United Nations Daily Highlights, 05-12-22

United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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 22, 2005

SECURITY COUNCIL HOLDS FINAL PLANNED MEETING FOR 2005

The

Security Council has no more meetings planned until 2006.

Yesterday it adopted three resolutions, which

extended the mandates of the

UN Operation in Burundi, the

UN Disengagement Force in the Golan Heights, and the panel monitoring human rights and other violations in

Darfur. It also adopted a fourth resolution, demanding that foreign fighters in the Democratic Republic of the Congo disarm.

The Council also issued four presidential statements that:

demanded an end to atrocities by all parties in Darfur;

reviewed counter-terrorism mechanisms;

commended the Congolese people on their recent referendum; and

agreed with the Secretary-Generals view that the Middle East will remain very tense until an all-encompassing settlement for the regions problems can be reached.

The Council also held consultations on Eritrea and Ethiopia, with a briefing by Assistant Secretary-General for

Peacekeeping Operations Hedi Annabi, as well as on threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.

ERITREA-ETHIOPIA BORDER AREA REMAINS TENSE

The UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) says that the military situation in the Temporary Security Zone and Adjacent Areas remains tense and potentially volatile.

However, Ethiopian troops have started pulling back in keeping with the Security Councils

Resolution 1640, and the pullback is being monitored by peacekeeper patrols.

Nonetheless, the Eritrean Governments ban on UNMEE helicopters is still in place, and restrictions continue on the movement of peacekeepers inside certain sectors of the Temporary Security Zone.

UNMEE says it is still trying to monitor the zone and adjacent areas within these limitations; in the past week, the Mission conducted 779 ground patrols.

U.N. PEACEKEEPERS PROVIDE SUPPORT TO CONGOLESE TROOPS FIGHTING ARMED GROUPS

The

UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo reports that UN peacekeepers along with Congolese soldiers have been taking part in a joint operation against local armed groups in the north-eastern provinceof Ituri.

Approximately 300 Nepalese peacekeepers and an Indian-piloted gunship have been providing support for more than 1,000 soldiers from the national army of the

Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In a firefight this past Monday in which two Nepalese platoons participated and an Indian gunship provided support, seven militia members were reportedly killed as well as one Congolese soldier.

The operation is aimed at rooting out armed groups in the Nioka areas, which are 75 kilometers northeast from Bunia, the capital of Ituri.

U.N. AGENCIES HELP SUDANESE REFUGEES RETURN FROM CHAD

The

UN Mission in Sudan says that several UN agencies are sending personnel to North Darfur where some 8,000 refugees are returning to Sudan from Chad, following attacks by Chadian opposition groups.

Also in

Sudan, the UN Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator for Southern Sudan, David Gressly, told a year-end news conference that 2005 was a critical year for the south.

He said the people of southern Sudan had expectations that, after 20 years of war, they would start to see the dividends of peace, but the government lacked some of the basic tools to deliver services, and was basically starting from scratch.

He said however that the UN now has greater access to the neediest areas. He said the UN was looking forward to cooperating with non-governmental organizations in the area, in the new year.

ANNAN AGREES TO EXTENSION OF OIL-FOR-FOOD COMMITTEE

The

Secretary-General has written to

Paul Volcker, as chair of the

Independent Inquiry Committee (IIC) into the

Oil for Food Programme, to inform him that he has agreed to Volckers request to extend the life-span of the IIC until the end of March 2006.

This extension is exclusively for the purpose of assisting national authorities who wish to follow up on the findings included in the Commissions reports.

Having fully completed its investigation, the IIC will not retain any investigatory capacity or authority.

Starting 1 January, the follow-up entity will be called the Office of the IIC, headed up by an Executive-Director, Reid Morden. The three commissioners will remain, on an advisory capacity only.

The Permanent Representative of Iraq had also asked the Secretary-General for this arrangement to be put in place. The Secretary-General has informed the Presidency of the Security Council.

Asked about budgetary implications associated with the extension of the Volcker committee, the Spokesman said that the extension would cost $1.25 million and that that sum would be drawn from the 2.2 account, which covers administrative costs related to the oil-for-food programme.

ONE YEAR ON, U.N. AGENCIES CONTINUE WORK IN TSUNAMI-HIT AREAS

As the one-year anniversary of last years devastating

tsunami approaches, UN agencies are still continuing their work on the ground. The UN Population Fund, for example, is still

working to restore reproductive health facilities in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the Maldives.

Meanwhile, the UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF)

reports that, one year after the tsunami dramatically changed their lives, children in India, Sri Lanka and Thailand feel hopeful about the future, while children in Indonesia are recovering at a slower pace. This is according to a survey of tsunami-affected children released today by the agency.

For its part, the Food and Agriculture Organization

warned today that many areas on the west coast of Aceh, Indonesia, were still in a critical condition.

To mark the anniversary, the UNs Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery, former US President

Bill Clinton, released a progress report today.

SPOKESMAN CLARIFIES MISQUOTE OF LEBANON BOMB PROBE CHIEF

Asked what he meant when he had said earlier that Detlev Mehlis, head of the

investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, had been misquoted in the press, the Spokesman clarified that he had no reason to doubt the veracity of the original interview, as it was transcribed on the English-language web site of Asharq Al-Awsat.

Instead, what he had been referring to were some of the rewrites done on the interview, out of Beirut, by other news outlets, which had misquoted Mehlis and misinterpreted what he had said. In particular, the Spokesman had taken issue with a false quote referring to an individual who had supposedly requested the report to be rewritten.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

U.N. TO CLEAN UP EVACUATED SETTLEMENTS IN GAZA: The UN Development Programme (UNDP)

reports that it has signed an agreement with the Government of Israel in which the UNDP will be in charge of cleaning and rehabilitating the area of the recently evacuated settlements in the Gaza Strip. The project, funded with a $25 million grant from the Israeli Government, is aimed at boosting the economy of the Gaza Strip.

IRAQ BOARD TO MEET NEXT WEEK: The International Advisory and Monitoring Board (IAMB) for the Iraq Development Fund will be holding one of its periodic meetings next week. This will be held at UN headquarters on 28 and 29 December. The members of the board are expected to hold a press briefing at UN Headquarters on 29 December. The Board, which operates under a Security Council resolution, is made up of representatives of the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Arab Fund for Social and Economic Development.

NO ELABORATION ON ANNANS YEAR-END COMMENTS: Asked to clarify a comment by the Secretary-General -- made in yesterdays end-of-year

press conference and regarding a car allegedly bought in the Secretary-Generals name --the Spokesman said that he would not engage in any Monday morning quarterbacking about yesterdays hour-long press conference, and that he had nothing to add to what the Secretary-General had already said on that issue.

U.N. IS REFORMABLE: Asked to respond to an article in Harpers Magazine, which allegedly said that the UN was not reformable and that it could only be saved by former United States President Bill Clinton, the Spokesman said he had not yet read the article. He did add, however, that he did believe that the UN was reformable.

BUDGET NEGOTIATIONS DOWN TO THE WIRE: Requested to provide an update on the negotiations surrounding the UN budget, the Spokesman said that the discussions were extensive, exhaustive and down to the wire. He added that he hoped that the Member States would agree on an outcome.

NEW DEPUTY CHEF DE CABINET STARTS IN FEBRUARY: Asked if the Secretary-Generals new Deputy Chef de Cabinet,

Alicia Bárcena Ibarra, had been recommended by former UN official Maurice Strong, the Spokesman said he was not aware of any such recommendation. He added that Ms. Bárcena had been a very strong candidate, having worked for the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. She would be starting her work in February and the UN looked forward to having her on board.