United Nations Daily Highlights, 06-04-12

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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

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

ANNAN URGES NEGOTIATED SOLUTION ON IRAN NUCLEAR ISSUE

In The Hague today, Secretary-General Kofi Annan was asked to comment on the current situation regarding Irans nuclear programme.

He said he hoped International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief

Mohammed ElBaradei will be able to convince the Iranian partners to come back to the table during his visit to Tehran, which starts today.

The Secretary-General added he very much hoped that the Iranians would work with the international community to find a negotiated solution.

He noted, if the Iranians intend to pursue their nuclear programme for peaceful purposes, as they have said, they should be able to give the international community that assurance and work with everybody to find a solution out of this.

He also appealed to all to cool down on the rhetoric and not to escalate it.

Asked if the Secretary-General planned to contact the Iranian leadership over its recent uranium-related announcements or start his own initiative, the Spokesman said no, that he was fully backing the efforts of International Atomic Energy Agency head Mohamed ElBaradei, who was in the lead in talking to the Iranians.

Asked if the Secretary-General called on Iran to halt its latest uranium enrichment activities, the Spokesman said he had nothing to add to what the Secretary-General said on this in The Hague today.

Asked for a reaction to the Iranian enrichment, given the recent Security Council statement calling for a halt to such enrichment, the Spokesman said the Secretary-General is encouraging the Iranians to work with ElBaradei, who would report to the Security Council.

Asked if the Secretary-General considered Iran to be a threat to international peace and security, the Spokesman reiterated that the issue of Non-Proliferation in regards to Iran was being dealt with in the Security Council, and the Secretary-General had nothing to add to that process.

Asked if the Secretary-General supported the use of nuclear energy for industrial purposes, the Spokesman said that, according to the Secretary-General, if the Iranians intended to pursue nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, then they should be able to give the assurance to the international community that it desires.

Asked if the Secretary-General fully supported the Security Councils Presidential Statement on Iran from 29 March, the Spokesman said it was not up to the Secretary-General to approve or disapprove of it. Currently, he was backing the work of ElBaradei and the diplomatic efforts underway within the Security Council.

SECRETARY-GENERAL CONDEMNS ATTACK IN PAKISTAN

Secretary-General Kofi Annan strongly

condemns the vicious suicide attack carried out yesterday at a Muslim prayer service in Karachi, Pakistan.

There can be no justification of any kind for such violence against civilians.

The Secretary-General sends his deepest sympathy to the Government and people of Pakistan and to the families of the dozens of people reported killed and injured in this brutal attack.

ANNAN CONCERNED ABOUT ESCALATING VIOLENCE IN SRI LANKA

The Secretary-General is very concerned about the escalating violence and loss of life in Sri Lanka, including mine attacks on soldiers and police and targeted killings of political activists.

He

notes that crucial talks between the Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are scheduled to take place from 19-21 April in Geneva under Norwegian facilitation.

The Secretary-General believes that it is of utmost importance to find ways to implement the Ceasefire Agreement, start re-building trust and lay the foundations for a lasting peace.

The Secretary-General appeals to both the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE to meet in Geneva as planned.

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Sri Lanka has

deplored the latest spate of violence in that country, which in addition to claiming the lives of a number of Sri Lankans, has led to the deaths of one international and two local aid workers. He adds that such acts potentially threaten humanitarian operations in the most vulnerable areas affected by the tsunami and the conflict.

ANNAN LAUDS ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF INTL COURT OF JUSTICE

The Secretary-General spoke at a ceremony in The Hague to mark the 60th anniversary of the International Court of Justice.

He said the Court is thriving, with UN Member States turning to it more than ever, to decide cases from land and maritime border disputes to matters of genocide and the use of force.

The Secretary-General later had a working luncheon with Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, and

received the Knight Grand Cross in the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands, which is the highest award that the Netherlands gives to civilians.

While in The Hague, the Secretary-General also met with the senior officials and staff of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Court and received updates on both courts work.

The Secretary-General returns to New York on Thursday.

WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME TO REBUILD ROADS IN SOUTH SUDAN

The World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a donation of $8.7 million from the United Kingdoms Department for International Development earmarked for WFPs giant road works project in southern Sudan.

WFP is rebuilding more than 3,000 kilometres of roads in the war-ravaged region.

The road project will dramatically reduce the cost of delivering goods and will facilitate the reopening of market linkages, which is crucial to rebuilding the country, provide a safe passage for hundreds of thousands of returning refugees and leave a lasting legacy to the people of Sudan long after WFPs work is done.

Asked if the Secretary-General had succeeded in speaking with the President of Sudan following what had happened with Under-Secretary-General Jan Egelands recent visit to that country, the Spokesman said that there had been no phone call, but the Secretary-General had written to the President to assure him of the UNs intentions to work very closely with the Sudanese Government on the eventual transfer to a UN operation in Darfur.

Also in that letter, the Secretary-General informed the Sudanese President that Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hédi Annabi would be going to Khartoum over the next few days for meetings with the UN Mission in Sudan, the African Union and Sudanese officials. No problems with that visit were expected, the Spokesman added.

Asked what sort of indications there were that Annabi would be welcome in Khartoum, the Spokesman said that there had been meetings at the level of the

UN Mission in Khartoum and with the Permanent Mission of Sudan in New York, and everyone had assured the United Nations that Annabi would be welcome.

