United Nations Daily Highlights, 06-07-21

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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

Friday, July 21, 2006

MIDDLE EAST: U.N. OFFICIALS PLEAD FOR CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES

The Security Council is holding an open meeting on the Middle East, which Vijay Nambiar, the Secretary-Generals Special Adviser, opened with a briefing on his three-member teams visit to the region over the past week.

He noted that, as of yesterday evening, the conflict that began last Wednesday had claimed the lives of over 300 Lebanese and 34 Israelis, while injuring over 500 Lebanese and approximately 200 Israelis.

Nambiar said that, from the missions consultations, it became clear that there are serious obstacles to the achievement of a comprehensive ceasefire in the immediate future.

However, the mission sees two vital political goals for the international community in the days ahead. The first goal is to secure, urgently, some form of cessation of hostilities. The second is to develop quickly the elements of a political framework that would pave the way for a full and durable ceasefire.

Jan Egeland, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, then briefed the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in the region. Egeland will travel to Lebanon today to assess the situation on the ground, and then launch a flash appeal for the country next Monday.

The open debate will continue through this afternoon, with 46 speakers inscribed as of this morning.

Asked about the Secretary-General Kofi Annan's response to the crisis in the Middle East, the Spokeswoman said that the Secretary-General has been making a Herculean effort to resolve it.

She noted that, even during his travel to Brussels to deal with support for the African Union mission in Darfur, he had been in touch with European and other leaders in trying to find the way towards a solution, as he also did when he met with the leaders of the Group of Eight countries in St Petersburg, Russia. During that meeting, he participated in a working session and working luncheon that devoted considerable time to the situation in the Middle East.

He has also been in regular meetings and contact with officials, including top U.S. officials as well representatives of the five permanent members of the Security Council, to deal with the matter.

The Spokeswoman added that the Secretary-General spelled out a clear and well-balanced vision concerning the resolution of the crisis in his statement to the Security Council on Thursday.

FIGHTING CONTINUES UNABATED IN BLUE LINE BETWEEN ISRAEL/LEBANON

Heavy exchanges of fire continued along the length of the Blue Line in the last 24 hours, with somewhat reduced intensity in the eastern sector, according to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

The Mission reports that there were seven incidents of firing close to UN positions during the past 24 hours, with three positions suffering direct hits from the Israeli side. There were no casualties reported in those incidents.

UNIFIL says it was able to re-supply a number of its positions yesterday, but all UN positions in the close proximity of the Blue Line are facing shortages of basic supplies, and the Missions ability to re-supply them is vital. The re-supply of the forward positions along the Blue Line is planned for today.

HUMANITARIAN AGENCIES CONCERNED ABOUT LEBANON VIOLENCE

The Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy, has expressed her deep concern regarding the deteriorating situation affecting children and their families in the Middle East. We have her full statement upstairs.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that the UN is reinforcing its staff on the ground in Lebanon. Nevertheless, the World Food Programme, UNICEF and the World Health Organization are all concerned about the lack of access to vulnerable populations.

For its part, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has opened all its clinics in Damascus to Palestinian refugees who have fled from Lebanon into Syria.

The UN Mine Action Service in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations says that unexploded ordnance from recent armed conflict in Lebanon will pose a direct threat to communities and internally displaced persons, hamper humanitarian relief, impede the movement of peacekeeping forces, and hinder the already difficult task of reconstructing houses and essential infrastructure in the area.

ANNAN URGES NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES TO RESPECT

TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY OF SOMALIA

The Secretary-General is concerned about reports of increased tensions and the potential outbreak of violence near Baidoa. He calls on the Somali parties to refrain from actions that could further strain relations between the Transitional Federal Institutions and the Supreme Council of the Islamic Courts.

The Secretary-general urges the Somali parties to engage in a sustained dialogue to find a consensual and durable solution to the countrys problem. He also calls on the international community to intensify its support to peace efforts and to encourage the Somali parties to pursue negotiations.

Asked about reports that Ethiopia has sent troops into Somalia, the Spokeswoman said that the United Nations has seen press reports about the presence of Ethiopian troops in Somalia. It is unable to confirm those reports. However, the Secretary-General is concerned about the reports, Okabe said. He urges all neighbouring countries to respect the territorial integrity of Somalia and to refrain from any action that could exacerbate the tense situation in Somalia.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Francois Lonseny Fall, is following developments closely.

