United Nations Daily Highlights, 06-12-26

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

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

[Please note: There will be no noon briefings this week. News developments within the UN system will be posted on this website throughout that time period, and the noon briefings will resume on Tuesday, January 2, 2007.]

SECURITY COUNCIL TO BE BRIEFED ON SOMALIA

The Security Council, at 3:00 this afternoon, will receive a briefing in an open meeting from the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Somalia, Francois Lonseny Fall. The briefing comes at the request of the Presidency of the Council.

The open meeting will be followed by consultations, also on Somalia.

On Tuesday morning, Secretary-General Kofi Annan spoke by phone with three leaders who have been dealing with the situation in Somalia: President Mwai Kibaki of Kenya, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia and Louis Michel, the European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, who had recently visited Somalia.

The Secretary-General, in his calls, stressed the need not to escalate an already tense situation.

REFUGEE AGENCY HEAD CONCERNED BY DISPLACEMENT IN SOMALIA

UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres today expressed deep concern over the worsening conflict in Somalia, warning that further displacement in the Horn of Africa could severely strain already overstretched relief efforts.

I appeal to all sides in this conflict to respect humanitarian principles and protect civilian populations, Guterres said. Relief workers in the region are already struggling to contend with huge obstacles, including security and natural disasters. The last thing we and the people of Somalia need is yet another round of massive displacement.

Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) started dropping food into Somalia and Kenya from aircraft over the weekend, expanding its land, water and air campaign, to help more than a million people suffering because of floods cutting roads and spreading sickness.

But WFP urgently needs $6.7 million for its $16.6 million Special Operation to deliver food and other humanitarian aid by airlift, airdrops and helicopter.

SECRETARY-GENERAL TO ATTEND COUNCIL MEETING ON SUDAN

On Wednesday afternoon, the Secretary-General intends to attend Security Council consultations concerning the situation in

Darfur.

That meeting, tentatively scheduled for 3:30 p.m., would include briefings by Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the Secretary-Generals Senior Adviser who visited Khartoum last week, and by Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hédi Annabi.

Council members have also received copies of a letter sent by the President of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, to the Secretary-General, which responds to the Secretary-Generals 18 December letter concerning Darfur.

SECURITY COUNCIL ADOPTS RESOLUTION CALLING FOR HALT TO ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES IN IRAN

On Saturday, the Security Council after brief consultations unanimously adopted a resolution that decided that Iran shall without further delay suspend all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities and work on all heavy water-related projects.

The Council, in its resolution, also asked all States to take measures to prohibit the sale or transfer of all items, materials, equipment, goods and technology which could contribute to Irans enrichment-related, reprocessing or heavy water-related activities, or to the development of nuclear weapon delivery systems.

The resolution, in an annex, also cited persons or entities who are designated as being engaged in, directly associated with or providing support for Irans proliferation sensitive nuclear activities or the development of nuclear weapon delivery systems; the people and entities on that list are also to be subjected to particular sanctions, including a freeze on all assets.

Also on Saturday, the Security Council passed a resolution calling for the protection of journalists during armed conflict.

ANNAN MARKS SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF TSUNAMI WITH CALL FOR PEACE IN SRI LANKA

The following statement is attributable to the Secretary-General:

In the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami that struck the Indian Ocean two years ago, there was great hope that recovery and reconstruction would be underpinned by a new spirit of peace and reconciliation, as the same disaster engulfed friend and foe alike. And indeed, in Aceh and at least initially in Sri Lanka, solidarity among the victims, crossing political, national and ethnic lines, gave us all a moving example of swords turned into ploughshares.

Alas, in Sri Lanka that spirit has not been sustained. Instead, the spiral of tension and open conflict, which had wrought so much misery and destruction over the years, has resumed.

I am deeply disheartened by this turn of events. Let me remind all parties of their obligation to respect human rights and international law, and particularly to protect, and allow access to, the civilian population. In the last eight months alone, nearly 215,000 Sri Lankans have been displaced within their country, while nearly 16,000 more have sought refuge in India. Another 120,000 Sri Lankans remain displaced and need continued assistance as a result of the tsunami. All this presents the humanitarian community in Sri Lanka with a daunting challenge, which is made even more difficult by restrictions arising from the resumed conflict.

In Sri Lanka, more than 35,000 lives were lost on the fateful day of the tsunami. More than 67,000 lives - 3,000 in the past year alone -- have been lost in over 20 years of conflict. No one could have prevented the tsunamis wave of destruction. But together, we can stem the tide of conflict, which threatens once again to engulf the people of Sri Lanka. I urge all parties in Sri Lanka to cease hostilities immediately, and return to the peace process.

U.N. AIRLIFTS FOOD TO FLOOD SURVIVORS IN INDONESIA

In response to flash

floods that swept over the province of Aceh in Indonesia on 21 and 22 December, the UN yesterday airlifted 1.5 tons of food provided by the World Food Programme (WFP) into the hardest-hit area. Meanwhile, a convoy of 21 WFP trucks carrying some 40 tons of food is also on the way.

The UN has deployed staff to coordinate aid distribution, and on Sunday, it

announced that it would allocate an initial amount of $2 million in grant money from the Central Emergency Response Fund.

ANNAN WELCOMES DECISION TO RENOVATE U.N. HEADQUARTERS

The Secretary-General welcomed the adoption on Friday night of the General Assembly resolution on the Capital Master Plan. Thanks to the funding of $1,876.7 million, it will now be possible to undertake a general refurbishment of United Nations Headquarters in New York between 2007 and 2014, for the first time since most of the buildings were completed in the early 1950s.

Through the Capital Master Plan, UN Headquarters will become a safer, healthier and more secure environment for staff, delegates, and visitors. It will become better equipped for adapting to change, and for using resources in sustainable and responsible ways.

The Secretary-General extended his sincere thanks to Member States for funding the Capital Master Plan, and for ensuring that UN Headquarters can remain a workshop for peace for generations to come.

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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