Asked if, in light of the letter, the Secretary-General no longer felt it necessary to talk to the President of Sudan on the phone, the Spokesman said that the issue of the phone call was now secondary. The United Nations had had contacts at various levels with the Sudanese Government.

Asked with whom Annabi would be meeting in Khartoum, the Spokesman said he would be meeting with Sudanese Government and African Union officials, as well as officials from the UN Mission there.

U.N. WORK ON DARFUR IS KEY TO SECURITY IN CHAD-SUDAN BORDER AREA

Asked for an update on the deteriorating situation in Chad, the Spokesman referred to the

Secretary-Generals statement from yesterday, which had expressed concern at the recent fighting along Chads borders and the instability that had been plaguing Chad and parts of the Central African Republic. The UNs work in Darfur was key to bolstering security along Chads borders, the Spokesman said.

Asked if the protection of Chadians was thus contingent on the Sudanese Governments agreement to a UN mission in Darfur, the Spokesman said that was not what he was saying. Rather, the protection of civilians in Chad was the responsibility of the Government of Chad, and the United Nations would help the Government in any way it could. He added that, looking at the greater regional picture, much of the instability that was being seen was linked to Darfur.

Asked if the United Nations was backing away from its responsibility-to-protect mantra in Chad, the Spokesman said no and that the Secretary-General would do whatever he could to bring stability to the area.

FOOD AID IN ECUADOR IS INSUFFICIENT

The

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today drew attention to Ecuador, which is still seeking international support for relief and recovery efforts, following last Februarys flooding and landslides.

So far

UNICEF has provided oral re-hydration salts, and the

World Health Organization and Pan American Health Organization are working with the Government to provide clean drinking water in shelters and to support health centers.

Regarding food, however, OCHA warns that the amount in the pipeline will be insufficient to meet the needs of hard-hit families over the next three months.

PRESIDENT CLINTON ANNOUNCES REVIEW OF NGO POLICIES

The UN Special Envoy for

Tsunami Recovery, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, today addressed members of InterAction, a coalition of 160 U.S.-based international development and humanitarian non-governmental organizations (NGOs), at the groups annual forum in Washington.

President Clinton announced the launch of a six-month intensive review of some of the key policy and operational challenges in the NGO community, which have been brought into starker focus by the tsunami experience.

ISLAMIC GROUPS WORK KEY TO ADDRESSING INTL CHALLENGES

The Secretary-General today

said the Organization of the Islamic Conference has a key role to play in addressing challenges in many areas.

In a message to an OIC meeting in Istanbul -- read by Mohammed Sahnoun, his special advisor on Africa -- the Secretary-General highlighted several areas of concern.

They included the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, a growing sectarian threat in Iraq, and insufficient social and economic progress in Afghanistan.

He said he was looking forward to working with the Islamic group in addressing these and other challenges.

U.N. ENVOY TO IRAQ TO BE CLEARED OF CHARGES

In response to questions about the

Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) investigations into the Secretary-Generals Special Representative in Iraq,

Ashraf Qazi, the Spokesman. "We have been informed that the OIOS report will be finished during the course of next week and transmitted to the Secretary-General.

However, the work is sufficiently close to completion that OIOS has been able to assure us that Qazi will be cleared of any wrongdoing. The Secretary-General has expressed his full confidence in Qazi throughout this difficult process and he reiterates that today. Fuller comments would not be appropriate until he receives the report."

Asked if the OIOS report would be made public once it is transmitted to the Secretary-General, the Spokesman said he would check with OIOS as to the procedure with this specific report.

Asked about the specific charges, the Spokesman replied that they involved allegations of wrongdoing in the Mission. For further details, one would have to wait for the report.

Asked if anyone else would now be found guilty of these allegations, the Spokesman said that, as far as he was aware, these allegations had involved management of the Mission by Qazi alone.

Asked to clarify what allegations of wrongdoing meant, the Spokesman said that it meant activities that were in violation of internal UN rules.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

UNESCO URGES TOLERANCE AND DIALOGUE IN IRAQ: Koïchiro Matsuura, the Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural organization, today

expressed grave concern over escalating violence in Iraq, especially the mounting loss of innocent lives, and condemned attacks on places of worship. He said, I condemn the recent attack on the Shia Mosque of Buratha in Baghdad, I exhort community leaders in the country to resist these attacks by promoting tolerance and pursuing dialogue in the interest of national reconciliation.

UNITED NATIONS IS FOLLOWING UP ON INTERNAL REPORT ON PRISTINA: Asked about a recent report by the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) on Kosovos Pristina airport, the Spokesman said that he had been aware of the disagreements on the matter between OIOS and the UN Mission in Kosovo. In that regard, he referred the journalist to the recent statement on that topic by the Secretary-Generals Special Representative in Kosovo, Soren Jessen-Petersen, who clearly stated his intention to combat corruption and laid out steps he had taken to further that goal. Meanwhile, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and senior management would be working to resolve the issues, and the audit would be followed through and worked on, the Spokesman added.

Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

United Nations, S-378

New York, NY 100178

Tel. 212-963-7162 - press/media only

Fax. 212-963-7055

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

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