United Nations Daily Highlights, 01-04-12

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From: The United Nations Home Page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.org

FROM THE NOON BRIEFING

BY FRED ECKHARD

SPOKESMAN OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Thursday, April 12, 2001

April 13 is Good Friday, and UN Headquarters will be closed. The briefing will resume Monday, April 16.

ANNAN TO ADDRESS AFRICAN HIV/AIDS CONFERENCE IN NIGERIA

Secretary-General Kofi Annan will be in Abuja, Nigeria on April 26 and 27 to address the African Summit on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Other Related Infectious Diseases.

The summit, organized by the Organization of African Unity and the Nigerian Government, will be attended by African heads of State, heads of UN agencies and representatives from the private sector.

SECURITY COUNCIL BRIEFED ON AFGHANISTAN, BURUNDI AND ECOWAS SUMMIT

The Security Council met in closed consultations this morning on Afghanistan and Burundi.

On the first item, Afghanistan, Council members were briefed by John Renninger, Director of the Asia-Pacific Division of the Department of Political Affairs.

Kieran Prendergast, Under Secretary General for Political Affairs, briefed council members on recent political developments, and the security and humanitarian situation in Burundi.

Council members were briefed by the Mali delegation on the recent summit of the Economic Community of West African States held in Abuja, Nigeria.

UN KOSOVO CHIEF CONDEMNS DEATH OF RUSSIAN SOLDIER

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Kosovo Hans Haekkerup joins KFOR in its condemnation of the death of a Russian soldier yesterday afternoon.

KFOR said that the Russian soldier came under small arms fire from unknown attackers while conducting a boundary-marking operation along the Kosovo-Serbian boundary northwest of the Kosovo village of Zuja.

KFOR said today that the Russian solider was the first KFOR solider to be deliberately targeted and killed as a direct result of hostile action.

SIERRA LEONE REBEL LEADER MEETS WITH UN FORCE COMMANDER

The Force Commander for the UN mission in Sierra Leone ( UNAMSIL) Lieutenant-General Daniel Opande went to the north-central town of Makeni today to meet with the interim leader of the Revolutionary United Front, Gen. Issa Sesay.

They will be discussing the upcoming deployments to Makeni and Magburaka, as part of the United Nations operation to deploy into RUF-controlled areas.

DEPUTY PROSECUTOR OF RWANDA TRIBUNAL WILL LEAVE IN MAY

The Deputy Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda ( ICTR), Bernard Muna, has decided not to renew his current one-year contract when it expires on May 21.

Muna told Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte, who is visiting the Tribunal's Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania, that he does not intend to extend his tenure as Deputy Prosecutor, which has lasted for four years. Del Ponte is beginning a search for his successor who will be appointed by the Secretary-General on the her recommendation.

Del Ponte's visit to Arusha, which is to last until the end of the week, includes working-level meetings with Tribunal officials, and follows a visit to Rwanda, where she met on Monday in Kigali with Rwandan President Paul Kagame. Kagame and other senior Rwandan officials reiterated their commitment, made last December, to cooperate with the Tribunal and assist its investigations, including those of members of the former Rwandese Patriotic Front (RPF), the rebel movement which took control of the country in the summer of 1994.

No RPF officials have been indicted by the Prosecutor, although Del Ponte is proceeding with investigations into allegations that some RPF members may have committed atrocities in Rwanda in 1994.

Asked by a reporter as to the reason given by the Deputy Prosecutor for not seeking a renewal of his contract, the Spokesman said no reason had been mentioned.

HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION: AUSTRALIA INVITES UN INVESTIGATOR

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights ( OHCHR) announced that the Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Racism, Racial Discrimination and Xenophobia, Maurice Glele-Ahanhanzo, will visit Australia at the invitation of the government from 22 April to 10 May 2001.

Wednesday a draft resolution on the Situation of Human Rights in China was introduced in the Commission on Human Rights, currently meeting in Geneva, by the United States and this morning a draft resolution introduced and co-sponsored by Norway, New Zealand, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Canada on the situation in Chechnya.

Also this morning, Iraqs Foreign Minister Mohamed Saed Al-Sahaf addressed the commission.

Asked about the possible linkage between the U.S.-sponsored resolution on China and the plane incident, the Spokesman said he was not aware of any linkage between the two, adding that journalists should contact the U.S. authorities for more information on the resolution.

REPORT: ANNAN SAYS PARTY FAILED TO RESOLVE PREVLAKA ISSUE

The latest report of the Secretary-General of the UN Mission of Observers in Prevlaka ( UNMOP) has gone to the Security Council.

In it, the Secretary-General notes that the Prevlaka peninsula, which is located between Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, remains calm. However, he says, "despite positive indications at the beginning of the year, the parties unfortunately did not take advantage of the prevailing calm to move towards a political settlement of their dispute."

