United Nations Daily Highlights, 06-09-01

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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 STEPHANE DUJARRIC

SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Friday, September 1, 2006

ANNAN, IN QATAR AFTER SYRIA VISIT, TRAVELS TO IRAN SATURDAY

Secretary-General Kofi Annan met with Syrian President Bashir al-Assad in Damascus today. They first met with their respective delegations and then in tete-a-tete meeting for close to an hour.

Speaking to the press afterwards, he said the international community was looking to Syria to play a constructive role in this crucial period.

The Secretary-General said President Assad had told him that he would assist the United Nations in implementing Security Council

Resolution 1701. To that regard, President Assad committed Syria to taking all necessary measures to implement the parts of 1701 that deal with arms embargo and rearmament.

The measures including increasing patrols along the border and, when possible, establishing joint check points with the Lebanese army. Regarding Syrias relations with its neighbors, the Secretary-General told reporters that President Assad was prepared to meet with Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora and that Syria was prepared to go ahead with delineation of the border between the two countries.

In his discussions, the Secretary-General also raised a number of humanitarian issues, including the Israeli blockade of Lebanon and the issue of the three Israeli soldiers.

The Secretary-General is now Qatar.

Tomorrow he is expected to travel on Iran, where is expected to meet that same day with the Iranian Foreign Minister.

On Sunday is he is expected to meet with President Ahmedinajad before returning to Qatar.

While in Tehran, the Secretary-General is expected to meet a number of other Iranian officials.

Asked when the Secretary-General will return to New York, the Spokesman said he is expected sometime around the end of next week.

Asked if the Secretary-General will raise the issue of Irans nuclear activities during his visit to Tehran, the Spokesman said resolution 1701 is the focus of his visit, although other issues will likely arise during his meetings.

ANNAN SADDENED BY DEATHS IN IRAN PLANE CRASH

The Secretary-General is deeply saddened to learn of the deaths of passengers in a plane crash in Mashhad, Iran.

On the eve of his visit to the country, the Secretary-Generals thoughts are with the families of the victims of this tragedy. He extends his sincere condolences to them and to the Government of Iran.

LEBANESE ARMY DEPLOYS IN EASTERN BLUE LINE

IN HISTORIC MOVE AS EXPANSION OF U.N. FORCE BEGINS

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) says that the Lebanese Armed Forces this morning began deploying in the eastern sector of the Blue Line, an area previously vacated by the Israeli Defense Forces.

This is the first time since the inception of UNIFIL that the Lebanese Army has deployed this far south on Lebanese territory.

The UN Force also reports the first contingent of Italian troops will arrive in Lebanon tomorrow and will include 880 officers and soldiers and 158 vehicles.

UNIFIL notes that this is the largest single deployment of additional troops to UNIFIL since the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1701, which mandated an increase of the UN Force to up to 15,000 troops.

Upon arrival in the city of Tyre, the new Italian UN peacekeepers will proceed to a staging camp in the area of Jabal Marun to be briefed on their mission before effectively deploying to the UNIFIL area of operations.

In a statement earlier today, Major-General Alain Pelligrini, the UN force commander in Lebanon, said that UNFIL soldiers would be honored to serve along with their new Italian colleagues.

Asked for an update on the number of UN peacekeepers expected to arrive in southern Lebanon, the Spokesman said there are around 2,400-2,500 peacekeepers on the ground and that number will be rise to close to 5,000 peacekeepers sometime around the middle of September.

We have the Italians coming, we also expect a French battalion to be on its way very shortly in fact, Dujarric said. Were also in touch with the Indonesians to get them into theatre as soon as possible; as you may know the Spanish authorities are going through their own internal constitutional process before being able to deploy.

Asked about the technical aspects of peacekeepers serving with an expanded UNIFIL even if the peacekeepers hail from countries which do not recognize Israel, the Spokesman noted that in the past, peacekeepers from such countries have served in the Middle East before.

Once these countries deploy the troops, they put on blue helmets and they are UN peacekeepers, whether its the Israelis, the Lebanese, the Congolese army, Dujarric said. They are provided to us by their home countries, once they serve, they serve under the leadership and the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and they are treated as such by all Member States.

GREECE ASSUMES SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENCY FOR SEPTEMBER

Greece has assumed the presidency of the Security Council for the month of September.

Today, the Council President, Ambassador Adamantios Vassilakis of Greece is holding bilateral meetings.

