United Nations Daily Highlights, 05-12-08

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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

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Thursday, December 8, 2005

ANNAN TO SEND TOP PEACEKEEPING OFFICIAL AND MILITARY ADVISOR

TO REVIEW SITUATION IN ERITREA AND ETHIOPIA

Secretary-General Kofi Annan, has decided to send the head of the UN

peacekeeping department,

Jean-Marie Guéhenno, and the UN military advisor, General

Randir Kumar Mehta, to Ethiopia and Eritrea, as soon as practicable to review and assess the situation on ground and what steps can be taken to improve the situation.

The United Nations, meanwhile, has conveyed to the Eritrean authorities that it cannot accept the request for staff of certain nationalities of the UN mission to leave the country.

Both the Secretary-General and the

Security Council have demanded that Eritrea reverse its decision, which is inconsistent with the fundamental principle of the universality of the peacekeeping operation representing the whole of the international community.

From the field, the

UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) today reports that the military situation in the Temporary Security Zone and adjacent areas remains tense and potentially volatile.

Troop movements have been noticed on both sides of the border. The ban by Eritrea on UNMEE helicopters is still in place and restrictions are continuing on the movement of UN peacekeepers.

According to UNMEE, about 180 people are affected by the decision -- 91 military observers, about ten UN Volunteers and 70 international staff. The Force commander noted that that out of a total of 44 troop contributing countries, 18 have been asked to go.

Asked whether Guéhenno and Mehta would be allowed by Eritrea to visit that country, the Spokesman said that the United Nations expects Eritrea to give Guéhenno full access so that he can visit both countries during his visit to UNMEE, review developments with the UN peacekeepers on both sides of the border and assess the situation.

ANNAN RENEWS CALL FOR AN END TO TORTURE ON HUMAN RIGHTS DAY

This Saturday is

Human Rights Day, and in a message to mark the occasion, the

Secretary-General has called for renewed commitment to ending torture around the world.

Noting a disturbing trend of countries claiming exceptions to the prohibition on torture, he says torture can never be an instrument to fight terror, for torture is an instrument of terror.

He adds that the fear of terrorists can never justify adopting their methods, and he calls on all States which have not yet done so, to ratify the

Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

ANNAN DEFENDS TOP U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICIALS STATEMENT

Asked about objections made by U.S. Ambassador John Bolton to a statement made on Wednesday by

High Commissioner for Human Rights

Louise Arbour, the Spokesman said that the

Secretary-General has no disagreement with the statement she made and sees no reason to object to any of it. As High Commissioner, the Spokesman noted, Arbour was given a mandate by the

General Assembly to speak on human rights on a global scale.

He affirmed the Secretary-Generals full confidence in High Commissioner Arbour, noting that she has been a highly experienced and respected jurist. He also noted her service as the first prosecutor of the

International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and as a judge on the highest court in Canada.

The Secretary-General, the Spokesman said, is confident that she will carry on her work without being impressed or intimidated by what transpired yesterday.

The Secretary-General intends to take this matter up with Ambassador Bolton as soon as possible, the Spokesman said. The Spokesman added, in response to a further question, that the Secretary-General would try to meet Ambassador Bolton in person at an early date.

The Spokesman corrected a reporter who said that Arbour headed the

Human Rights Commission that the Secretary-General wants replaced; actually, the Spokesman noted, Arbour is an independent human rights official appointed by the General Assembly, who does not head the Commission, nor does she appoint its members. Instead, she works in support of the Human Rights Commission when asked to do so.

The Spokesman reiterated the Secretary-Generals recommendation that the Human Rights Commission be replaced by a smaller, more effective body, the Human Rights Council.

ANNAN CONCERNED BY WORSENING SITUATION IN DARFUR

The

Secretary-General is gravely

concerned by the worsening situation in

Darfur.

The

UN Mission in Sudan reports banditry, looting, inter-tribal fighting, clashes allegedly between Sudan Liberation Movement rebels and tribes, attacks on civilians destroying wells, which are essential to their livelihood, and forcing thousands more people to leave their homes in addition to the two million already displaced and a further increase in the number of attacks and robberies committed against humanitarian workers.

Once again, the Secretary-General calls on all parties to respect their agreements and the provisions of international humanitarian law. He also urges them to make serious efforts to reach a political settlement in the Abuja peace talks before the end of the year.

He notes with pleasure that the Sudanese government delegation to the talks now includes members of the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Movement, and hopes that the government will apply to Darfur the same principles that made possible the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

He also urges the

Security Council and donor community to give close attention to the situation in Darfur, and to do everything possible to assist and strengthen the African Union Mission deployed on the ground.

