United Nations Daily Highlights, 07-02-27

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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 SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

U.N. HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

BAN KI-MOON WELCOMES POSITIVE POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN GUINEA

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomes the decision by President Lansana Conté to appoint a consensus Prime Minister, in conformity with the agreement reached with labour leaders and civil society organizations on 27 January.

He commends the successful and constructive facilitation role played by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) mediation mission headed by General Ibrahim Babangida and calls on all Guineans to support the new Prime Minister and work together in building momentum towards lasting peace and prosperity in their country.

In this connection, he welcomes the undertaking by labour leaders to suspend the strike following the appointment of the Prime Minister, Mr. Lansana Kouyaté, who is a former senior UN official.

The Secretary-General calls on the international community to enhance its economic cooperation with the new Government with a view to consolidating the consensus reached, which would allow the reform process and the countrys efforts on poverty alleviation and the promotion of development, good governance and respect for human rights and the rule of law to take hold.

The Secretary-General is closely following developments in Guinea through his Special Representative for West Africa, Mr. Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah. Mr. Ould-Abdallah was in Ouagadougou yesterday where he met the Chairman of ECOWAS, President Blaise Compaoré of Burkina Faso, as well as the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Mr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, and General Babangida, the ECOWAS Special Representative for Guinea. Mr. Ould-Abdallah will return to Conakry later this week.

SECRETARY-GENERAL CONDEMNS AIRFIELD SHELLING IN SRI LANKA

The Secretary-General condemns the shelling today by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) of a helicopter airfield in Batticaloa in eastern Sri Lanka, which injured 12 people, including the UN Resident Coordinator and other members of a high-ranking international delegation, all of whom were taking part in a humanitarian assessment mission in the area.

The attack was in total disregard for the lives of civilians, humanitarian workers, Government officials, and the international community.

The Secretary-General urges the parties to the conflict to end the destructive spiral of violence and calls on them to make every effort to return to the peace process as soon as possible.

BAN KI-MOON LAUDS MYANMAR AGREEMENT ON FORCED LABOR

The Secretary-General welcomes the agreement reached yesterday between the International Labour Organization and the Government of Myanmar on the establishment of a complaint mechanism for victims of forced labour.

The establishment of such a mechanism has been a longstanding request of the International Labour Conference and the ILO Governing Body, and the importance of such a step was underlined by Under-Secretary-General Ibrahim Gambari during his recent visit to Myanmar in the context of the Secretary-Generals good offices.

INT"L CRIMINAL COURT PROSECUTOR PRESENTS EVIDENCE ON DARFUR CRIMES

The International Criminal Court says that its Chief Prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, today presented evidence showing that Ahmad Muhammad Harun, former Minister of State for the Interior of the Government of the Sudan, and Ali Kushayb, a leader of the Janjaweed militia, jointly committed crimes against the civilian population in Darfur.

The Prosecutor accused the two individuals of 51 counts of alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes based on evidence showing that they acted together, and with others, with the common purpose of carrying out attacks against the civilian populations. The crimes were allegedly committed during attacks four localities of West Darfur between August 2003 and March 2004.

SUDAN: U.N. ENVOY UNDERTAKES HUMANITARIAN VISIT TO DARFUR

In the context of his regular visits to oversee humanitarian operations, including to identify conflict-affected populations needs in Darfur, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for

Sudan and the UN Resident Humanitarian Coordinator, Manuel Aranda da Silva, yesterday visited several sites in North Darfur with representatives from UNICEF, the World Food Programme and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. He also met with rebel groups field commanders in the two areas.

Water and health were deemed to be the most pressing needs. Aranda da Silva noted the increasing insecurity faced by humanitarian workers, in particular the increasing trend of car-jacking and the strain that this was placing on humanitarian operations. He emphasized that the responsibility to ensure the safety and security of humanitarian operations lies with those controlling the areas concerned.

SECURITY COUNCIL DISCUSSES PROPOSED OPERATION IN DARFUR REGION

The Security Council held consultations this morning on Chad and the Central African Republic, as well as other matters. Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hédi Annabi briefed Council members on the Secretary-Generals recent report on those two countries.

Meanwhile, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees today issued a $6.2 million supplementary appeal to fund protection and assistance programmes for tens of thousands of internally displaced people in eastern Chad. The latest appeal is in addition to the refugee agencys 2007 annual budget of $69.3 million for some 220,000 refugees from neighbouring Darfur region in 12 camps in eastern Chad, and another 46,000 from the Central African Republic in the south of the country.