UNITED NATIONS TO DISCUSS COOPERATION WITH AFRICAN UNION

A high-level UN inter-agency team will hold discussions with African Union (AU) officials beginning Monday in Addis Ababa. The aim of the talks is to forge stronger UN-AU cooperation -- including the establishment of a 10-year plan to strengthen AU capacity.

Member States declared their support for such a plan at the 2005 World Summit. Proposals to be discussed at next weeks meeting relate to possible assistance in areas including political and electoral matters, peacekeeping, human rights, humanitarian response and recovery, and food security.

The UN team will be headed by Ibrahim Gambari, the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Abdoulie Janneh, the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission on Africa and Legwaila Joseph Legwaila , the Secretary-Generals Special Adviser on Africa. The UN team will meet with AU Chairperson Alpha Konare and other high-ranking officials of the African Union during the two-day meeting.

Asked if Gambaris meeting is linked to efforts to get the Government of Sudan to agree to a transition to a UN peacekeeping force in Darfur, the Spokesman said the meeting is a long-scheduled one and part of the UNs ongoing strategy aimed at assisting the African Union to build its capacity, including in the area of peacekeeping.

But we can see by what is going on currently with AMIS (African Union Mission in Sudan) and with the need to strengthen AMIS that it is very important that the UN and the international community do what it can to increase the capacity and structure of the African Union to deploy and support its own peacekeepers, Dujarric said.

He added that there would be parallel meetings, held at the working level, which would focus on the issue of UN support for AMIS.

Asked if the Secretary-General would hold meetings during the General Assembly on the costs of a UN peacekeeper deployment in Darfur, given estimates that it could cost more than a $1 billion, the Spokesman said it is routine that budget requirements for peacekeeping operations go before the General Assembly. But obviously, as always during the General Assembly the Secretary-General has a chance to hold a large number of bilateral meetings and Im sure Sudan will be at the top of the agenda at a number of those meetings, Dujarric said.

GAZA SITUATION SEVERE, UNITED NATIONS TELLS DONORS

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland today addressed a donors conference in Stockholm for the occupied Palestinian territories.

In his remarks, he said that he had been traveling to the Middle East for 22 years. But he had never felt such a sense of disillusionment, despair and hatred as on his last mission to the region in July.

Calling the situation in Gaza severe, he said a cessation of hostilities and the release of the captured soldiers were needed. Also, the humanitarian community needed better access to Gaza, especially since the hermetically sealed Karni crossing made people feel like they were living in a cage.

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL PROBES RECENT LEBANON VIOLENCE

The President of the Human Rights Council, Ambassador Luis Alfonso de Alba, today announced in Geneva the new members of the High-Level Commission of Inquiry into the situation in Lebanon.

And they are: Joćo Clemente Baena Soares of Brazil; Mohamed Chande Othman of Tanzania; and Stelios Perrakis of Greece.

U.N. OFFICIAL ATTENDS SOMALI TALKS IN KHARTOUM

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia, Francois Lonseny Fall, is in Khartoum today to attend the negotiations between the Somali Transitional Federal Authorities and the Supreme Council of Islamic Courts. And Fall is expected to issue a statement on the Khartoum talks tomorrow.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization, meanwhile, says that 1.8 million people in Somalia remain in need of urgent humanitarian assistance and that an escalation of the political crisis could have grave humanitarian consequences.

VIOLENCE IS ESCALATING IN TIMOR-LESTE

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is very

concerned about the recent escalation of violence in Dili in and around some displacement sites themselves, as well as within communities.

It says that the burning and stoning of houses in the capital has increased in recent days, as the city has returned to a higher level of violence, and there appear to be attempts by some elements to polarise communities according to their place of origin.

UNHCR today handed over 1,500 family-sized tents, plastic sheeting and other relief items to the government of Timor-Leste to help families whose houses have been destroyed in the recent violence return to their homes and rebuild.

INCREASED FIGHTING IN SRI LANKA SLOWS REFUGEES RETURN

UNHCR

reports that a new flare-up of fighting in the Trincomalee District of Sri Lanka has put an end to the return of displaced civilians

The new shelling comes as the number of civilians displaced within Sri Lanka since April reached more than 200,000. This may not reflect the full number, the agency says since it does not yet have access to all the areas hosting displaced persons.

