United Nations Daily Highlights, 05-12-13

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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

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

INTL COURT PROSECUTOR BRIEFS SECURITY COUNCIL ON DARFUR

The Prosecutor for the

International Criminal Court (ICC),

Luis Moreno Ocampo, gave the Security Council an update on the courts investigation into the situation in Darfur, Sudan.

Ocampo says that his office has developed a comprehensive picture of the crimes allegedly committed in Darfur since July 1, 2002. From this overall picture, he says they have identified particularly grave events, involving high numbers of killings, mass rapes and other forms of extremely serious gender violence for full investigation.

In the coming second phase, he said, the investigation will focus on a selected number of criminal incidents and those persons bearing the greatest responsibility for those incidents. Upon completion of this first investigative phase, his Office will identify persons to be prosecuted.

The list of 51 names prepared by the International Commission of Inquiry on Darfur, he said, remains sealed and is in no way binding on the Prosecutor.

Ocampo noted that witness protection is an issue of paramount concern to the ICC.

SECRETARY-GENERAL URGES PEACE AGREEMENT ON DARFUR

Speaking to reporters after attending the briefing, Secretary-General Kofi Annan noted that the Prosecutor had stressed the point that those who committed crimes in Sudan must be brought to account.

The Secretary-General also said it was a hopeful sigh that the Prosecutor has come this far in his work, and added that Ocampo would expect the Security Council to stay closely engaged and give him support. He would need the support of the African Union as well.

In response to questions, the Secretary-General drew attention to the ongoing very serious problems in Darfur and the need for the government and rebels to honor the cease-fire agreement they signed. He stressed the vital importance for them to press ahead in Abuja and get a political agreement on Darfur, which could ensure longer-term stability.

U.N. ENVOY FOR SUDAN IS OPTIMISTIC ON DARFUR AGREEMENT

The Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Sudan,

Jan Pronk, reports that he believes that it is still possible to have a framework agreement by the end of the current year.

The

UN mission reports that security situation in Darfur remains tense. Banditry seems to have increased in intensity and tribal clashes have been reported in West Darfur, where some roads remain closed for UN movement due to insecurity. Some UN flights are also suspended in West Darfur.

In southern Sudan, suspected Lords Resistance Army activities remain a concern and the UN mission reported on a recent attack involving suspected LRA elements.

On the humanitarian front, the UN refugee agency

announced that its official voluntary repatriation of refugees to South Sudan is to begin this Saturday from a from Kakuma Refugee Camp in northwestern Kenya. The number of refugees going home this week to be small - not more than 150 -- but this first official movement is symbolic of refugees' desire to re-establish themselves in their homeland, and our desire to help them do so.

DETLEV MEHLIS TO BRIEF SECURITY COUNCIL ON HARIRI INVESTIGATION

At 3 p.m., Detlev Mehlis, the Chair of the

International Independent Investigation Commission, will brief the Security Council on the Commissions latest report on the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

That will be an open briefing, followed by closed consultations, also concerning the investigation. The Secretary-General will attend that meeting.

The Security Council also held consultations on Lebanon yesterday afternoon, after which it adopted a

Presidential Statement, condemning yesterdays bombing in Beirut that assassinated journalist and Member of Parliament Gebran Tueni and three others. The Council welcomed Lebanons determination to bring to justice those responsible and expressed its readiness to consider positively any request for assistance in this regard.

EXPANSION OF HARIRI ASSASSINATION PROBE IS UP TO SECURITY COUNCIL

As the Secretary-General left this mornings Security Council meeting on Sudan, he was asked by reporters about a letter from the Lebanese Government requesting an expansion of the investigation now headed by Mehlis.

He said he had spoken to the Lebanese Prime Minister about that issue yesterday, but had not yet received the letter. When he does, the Secretary-General said, he will forward it to the Security Council, which will have to decide whether it wants to take on six other assassinations besides the one of Hariri.

Asked about a possible successor to Mehlis, the Secretary-General said he is working as quickly as he can to find a replacement. The Secretary-General has also made an arrangement with Mehlis to ensure that he will remain engaged even after his term expires on 15 December, until his replacement will take over.

ANNAN SAYS TRADE TALKS IN HONG KONG MUST HELP THE POOR

The Secretary-General today

told participants at the World Trade Organization conference in Hong Kong that it is their duty to forge the political will needed to help the poor throughout the world who are yearning to lift themselves out of poverty.

In a message delivered by

Supachai Panitchpakdi, Secretary-General of the UN

Conference on Trade and Development, the Secretary-General said that the goal of the Doha Round on trade agreements was real gains in real peoples lives.

