United Nations Daily Highlights, 01-04-27

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

FROM THE NOON BRIEFING

BY MARIE OKABE

ASSOCIATE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Friday, April 27, 2001

ANNAN DISTRESSED BY MURDER OF ICRC WORKERS IN DRC

Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in a statement, expressed his distress at the brutal murders Thursday of six humanitarian workers of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), some 40 miles north of Bunia. The four national and two international ICRC staff were on their way to deliver medicines to a health center in the area.

This tragic incident underscores the dangers facing relief organizations, whose operating principles of humanity, neutrality and impartiality are once again being so willfully flouted, according to the statement.

The Secretary-General extended his deepest condolences to the ICRC and to the families of the victims and reiterated his appeal to all parties to ensure full and secure access to vulnerable populations. He also called upon the responsible authorities to investigate the attack and bring those responsible to justice.

SECURITY COUNCIL VOTES ON SAHARA MISSION, YUGOSLAV JUDGES

The Security Council began its formal meetings today by standing for a minute of silence in memory of the Red Cross staff killed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In its consultations today, after a discussion on the panel on the exploitation of natural resources in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Council members had heard a briefing on the ambush on the Red Cross vehicle.

Before its formal meeting, the Council had discussions on the Secretary-Generals report on the UN mission in the Western Sahara (MINURSO). Afterward, it decided to move into a formal meeting, in which it voted unanimously on a resolution to extend that Mission's mandate by two months, until June 30.

The Security Council also voted unanimously to forward a list of more than 60 judges to the General Assembly, paving the way for the Assembly to elect 27 of those judges to sit on cases before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). The candidacies of the new judges, called "ad litem" judges, were forwarded to the Council by the Secretary-General earlier this week.

This morning, the Security Council began its closed consultations with a short briefing by Ibrahim Gambari, the Secretary-Generals Special Advisor on Africa, on activities by the rebel National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) in Angola's Uige province.

At the end of this morning's consultations the Council discussed its working methods and procedures for the past month, under the presidency of the United Kingdom.

COUNCIL MISSION TO TRAVEL TO GREAT LAKES REGION NEXT MONTH

The President of the Security Council, British Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock, has written to the Secretary-General giving him the agreed terms of reference for the Councils mission to the Great Lakes region of Africa.

The mission will monitor the progress made by the parties in adopting the provisions of Security Council resolution 1341, on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which urges respect for the ceasefire, cooperation with the UN Mission on the ground and the disengagement of forces to agreed positions. The mission will also encourage the parties to commit themselves to the next steps in the peace process.

In addition, in agreement with the Facilitator in the Burundi peace process, former South African President Nelson Mandela, the mission will also meet with the parties to the Arusha agreement, which concerns Burundi, to support of the peace process and the work of the Facilitator.

The mission will take place during the second half of next month.

SECRETARY-GENERAL ENDS TRIP TO AIDS SUMMIT IN ABUJA

The Secretary-General is wrapping up his trip to Abuja, Nigeria, as the African Summit on AIDS, Tuberculosis and Other Infectious Diseases concluded today with the signing of a declaration by the African heads of state gathered for the meeting, calling for an expanded effort to combat AIDS.

The Secretary-General this morning had internal meetings and also met with non-governmental organizations actively involved in dealing with AIDS issues. He then went briefly to Lagos, where he had a private visit and also met with UN personnel working there.

On Thursday, following his address to the Summit, the Secretary-General told reporters at a press conference he gave that, although AIDS is not only an African problem, "If we do not win here in Africa, we are not going to win it anywhere else."

On the issue of drug pricing, he said it was important to make medication to treat AIDS available to poor countries while at the same time improving health systems and dealing with prevention and education. He said that "we will see, in my judgment, a much more understanding application of agreements and acceptance that generic medication can be produced where it is going to save lives."

The Secretary-General is departing Abuja this evening, and will be arriving in New York Saturday. At 4 p.m. Saturday at his residence in New York, the Secretary-General will be meeting with Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri of Lebanon.

ANNAN APPEALS TO COMOROS PARTIES TO RESPECT AGREEMENT

The Secretary-General, in a statement, voiced his concern at the decision of the Anjouanese Party to suspend its participation in the follow-up mechanism put in place by the Framework Agreement for Reconciliation, which was signed on February 17. He called on the party to reconsider its decision, and appealed to all the parties in the Comoros to adhere to all the provisions of the Agreement and to comply with its implementation timetable.

The Secretary-General commends the Organization of African Unity and its partners for their efforts, and reiterated the readiness of the United Nations to contribute to the reconstruction of the Comoros and the promotion of its democratic institutions, including assistance for the forthcoming elections.

TRIBUNAL CHARGES RWANDAN BISHOP WITH GENOCIDE

An Anglican bishop who had worked in the Rwandan prefecture of Gitarama has been charged by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) with four counts of genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide and crimes against humanity, one day after he was arrested in Nairobi.

Samuel Musabyimana was transferred Thursday by the Kenyan authorities to the Rwanda Tribunal's detention facilities in Arusha, Tanzania. Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte expressed her satisfaction with the arrest, and the Tribunal's registrar, Adama Dieng, said that Kenya's cooperation bodes well for the Tribunal's work.

