United Nations Daily Highlights, 07-04-19

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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, April 19, 2007

IRAQ: BAN KI-MOON OUTRAGED BY SLAUGHTERING OF INNOCENT CIVILIANS

Following the horrendous carnage in Baghdad yesterday, where a string of bombings left nearly 200 people dead and many more injured, the Secretary-General expresses his outrage at the callousness and scale with which innocent civilians are being slaughtered on an almost daily basis in Iraq. Another deadly bomb attack registered today only underscores his concern.

In the face of these latest provocations, the Secretary-General expresses his solidarity with the Iraqi people and he appeals to all communities of Iraq to show maximum restraint. He calls urgently on the political and religious leaders of Iraq to come together in a spirit of dialogue and mutual respect in order to find a way out of this destructive spiral of violence.

Ashraf Qazi, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Iraq, also issued a

statement, warning that these horrific acts threaten Iraqs integrity and viability, jeopardizing the countrys future, and thrusting its citizens deeper into the cycle of violence and vengeance. He again called on all Iraqis to resist being pushed into the abyss of calamitous sectarianism.

BAN KI-MOON WELCOMES ARAB LEAGUE STATEMENT ON ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN PEACE PROCESS

The Secretary-General welcomes the statement yesterday by the Arab Ministerial Committee for the Arab Peace Initiative, which indicates increased engagement of the League of Arab States to reinvigorate the Israeli-Palestinian peace

process.

The Secretary-General looks forward to meeting with the Ministerial Committee that has been formed to promote this process.

Asked when the Secretary-General would meet with Arab ministers, the Spokeswoman said that the Secretary-General expected to meet with Arab ministers at a conference on the International Compact with Iraq, to be held soon in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

SECRETARY-GENERAL WRAPS UP ITALY TRIP, HEADS TO SWITZERLAND

The Secretary-General wrapped up his visit to Italy today after he visited the UN Logistics Base in Brindisi, where he observed the main facility that provides support to UN field operations worldwide.

He toured warehouses stocking tents, blankets and high-protein biscuits, which are ready to be sent at the outset of any humanitarian emergency worldwide, and he listened to staff explain the logistical challenges of setting up communications equipment in remote peacekeeping outposts.

The Secretary-General then flew back to Rome, where he attended a luncheon hosted by Mayor Walter Veltroni before leaving Italy for Switzerland.

He was also scheduled to meet in Bern with Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey and to have a working dinner with the President and other senior leaders before he traveled to Geneva tonight.

In response to a question, the Spokeswoman confirmed that the Secretary-General had invited the Pope to visit UN Headquarters in New York when the two met on Wednesday.

U.N. WELCOMES SUDANS ACCEPTANCE OF PEACEKEEPING PACKAGE

The Tripartite Mechanism, composed of representatives from the United Nations, the African Union and the Government of Sudan, which oversees the implementation of the UN support to the African Union Mission in Sudan, held its tenth meeting yesterday in Khartoum.

The participants welcomed the Sudanese Governments acceptance of the UN Heavy Support

Package, as well as the pledge from Sudan that the Permanent Mission of Sudan in Addis Ababa has been instructed to expedite issuance of travel visas to AMIS staff and associated personnel.

Asked about the report that the Government of Sudan had used an aircraft in Darfur which inappropriately had UN markings, the Spokeswoman noted that the Secretary-General had issued a statement on Wednesday.

Asked about the UN response, Montas said that the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) has been instructed to convey the Secretary-General's concerns, expressed in the statement, and to seek clarifications from the Sudanese Government on the reported use of the UN marking on aircrafts for military use.

Asked about the possibility that the plane could have belonged to Kazakhstan, the Spokeswoman said that was among the issues that would need to be clarified.

Asked about the Secretary-Generals awareness of the report, Montas said he was aware of past violations by Sudan, and had raised the matter of previous violations with President Omar al-Bashir when the two met in Riyadh.

She noted, in response to further questions, that aircraft with UN markings possibly the same plane were seen not only in Darfur, but in part of Chad controlled by the Chadian Government, as well as in the Central African Republic. The United Nations, she said, was trying to ascertain whether it was the same plane in all three instances.

Asked about differing policies within the United Nations on Sudan, the Spokeswoman said that it is not unusual for Member States to have differing political views and strategies on many issues, within the Security Council or the General Assembly.

U.N. LEGAL COUNSEL CONTINUES PUSH FOR LEBANON TRIBUNAL

UN Legal Counsel Nicolas Michel is continuing his visit to

Lebanon, in which, since arriving on Tuesday, he has met with the Lebanese Prime Minister, the Speaker of Parliament, the President of the Republic and a number of Lebanese parliamentarians and political leaders.

The main purpose of his visit is to assist the Lebanese authorities and the Lebanese parties on their way toward the ratification of the bilateral agreement between Lebanon and the United Nations on the establishment of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, in accordance with the constitution.

All of his interlocutors have expressed support for the establishment of the tribunal. Mr. Michel has emphasized that it is in the interest of all to have the tribunal established within Lebanons constitutional process. He will continue his meetings in Beirut tomorrow.