ANNAN DISMAYED BY RECENT WAVE OF KIDNAPPINGS IN IRAQ

The

Secretary-General is

dismayed by the recent wave of kidnappings in Iraq.

He is extremely concerned about the fate of all Iraqi and foreign civilians who have been abducted, including the group of four foreign hostages whose lives are being threatened.

The Secretary-General calls for their immediate, safe and unconditional release, and strongly reiterates his appeal to all sides to respect at all times the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law.

U.N. ENVOY BRIEFED AYATOLLAH ALI AL-SISTANI ON IRAQI ELECTION AID

Ashraf Qazi, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for

Iraq, today visited Najaf, where he met, among others, with Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani and briefed him on the UN Missions work towards facilitating the elections in Iraq, through its technical advice to the Independent Electoral Commission.

They also discussed the

UN Assistance Mission for Iraqs role in the national reconciliation conference that is to take place early next year.

Qazi and Ayatollah Sistani agreed on the need for elections to take place on 15 December that are free from violence and intimidation, inclusive, transparent and fair. They agreed on the need to focus on confidence-building measures that can pave the way towards national reconciliation among all Iraqis.

Asked whether assurances about elections are enough, the Spokesman said that elections are an Iraqi-led process. At the same time, he said, the United Nations will do as much as it can to facilitate the holding of elections while appealing to all parties to allow elections that are safe, free and inclusive.

Asked whether UN electoral efforts in Iraq would be helped by finding a replacement for former head of the Electoral Assistance Division Carina Perelli, the Spokesman said that the UNs electoral work in Iraq is headed by the international commissioner on Iraqs Independent Electoral Commission, Craig Jenness, who is assisted by 24 staff on the ground in Baghdad.

AGREEMENT FORMALIZES EXISTING SECURITY

ARRANGEMENTS FOR U.N. STAFF IN IRAQ

At 4:00 p.m. Thursday, Under-Secretary-General for

Political Affairs

Ibrahim Gambari will meet with U.S. Ambassador John Bolton to sign an agreement between the United States and United Nations on security arrangements in

Iraq.

That signing will formalize the existing security arrangements on the ground in that country.

Asked what the agreement entails, the Spokesman said that it formalizes, in a signed legal framework, the existing arrangements whereby the multinational force provides security as UN staff travel in Iraq.

Asked about the size of UN staff in Iraq presently, he said it was some 90 international staff, protected by about 160 security personnel.

ANNAN WELCOMES NEW HUMANITARIAN EMBLEM

The

Secretary-General was

delighted to learn of last nights decision by the signatory countries of the Geneva Conventions to adopt a non-denominational humanitarian emblem, the Red Crystal, in addition to the Red Cross and Red Crescent.

He notes that this emblem will henceforth have the same legal significance, and enjoy the same legal protection, as both the Red Cross and the Red Crescent, which for over a century have symbolized the humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

He hopes that this will enable the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to become fully universal, and thus to bring aid and protection to the victims of war, natural disasters and other catastrophes more efficiently, wherever they may be.

He hopes in particular that it will open the way for societies that are not yet formally part of the Movement, such as the Israeli Magen David Adom (Red Shield of David), to be admitted as full members.

He also hopes that the Palestinian Red Crescent Society will in due course be admitted to membership. In this connection, he welcomes last weeks agreement on operational arrangements between these two societies.

ANNAN CONGRATULATES GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON U.N. STAFF SAFETY CONVENTION

The

Secretary-General today

congratulated the

General Assembly for its adoption of the

Optional Protocol to the General Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel.

He said the new protocol expands the legal protection of all UN operations, from emergency humanitarian assistance to peace-building. And he urged all Member States to become party to todays Optional Protocol, saying that, Without security, our work for the peoples around the world suffers.

The Secretary-General also urged all countries to move forward to finalize the text of a Comprehensive Convention dealing with terrorism, saying that we must do our part to forge a coordinated response against terrorism.

SECURITY COUNCIL IS BRIEFED ON DEVELOPMENTS IN COTE DIVOIRE

The

Security Council this morning discussed

Cote dIvoire in its closed consultations.

First, the Assistant Secretary-General for

Peacekeeping Operations, Hédi Annabi, briefed the Council on the recent developments in that country, including the appointment of the new Prime Minister, Charles Konan Banny.

Then, Ambassador Adamantios Vassilakis of Greece, chair of the Sanctions Committee for Cote dIvoire, discussed his committees work.

FIRST BATCH OF WARM CLOTHING KITS FOR CHILDREN ARRIVE IN PAKISTAN

In Pakistan,

UNICEF has started

delivering the first batch of over 50,000 warm clothing kits for children who survived the

earthquake. Available in four sizes, each kit contains a padded jacket, a hat or shawl, socks and snow boots. Over 100,000 more kits are on the way.