SECURITY REQUIRED FOR POSSIBLE EXPANSION OF U.N. PRESENCE IN IRAQ

Asked if the Secretary-General was concerned about the planned withdrawal of some international troops from Iraq, Montas said that Ban Ki-moon considered a safe and effective security environment a precondition for continued and a possibly expanded UN presence and involvement in that country.

Asked if the Secretary-General considered diplomatic engagement with Syria and Iran an advisable means of addressing the Iraqi crisis, the Spokesperson noted that the Secretary-General has advocated regional involvement in dealing with the situation in Iraq but that he had not specified which countries should be approached to that end.

UNITED NATIONS. JOINS HANDS WITH SILICON VALLEY

TO IMPROVE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ACCESS IN DEVELOPING WORLD

The Global Alliance for Information Communications Technologies and Development is meeting today and tomorrow in California. The Global Alliance is a UN initiative to bring the benefits of information technology to developing countries.

The Secretary-General, in a video message to the meeting today, says that information and communications technologies have a central role to play in the quest for development, dignity and peace.

Tomorrow the Global Alliance will meet with representatives of Silicon Valley's high-tech industry, to identify areas where the United Nations and Silicon Valley can work together to expand the benefits of information technology in the developing world. Some 250 participants are expected, including from Intel, Microsoft, Google, Nokia, Siemens, Hewlett Packard, Cisco, IBM and Visa.

REFUGEE AGENCY HELPS NEWLY-ARRIVED COLOMBIAN REFUGEES IN ECUADOR

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that more than 300 people fleeing violence in southern Colombia crossed the San Juan River and arrived in the small northern Ecuadorian border town of Chical over the weekend. The group lived on the opposite bank of the river. A large number of Awa indigenous people are among the newcomers.

UNHCR has deployed a team of humanitarian workers to the town and is distributing emergency items and food rations in coordination with partner organizations.

PIRATES ARRESTED IN SOMALIA BUT FOOD AID SHIP STILL HIJACKED

The World Food Programme today announced that Somali authorities in the Puntland region have arrested four presumed members of a group of pirates who on Sunday hijacked a WFP-contracted ship off the coast of Somalia.

The men were arrested when they went ashore to buy supplies in the town of Bargal. Meanwhile, some four hijackers are believed to remain on board and in control of the hijacked vessel, which latest reports, however, indicate the ship is now sailing southwards.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

FOOD AGENCY FORCED TO CUT RATIONS TO HUNGRY ZAMBIANS: The World Food Programme (WFP) is preparing to cut the vital food rations it currently provides to around 500,000 Zambians over the coming weeks, because of a critical shortage of funds. Those 500,000 Zambians include orphans and AIDS patients. WFP says that it needs $29 million to fund its operations across Zambia until the end of 2007.

BAN KI-MOON TO ADDRESS PALESTINIAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE: Today is the opening of the 2007 Session of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. The Secretary-General is expected to address the Committee this afternoon. He is expected to note the Palestinian peoples yearning for freedom and dignity, and the Israeli peoples desire for long-term security. He is also expected to stress that neither can reach their legitimate demands without a settlement of the conflict.

BAN KI-MOON WILL MEET WITH FAMILIES OF KIDNAPPED ISRAELI SOLDIERS: Asked if the Secretary-General would be meeting with the families of Israeli soldiers abducted by Palestinian and Lebanese militants, the Spokesperson confirmed that Ban Ki-moon would be holding meetings with those families this afternoon at his office.

CLIMATE CHANGE AFFECTS PEACE & SECURITY: Asked if the Secretary-General intends to convey a summit on climate change and if he considered climate change a threat to international peace and security, Montas said that Ban Ki-moon is indeed considering a proposed summit but no decision had been taken yet. She added that the Secretary-General does consider climate change a pressing global problem which has a strong impact on international peace and security.

ENVOYS CONTRACTS TO BE CONSIDERED WHEN THEY EXPIRE: Asked if the Secretary-General would soon be appointing or reappointing his Special Representatives in field operations, the Spokesperson explained that he intends to replace or reconfirm individual Special Representatives as their respective contracts expire, which will occur at different times. She said that Ban Ki-moon did not plan to address the future employment status of all these officials in one sweep.

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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