Asked about plans to send a mission to the Lebanese border, the Spokeswoman said that a mission will be sent, but there is no timeline yet for that.

ISRAELS RESTRICTIONS HURT GAZA FISHERMEN, SAYS U.N. HUMANITARIAN AGENCY

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that Israels restrictions on where Palestinian fishermen can fish are hurting the 40,000 Gazans dependent on the fishing industry for their primary source of income.

As those Palestinians have become progressively impoverished in the last six years, the World Food Programme (WFP), the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and other humanitarian agencies have been working to provide food and support job creation.

HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF RENEWS CALL FOR UGANDA TO REVIEW DISARMAMENT STRATEGY

High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour today

reiterated her call to the Government of Uganda to review its forced disarmament strategy in Karamoja, in northeastern Uganda, where violence and human rights violations have continued to escalate since her report last November.

In a report released today, Arbour deplored Ugandas failure to implement the recommendations in her last report. She concluded that any disarmament process must be accompanied by concerted and sustainable development initiatives in order to stabilize the situation in Karamoja.

CHILDREN BEAR THE BRUNT OF ARMED CONFLICT IN MIDDLE EAST

The Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy, just ended a two-week mission to Lebanon, Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory. Her conclusion was that children bear the brunt of the armed conflict in the Middle East.

Interacting with children in the region, Coomaraswamy said she was disturbed by their expressions of fear, anxiety, anger, revenge and hopelessness. But she added that she was pleased that both the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli Government said they were ready to review school curricula to make sure they werent inciting violence and hatred.

GREATER EFFORTS NEEDED TO FULFILL INTERNATIONAL COMMITMENTS ON HIV/AIDS

Available today is the Secretary-Generals

report on developments in the past year toward achieving universal access to HIV/AIDS treatment.

He says important progress has been made, but much more needs to be done in the areas of prevention and fulfilling international commitments. The rapid scaling up of services must also be balanced against ensuring the long-term sustainability of those services, he says.

Meanwhile, the UN Development Programme, in partnership with the National Basketball Association, is

launching an HIV/AIDS anti-stigma campaign. It features basketball star Yao Ming and Chinese film star Pu Cunxin.

ROAD TRAFFIC DEATHS LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE

In a new report, the World Health Organization (WHO)

finds that road traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for people between the ages of 10 and 24, claiming nearly 400,000 lives each year and injuring or disabling millions more.

WHO is calling for greater prevention measures, including lowering speed limits, promoting and enforcing seat-belt use, and creating safe areas for children to play.

WHO launched the report as part of the First UN Global Road Safety Week which starts Monday.

THESSALONIKI CENTRE INQUIRY ONGOING

Asked about what a reporter characterized as a stand-off between the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) and the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) concerning a report, the Spokeswoman said that the final report on the Thessaloniki Centre issued on 23 February is still part of an ongoing process between DESA and OIOS. The main focus at this point is to finalize the recommendations to be implemented by DESA, which will improve its management priorities.

Montas said that the apparent conclusion reached by the press that the two departments are at a stand-off is entirely false. Both entities consider that the audit process is a consultative one.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

UNESCO MISSION TO ASSESS CONDITIONS AT MACCHU PICHU: All next week, a mission from the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) will be in Peru, to assess the state of conservation at Macchu Pichu, one of its World Heritage sites. The mission comes amid concerns about the impact of tourism on the site, uncontrolled urban development in a nearby town, and risk preparedness in the wake of mudslides and fires in recent years.

NEW DEPUTY HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES NAMED: Mr. L. Craig Johnstone of the United States has been appointed as UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees. He succeeds Ms. Wendy Chamberlin, also from the United States, who left in December last year and he is expected to assume his duties in June.Mr. Johnstone has more than 40 years of international experience in a wide variety of relevant positions, including refugee work. He most recently served for more than five years as European Vice President and General Manager for The Boeing Company.

UNICEF WELCOMES GRAND DUCHESS OF LUXEMBOURG AS NEW CHILDRENS ADVOCATE: UNICEF today named Her Royal Highness Grand Duchess of Luxembourg Maria Teresa as an Eminent Advocate for Children in a ceremony which included the Grand Duchess, UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman and UNAIDS Executive Director Dr. Peter Piot. As a UNICEF Eminent Advocate for Children, Her Royal Highness will focus on children impacted by conflict and children who are affected by HIV and AIDS.

SPECIAL COORDINATOR DE SOTO CONTINUES TO WORK FOR U.N.: Asked about a replacement for UN Special Coordinator Alvaro de Soto, the Spokeswoman noted that de Soto continues to work for the United Nations, and a replacement would be named after his contract ends.

EXECUTIVE OFFICE APPOINTMENTS IN FINAL STAGE: Asked when appointments will be made for the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, the Spokeswoman declined to give a timetable but said that this was now the final stage of the process. She noted the large amount of applications for the posts.

U.N. REFORM DISCUSSIONS CONTINUING: Asked about calls from UN staff for reforms, the Spokeswoman said that the process of discussions between UN management and staff representatives on reforms is continuing.

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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