United Nations Daily Highlights, 07-02-01

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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 MICHELE MONTAS

SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

U.N. HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Thursday, February 1, 2007

SECRETARY-GENERAL WILL ATTEND QUARTET MEETING ON MIDDLE EAST

The Secretary-General is now en route to Washington, D.C., where tomorrow he will participate in a meeting of the principals of the Middle East Quartet.

The other senior participants at that meeting will be US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, European Union High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana, European Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, representing the Presidency of the European Union.

The Secretary-General is looking forward to his first Quartet meeting. He hopes that the Quartet will seriously engage with the key issues that have a direct impact on the situation on the ground, going beyond mere statements.

He is fully aware that, within the region and beyond, many are looking at the

Quartet to be more energetic in its efforts than it has been at times to break the current impasse in the peace process.

He believes the Quartet should reach out to the parties and also other key regional partners for a more systematic dialogue, and involvement in the Quartet's deliberations.

Asked about specific proposals to re-energise the Quartet, the Spokeswoman noted that, at the end of tomorrows meeting, the Quartet would have a press conference in which more details about their meeting could be given. She added that, earlier in the day, smaller meetings would take place among Quartet participants.

Asked who would accompany the Secretary-General to the Quartet meeting, Montas said that Alvaro de Soto, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East, would be going.

She noted, in response to questions, that the Quartet discussions would strictly be on the situation in the Middle East.

Asked whether the Secretary-General would come to UN Headquarters on Friday, the Spokeswoman said that he would, to attend an evening concert; however, she noted, because of his late arrival on Friday, he would only speak to the press at the United Nations next week.

BAN KI-MOON EXPRESSES APPRECIATION FOR TRIBUNALS

In the Netherlands today, the Secretary-General visited the senior officials of all the major tribunals based in The Hague: the International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

Following a visit to the last of those bodies, he spoke to the press to express his appreciation for the Tribunals work and to urge the fugitive suspects Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic to appear before the court, for their own interest as well as for the benefit of international peace and security.

Later, he met with Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, and had a working luncheon with the Prime Minister, as well as with the Ministers for Foreign Affairs, Defense and Development Cooperation.

At a press encounter afterward, the Secretary-General was asked about the UN Mission in Afghanistan, and he said he was considering increasing the presence of UNAMAs Office in Southern Afghanistan.

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL STARTS FIRST DAY OF WORK

Asha-Rose Migiro, the Deputy Secretary-General, has begun her work at UN Headquarters today.

Over the course of today and Friday, she will be visiting various UN departments, as well as the offices of some funds and programmes, to receive briefings and to hear from officials throughout the system.

A ceremony is expected to take place in which the Deputy Secretary-General signs a declaration sometime next week.

Asked about the Deputy Secretary-Generals schedule, the Spokeswoman said she would start by meeting with staff at UN Headquarters and then move on from there. She would formally start her duties next week, Montas added.

SECRETARY-GENERAL PLEDGES COMMITMENT TO PEACE IN SUDAN

In a report to the Security Council on Sudan, the Secretary-General says that much remains to be done to establish an inclusive and constitutional democracy in which unity is made attractive to voters in Southern Sudan.

He pledges his personal commitment to focusing on the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between Northern and Southern Sudan over the coming year, to protect the gains made so far and to give Sudan a stable basis on which to move forward.

The Secretary-General warns that both parties must cease using militias as proxy forces and make the integration of other armed groups a top priority. He adds that a swift, peaceful resolution to the Darfur conflict could go a long way towards restoring trust between the parties to the Agreement.

Also today, Radhika Coomaraswamy, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative on Children and Armed Conflict, issued a press release on her recent seven-day visit to Sudan, in which she and UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Rima Salah urged all parties to commit to ending child recruitment.

The United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) strongly condemned the killing of a member of Civilian Police of the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) who was shot dead today by unknown armed men during a hijacking of an AMIS vehicle inside Kassab camp in Kutum, North Darfur.

Asked whether the Secretary-General would appoint a new Special Representative for Sudan, the Spokeswoman confirmed that he would.

SECRETARY-GENERAL MET IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER

Asked about the meeting in Addis Ababa this week between the Secretary-General and the Iranian Foreign Minister, the Spokeswoman confirmed it had taken place.

Asked about the UN stance regarding Irans nuclear programme, Montas said that it has consistently reiterated that Iran has the right, under the Non-Proliferation Treaty, to the peaceful use of nuclear technology.

At the same time, the international community has asked for more clarity about aspects of Irans nuclear programme, she said. Montas added that the Secretary-General continues to urge Iran to help clear up those questions through dialogue with other countries and through cooperation with the IAEA and the resolutions of the Security Council.

SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR WESTERN SAHARA TO BE APPOINTED

The Secretary-General has informed the Security Council of his intention to appoint Julian Harston of the United Kingdom as his Special Representative for Western Sahara and the Head of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO).

Harston has been serving as Director of the UN Office in Belgrade since May 2004. After a career in the British Foreign Service, he joined the UN in 1995, and held a number of senior positions in peacekeeping, both at Headquarters and overseas.

SLOVAKIA ASSUMES PRESIDENCY OF SECURITY COUNCIL

Slovakia today assumes the rotating Presidency of the Security Council, and Council members are today holding bilateral talks on the monthly programme of work.

Slovakian Ambassador Peter Burian will brief the press Friday after the Security Councils consultations on the programme of work, at approximately 12:45 p.m..

