United Nations Daily Highlights, 06-06-21

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From: The United Nations Home Page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.org

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY MARIE OKABE

DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

ANNAN: NOW IS THE TIME TO BREAK DISARMAMENT CONFERENCE IMPASSE

In Geneva today, Secretary-General Kofi Annan addressed a meeting of the

Conference on Disarmament, warning the delegates that the world was sleep-walking down a path in which a growing number of countries are acquiring nuclear weapons and non-state actors are capable of nuclear terrorism. If ever there was a time to break the prolonged impasse that has stymied the Disarmament Conferences work, he said, it is now.

He said that two specific situations must be resolved. The situation on the Korean peninsula is especially disappointing, the Secretary-General said, given last Septembers agreement in the six-party talks. He said he hopes the leaders of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) will listen to what the world is telling them, and take great care not to make the situation on the peninsula even more complicated.

On Iran, he said the country needs to enable the International Atomic Energy Agency to assure the world that its nuclear activities are exclusively peaceful in nature. We have his speech upstairs.

Earlier today, the Secretary-General met with the head of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Richard Feachem, and also addressed the Funds staff.

Afterwards, he addressed the staff of the World Health Organization, for the first time he had met with them since the sudden death earlier this year of

Director-General Lee Jong-wook. He told the staff that Dr. Lee would want them to continue their dedicated work towards the betterment of international public health.

Asked when the United Nations will become involved in dealing with the DPRK dispute, the Spokeswoman noted that the Secretary-General has been making repeated appeals for the resumption of six-party talks and expressing his concerns, as he did in todays speech in Geneva, and he had also recently visited the Korean peninsula.

Asked when the Secretary-General will become more directly involved, the Spokeswoman said that the Secretary-General considers all options, and when he believes that UN involvement can make a difference, he would step in.

ANNAN DEPLORES KILLING OF THREE CHILDREN BY ISRAEL

The Secretary-General deeply deplores the killing of three children and the injury of other bystanders in an attempted Israeli targeted killing of alleged militants in Gaza on 20 June.

The Secretary-General calls on Israel to respect international law and to ensure that its actions are proportionate and do not put civilians at grave risk. The Secretary-General sends his condolences to the families of the dead and injured.

The Secretary-General is fully cognizant of Israels legitimate security concerns in light of continuing rocket fire, which endangers Israeli civilians, and calls on the Palestinian Authority to do all in its power to halt such actions.

UN OFFICIAL BRIEFS SECURITY COUNCIL ON MIDDLE EAST VIOLENCE

Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Ibrahim Gambari, in an open meeting on the Middle East, this morning told the Security Council that the past month has seen heightened tension and increasing violence among Palestinians and in the conflict between them and Israel.

He said that all acts of violence, especially those that endanger or target civilians, must cease, and negotiations towards a comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict must not be further delayed.

Gambari said that the Secretary-General was pleased that the Quartet endorsed a temporary international mechanism developed by the European Union to facilitate needs-based assistance directly to the Palestinian people. For his part, the Secretary-General looks to donors, other international organizations and Israel bearing in mind its responsibilities to support the mechanism, so that it can become operational quickly and effectively.

The Security Council is now continuing its discussion of the Middle East with him in its closed consultations.

SECURITY COUNCIL DEBATES MONTENEGROS BID TO JOIN UN

The Security Council this morning, in a formal meeting, considered an application by the Republic of Montenegro, transmitted by the Secretary-General, for membership in the United Nations.

The Council decided that its Committee on the Admission of New Members would take up that request. That Committee, which includes the 15 members of the Security Council, will hold a closed meeting at 3:00 this afternoon to discuss the matter.

IRAQ : TOP UN OFFICIAL CONDEMNS KILLING OF DEFENSE LAWYER

Ashraf Qazi, the

Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Iraq today condemned the abduction and killing of Khamis Al-Obeidi, a defense lawyer in the Iraqi Higher Tribunal. The attack follows the assassination of two trial defense lawyers and the wounding of another last year.

Qazi expressed his concern that such killings and harassment would undermine Iraqi efforts at rebuilding the rule of law and democracy in the country. He urged the Iraqi authorities to adopt effective measures to address the level and extent of violence which threatens the stability of the country.

