United Nations Daily Highlights, 08-03-17

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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

Monday, March 17, 2008

BAN KI-MOON DEPLORES TODAYS ATTACKS IN NORTHERN KOSOVO

The Secretary-General deplores the violent attacks against the UN Interim Administration in Kosovo (UNMIK) Police and Kosovo Force (KFOR) personnel that occurred earlier today in Mitrovica, Kosovo.

This violence took place in the context of an operation by UNMIK and KFOR to

re-establish control of the UNMIK court house that had been forcibly occupied by Kosovo Serb demonstrators on 14 March. The violence resulted in numerous injuries among UNMIK Police, KFOR and Kosovo Serb protestors.

The Secretary-General reaffirms that UNMIK will continue to take measures required to implement its mandate under resolution 1244 (1999). He urges all communities to exercise calm and restraint, and underlines the need for constructive dialogue in order to address the situation. The Secretary-General expects all sides to refrain from any actions or statements that could incite or provoke further violence.

Meanwhile, on the ground, the Secretary-Generals Principal Deputy Special Representative in Kosovo, Larry Rossin, also

condemned todays violence, including direct fire, by a mob at the Mitrovica Courthouse, calling it a flagrant breach of Security Council resolution 1244.

As a temporary measure, UN police from north Mitrovica are redeploying outside of the city while KFOR reasserts its control over the Courthouse.

According to UNMIK, tensions have been significantly reduced, and the overall situation is calm. Thirty-eight members of UNMIKs police were wounded today, two seriously. The wounds were mostly from grenade fragments, although guns were also fired at UNMIK police and KFOR.

Asked why UNMIK intervened in Mitrovica, the Spokeswoman said that UNMIK undertook this action in close coordination with KFOR after due consideration and having carefully assessed the situation as it developed.

The action was a response to the illegal and forceful occupation by tens of protesters of the UNMIK courthouse in northern Mitrovica, Montas said. This occupation was a clear and direct challenge to UNMIKs exercise of its mandate in Kosovo.

It follows other actions that have constituted a challenge to UNMIKs mandated authority, she noted, such as the destruction of two customs facilities and attempts to seize UNMIK railway assets in northern Kosovo.

Montas added that it is deplorable that UNMIK Police and KFOR personnel were attacked and regrettable that this led to numerous injuries among UNMIK Police, KFOR and among the local Kosovo Serbs.

Asked about the current situation at the Mitrovica courthouse, the Spokeswoman said that KFOR continued to occupy the courthouse.

SECURITY COUNCIL BRIEFED ON IRAN SANCTIONS COMMITTEE

The Security Council this morning heard a briefing, in an open meeting, from Ambassador Johan Verbeke of Belgium concerning the sanctions committee dealing with Iran, which he chairs.

After that, Council members held consultations to discuss the programme of work for March, as well as possible Security Council missions over the coming months.

Council members are also holding their monthly luncheon with the Secretary-General today.

CONSULTATIONS ON DARFUR START IN GENEVA

The UN and African Union special envoys for

Darfur, Jan Eliasson and Salim Ahmed Salim, are holding informal consultations with regional partners and international observers in Geneva today and tomorrow.

The Geneva consultations are expected to offer an opportunity to review the political process in Darfur in light of the security situation and delays in plans to hold substantive talks among Darfur rebels and the Government of Sudan.

Asked whether Ban Ki-moon was considering the idea of having former Secretary-General Kofi Annan mediate the Darfur dispute, the Spokeswoman said she was unaware of any formal contact with Kofi Annan about any mediation role on Darfur.

FOURTH ROUND OF WESTERN SAHARA TALKS UNDERWAY

The fourth round of talks on Western Sahara got underway this morning in Manhasset, under the auspices of the Secretary-General's Personal Envoy, Peter van Walsum, and with the participation, in the opening session, of Morocco, the Frente Polisario and the neighbouring countries, Algeria and Mauritania. This round is scheduled to conclude tomorrow.

The talks are taking place, as before, in the framework of Security Council resolutions 1754 (2007) and 1783 (2007).

Asked about the Secretary-Generals expectations for the latest round of talks, the Spokeswoman said that he is in observation mode. She said that he would be briefed by van Walsum once the talks have ended, as they are scheduled to do on Tuesday.

U.N. REPORT FINDS DECLINE IN VIOLENT ATTACKS IN IRAQ

The UN Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) released its 12th human rights

report on Iraq over the weekend, which recognizes that the last three months of 2007 were characterized by a marked decrease in violent attacks involving mass casualties, including suicide attacks and car bombings.

UNAMI cautions that, as security improved in parts of Baghdad and other locations, it deteriorated elsewhere, with heightened activity by insurgent groups and others in governorates such as Mosul and Diyala.

The report welcomes measures taken by the Government of Iraq and the judicial authorities to improve the handling of detainees, including efforts to ensure more effective judicial oversight and alleviate overcrowding.

However, UNAMIs long-standing concerns with respect to due process rights of detainees within the legal framework adopted by the multinational force remained unaddressed, and large numbers of juvenile detainees remain in the custody of the multinational force.