ENVOY TO UNVEIL KOSOVO PLAN TO BELGRADE AND PRISINA

An executive summary of Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaaris status proposal on Kosovo, as well as relevant fact sheets, will be posted Friday at www.unosek.org at around 10:00 a.m., New York time.

Ahtisaari will visit both Belgrade and Pristina on Friday, to present his proposal to the parties. Hell give press conferences in both cities.

Meanwhile, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative in Kosovo, Joachim Rücker, today

told Kosovos Municipal Assembly Presidents that status will not magically solve all of Kosovos problems.

Asked about Ahtisaaris proposals on the final status of Kosovo, the Spokeswoman said that the Secretary-General had met with Ahtisaari in Paris last week and had been fully briefed. She added that he would not comment while Ahtisaari was continuing his consultations with the parties before presenting his final proposals to the Security Council.

JOINT SECURITY OPERATIONS BEGIN IN AREAS OF TIMOR-LESTE

As part of the UN Mission in Timor Lestes efforts to stop the fighting and crimes committed by gangs in the Timorese capital of Dili, more than 100 UN police officers, backed by personnel from the International Security Forces, on Wednesday conducted a large operation in two Dili neighborhoods.

The UN Police arrested 47 suspects and seized a large number of illegal weapons, including homemade firearms and Molotov cocktails.

The suspects are presently under UN custody, while the police collect more evidence before taking them to court.

WORLD FOOD BODY CONDEMNS ABDUCTION OF STAFF

The World Food Programme (WFP) today condemned a kidnapping and armed attack on a WFP-contracted convoy in eastern Chad last Sunday. The driver was safely released today, together with his truck.

The convoy had delivered food assistance to some 220,000 people living in refugee camps in eastern Chad and was on its way back to Libya when it was attacked.

WFP reports that this is the third armed attack on WFP aid convoys in eastern Chad in the past two months.

MORE THAN 30 STATES SETTLE U.N. DUES IN FULL

As of the end of January, a total of 31 Member States have paid in full their assessments to the UN regular budget for 2007.

Inclusive of the current assessments, a total of approximately $5.8 billion is outstanding as of the end of January. Of this, $2.1 billion is for the regular budget and $3.3 billion relates to peacekeeping operations.

The remaining outstanding amount consists of $330 million for the international tribunals and $68 million for the Capital Master Plan, which does not include the new budget of $1.7 billion.

SECRETARY-GENERAL RECEIVES RESPONSES TO REQUEST FOR RESIGNATION LETTERS

The Spokeswoman apologised to reporters for giving unclear and imprecise information Wednesday about the resignations offered by senior officials; she said she had been speaking on the basis of information that was incomplete.

She said she since received the full, and updated, facts about the resignations. The Secretary-General, at the start of January, had sent out letters to 55 Under-Secretaries-General and Assistant Secretaries-General, asking them to offer their resignations in order to give him flexibility in filling senior posts.

As of today, he is satisfied to note that all 55 have responded to his letters. In one case, one of the officials did not actually turn in a response letter, citing compelling health reasons. The Secretary-General can now move ahead with the process of determining how those posts can be filled.

Asked about the total number of senior officials at the United Nations, the Spokeswoman said that 19 Under-Secretaries-General and 36 Assistant Secretaries-General fell under the Secretary-Generals direct authority.

Asked about a timetable to complete the appointments of senior officials, Montas said it depends on the restructuring process. It is possible that some appointments would be announced before that process is completed.

Asked why Andrew Toh had not been asked to offer his resignation, the Spokeswoman noted that the consideration of his case was ongoing, and would need to be cleared up first.

UNIFIL ANALYSED BALLOONS THAT FLEW OVER TYRE

In response to questions about the balloons that flew over the Blue Line into Lebanon, the Spokeswoman noted that the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) says that its involvement in this matter is limited.

Responding to a request from the Lebanese Army, UNIFIL provided specialists to analyse the contents of some balloons that were located within its area of responsibility in Tyre. It has provided the full and final results of those tests to the Lebanese Army, and UNIFIL understands that the Lebanese Army is continuing its enquiries into the issue.

Asked about UNIFILs findings, the Spokeswoman reiterated that they had been submitted to the Lebanese Army for follow-up. She noted that only the balloons that flew over Tyre, in UNIFILs area of responsibility, had been analysed.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

OIOS INVESTIGATIONS ARE ONGOING: In response to a question about the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) investigations into the Department of Economic and Social Affairs and into the centre at Thessaloniki, the Spokeswoman said that OIOS says that both investigations are still in progress, and that they are not in a position to give a time estimate for completion.

SECRETARY-GENERAL TO CONSULT WITH GENERAL MEMBERSHIP ON MONDAY: Asked how the Secretary-General will proceed in the restructuring process, the Spokeswoman said that he would have consultations with the general membership as a whole on Monday. The Secretary-General, she stressed, wants to fully respect the legislative process and will be listening to Member States.

BAN KI-MOON MET WITH JAN EGELAND: In response to questions, the Spokeswoman confirmed that the Secretary-General had met recently with former Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland. She said she could not confirm that Egeland would head a new UN unit shortly.

NEW YORK STAFF WAS INVITED TO ATTEND NAIROBI MEETING: Asked about the non-attendance by the New York staff union to a meeting the Secretary-General had in Nairobi with UN staff union representatives from around the world, the Spokeswoman confirmed that all staff unions had been invited. The New York union was not represented, she said, adding that the decision had been theirs.

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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