UNITED NATIONS COMPLETES PROBES OF PROCUREMENT PRACTICES

The Procurement Task Force, created under the aegis of the Office for Internal Oversight Services, has now completed five fact-finding investigations into allegations of procurement irregularities. These cases are complex and difficult. Every effort is being made to ensure that due process is followed.

The Organization placed eight staff on special leave with full pay as of 16 January 2006.

Of the five cases now completed, two staff have been fully exonerated of any alleged irregularities and are now back at work. Another two are also back at work but have been asked to respond to allegations of mismanagement. The fifth staff member has been charged with misconduct and has been suspended from duty without pay due to the serious nature of the charges. He is now being given an opportunity to respond, which is an essential element in the UNs system of internal justice. Evidence in this case has also been shared with the prosecutorial authorities of the host country.

Three other staff members remain on special leave with pay pending completion of the ongoing investigations and decisions on appropriate action.

Asked for detail about the staff member who had been charged with serious misconduct, the Spokesman said he was not in a position to provide any. "I know the name of the gentleman has been published in the media," Dujarric said. "Due to our efforts to respect due process and the internal justice system, I cannot confirm that name and would refer you to my statement."

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

U.N. PEACEKEEPERS CONTINUE PATROL OF D.R. CONGO: Asked about the patrolling activities of UN peacekeepers serving with the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), the Spokesman said the mission is continuing its patrols. In fact, between election periods is that much more sensitive and volatile as weve seen so theres no question of MONUC lessening its patrols, Dujarric said.

WHO GOODWILL AMBASSADOR HIGHLIGHTS IMPACT OF OBSTETRIC FISTULA ON WOMEN: The World Health Organization (WHO) Goodwill Ambassador for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health and supermodel Liya Kebede has

highlighted the plight of millions of women and girls living with obstetric fistula. Kebede said the most marginalized and impoverished groups of women and girls are most affected by the condition because of complications during pregnancy.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Saturday, September 2

The Secretary-General is continuing his travels through the Middle East this week.

Antonio Maria Costa, head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, will preview the 2006 Afghan Opium Poppy Survey today, at a press conference in Kabul. Afghan President Hamid Karzai will be in attendance.

Monday, September 4

Today is Labour Day, an official holiday at UN Headquarters.

A high-level UN team will hold a two-day meeting with African Union (AU) officials starting today in Addis Ababa. The talks are aimed at forging stronger UN-AU cooperation The UN team will be headed by Ibrahim Gambari, the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Abdoulie Janneh, the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission on Africa and Legwaila Joseph Legwaila , the Secretary-Generals Special Adviser on Africa.

The UN World Tourism Organizations three-day International Forum on Rural Tourism starts today in Guiyang, China.

Tuesday, September 5

Today and tomorrow, the High-level Group of the Alliance of Civilizations will be holding a working meeting at UN Headquarters.

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland is expected to visit northern Uganda, as well as the ongoing peace talks in Juba, Sudan, as part of his forthcoming mission to Africa. The eight-day mission, which also includes the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is scheduled to begin today.

The Security Council will hold consultations on the programme of work for the month. Ambassador Adamantios Vassilakis (Greece), President of the Council, will hold a press conference at 1:00.

The experts preparing the outcome document for the General Assembly High-level Meeting on Least Developed Countries will begin its three-day meeting today.

At 4:00, the General Assembly will hold a plenary meeting to take action on the situation in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. A vote has been requested.

Wednesday, September 6

At 11:15, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) will hold a press conference to launch the State of World Population 2006.

Ibrahim Gambari, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, and David Hamburg, Chair of the Advisory Group on Genocide Prevention, will be the guests at the noon briefing. They will talk about the Secretary-Generals report on conflict prevention.

Thursday, September 7

Karen AbuZayd, Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, will be the guest at the noon briefing.

At 3:00, the General Assembly will hold a plenary meeting to consider the Secretary-Generals report on conflict prevention, which will be presented to the Assembly by the Deputy Secretary-General.

Friday, September 8

Today is International Literacy Day.

The World Health Organization (WHO) will be holding an event on suicide prevention from 10:00 to 1:00 in Conference Room 2. Dr. Jose Manoel Bertolote of WHO and Dr. Brian Mishara of the International Association for Suicide Prevention will be the guests at the noon briefing.

Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

United Nations, S-378

New York, NY 10017

Tel. 212-963-7162

Fax. 212-963-7055

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