TOP U.N. PEACEKEEPING OFFICIAL TO MEET WITH SUDANESE PRESIDENT

Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guéhenno, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Sudan, Jan Pronk, and the African Unions Commissioner for Peace and Security, are to meet today with the President of Sudan at 6:30 p.m. local time in Khartoum. [Guehenno led a UN team on a joint mission with the African Union (AU) to Sudan to hold wide-ranging discussions with Sudanese leaders aimed at strengthening the AU monitoring force in Darfur and preparing for its possible transition to a UN peacekeeping operation.]

The UN Mission in Sudan has sent a team to The Hague to attend a meeting of a Core Coordinating Group on Early Recovery and Development followed by a one-day Workshop to launch the Darfur Joint Assessment Mission. This follows a request made to the international community by the parties to the Darfur Peace Agreement to provide early recovery and development support in support of peace efforts.

CHARLES TAYLOR TRANSFERRED TO THE HAGUE

The transfer of Charles Taylor, the former President of Liberia, from the Freetown headquarters of the Special Court for Sierra Leone to The Hague was successfully completed yesterday under UN supervision. Taylor is now being held the International Criminal Court Detention Facility in The Hague pending his next court appearance.

Earlier today in The Hague, Special Court Registrar Lovemore Munio and Acting Prosecutor Christopher Staker held a press conference, at which they updated journalists on logistical and other arrangements for the pending trial of Mr. Taylor.

TIMOR-LESTE: UNITED NATIONS ASSESSES HUMANITARIAN SITUATION

The UN and its partners will start assessing the outer districts of Timor-Leste this Monday, in order to better understand the needs and impacts of internally displaced persons (IDPs) there.

To date, the World Food Programme (WFP) has delivered food to nearly 70,000 beneficiaries in the countrys capital, Dili, and selected districts not covered by the Governments rice distributions. And UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) has been working with partners to deliver 180,000 litres of water everyday to 19 IDP locations in Dili.

But there is still concern over possible food shortages outside the capital, so the UN and its partners will be delivering food to those districts in the coming weeks.

BIRD FLU CONFERENCE OPENS IN JAKARTA

Experts from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization, UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) and several countries as well as Indonesian officials are

gathering in Jakarta today, for a three-day meeting on bird flu control.

According to WHO, the bird flu virus is firmly entrenched in poultry throughout much of Indonesia, and that widespread presence has led to more than 33 human cases with 27 deaths this year alone. Unless the situation is urgently addressed, sporadic human cases are likely and human-to-human transmission is possible, WHO warns.

AFGHANISTAN: UN MISSION DONATES FOOTBALLS TO CHILDREN

While the struggle to win the World Cup goes on in Germany, football fever is spreading among Afghanistans children thanks to a donation of hundreds of footballs from the staff of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

The footballs, made especially for the UN Mission by disabled Afghans and paid for from staff donations, will be delivered to schools, orphanages and prisons across Afghanistan.

The Missions staff football team was also on hand at Amani High School in Kabul today to coach a new generation of aspiring football stars.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO CONDUCT HEARINGS ON POVERTY REDUCTION

According to the General Assembly Spokesperson, tomorrow all day, informal interactive hearings will be held with NGOs, civil society and the private sector on the subject of forging partnerships for poverty reduction in the least developed countries. This is in preparation for the General Assembly high-level review of implementation of the

Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries, to take place in September.

The General Assembly President will open and chair the hearings, which will be held in the ECOSOC Chamber. Additional speakers include Under-Secretary-General Anwarul K. Chowdhury and the Deputy Secretary-General. A number of civil society representatives from least developed countries have traveled here to participate and interact with delegations at the hearings.

CONFERENCE IN SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN WAR-AFFECTED COUNTRIES BEGINS

More than 250 participants from 30 countries are meeting at the Palais dEgmont in Brussels today for the first major international conference addressing sexual violence in war-affected countries.

The three-day International Symposium on Sexual Violence in Conflict and Beyond is being convened by UN Population Fund, the United Nations Population Fund, on behalf of the European Commission and the Government of Belgium.