United Nations Daily Highlights, 07-03-15

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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

Thursday, March 15, 2007

SECURITY COUNCIL HOLDS CONSULTATIONS ON IRAN

The Security Council held consultations this morning on non-proliferation -Iran. A draft resolution was circulated.

Then, this afternoon, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for

Iraq, Ashraf Qazi, will brief the Council is an open meeting on the Secretary-Generals latest report on the UN Mission in Iraq.

Yesterday, the Council adopted a press statement on Cote dIvoire, by which it welcomed the agreement signed by President Laurent Gbagbo and Guillaume Soro in Ouagadougou on 4 March.

BAN KI-MOON LOOKS FORWARD TO FORMATION

OF PALESTINIAN NATIONAL UNITY GOVERNMENT

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is pleased that the negotiations for a Palestinian National Unity Government have now been completed.

He is looking forward to the formation of the government and its programme. He hopes that this process will result in a government that will respect existing agreements and reflect Quartet principles.

SECURITY ENVIRONMENT IN WEST AFRICA CONTINUES TO IMPROVE

Available as a document today is the Secretary-Generals report on cross-border issues in West Africa, covering recent developments in the areas of security, post-conflict reconstruction, good governance and transitional justice mechanisms.

In it, the Secretary-General writes that while still fragile, the overall security environment in West Africa continues to improve, notably in Sierra Leone and Liberia.

Among the recommendations in the report, the Secretary-General proposes that the UN and development partners broaden their definition of and views on security sector reform to include larger economic development strategies.

ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY CHIEFS VISIT TO DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S

REPUBLIC OF KOREA IS AN OVERALL DOOR OPENER

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says that its Director General, Mohamed ElBaradei, yesterday completed a visit to the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK), a visit ElBaradei called an "overall door opener."

Noting that that has improved the "rocky relationship" between his agency and the DPRK since IAEA inspectors left the country in December 2002, ELBaradei says the country is now considering resuming its membership in the IAEA.

His meetings with DPRK officials, he said, also focused on the IAEA´s initial monitoring and verification role for the shutdown of the DPRK´s nuclear facilities. The next step would be an agreement with the DPRK on specific technical arrangements for monitoring and verification, the terms of which would be subject to approval by the IAEA Board of Governors.

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL LAUNCHES REPORT ON U.N.-E.U. COOPERATION

Deputy Secretary-General Asha Rose-Migiro is in Brussels today, where she is meeting with officials from European institutions as well as the Belgian Foreign Minister.

She also launched the first-ever comprehensive report on cooperation between the United Nations and European Union in the area of development and humanitarian aid following a meeting with Louis Michel, the EU Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid.

The tangible results of this cooperation are detailed in a new report The partnership between the UN and the EU. The UN report explains that the UN and the European Commission are working together in more than 80 developing countries and countries in transition, making a significant impact in the areas of development and human rights, humanitarian assistance, and post conflict rehabilitation and recovery.

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL TO DISCUSS DARFUR TOMORROW

The

Human Rights Council is currently considering various reports on topics such as: the defamation of religion; racism; children in armed conflict; the right to development; missing persons; and the death penalty.

In a statement to the Council today, High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour said that no country was immune from human rights problems and that all countries could therefore benefit from cooperation with human rights mechanisms. Copies of her statement are available upstairs.

The High-Level Mission to Darfur will present its report tomorrow, after which an interactive discussion will take place. The head of the Mission, Jody Williams, will hold a press conference at the UN Office at Geneva after the presentation.

LOCUST INFESTATION HAUNTS WESTERN TIMOR-LESTE

A locust infestation is causing major concerns in western Timor-Leste.

Latest survey results by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the local agricultural ministry, found some 4,500 hectares of mainly maize crops already damaged by the pests.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says there is an urgent need for the provision of pesticides in order to control the outbreak.

BAN KI-MOON WOULD SUPPORT DIPLOMATIC EFFORT TO RESOLVE DARFUR CRISIS

Asked if the Secretary-General would support a "massive diplomatic effort" to resolve the crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan, as suggested by French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, the Spokesperson said that Ban Ki-moon would certainly support such an initiative.

Asked if the Secretary-General would travel to Sudan as a result of a recent invitation by the Sudanese President, Montas said that Ban Ki-moon has accepted the invitation in principle but that there were no firm dates yet for such a visit.

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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