United Nations Daily Highlights, 05-10-25

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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, October 25, 2005

ANNAN PLEASED WITH RELEASE OF IRAQS EARLY REFERENDUM RESULTS

Secretary-General Kofi Annan is pleased that the Independent Electoral Commission of

Iraq released the preliminary results of the referendum on the draft constitution this morning. He

commends the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq for having organized the referendum under very difficult circumstances.

The Iraqi people have made their decision and have approved the draft constitution. The Secretary-General commends the Iraqi people for this historic event, which he hopes will mark a milestone on Iraqs path to democracy. The high levels of voter turnout throughout the country and amongst all the main political constituencies are particularly encouraging. That so many voters turned out to vote despite the threats against them is a welcome sign of their desire to choose ballots rather than bullets to express their political views.

With the adoption of the constitution, Iraq can now move forward to the next step in its political transition process, the holding of national elections on 15 December. The Secretary-General calls on all Iraqis to participate with the same commitment in the upcoming election campaign, which will determine the composition of Iraqs new parliament.

The Secretary-General hopes that the adoption of Iraqs constitution will encourage all Iraqis to reach out to one another in a spirit of national reconciliation through a fully inclusive political process to build a democratic and united Iraq. The United Nations will continue to make every effort to support the efforts of the Iraqi people and Government to that end.

Ashraf Qazi, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for

Iraq, also issued a statement on the referendum, noting the high turnout among Iraqi voters, which he said augurs well for the December elections. He added that the results of the referendum have indicated the degree of political polarization in Iraq, which underscores the importance of an inclusive national dialogue.

MORE TIME NEEDED FOR LEBANON COMMISSIONS INVESTIGATION

INTO HARIRI ASSASSINATION

Detlev Mehlis, the head of the UN Independent International Investigation Commission, this morning

briefed the Security Council on his

report on the

14 February assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Mehlis said in an open meeting that, for such a multidimensional and complex case as this one, the investigation cannot be considered complete as of now, with more time to be allotted to look into emerging leads. When the overall investigation is completed, he added, it will be up to the Lebanese authorities to seek the way ahead, including any judicial mechanism.

Ambassadors from Lebanon and Syria also addressed the public meeting, which is now being followed by closed Council consultations, also on Mehlis report.

ANNAN WARNS OF ESCALATION IN ETHIOPIA AND ERITREA

The

Secretary-General has written a letter to the

Security Council on Eritrea and Ethiopia in which he warns that in the absence of concrete action, the situation could escalate and, by intent or as a result of a miscalculation, lead to another round of devastating hostilities.

In the letter sent yesterday evening, the Secretary-General mentions a recent meeting with troop contributing countries to the

UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) where there was an appeal to the Security Council to send an unequivocal and strong message to reverse an increasingly untenable situation.

He reiterates his call in the Security Council to exert its maximum influence to avert a further deterioration of the situation and to ensure that the restrictions imposed on UNMEE are lifted.

He also says he is ready to work closely with the Security Council, and with key stakeholders to bring this dangerous crisis to an end, to conclude the peace process expeditiously and reestablish vital humanitarian activities in Eritrea.

ANNAN TO ATTEND EARTHQUAKE DONORS CONFERENCE IN GENEVA

The

Secretary-General will travel tonight to Geneva, where tomorrow, he will make the opening speech at a ministerial-level donors conference to boost international assistance to South Asia as the region seeks to recover from the 8 October earthquake. He is expected back in New York on Thursday.

While pleading for increased assistance last week, the Secretary-General said, If we are to show ourselves worthy of calling ourselves members of humankind, we must rise to this challenge. Our response will be no less than a measure of our humanity.

Concerning the UN's Flash Appeal, the UN has now received $67 million in contributions and pledges of $35 million.

AID EFFORTS FOR SOUTH ASIA QUAKE AREA TO RECEIVE A BOOST

The

Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees

reports that the NATO-UNHCR airlift for the affected earthquake area in South Asia, which has so far flown in some 250 tons of aid, is getting a boost today with the addition of a chartered Boeing 747 cargo jet to its operation.

In comparison to the NATO cargo planes, which can carry about 10 tons of aid, the 747 jumbo can carry 76 tons.

According to the

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, shelter remains the greatest priority. But while the airlift is expected to bring 15,000 tents in the next couple of days, a further 210,000 winterized tents are still needed for homeless families.

