United Nations Daily Highlights, 05-12-28

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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

UN

HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

[Please note: There will be no Noon Briefings between December 26-30, 2005.

News developments within the UN system will be posted on this website throughout that time period, and the Noon Briefings will resume on Tuesday, January 3, 2006.]

KOFI ANNAN DEPLORES ROCKET FIRING FROM LEBANON INTO ISRAEL

Secretary-General Kofi Annan deplores the firing of Katyusha rockets from Lebanon into the Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona last night. The rockets caused serious damage to property but fortunately there were no casualties.

The Secretary-General notes the fragility of the situation in Lebanon and the wider region.

He calls once again on the Government of Lebanon to extend its control over all its territory, to exert its monopoly on the use of force, and to put an end to all such attacks.

The Secretary-General calls on all parties to respect fully the Blue Line and to avoid any actions that could lead to an escalation of the situation.

The Personal Representative of the Secretary-General for Lebanon, Geir Pedersen, had expressed his deep concern at the firing and confirmed that at least four rockets were fired from within Lebanon which caused serious material damage in Kiryat Shimona. Israel carried out a retaliatory aerial raid early Wednesday morning in Na'ameh, approximately 12 kilometres south of Beirut.

UNITED NATIONS, EUROPEAN UNION, RUSSIA AND UNITED STATES

WELCOME UPCOMING PALESTINIAN ELECTIONS

The Middle East Quartet which comprises the United Nations, the European Union, the Russian Federation and the United States

issued a statement today on the upcoming Palestinian Legislative Council elections.

The Quartet welcomes the upcoming Palestinian Legislative Council elections as a positive step toward consolidation of Palestinian democracy and the goal of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Quartet calls on the Palestinian Authority and the Central Elections Commission to ensure a free, fair, and open process in accordance with Palestinian law. The Quartet noted the continued importance of security in this regard, and calls on the Palestinian Authority to take immediate steps to ensure law and order, prevent terrorist attacks and dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism. The Palestinian Authority must also assure the security of polling stations and of Central Election Commission personnel, enforce existing law, regulations, and decrees, particularly those prohibiting the public display of weapons, external financing of campaigns, and the use of religious facilities for campaign purposes.

The Quartet recalled its September 20 statement, together with the Secretary General's subsequent statement on behalf of the Quartet that ultimately those who want to be part of the political process should not engage in armed group or militia activities, for there is a fundamental contradiction between such activities and the building of a democratic state. In this regard, the Quartet calls on all participants to renounce violence, recognize Israel's right to exist, and disarm. The Quartet is encouraged by the negotiation of a Code of Conduct governing participation in the legislative council election. It calls on all parties and candidates in the Palestinian Legislative Council elections to agree and fully adhere to this Code to ensure an environment conducive to free and fair elections and international observer support. The Quartet welcomed the Palestinian Authoritys invitation to international election observers.

Furthermore, the Palestinian Authority should take additional steps to ensure the democratic process remains untainted by violence, by prohibiting political parties from pursuing their aims through violent means, and by moving expeditiously to codify this as Palestinian law. In particular, the Quartet expressed its view that a future Palestinian Authority Cabinet should include no member who has not committed to the principles of Israels right to exist in peace and security and an unequivocal end to violence and terrorism.

The Quartet believes it is essential that direct dialogue begin immediately between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority to coordinate preparations for the Legislative Council elections. Proactive measures are essential to the movement of voters, elections committee staff and materials, and international observers throughout the election process, as outlined in the Roadmap. Both parties should work to put in place a mechanism to allow Palestinians resident in Jerusalem to exercise their legitimate democratic rights, in conformity with existing precedent.

COTE D'IVOIRE: U.N. MISSION WELCOMES FORMATION OF GOVERNMENT

The UN Operation in Côte dIvoire (UNOCI) welcomes the formation of the Government following in-depth consultations between the Ivorian parties.

UNOCI considers this consensus achieved by the Ivorians as a new, important breakthrough within the framework of the peace process while remaining perfectly conscious of the major challenges that await Prime Minister Charles Konan Banny and the team he has just formed, during the next ten months.

UNOCI reaffirms its full support for the Ivorian Prime Minister in the execution of his duties, and the International Working Group (IWG) will carry out to the fullest the mandate conferred upon it by the Security Council, particularly in resolutions 1633 (2005) of 21 October 2005 and 1643 (2005) of 15 December 2005.