He urged the parties to resume their discussions, and said he intends to explore ways of moving the political process forward before the UN Mission's present mandate expires on July 15.

SECRETARY-GENERAL SALUTES ANNIVERSARY OF FIRST SPACE FLIGHT

The Secretary-General has issued a message to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's flight and the twentieth anniversary of the launch of the first United States space shuttle today.

In his message, the Secretary-General notes that "outer space was once seen as a potential source of conflicts. But happily, it has become a source of cooperation." He says that many scientific achievements in outer space were possible because scientists from different countries worked together, and discusses the many ways that the exploration of outer space has revolutionized life on Earth.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

Asked if peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo could be achieved without taking into account the security concerns of Uganda and Rwanda especially concerning the Interhamwe militia, the Spokesman answered that UN officials dealing with this problem are well aware of those concerns and that they are part of the larger issues that are being addressed.

New recommendations were issued jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization ( FAO) and the World Health Organization ( WHO) on the testing of Genetically Modified Organisms. The recommendations aim to protect consumers who suffer from food allergies by making available more information on the ways genetically modified foods can affect those allergies.

Asked if, in light of Wednesdays statement, the Secretary-General was seeking to play a greater role in the Middle East negotiations, the Spokesman said that all the Secretary-General had at this point is the bully pulpit which he is using as best he can. The Spokesman added the Secretary-General did not envisage a greater role for himself but that he would continue to continue to work quietly to encourage both sides to reduce tensions, beyond the recent meeting of the US sponsored security meetings.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Saturday, April 14

The National College Model UN will be held at UN Headquarters.

Sunday, April 15

The Committee on the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People will mark the end of the historic celebration in Bethlehem.

Monday, April 16

The report to the Security Council of the special panel on the exploitation of natural resources in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is expected.

The Secretary-General's latest report on the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo ( MONUC) is also expected early this week.

The guest at the noon briefing will be Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Kenzo Oshima, who will discuss his recent trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Starting Monday evening, Oshima will go on a trip, through April 21, during which he will visit the Chernobyl Conference in Kiev, Ukraine, and meet with European Commission, NATO, and Belgian Government officials in Brussels.

Deputy UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Caroline McAskie will begin a visit to Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, to survey coordination arrangements, and review the crisis in the sub-region.

The Commission on Sustainable Development will begin its session at UN Headquarters.

The Center for International Crime Prevention's Global Programme against Transnational Organized Crime will hold consultations in Mexico with the Attorney General and other Mexican officials of Mexico on the provision of technical assistance in combating organized crime, in meetings lasting through Wednesday.

Tuesday, April 17

The Security Council has scheduled consultations on the protection of civilians in armed conflicts.

The Secretary-General's report to the Security Council on missing Kuwaiti and third country nationals in Iraq is expected in the early part of the week.

Wednesday, April 18

The Security Council intends to hold consultations on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including a discussion of the Secretary-General's report.

A group of governmental experts will begin a three-day session in New York to prepare a UN study on disarmament and non-proliferation education.

At 11:00 a.m., Joke Waller-Hunter, Environment Director of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), will hold a press conference to discuss the OECD's "Environmental Outlook," a 20-year projection of OECD environmental problems.

From 1:15 to 2:45 p.m., there will be a panel discussion on renewable energy technologies and sustainable development, co-chaired by Mohamed El-Ashry, Chairman of the Global Environment Facility, and Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Nitin Desai.

On behalf of the European Union, Kjell Larsson, the Swedish Minister for the Environment, will hold a press conference at 3:00 p.m. on the agenda of the Ninth Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development as well as on the UN Environment Programme's (UNEP) ministerial meeting on International Environmental Governance.

At 4:00 p.m., Dominique Voynet, Environment Minister of France, will hold a press conference.

Thursday, April 19

The Security Council expects to discuss in closed consultations the situation of Kuwaiti and third country nationals missing since the Gulf War, and also deal with the monitoring mechanism for sanctions against the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA).

Earth Day will be observed at the UN Headquarters at an event co-hosted by the Earth Day Network and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). Island nations, including St. Lucia, Grenada, Maldives, Kiribati and Cook Islands, will discuss their recent work with five international non-governmental organizations to execute sustainable energy plans in their countries.

Jean Marie Guéhenno, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, will travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to visit the UN Mission there and learn firsthand how the deployment of UN personnel is proceeding. He will leave the region on April 28, returning to Headquarters on April 30.

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Gro Harlem Brundtland will receive an award from the UN Association of the United States (UNA-USA) in New York.

Friday, April 20

The Secretary-General expects to make remarks at a memorial mass in honor of the late President Julius Nyerere of Tanzania.

The Security Council expects to hold consultations on the report of the special panel on the exploitation of natural resources in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

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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