On the food front, rations are now reaching some towns on a regular basis and the

World Food Programme (WFP) is

working with partners to set up a supply line to hard-hit areas before they are cut off by snowfall. Mules, rafts, and hikers, as well as helicopters where possible, are still being used to ease distribution.

Although safe water and sanitation have been restored in some parts, the

UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) and its partners have had to send in sanitation repair teams and have arranged solid waste disposal with the help of the

World Health Organization.

UNICEF has also worked with partners to immunize over 13,000 children against measles and other diseases. And healthcare is being brought to stranded communities by mobile clinics operating in villages, as well as in the main relief hubs.

The

UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination teams are monitoring the security situation, gathering data and coordinating rapid assessment missions to remote locations.

CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED TO FOCUS ATTENTION ON IMPACT OF HIV/AIDS ON CHILDREN

The

Secretary-General today helped

launch a new UN campaign aimed at focusing the worlds attention on the impact of

HIV/AIDS on children.

He

said the world must address what he called one of the cruelest tragedies of our time.

The Secretary-General said that with a young person contracting the virus every 15 seconds, the information campaign begun by the

UN Childrens Fund and the

Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS was very important. As we know, he said, In the world of AIDS, silence is death.

U.N. REFUGEE CHIEF WARNS THAT SITUATION IN DARFUR IS WORSENING

The

UN High Commissioner for Refugees,

António Guterres, has

said that the situation in the Darfur region of Sudan is once again deteriorating sharply, and warned that a further calamity could take place there very soon.

Guterres expressed his deep concern about the possible devastating impact on neighboring countries as well as on the situation in other parts of Sudan.

He made those remarks in London to mark the international launch of a DVD of a 'Voices for Darfur' concert that took place over the weekend.

U.N. PEACEKEEPER IN HAITI DIES OF WOUNDS

A Jordanian peacekeeper serving with the

UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH)

died last night from wounds sustained during a weekend patrol there.

The blue helmet had been shot in the head by armed outlaws at an entrance to the Cite Soleil area in Port au Prince. He had been part of a patrol which had been trying to rescue a woman who had been reported kidnapped.

The peacekeeper was evacuated to the Dominican Republic but died last night from complications.

MINUSTAH has expressed its condolences to the victims family, his battalion and Jordanian authorities.

PANEL OF EXPERTS APPOINTED TO IMPROVE U.N. STAFF ACCOUNTABILITY

The

Secretary-General has

appointed a group of legal experts to study ways to ensure that UN staff members and experts on mission who serve in peacekeeping operations and who commit crimes during their assignments can be held criminally accountable in a manner consistent with due process of law.

The group is part of the broad package of reforms of the

UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations aimed at improving conduct and discipline, and it comes from the wide range of recommended actions proposed by

Prince Zeid Raad Zeid Al-Hussein, the Secretary-Generals Adviser on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by UN Peacekeeping Personnel, in his report submitted to the Secretary-General and adopted by the

General Assembly last June.

The Group of Experts is expected to submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the Secretary-General in January next year.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

ANNAN TO HOLD ANNUAL MEETING WITH U.N. PRINCIPAL ORGANS: Later today, the

Secretary-General will be holding the seventh annual meeting of the Principle Organs of the United Nations. They will be represented by

General Assembly President Jan Eliasson; the

Security Council President, Ambassador Mihnea Motoc of Romania; the

Economic and Social Council President, Ambassador Munir Akram of Pakistan; the

Trusteeship Council President, Michel Duclos of France and, finally, the

International Court of Justice, President Shi Jiuyong.

UNESCO CONDEMNS MURDER OF IRAQI JOURNALIST: The Director-General of the

UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Koïchiro Matsuura, today condemned the murder of Mohammad Harun Hassan, an Iraqi newspaper editor and Executive Secretary of the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate. Hassan was shot four times Thursday as he was driving his car in the centre of Baghdad. Matsuura

said the attack demonstrates the fanaticism of opponents of human rights and democracy who will stop at nothing to impose their will on a society struggling to restore normal, dignified living conditions after so much suffering.

BURKINA FASO BECOMES FULLY PAID UP MEMBER STATE: Burkina Faso is the latest country to join the ranks of fully paid up U.N. Member States -- bringing the number to 128. Burkina Faso sent in a check for $35,590.

Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

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