LEBANON: U.N. ENVOY MEETS WITH KING OF SAUDI ARABIA

Terje Roed-Larsen, the Secretary-Generals Special Envoy dealing with the Implementation of

Resolution 1559, concerning Lebanon, met yesterday in Riyadh with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to discuss the situation in Lebanon. On Saturday, he met with Saudi Foreign Minister Saud El-Faisal in Paris.

The Secretary-General has dispatched Roed-Larsen to several capitals to conduct a series of consultations, as part of the preparation of the Secretary-Generals upcoming report to the Security Council on the implementation of resolution 1559 (which is due on 21 April).

Asked why Roed-Larsen was discussing Lebanon with leaders outside the country when resolution 1559 prohibits foreign interference in Lebanon, Montas said that his discussions concerning the country do not imply any interference in its sovereign affairs.

Asked how the Secretary-General could justify meeting with Samir Geagea this afternoon, the Spokeswoman said that the Secretary-General has been meeting with all leaders across the spectrum in Lebanon on the countrys constitutional crisis and will continue to do so.

WORLDS GLACIERS CONTINUE TO MELT AT ALARMING RATE

The worlds glaciers are continuing to melt at record speed, according to the latest

figures from the UN Environment Programme-supported World Glacier Monitoring Service. The Service looked at nearly 30 reference glaciers in nine mountain ranges; it found that the average rate of melting and thinning more than doubled during 2005-2006, compared with one year earlier.

Some of the most dramatic shrinking has taken place in Europe, with one glacier in Norway thinning at almost 10 times its previous rate. If the current trend continues, the report warns, rivers that cross northern India, such as the Indus and the Brahmaputra, could soon become seasonal rivers.

Meanwhile, 40 percent of southern Californias water supply is likely to be vulnerable by the 2020s, and most of Latin Americas tropical glaciers could be gone within two decades.

PROGRESS IN CONTROLLING TUBERCULOSIS SLOWED IN 2006

In its latest report on tuberculosis (TB), the World Health Organization (WHO) finds that progress in tuberculosis control actually slowed slightly in 2006, the most recent year for which data were available. While the average rate at which new TB cases were detected increased by six per cent per year between 2001 and 2005, between 2005 and 2006 that rate of increase was cut in half, to three per cent.

The reason for this slowdown is that some national programmes were unable to maintain the rapid strides they had made during the earlier period, with most African countries showing no increase in the detection of TB cases through national programmes, WHO says.

The report also highlights two aspects of the epidemic that could further slow progress on TB: the fact that multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) last month reached the highest levels ever recorded and the lethal combination of TB and HIV, which is fuelling the TB epidemic in many parts of the world, especially Africa, WHO says.

The report also documents a shortage in funding, which is expected to remain flat in 2008 in almost all of the countries most heavily burdened by the disease.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

GREECE/FYROM TALKS MAY CONTINUE NEXT WEEK IN NEW YORK: The Secretary-Generals Personal Envoy for Greece and The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Matthew Nimetz, held intensified negotiations in Vienna today on the name issue. Present at the meeting were the two sides primary negotiators on this topic: Ambassador Nikola Dimitrov of The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Ambassador Adamantios Vassilakis of Greece. Nimetz focused attention on the possible solutions that might reasonably be concluded in a short timeframe, and asked the parties to get back to him. If there are possibilities for movement, further discussions will be held in New York next week, Nimetz said.

U.N. HANDS OVER REHABILITATED DISARMAMENT SITES TO CÔTE DIVOIRE: The UN Operation in Côte dIvoire handed over three rehabilitated disarmament sites to the Ivorian government this weekend in the northern town of Ferkessedougou. At an event held to mark the occasion, 118 former rebel fighters surrendered their weapons and formally joined the reintegration process ahead of general elections. The Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Georg Charpentier, represented the United Nations at the weekend handover of the disarmament sites.

U.N. DISTRIBUTES MOBILE TERMINALS IN ZAMBIA TO HELP IN FLOOD RELIEF EFFORTS: The International Telecommunication Union has deployed 25 satellite terminals to Zambia to help restore vital communication links there in the aftermath of severe floods. The mobile terminals have already eased the coordination of relief operations by Government and humanitarian agencies, as they work to help flood survivors.

UNESCO CONFERENCE ON RETURN OF CULTURAL PROPERTY OPENS IN ATHENS: A two-day international conference on the Return of Cultural Property to its Country of Origin

opened earlier today in Athens under UNESCO and Greek government sponsorship. The event brings together lawyers, museum professionals, archaeologists, academics and cultural property experts.

SEARCH HAS BEGUN FOR NEW HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONER: Asked about the search to find a successor to High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour once she leaves that office this summer, the Spokeswoman said that the search has already begun.

ONLY STATES, NOT THE U.N., CAN RECOGNIZE OTHER STATES: Asked about UN policy concerning recognition for Tibet or Kosovo, the Spokeswoman reiterated that the United Nations does not recognize States; rather, it is individual States who decide whether or not to grant recognition.

SECRETARY-GENERAL PLANS TO ISSUE STATEMENT MARKING MONTH OF LA FRANCOPHONIE: Asked whether the Secretary-General would give a statement for the month of la Francophonie, the Spokeswoman said that the Secretary-General is scheduled to meet with the Secretary-General of the Francophonie, Abdou Diouf, on 28 March.

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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