United Nations Daily Highlights, 08-03-04

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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

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

BAN KI-MOON DEEPLY SADDENED BY NEPAL HELICOPTER CRASH

The Secretary-General is deeply saddened at the tragic death of seven members of the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN), as well as three crew members, in the helicopter crash that occurred in a mountainous area east of Kathmandu on Monday. The helicopter was returning to the capital from the Maoist cantonment site at Sindhuli when it lost contact. The victims include four arms monitors from Gambia, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea and Sweden, as well as three national staff from Nepal and the three-member crew from Russia and Belarus.

These colleagues lost their lives while serving the United Nations and the cause of peace in Nepal. The Secretary-General extends his heartfelt condolences to the families and the governments of those colleagues.

The Secretary-General also expresses his appreciation to the Nepali authorities for their assistance provided to UNMIN in recovering the remains of the victims, and for the many expressions of sympathy the mission has received from people in Nepal

Meanwhile, an UNMIN team is now at the accident site. The investigation is primarily a matter for Nepals Civil Aviation Authority, with the participation of UNMIN and the aircraft company.

UNMIN is in the process of recovering the remains of the deceased so that they can be returned to Kathmandu at the earliest opportunity, and will make all necessary arrangements to ensure that the wishes of the families in this matter are facilitated.

Asked whether there were any unidentified bodies, the Spokeswoman said that all bodies had been identified. Asked about the nationality of the dead helicopter crew members, she later said that two were Russian and one was Belarusian. Asked about the number of aviation deaths by such incidents in recent years, she later said that, according to the Department of Safety and Security, there have been 13 aviation incidents, resulting in the death of 35 staff members, from 1998 until the end of 2007. 30 staff members have been the victims of accidents and 5 staff members have died in incidents resulting from their aircraft being shot down.

She also explained that UNMIN is a political mission managed by the Department of Political Affairs which includes unarmed military observers, whose role is to monitor arms and Maoist personnel in cantonment sites in the countryside. They do not carry weapons.

SECRETARY-GENERAL URGES KENYAN LEADERS TO IMPLEMENT LAST WEEKS AGREEMENT, PRAISES KOFI ANNANS EFFORTS

The Secretary-General is on his way back to New York after wrapping up his visit to Geneva.

Before departing, he met with former Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who had just returned from his mediation efforts in Kenya, which ended two months of post-election conflict in the country. During a photo opportunity after the meeting, the Secretary-General urged Kenya's Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga to faithfully implement the agreement reached last week.

The Secretary-General praised Annans leadership, saying, His role has brought not only peace and stability in Kenya but also the whole region. He added that the United Nations will continue to be engaged in the process.

The Secretary-General also held meetings this morning with Louise Arbour, High Commissioner for Human Rights, and her deputy, Kyung-Wha Kang; Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization; and Sahana Pradham, Foreign Minister of Nepal.

U.N. OFFICE IN MIDDLE EAST GETS NEW DEPUTY CHIEF

The Secretary-General is today appointing Maxwell Gaylard of Australia as Deputy Special Coordinator for the

Middle East Peace Process. In this capacity, Gaylard will also serve as United Nations coordinator for humanitarian and development activities in the occupied Palestinian territory.

In related news, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) reports that it is still concerned by fuel shortages in Gaza. According to UNRWA, 30 out of 87 ambulances run by the Ministry of Health and the Red Crescent in the Gaza Strip have been unable to function because of the lack of fuel.

In addition, all 140 water wells in the Gaza Strip have now run out of fuel, leaving all Gazans with intermittent water supply at best.

UNRWA adds that four of its schools in Gaza and Rafah have sustained damage as a result of Israeli operations in the area.

Meanwhile, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy, has expressed her profound concern about the upsurge in violence in Gaza and southern Israel.

She also said she was worried that several hundred school children from 20 schools took part Monday in a Hezbollah-organized demonstration outside UN headquarters in Beirut.

Coomaraswamy said she was concerned by the participation of children in political activities, which can expose them to further violence and insecurity.

In response to questions, the Spokeswoman noted that the United Nations regards Gaza as part of the occupied Palestinian territory.

SECURITY COUNCIL IMPOSES ADDITIONAL SANCTIONS ON IRAN

The Security Council, in consultations this morning, approved its programme of work for the month of March.

The new Council President, Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, today addressed the press about the Councils work in the month ahead. Among other things, he noted that he received yesterday a letter from the Permanent Representative of Ecuador, which has been issued as a document of the Security Council.

Meanwhile, the Security Council on Monday afternoon voted in favour of a resolution imposing additional sanctions against Iran, including the inspection of cargo suspected of carrying prohibited goods, the tighter monitoring of financial institutions and the extension of travel bans and asset freezes.

Fourteen Council members voted in favour of the resolution, which voiced concern at the proliferation risks presented by the Iranian nuclear programme, while Indonesia abstained.

Under the resolution, International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei has been asked to report within 90 days on whether Iran has fully suspended uranium enrichment activities, in line with a previous Council demand.

Asked about Israels nuclear programme, the Spokeswoman said that is a matter that is handled by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

U.N. POLICE PATROLS AREAS OF NORTH DARFUR TO BUILD TRUST

In an effort to strengthen cooperation and trust between the United Nations and the local police and population in Darfur, the UN Police working for the African Union/United Nations Hybrid operation in Darfur (UNAMID) conducted the first confidence-building patrol in areas controlled by the Minni Minawi faction of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) in North Darfur.

The safety of the citizens of Darfur is a priority for UNAMID, said UNAMID Police Commissioner Michael Fryer. But curbing crime also involves the full cooperation of the entire community, he added.