ANNAN WELCOMES GREAT STRIDES IN ELECTION PREPARATION IN D.R. CONGO

[According to a statement issued after the noon briefing, the Secretary-General welcomes the great strides made by the Congolese authorities, with the support of the international community, in preparing for the elections to be held in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on 30 July that country's first democratic elections in over 45 years. But he notes with concern some reports of harassment, of violence around campaign events, and of unequal access to the media.

It is vital for the country's future that these elections, which are a symbol of hope for the whole of Africa, should be credible and transparent. History will pass a severe judgment on anyone who tries to disrupt or otherwise undermine the elections. The Secretary-General therefore urges all Congolese, and especially the candidates, to ensure that the electoral process is free, fair and open.

He also reaffirms that the United Nations will continue its support for the conduct of the elections, and remains fully committed to helping consolidate peace and democratic development in the country thereafter.]

With nine days to go in the preparations for the 30 July elections in the DRC, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the DRC, William Lacy Swing, this morning met with in Kinshasa with former President Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique, who will be a member of a formal group of influential political leaders set up to advise UN and Congolese officials on the elections and whose full composition will be made public next week.

The UN Development Programme

issued a press release detailing the UNs financial and logistical contribution to the effort.

UNICEF says that the nearly decade-old conflict in that country has claimed more lives in every 6-month period than the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, placing the total death toll upward of 4 million fatalities. The report entitled Child Alert: DRC describes the effects of the conflict on children and their families. And that report will be released on Monday.

INSECURITY HALTS HUMANITARIAN ACTIVITIES IN WEST DARFUR CAMP

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees is

extremely concerned about the security situation there, which is continuing to deteriorate.

The agency reports that yesterday, three water workers were beaten to death by a mob in a displaced persons camp in West Darfur. All activities by international organizations are now on hold in the camps in that area.

Also, over the past two days, two non-governmental organizations in the same area were attacked by armed men.

IRAQ: U.N. TOP OFFICIAL CLEARED IN INTERNAL INVESTIGATIONS

The Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) has completed its investigation into a number of allegations relating to the conduct of the Secretary-Generals Special Representative in Iraq, Ashraf Qazi.

The allegations had been made by a former staff member of the UN Mission in Iraq.Following a six-month review of all the allegations, including extensive interviews, review of relevant documents and visits to Baghdad, OIOS concluded that, with the minor exception of Mr. Qazi initially failing to repay personal telephone calls there was no evidence to substantiate any of the allegations.

The Secretary-General welcomes the release of the final report. He has consistently stated that he has full confidence in Mr. Qazis personal integrity and expresses his regret that Mr. Qazi has had to suffer unnecessary and unjustified distress as a result of the false allegations and subsequent investigation.

The Secretary-General very much regrets that a former UN employee should have chosen to attack Mr. Qazi in this groundless way. A formal note will be placed in the former employees official file noting the OIOS findings and stating that he should not be employed by the Organization in the future.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Monday, July 24

At 3:30 p.m. in Conference Room 7, the Secretary-General will meet with the heads of pharmaceutical companies about their engagement and contributions towards universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and care.

Margareta Wahlstrom, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, will be the noon briefing guest to launch the UNs humanitarian flash appeal for Lebanon.

The Security Council is scheduled to hold an open debate this morning on children and armed conflict. Briefers will include: the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy; Ad Melkert, Associate Administrator of the UN Development Programme; and UNICEF head Ann Veneman.

UNICEF will issue a report on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, focusing on children in the conflict.

Delegations from Pristina and Belgrade will attend a UN-sponsored high-level meeting in Vienna on the future status of Kosovo.

Tuesday, July 25

The Security Council is scheduled to hold consultations this morning on the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, following a private meeting of the Forces troop-contributing countries.

Wednesday, July 26

The Security Council is scheduled to hold consultations this morning on Côte dIvoire and a private meeting in the afternoon on Afghanistan.

Thursday, July 27

The Security Council is scheduled to meet this morning to take action on draft resolutions on the UN Interim Force in Lebanon and sanctions with respect to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is also slated to hold consultations this morning on Eritrea and Ethiopia.

The guest at the noon briefing today will be Gerard Stoudmann, the High Representative for elections in Cote dIvoire.

Friday, July 28

The Security Council is scheduled to hold consultations this morning on the Secretary-Generals report under resolutions 1653 and 1663. That report deals with the Lords Resistance Army in Uganda.

The Economic and Social Council will wrap up it substantive session in Geneva.