United Nations Daily Highlights, 06-09-25

United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

U.N. HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Monday, September 25, 2006

SECURITY COUNCIL TAKES UP LIBERIA AND SOMALIA

The Security Council this morning is holding consultations on Liberia, following a meeting with troop contributing countries to the UN Mission in that country.

Security Council members were briefed by Alan Doss, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for the country, on the Secretary-Generals recent report on Liberia. That report, which came out last week, says that the authority of the Liberian state is being consolidated throughout the country.

This afternoon, the Security Council is holding a closed meeting on Somalia. Council members are to hear a briefing by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Kenya and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development.

Asked when the Council would get Serge Brammertzs

report, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General had met with Brammertz, and the Council would get the report shortly.

Asked what would happen to the report, the Spokesman said it would not be edited, but a cover letter was being drafted and the report would then be physically transmitted to the Security Council.

Asked when Brammertz would speak to the press, the Spokesman expected it would happen after he briefs the Security Council on Friday.

U.N. MISSION IN LEBANON OFFERS HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE

The Indian, Ghanaian and Italian battalions of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) over the weekend provided medical assistance to 64 people, as well as veterinary help. In addition, several thousand liters of water were distributed by UNIFIL to three Lebanese checkpoints.

Asked about comments that one reporter said suggest that UNIFILs ground rules have not changed, the Spokesman said that the UN Missions mandate is more robust than the mandate previous to

resolution 1701.

There are operational decisions that UN commanders on the ground will have to take, he said, but it is clear that if there are violations of resolution 1701, UNIFIL has the authority to take appropriate measures. The aim of the resolution, Dujarric said, is to assist the Lebanese army is creating a zone where the only weapons are those held by UNIFIL or the Government of Lebanon.

In response to further questions on the rules of engagement, the Spokesman said that the General Randhir Kumar Mehta of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and General Giovanni Ridinó, who heads the strategic cell for the Lebanon mission, are being sent to the region, where they will have discussions on how the rules are to be implemented.

The strategic cell, he noted in response to a further question, is designed to deal with the key strategic issues in Lebanon and is not intended as a filter between UN Headquarters and the mission in Lebanon. It will not slow down the decision-making process, he stressed.

Asked about the work of a UN Board of Inquiry that was looking into the deaths of four UN military observers in Khiam last July, the Spokesman said that report was in the process of being finalised and examined by various UN offices. He said that there could be a briefing on that report later this week. Such reports are standard practice when UN peacekeepers have died, he added.

Asked about the deployment level of UNIFIL, the Spokesman said that the next big deployment was expected in about three weeks, with the second phase of new troops entering the Force, along with the arrival of a German naval contingent. That, he said, would bring the force closer to 12,000 from its present 5,000.

Already, Dujarric said, UNIFIL is operational, having overseen the withdrawal by Israeli forces from more than 80 percent of Lebanese territory.

IRAQ: U.N. ENVOY CONCERNED BY USE OF DEATH PENALTY

Ashraf Qazi, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Iraq,

expressed deep concern that more than 140 persons have been sentenced to death and that over 50 persons have been executed in Iraq since 2004.

He noted that the Secretary-General has consistently encouraged States to abolish the death penalty, which he rejects in all circumstances, including in cases of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Qazi recalled that UN Commission on Human Rights has called on States to abolish capital punishment completely and, in the meantime, to establish a moratorium on executions.

The United Nations urges the Government of Iraq to commute all sentences of capital punishment and to base its quest for justice on the protection and promotion of the right to life.

U.N. APPALLED BY KILLING OF WOMENS AFFAIRS LEADER IN AFGHANISTAN

The UN Mission in Afghanistan today expressed its sorrow that Safia Annajan, the Director of Womens Affairs in Kandahar, was shot and killed this morning outside the front gate of her home as she left for work in that southern Afghan city.

The UN Mission in Afghanistan is appalled at what it called the senseless murder of a woman who was simply working to ensure that all Afghan women play a full and equal part in the future of Afghanistan. The Mission expressed its sincere sympathies to her family, friends and colleagues.

SUDANESE PARTIES URGED TO REFRAIN FROM VIOLENCE DURING RAMADAN

The Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Sudan, Jan Pronk, has sent a letter to the leaders of the Government of Sudan and all movements involved in military action in Sudans western region of Darfur urging them to refrain from hostilities and resume dialogue during the month of Ramadan.

He urged them to embrace peaceful dialogue as a gesture of sincerity and goodwill to the innocent civilians who have silently borne the brunt of the violence and insecurity.

ANNAN IS DEEPLY CONCERNED BY RESTRICTIONS BY ERITREA

Available today is the latest report of the Secretary-General on Ethiopia and Eritrea, in which he notes that the situation in the Temporary Security Zone between the two counties remains generally stable. However, the Secretary-General is deeply concerned about the continued restrictions by Eritrea on the freedom of movement of the UN Mission in many areas of the Temporary Security Zone and the prolonged ban on helicopter flights.

In an annex to the report, the Secretary-General presents an update on the proceedings of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission, which reopened its office in Addis Ababa in August while it still seeks Eritreas permission to reopen its Asmara field office.

HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF URGES THAI AUTHORITIES

TO ENSURE RESPECT FOR FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS

The High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour is

urging the leaders of the Council for Democratic Reform under Constitutional Monarchy (CDRM) in Thailand to ensure respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and reinstate the countrys human rights commission.

The forcible and unconstitutional replacement of Thailands freely-elected Government on 19 September, the establishment of martial law, the abolition of the 1997 Constitution, the dissolution of Parliament and the Cabinet as well as the disbanding of the Constitutional Court, have raised important human rights concerns, she said in a statement issued in Geneva.

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL TO TAKE UP SOMALIA, CUBA, PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES

In Geneva, the Human Rights Council is continuing its discussions on a number of thematic reports presented by UN-appointed human rights experts. Today, Council members heard presentations by: the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography; the Independent Expert on the effects of economic reform policies and foreign debt on the full enjoyment of all human rights; and the Chairperson of the Working Group on the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights.

The Council also heard from: the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing; the Special Rapporteur on the right to education; the Secretary-Generals Special Representative on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations; and, lastly, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism.

Tomorrow, the Council will take up its consideration of country and regional reports, starting with Somalia, Cuba and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

U.N. COURT STARTS TRIAL FOR FORMER RWANDAN PROSECUTOR

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) reports that it has begun the trial of former Rwandan Deputy Prosecutor Siméon Nchamihigo, who is charged with four counts of genocide, extermination, murder and other inhumane acts as crimes against humanity.

The former Rwandan prosecutor is accused of distributing weapons and ordering the killing of Tutsi civilians in 1994. He was arrested in Arusha by Tanzanian authorities in 2001 at the request of the ICTR Prosecutor.

ANNAN APPOINTS NEW DEPUTY SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR BURUNDI

The Secretary-General has appointed Youssef Mahmoud of Tunisia as his Deputy Special Representative for Burundi.

Mahmoud, who will also serve as United Nations Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator as well as the UNDP Resident Representative, has had a long and distinguished career with the United Nations. He served most recently as the UN Resident Coordinator in Guyana. Previously, he has served with the United Nations in various capacities, including as Director of the Africa II Division of the Department of Political Affairs

. ANNAN CALLS FOR DOHA ROUND OF TRADE TALKS TO RESUME QUICKLY

Secretary-General Kofi Annan today sent a message to the World Trade Organizations Public Forum in Geneva.

In it, the Secretary-General says that setbacks in the Doha talks have led some to consider settling for something less than a true development round -- or for no round at all. That must not happen, he stresses.

The Secretary-General adds that he joins developing and least developed countries in calling for the Doha round of trade talks to resume as soon as possible.

UNITED NATIONS TRIES TO HELP UNITED STATES AND VENEZUELA

MOVE BEYOND AIRPORT INCIDENT

Asked about an incident over the weekend at JFK Airport involving the Foreign Minister of Venezuela, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General had been informed of the incident and had asked his Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, Nicolas Michel, to gather the facts and help the United States and Venezuelan Governments get past this unfortunate incident.

The Spokesman noted that an appropriate channel to address the affair would be the Host Country Committee, although he noted that Venezuela had not brought the matter to that committees attention.

At this stage, he said, the United Nations was trying to help both parties move beyond this incident.

He noted that the rules for how to deal with these situations are clearly laid out in the Host Country Agreement.

Asked how the United Nations had been made aware of the incident, the Spokesman said that Venezuela had contacted the United Nations, which then contacted the United States. However, he added, the Host Country Committee is really the appropriate body to deal with the matter.

In response to further questions, he said that he was not aware of the present location of the Foreign Minister of Venezuela.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

SOMALI ARMS EMBARGO A MATTER FOR THE SECURITY COUNCIL: Asked whether the Somali Prime Minister asked the Secretary-General to call for a lifting of the UN arms embargo on Somalia, the Spokesman later said they had not spoken. That issue, the Spokesman said, is one for the Security Council to consider.

UNITED NATIONS SUPPORTS DIALOGUE BETWEEN CHRISTIANS & MUSLIMS: Asked about the Popes call for a genuine dialogue between Christians and Muslims, the Spokesman said that the United Nations encourages such efforts at dialogue, which is in line with what the Alliance on Civilizations initiative is supposed to do.

HUMAN RIGHTS DEPUTY SELECTED IN COMPETITIVE PROCESS: Asked about the appointment of a new Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Spokesman said that she was selected in a competitive process, and was appointed by a panel headed by the High Commission because she was felt to be the best candidate among a shortlist of five people. He said there was no link between her appointment and the race for the next Secretary-General.

NEW PARTNERSHIP WILL PROMOTE MOVE TO BIOENERGY: The Secretariat of the Global Bioenergy Partnership opened for business in New York this week. Located at the Food and Agriculture Organizations headquarters in Rome and supported by the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea, the Secretariats mandate is to facilitate a global political forum to promote bioenergy and to encourage the production, marketing and use of green fuels, with particular focus on developing countries.