS COMPLETES HUMAN RIGHTS TRAINING IN TIMOR-LESTE: The UN Office in Timor-Leste (UNOTIL) reports that it has completed a human rights training program for the highest levels of government. The mission also says an international human rights specialist will be assigned to the government, in addition to a UNOTIL human rights specialist already working there.

ELIMINATION OF CHILD LABOR IN LATIN AMERICA WOULD GENERATE BILLIONS: Eliminating child labor in Latin America within the next 20 years could generate an estimated $340 billion in economic benefit, the International Labour Organization

says. The benefits would come from children's improved access to education and better health care. The study is based on data from 19 countries in the region where an estimated 19.7 million children aged 5 to 17 currently work as child laborers.

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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