He noted that developed countries had yet to set a date for ending subsidies, and farmers in poor countries continue to be subjected to protectionism. He said rich nations will have to reject not just protectionism, but populism as well, since subsidies are popular in their home countries.

The Secretary-General urged the delegates to do what it takes to deliver on the promises of the Doha Round.

PAKISTAN QUAKE VICTIMS NEED BLANKETS, SHEETS TARPAULINS

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Pakistan reported a new set of findings based on the conditions of more than 3,000 households living below 5,000 feet in quake-hit areas. The data shows that only 5 per cent of those families are living in adequate winterized tents. Furthermore, the tents house an average of 7.4 people, with each family possessing on average only 2 blankets and 2 quilts.

According to the

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), urgent needs include 2.4 million blankets, 170,000 plastic sheets, and 200,000 tarpaulins. But the UN flash appeal remains around 40% funded.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is

shipping in tens of thousands of stoves and plans to bring in 50,000 plastic sheets tomorrow. UNHCR is also in the process of purchasing 250,000 blankets. To help quake survivors make the best use of these supplies, UNHCR has asked a group of Afghan refugees to demonstrate winterization techniques in planned and spontaneous camps.

U.N. TEAM ARRIVES IN CHINA IN CONNECTION WITH RIVER POLLUTION

A four-person team from the UN

Environment Programme (UNEP) is currently in northeastern China, to see firsthand the efforts by the authorities to deal with the pollution caused by the recent chemical plant explosion there.

Speaking about the mission, UNEP head

Klaus Toepfer said, We accepted an invitation from the Chinese authorities to lend our assistance during this difficult time and we have come with an open mind and fully committed to cooperate and offer any help deemed necessary.

The team will conclude its seven-day mission this Friday.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

U.N. POLICE FOIL KOSOVO PRISON BREAK ATTEMPT: In Kosovo, an attempted prison breakout by 14 inmates was foiled yesterday in the western part of the province. Within the prison, staff managed to reassert control after initially being overpowered. Outside the prison, a Romanian Special Police Unit, working under the

UN Mission, came under fire from unknown persons. The Unit returned fire. There were no casualties, but two vehicles were hit by gunfire. Police are investigating both incidents, inside and outside the prison.

TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE CONFERENCE OPENS IN AFGHANISTAN:

Jean Arnault, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Afghanistan, today opened a conference on transitional justice in that country, organized jointly by the UN

Mission and the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission. Mehr Khan Williams, the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, addressed the conference, and said that Afghanistan cannot afford not to address the issue of accountability. The past must be confronted if it is not to come back to haunt us, she said.

UNITED NATIONS WARNS OF FOOD PROBLEMS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA: The UN Food and Agriculture Organization said today that food security in southern Africa is of serious concern despite a bumper maize harvest in South Africa. According to a new FAO

report, nearly 12 million people, mainly in Zimbabwe and Malawi, are in need of emergency food assistance.

ANNAN CALLS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF MIDDLE EAST ROADMAP: The Secretary-General today

called for full implementation of the road map for a two state solution in the Middle East. In a message to the UN Latin American and Caribbean meeting on the question of Palestine , the Secretary-general said, the price of failure there has been unconscionably high with continuing suffering and death for civilians on both sides.

SECRETARY-GENERAL IN CONTACT WITH U.N. MEMBERS ON REFORM: Asked for an update on the talks on

UN reform, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General remains in contact with the Member States, who will have to make a number of decisions soon on such reform measures as the proposed Peacebuilding Commission. The Secretary-General hopes the Member States can bring their discussions to a conclusion quickly.

U.N. ENVOY IN IRAQ STRESSES NEED FOR PEACEFUL ELECTIONS: Asked about UN assistance for Iraqi minorities, who may face violence during the election period, the Spokesman noted that

Ashraf Qazi, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Iraq, has stressed, both publicly and in private, that the elections need to be held in an atmosphere of peace, since it is difficult to conduct elections while the violence continues.

U.N. CHILDRENS REPORT OUT TOMORROW: The UN

Childrens Fund (UNICEF) representatives will present tomorrow, in the Foreign Press Association in London, UNICEFs annual report on the State of the Worlds children in 2006. The report says millions of children suffer from exclusion, abuse and neglect. It outlines steps that must be taken to alleviate childrens suffering.

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All other inquiries to be addressed to (212) 963-4475 or by e-mail to: inquiries@un.org

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