The indictment accuses Musabyimana of stating publicly in May 1994 that the end had arrived for the Tutsi minority, and alleges that he paid militias who carried out killings of Tutsis who had taken refuge in Gitarama.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

Asked about whether there would be any press availability after the Secretary-General's scheduled meeting on Monday afternoon with Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, the Spokesman said that a press conference with Peres would probably take place toward the end of the working day.

Mary Robinson, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, addressed the closing meeting of the 57th session of the UN Commission of Human Rights in Geneva this morning. She said that the debate in the Commission on the Occupied Palestinian Territories had achieved a greater measure of agreement on some key issues than had proved possible at last November's special session.

The registration of political parties that are to participate in the elections for East Timor's Constituent Assembly on August 30 will take place between May 7 and June 24, the UN Mission in East Timor announced. Registered parties can create coalitions of two or more parties in order to submit a common list of candidates.

Dennis McNamara, Special Coordinator for Internal Displacement said today that the biggest concern in Afghanistan was "to respond to the immediate basic needs of the displaced while ensuring assistance is also provided to the impoverished population who remain in their villages." McNamara briefed reporters in Geneva today on a seven-member mission to Afghanistan, which concluded on Wednesday.

Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), welcomed the decision by the Commission on Human Rights to recognize that everyone has a right to live in a world free from toxic pollution and environmental degradation. He said that the successful implementation of international environmental treaties could make a major contribution to protecting human rights.

The Regional Symposium on Children, which concluded today, urged Arab countries to reinforce policies ensuring childrens development and welfare. The symposium, organized by the UN Childrens Fund ( UNICEF), the Economic Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) and the League of Arab States, concluded today in Beirut.

The World Food Programme (WFP) today launched a $3 million dollar appeal to provide emergency food aid for 738,000 drought victims in Eritrea. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said it was launching an information campaign to pave the way for the repatriation of Eritrean refugees in eastern Sudan.

This morning, Gabon became the 50th country to sign the Tampere Convention on the Provision of Telecommunication Resources for Disaster Mitigation and Relief Operations.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Saturday, April 28

At 4 p.m. at his residence in New York, the Secretary-General will be meeting with Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri of Lebanon.

Sunday, April 29

Monday, April 30

The Secretary-General will travel to Philadelphia to address the Council on Foundations, which comprises some 2000 UN-based foundations. He will ask Council members to join a coalition of Governments, non-governmental organizations and the private sector to launch a worldwide response to the HIV/AIDS crisis at the Special Session of the General Assembly this June.

At 5:30 p.m. at UN Headquarters, the Secretary-General will meet with Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres.

The Security Council is expected to meet with members of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to discuss coordination of conflict management, including the complementary roles of the Security Council and ECOSOC. The public meeting will include speeches from Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette and UN Development Programme Administrator Mark Malloch Brown.

During the early part of the week, the Security Council will receive several reports from the Secretary-General. These include reports on Georgia, Liberia, Lebanon and East Timor. Also, the report of the working group on peacekeeping operations is expected this week.

Danuta Hübner, the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Europe, will speak on the Secretary-General's behalf at the Conference on Environment and Sustainable Development in the Danube Region.

At 1:00 p.m., Nitin Desai, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, will hold a press conference on the World Summit on Sustainable Development, which will be held in the fall of 2002 in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Committee on Sustainable Development will hold preparatory meetings through Wednesday for the World Summit on Sustainable Development.

In Geneva, the second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body on the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control will take place through the week.

In Geneva, the Committee against Torture will begin its 26th session.

Tuesday, May 1

The Secretary-General will address a high-level meeting between the Economic and Social Council and the Bretton Woods Institutions, at which senior officials from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund will be present. Following the ECOSOC special high-level meeting with the Bretton Woods institutions, Martin Belinga-Eboutou, President of ECOSOC, and others, will hold a press conference at 2:45 p.m. to discuss development financing, official development assistance, debt, and the prevention of financial crises.

U.S. Ambassador James Cunningham will take over from British Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock as President of the Security Council. The month will begin with bilateral discussions with Council members on the Council's program of work for May.

At 11:00 a.m., the NGO Steering Committee for the Commission on Sustainable Development will hold a press conference to discuss issues before the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, particularly the effect of international trade and globalization on the environment.

The Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions will begin a new session.

Wednesday, May 2

At 11:00 a.m., the Permanent Mission of Brazil is sponsoring a press conference by Dr. Paulo Roberto Teixeira, Director General of the Brazilian program for HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. He will discuss Brazil's national strategies and programs to deal with HIV/AIDS.

Deputy UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Carolyn McAskie will be the guest at the noon briefing, to discuss her recent visit to Sierra Leone.

Thursday, May 3

The Secretary-General, High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson and UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Director-General Koichiro Matsuura will issue a joint message to commemorate World Press Freedom Day. The Secretary-General will also address an event to mark the Day, and his Special Adviser on Africa, Ibrahim Gambari, will speak on his behalf at a World Press Freedom Day event in Windhoek, Namibia.

At 11:00 a.m., Ambassador Anwarul Chowdhury of Bangladesh and Khalil Rahman of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) will hold a press conference on the Third UN Conference on Least Developed Countries which is scheduled to take place in Brussels on May 14-20.

Friday, May 4

At 11:15 a.m., the Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the UN Children's Fund will hold a press conference to discuss the Policy Network on Youth Employment set up by the Secretary-General and the upcoming General Assembly Special Session on children.