The daily Mediation Group, in its permanent contact with the parties, will verify that the Prime Minister has all the resources he needs to carry out his mission successfully. This support is aimed at enabling the new government to lead Côte dIvoire to peace and national reconciliation by successfully carrying out the disarmament and dismantling of the militias, the disarmament of ex-combatants, the identification process and the organization of free, fair and democratic elections.

UNOCI invites the Ivorian parties, whatever their political tendencies, to unequivocally support the new Government and to grant it all the assistance it needs to respond positively to the expectations of the population, who have paid the heaviest price in a crisis that has lasted all too long.

WAY AHEAD IN SUDAN PRESENTS A NUMBER OF DIFFICULT OBSTACLES

In the latest report to the Security Council on Sudan, the Secretary-General says that while the peace process is on track, serious concerns about implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement remain.

In Darfur, security on the ground must urgently improve, and the search for a durable political peace, including a permanent ceasefire, must be intensified, he says.

In eastern Sudan, the withdrawal of Sudan People's Liberation Army from the Hameshkoreib region, could create a power vacuum, he noted, adding that given the current tensions between Eritrea and Ethiopia, humanitarian assistance provided by NGOs to this region through Eritrea might become difficult.

The Secretary-General concludes the way ahead in the Sudan presents a number of difficult obstacles. While the overall economic outlook for the Sudan has improved somewhat, insecurity in southern Sudan and Darfur threatens to undermine the international effort to help move those areas from relief to recovery

Meanwhile, the UN mission in Sudan (UNMIS) reports today that insecurity in the form of inter-tribal fighting and tensions between the Sudanese government and the rebel Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), banditry and looting continued across the Darfurs, are having a debilitating effect on the basis survival of the population and the provision of assistance by humanitarian workers, most prominently is West Darfur, where many organizations are operating only from the capital, El Geneina.

FIGHTING IN EASTERN DR CONGO DISPLACES MORE THAN 10,000

Fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has displaced thousands of people, with up to 11,000 people uprooted by the conflict, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

OCHA says it has been told that with military operations still ongoing, it is too dangerous to bring in humanitarian aid, but it adds that the operations had helped bring stability to the region.

Around 1,000 peacekeepers from the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) have been providing support to around 4,000 national DRC troops, also known by the French acronym FARDC, who have been conducting three simultaneous operations against armed groups in the area.

Meanwhile, MONUC says there is a contingency plan to handle the possibility of 120,000 to 250,000 internally displaced persons in the areas where the operations have taken place.

FOOD AGENCY CHIEF CALLS 2005 MOST CHALLENGING YEAR SINCE WWII

The Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), James Morris, today

described 2005 as the most challenging year the humanitarian aid world had faced since World War II, but also warned that the New Year will undoubtedly bring further emergencies and even greater demands on donors.

The fact is that 2005 was an exceptional year of disaster, an annus horribilis for millions of people across the developing world, Morris said, recalling the relentless onslaught of the Indian Ocean tsunami, drought and locusts in Niger, continuing conflict in Darfur, Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Stan, and concluding with the devastating earthquake in Kashmir.

Morris expressed concern that in contrast to the overwhelming response to the tsunami, many WFP operations remained dangerously underfunded.

Morris also said one of the biggest challenges that WFP currently faced is in overcoming the time lag between a disaster occurring and donations coming in. One way WFP is achieving this is by drawing on reserve funds in anticipation of donations coming in. However, the agency is also experimenting with a scheme to provide famine insurance to vulnerable populations in regions prone to drought.

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS

ANNOUNCEMENT OF NEXT HEAD OF HARIRI PROBE EXPECTED NEXT MONTH: In response to questions about the successor to Detlev Mehlis of the UN International Independent Investigation Commission (UNIIIC) of the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, spokeswoman Marie Okabe told reporters, "We are not going to announce an appointment until 11 January but we can confirm the Secretary-General has completed the selection process and is undertaking the consultation process. He is satisfied there will be continuity in the leadership of the enquiry."

ANNAN APPOINTS DEPUTY SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR LIBERIA: The Secretary-General has appointed Jordan Ryan (United States) as his Deputy Special Representative for Recovery and Good Governance for Liberia, effective 1 January 2006. Ryan, who will also serve as the United Nations Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in

Liberia, has had a long and distinguished career with the United Nations. He is currently the United Nations Resident Coordinator and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in Vietnam.

TERM OF AFRICA ADVISER IS EXTENDED: An exchange of

letters between the Secretary-General and the Security Council has confirmed that Mohamad Sahnoun, the Secretary-Generals Special Adviser on Africa, will continue in that post through 31 December 2006.

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