United Nations Daily Highlights, 05-09-30

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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

Friday, September 30, 2005

KOFI ANNAN APPALLED BY LATEST BOMBINGS IN IRAQ

Secretary-General Kofi Annan is extremely concerned about the heightened violence in

Iraq, which is overwhelmingly aimed against the civilian population. He is appalled by the latest series of bombings yesterday in Balad that killed more than 90 people and wounded many more, including many women and children, and another serious attack today in Hilla.

He strongly condemns these attacks, which appear to have been coordinated so as to kill and injure as many innocent civilians as possible. No cause can justify such acts of terror. The Secretary-General conveys his deepest sympathy to the families of the victims.

The Secretary-General believes that those who refuse to participate in the political process should not, by acts of intimidation and violence, deprive others of their right to do so.

He once again urges Iraqis of all persuasions not to be deterred by such violence and to express themselves peacefully through the democratic process, starting with the forthcoming national referendum on the draft permanent constitution.

The United Nations remains committed to working with all Iraqi communities and political entities in supporting the peaceful political transition of their country.

SUDAN: ANNAN CONDEMNS ATTACKS IN DARFUR

The Secretary-General is alarmed at the recent escalation in violence in Darfur.

The Secretary-General strongly condemns the attacks on civilians, humanitarian workers and assets, and the African Union Mission in

Sudan, and deplores the many casualties. He is concerned about the additional suffering and displacement these attacks have caused to the civilian populations.

The Secretary-General is particularly appalled by the 28 September attack on a displaced persons camp in West Darfur, during which 34 people are reported to have been killed.

The Secretary-General emphasizes the need to immediately halt the attacks and bring the perpetrators to justice.

He urges all parties to exercise maximum restraint to avoid any further escalation. In the meantime, the parties must apply themselves fully at the six round of the Abuja talks to bring an end to the suffering of the people of Darfur.

The Secretary-General calls upon the Government of Sudan to protect its civilians and to continue its efforts in bringing stability and fostering national reconciliation in the country.

DEATH TOLL RISES IN DARFUR CAMP ATTACK

The death toll from an assault on a camp and nearby villages in the West Darfur region of Sudan

has risen to 34, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on Friday after a team it sent to the Aro Sharow camp learned more details about Wednesdays attack by a large group of armed men riding horses and camels.

The UNHCR team reported Friday that many of the 4,000 to 5,000 residents of the camp had returned from nearby mountains and the surrounding countryside, where they initially fled when the horsemen swooped into the camp, killing residents and burning down their makeshift shelters.

Meanwhile, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Sudan,

Jan Pronk, has condemned the attack and called on the Sudanese Government and local authorities in Darfur to exert all efforts to protect the camps for displaced persons in close cooperation with the African Union Mission in Darfur.

Asked for further information on who perpetrated the attack, the Spokesman noted that UNHCR and the African Union had people on the ground who would look into it.

COTE DIVOIRE: U.N. MISSION CAUTIONS AGAINST

FORCIBLY MOVING INTERNAL REFUGEES

The

UN Operation in Cote dIvoire has warned that any attempt to remove some 2,700 internally displaced persons from a Catholic mission there would be a violation of human rights.

The UN unit was reacting to a published report that the local defense forces would forcibly evacuate a Catholic refugee center in the western city of Duekoue tomorrow.

The UN mission called on the national authorities to help protect the internal refugees.

Jan Egeland, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator,

said the United Nations is deeply troubled by this flagrant display of lack of respect for humanitarian principles and for the people under our humanitarian protection.

SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS MANDATE OF MISSION IN D.R. CONGO

The Security Council today held two formal meetings.

In the first one, the Council

extended the mandate of the

UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by one month, until the end of October.

Then, the Council

adopted a technical adjustment in the term of one of the judges for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).

Today is the last day of the Philippine Presidency of the Security Council. Romania will take over the Presidency of the Council for October.

SIERRA LEONE SPECIAL COURT NEEDS $25 MILLION

Deputy Secretary-General Louise Frechette this morning urged countries to give generously at a pledging conference for the

Special Court for Sierra Leone. By doing so, she said, States will make clear that those who commit heinous crimes against international law, wherever they may be, must be held accountable.

The Courts Registrar, Robin Vincent, estimates that $25 million will be needed to finance the Courts activities next year, when the Courts funding will come from voluntary contributions.

UZBEKISTAN: HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF FAVORS SENDING

OBSERVER TO ANDIJAN TRIALS

High Commissioner for

Human Rights Louise Arbour has written to the Uzbek Government proposing to send an observer to the ongoing and future trials of persons accused of crimes committed in connection with the events in Andijan in mid-May.

The purpose of the observer mission is to establish whether they are conducted in compliance with international fair trial guarantees.

In order for the observer mission to work effectively, it was necessary that it be granted unhindered and unrestricted access to places of detention, registers, including protocols and medical examination certificates, and all interrogations of detainees.

FOOD AGENCY CONCERNED BY SITUATIONS IN MALAWI & COLOMBIA

The World Food Programme (WFP) today

warned that at least five million people in Malawi may require international assistance, as maize prices and malnutrition rates continue to rise sharply.

The agency reports that hundreds of unregistered people are turning up at its food distribution points in southern Malawi, trying to get rations. Many say they are only eating one meal or less per day and that they are resorting to eating water lily bulbs, which have little nutritional value and are dangerous to harvest.

In other news, WFP has

called on donors to provide $1 million for immediate food assistance for more than 6,000 Colombian refugees and asylum seekers in Ecuador.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

INDIAN & PAKISTANI CRICKET TEAMS NAMED AS PEACE ENVOYS: Adolf Ogi, the Secretary-Generals Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace, has appointed the national cricket teams of India and Pakistan as Spokespersons for the

International Year of Sport and Physical Education 2005, in recognition of their efforts to use sport as a vehicle of peace.

INFORMATION SOCIETY MEETING WRAPS UP TODAY: The third meeting of the Preparatory Committee on the

World Summit on the Information Society is scheduled to close today in Geneva, with the last plenary meeting starting at 6:00 p.m. and going into midnight. Delegates today were considering setting up an open-ended working group that will meet in October in Geneva.

REFUGEE AGENCY MONITORS UNREST IN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is concerned about continuing unrest in northern areas of the Central African Republic, including a Tuesday attack on a town by an unidentified armed group. The refugee agency has received reports that between 1,000 and 3,000 residents of the town, which is about 50 kms from the Chad border, may have fled and could be headed north toward the Chad border. A UNHCR team has been deployed to the border to check if there are any new influxes.

ANNAN FOLLOWING UP ON U.N. REFORMS: Asked about the Secretary-Generals actions to follow up on the reforms outlined in the

World Summits outcome document, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General and his management team were working to implement the management aspects of that document. Currently, he said, an ethics office had been approved and work is on-going on strengthening integrity, staff buyout, examining mandates older than five years and overhauling rules and policies on budget and human resources, to mention just a few.