There are currently over 1,600 police officers, including 252 female officers, from 32 different countries serving with UNAMID.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), meanwhile, says it is continuing to provide emergency aid to small groups of Sudanese refugees from West Darfur who are arriving in eastern Chad.

Some 13,000 Sudanese refugees have arrived in eastern Chad since February 8, fleeing aerial bombing and ground attacks in West Darfur. Over the weekend, UNHCR teams at the border distributed emergency kits including blankets to refugees, as most have been sheltering under trees for the past three weeks.

UNHCR and its partners operate 12 refugee camps in eastern Chad which host 240,000 refugees from Darfur. An additional 50,000 refugees from the Central African Republic are in three camps in southern Chad.

U.N. PEACEKEEPERS RELOCATE OUT OF ERITREA TEMPORARILY

A first group of 50 UN peacekeepers have relocated out of Eritrea today on a UN flight from Asmara. The peacekeepers, from the Jordanian Battalion, are now en route to Amman.

The UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) notes that the relocation is only temporary while it waits for the Security Council to decide on the future of this peacekeeping operation.

REPORT: LEBANON STILL GRIPPED BY INTENSE POLITICAL CRISIS

The Secretary-General, in his new report on the implementation of resolution 1701, concerning Lebanon, says that both the Lebanese and Israeli Governments have continued their commitment to implementing that resolution.

At the same time, however, Lebanon has remained in the grip of an intense political crisis which has impeded the normal functioning of the legitimate constitutional institutions. And he warned that the continuation of targeted assassinations has added to tensions throughout the country.

The Secretary-General says that Israel maintains that Hezbollah is significantly rebuilding its military presence and capacity, inside the area of operations of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). But to date, UNIFIL has found no evidence of new military infrastructure in its area of operations, he adds.

The Secretary-General says that he intends to dispatch a team to Lebanon to carry out an assessment of the implementation of the recommendations of the Lebanon Independent Border Assessment Team. It is clear that significant challenges remain to be addressed in effective border management. The report also highlights the Secretary-Generals concern at Israels continuing air violations.

U.N. MISSION REASSERTS CONTROL OVER NORTH KOSOVO TRAIN LINE

The UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) reports that it today reasserted control of the rail line between Zvecan and Leshak in the north of Kosovo.

The Secretary-Generals Special Representative in Kosovo, Joachim Rücker, said that todays successful intervention by UNMIK Border Police reversed the challenge to UNMIKs authority that occurred Monday when Serbian Railways illegally sent two of its trains south of Leshak.

According to Rücker, UNMIK and its partners will continue to meet any challenges to law and order throughout Kosovo.

Asked whether the Secretary-General considers Kosovos declaration of independence as illegal, the Spokeswoman reiterated that the United Nations does not recognize States; rather, it is a matter for individual States to consider. She noted that resolution 1244 remains in effect, and the UN mandate in Kosovo remains unchanged.

Asked about the Independent Steering Group on Kosovo, Montas said it is not a UN group.

U.N. TRUCKS WATER, FOOD TO DROUGHT-HIT SOMALIS

Some 850,000 Somalis in the countrys central regions are suffering the consequences of a prolonged

drought that is threatening livestock and the livelihoods of pastoralists. That is according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which noted that the affected population includes some 170,000 internally displaced people.

OCHA says that high rates of acute malnutrition are surpassing the emergency threshold among the affected Somalis. It is feared that continued water scarcity could lead to outbreaks of disease, so the UN and its humanitarian partners are trucking in water and repairing boreholes. In addition, 4,300 tonnes of food was handed out to some 230,000 people.

Near the Kenyan border, however, an outbreak of acute diarrhea has claimed three lives to date, out of 700 identified cases.

U.N. HELPS DISASTER SURVIVORS IN ECUADOR, MADAGASCAR

The UN is rushing humanitarian assistance to

Ecuador, where some 100,000 people need immediate assistance following recent flooding.

The UN system is providing food, shelter, water, sanitation and other services. And the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has approved a $50,000 grant for the purchase of immediate relief supplies, logistical support and coordination.

Meanwhile, the international humanitarian community has launched a flash appeal for more than $30 million to support the Government of

Madagascar in providing relief to nearly 240,000 people who lost their homes, crops and belongings in two tropical cyclones in less than a month.

SPOKESWOMAN CLARIFIES APPOINTMENT OF ED LUCK

Asked about complaints in the General Assemblys Fifth Committee concerning the creation of a Special Adviser post, which is held by Ed Luck, the Spokeswoman said that the Chef de Cabinet, Vijay Nambiar, is answering all the questions raised in the Fifth Committee.

The appointment of Edward Luck as Special Adviser was discussed with several representative Ambassadors of the Non-Aligned Movement and other representatives of member states by senior officials of the Secretary-Generals Executive Office during recent weeks, she said.

Montas said that it was agreed that the appointment of Luck as Special Adviser would be a temporary appointment covering an interim arrangement. Any expenditure involved during this period would be incurred from voluntary resources. Asked whether he would be paid a dollar a year, she said the matter of payment was being discussed.

Luck's work will include the responsibility to protect, as set out by the General Assembly in paragraphs 138 and 139 of the 2005 World Summit Outcome document, she added.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

U.N. WELCOMES CONGOLESE FACTIONS RETURN TO PROCESS: In response to a question, the Spokeswoman said that the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) took note with satisfaction of General Laurent Nkundas factions decision to return to the process and that it has responded positively to MONUC's encouragement to continue its active participation.

SOUTH AMERICA STATEMENT ISSUED YESTERDAY: Asked about the tensions between Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela, the Spokeswoman noted that the Secretary-General had issued a statement on the matter on Monday.

Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General

United Nations, S-378

New York, NY 10017

Tel. 212-963-7162

Fax. 212-963-7055

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