In addition, in the tented villages that now house some 170,000 survivors, UNICEF is distributing thousands of hygiene kits to women. The kits contain toothbrushes, toothpaste, towels, soap, nail clippers, cotton gauze and sanitary products.

U.N. AGENCY HEADS CALL ON TRADE NEGOTIATORS

TO CONSIDER AGRICULTURAL REFORMS

James Morris, Executive Director of the

World Food Programme, Antonio Guterres, the

UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and Ann Veneman, Executive Director of

UNICEF, today issued a joint statement directed at negotiators at the World Trade Organization.

Acknowledging that agricultural trade reforms could help overcome poverty in the developing world, they also said that such reforms should be carefully designed to protect millions of the world's children, refugees and malnourished people who count on food aid donations for their survival.

The statement comes in response to reports that food aid donations are coming under scrutiny at the Doha Round of trade negotiations, with some proposals seeking to replace food donations with cash or to restrict food donations to major emergencies.

ANNAN ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF DEPUTY CHEF DE CABINET

The

Secretary-General today announced the appointment of Alicia Bárcena Ibarra of Mexico as Assistant Secretary-General to the post of Deputy Chef de Cabinet in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General.

Ibarra has most recently served as Deputy Executive Secretary of the

UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean where she has been actively promoting the implementation of the

Millennium Development Goals in the region.

Ibarra replaces Elizabeth Lindenmayer who left the position earlier this year.

ANNAN THANKS DISARMAMENT CHIEF FOR SERVICE TO THE UNITED NATIONS

The

Secretary-General announced today the forthcoming resignation of

Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs

Nobuyasu Abe, who will be returning to the service of the Government of Japan. Abes resignation will take effect at the beginning of January 2006.

The Secretary-General expressed his profound gratitude for the dedicated service that Abe rendered during his two and a half year tenure as Under-Secretary-General, and, in particular, for his quiet leadership and sound political judgment in addressing the many challenges which the Organization faces in the field of disarmament and international peace and security.

Asked who would replace Abe, the Spokesman said a search for a replacement was starting. Since this is an internal appointment, he said, a shortlist of candidates would not be made public, as is the case for heads of UN agencies.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

U.N. AGENCY CONCERNED ABOUT GAZA ECONOMY FOLLOWING ISRAELI PULLOUT:

Karen AbuZayd, the Commissioner-General of the

UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, said that the Agency is concerned about getting the economy going in Gaza after Israels disengagement. She said that the Agency was taking the lead on a microfinance program, a job creation program and the reconstruction of houses destroyed during the Intifada. But she added that the recent agreement to open up the various borders needs to be implemented, among other things.

ANNAN PROMISES FULL SUPPORT FOR THE COMOROS: The

Secretary-General today

promised the full support of the United Nations to the Comoros in its work towards a new era of prosperity and peace. He made the pledge in a statement to a donors conference on Comoros today in Port Louis, Mauritius. The statement was delivered by Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Tuliameni Kalomoh.

ELEVEN INDIVIDUALS ADDED TO AL QAIDA SECTION OF LIST: The

Security Councils 1267 Committee has

added 11 individuals to the Al-Qaida section of its consolidated list.

LEAFLET HELPS TSUNAMI SURVIVORS ACCESS HOUSING:

Tsunami survivors in Aceh, who have not been able to access housing support because they could not prove ownership of their land, can now use a simple

leaflet as a temporary land deed. Developed by the

UN Development Programme and

UN Human Settlements Programme, the leaflet spells out the rights of the victims as well as the obligations of the Government to meet their needs. It also explains the steps to obtain assistance.

RECRUITMENT HAS BEGUN FOR MEHLIS REPLACEMENT: Asked whether a list of candidates to replace investigator

Detlev Mehlis is being prepared, the Spokesman said that work has begun on the recruitment for a possible successor, if the mandate of Mehlis investigation is extended by the

Security Council. The United Nations is looking to find a successor, if needed, as soon as possible.

U.N. MISSION IN CYPRUS SAYS BOTH SIDES MUST AGREE ON BORDER CROSSING OPENING: The

UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) has said that it is unable to support or facilitate the opening of the proposed crossing at Ledra Street, in the heart of Nicosia, in the absence of the consent of both parties. UNFICYPs view is that while construction undertaken by the Turkish side is outside the buffer zone, being to the north of the ceasefire line, it should cease. Both sides should resume efforts to find mutually acceptable arrangements for the opening of Ledra Street crossing.