United Nations Daily Highlights, 01-04-30

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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

Monday, April 30, 2001

ANNAN URGES PRIVATE FOUNDATIONS TO JOIN EFFORTS FOR AIDS FUND

Secretary-General Kofi Annan and his wife, Nane Annan, traveled this morning to Philadelphia, where they are currently attending a luncheon hosted by Dorothy Ridings, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Council on Foundations, which brings together some 2,000 U.S.-based foundations.

The Secretary-General delivered an address to the Council's annual conference, in which he emphasized the importance of providing resources to a global fund dedicated to the battle against HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases. In Abuja, Nigeria, last week, the Secretary-General told a summit of African leaders that, at a minimum, an additional seven billion to ten billion dollars needs to be spent each year in the struggle against AIDS.

In his speech today, he urged private foundations to increase and multiply their own contributions to deal with the AIDS crisis, and to encourage their participation in the General Assembly's Special Session on HIV/AIDS, which is to take place in New York next month.

After he delivered the speech, the Secretary-General held a brief encounter with the press in Philadelphia. He is expected back in New York this afternoon in time for his meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres.

Asked about whether Peres would be available to the press, the Spokesman said he was expected to hold a press briefing following his meeting with the Secretary-General, at around 6 p.m. today.

AFTER HARIRI MEETING, ANNAN COMMENTS ON FUTURE OF LEBANON MISSION

On Saturday afternoon, the Secretary-General met with Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri at the Secretary-General's residence on Sutton Place.

Following the meeting, which lasted for one hour, the Secretary-General told reporters, in response to media speculation on the future of the UN peacekeeping presence in Lebanon, that "we are not withdrawing. We are restructuring and scaling down, but we will be there."

He added, "It is a question of restructuring and giving the force the mobility to do the work that it has to do. We will be much more mobile. The numbers may be smaller, but we will be there and actively engaged."

The Secretary-General's latest report on the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) interim report is expected to be issued much later today or on Tuesday.

UN EXPECTS CONTINUED COMPLIANCE BY UGANDA TO PEACE AGREEMENT

In response to a question, the Spokesman noted the statement attributed to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on Uganda's withdrawal from the Lusaka Peace Agreement concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but added that the United Nations has not received anything officially from the Ugandan Government confirming that statement.

She noted that the Ugandan Government continues to be in compliance with the Lusaka Cease-fire Agreement and the Harare disengagement plans, and expect that it will remain in compliance.

The United Nations sees no connection between compliance with the Lusaka Agreement and the Harare Plan on the one hand, and statements made in the report of the expert panel on the illegal exploitation of natural resources on the other, she said.. The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo will keep this situation under review and recommend on action to be taken, if any.

ANNAN NOTES EXIT STRATEGIES FOR UN PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS

In a report issued today, the Secretary-General follows up on last November's debate in the Security Council on how to deal with ending UN peacekeeping operations, and notes that sometimes, persevering with a UN presence under adverse circumstances might be the "least bad" option.

At other times, he says, "a peacekeeping operation is the wrong instrument if the parties are bent on war and its presence may become a hindrance to conflict resolution."

The report studies the exit strategies that UN peacekeepers have pursued in relative successes, like El Salvador and Mozambique; failures, like Angola and Somalia; and partial successes, like Haiti.

One critical hindrance the report highlights is voluntary funding of programs that support peacekeeping missions, such as demobilization and reintegration programs or boundary commissions. Although such programs are not part of the official peacekeeping operation, the success of such missions often depend on those programs, but voluntary funding for them often materializes late or not at all.

The report also includes an annex noting key questions that need to be asked in determining the formation, review and ultimate grounds for withdrawal of a peacekeeping mission.

SECRETARY-GENERAL NOTES CONTINUED VOLATILITY IN GEORGIA

In his latest report to the Security Council on the UN Observer Mission in Georgia, the Secretary-General says that the situation in the conflict zone in that country remains volatile, with 45 shooting incidents, 12 killings and nine abductions since the end of January.

The Secretary-General calls the continuing acts of violence, which have centered on the Gali District, "most distressing," and he notes the Mission's convening of a meeting on April 16 between the two sides in which they signed a protocol agreeing to verify the physical condition of all detained individuals.

The Secretary-General says that the parties' meeting on confidence-building measures in Yalta marked a step forward, and appeals to all concerned to clear the way for the start of meaningful talks to define the status of Abkhazia within the State of Georgia.

Last Tuesday, the Security Council itself focused on peace efforts on Georgia in a private meeting with the Secretary-General's Special Representative, Dieter Boden, and Georgia's Minister for Special Affairs, Malkhaz Kakabadze.

UN SOLDIERS ATTACKED IN APPARENT ROBBERY ATTEMPT IN EAST TIMOR

On Sunday in East Timor, two UN peacekeepers were attacked by three unknown assailants at a beach in Hera, just outside Dili, and one soldier was wounded when his arm was slashed by a machete. The assailants fled the scene once the other soldier drew her weapon.

The UN Mission believes that the motive for the attack may have been robbery, since the beach is an area where robberies have occurred. UN police are investigating the matter.

UNICEF, OTHERS SAY CHILDREN ABOARD SHIP WERE SLAVES

The Government of Benin, along with the UN Children's Fund ( UNICEF) country office in Benin and the non-governmental organization Terre des Hommes, today issued a press release with preliminary findings in the enquiry into the children found aboard the vessel Etireno when it docked in Cotonou, Benin, on April 17.

The 43 children and young people on board were interviewed by Terre des Hommes and five reported some sort of financial transaction between their families and an intermediary, and another eight were traveling with unknown intermediaries. The Government of Benin suspects that there was another ship with a larger number of children aboard and has appealed to the international community for assistance in confirming this.

ANNAN DELIVERS MESSAGE TO DANUBE ENVIRONMENTAL MEETING

In Bucharest, Romania, today, Danuta Hübner, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Europe, delivered a message on behalf of the Secretary-General for the Summit on Environment and Sustainable Development in the Danube-Carpathian Region.

In the message, the Secretary-General notes that environmental pollution and the competition for the Danube River's waters have hurt the region's environment and says it is encouraging that a convention on protecting the river and using it in a sustainable manner has entered into force.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

There are no meetings of the Security Council scheduled for today, which is also the last day of the British presidency of the Council for the month of April. Starting Tuesday, the Council will be presided by the United States for the month of May.

Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Bertrand Ramcharand today gave the opening speech at the 26th session of the Committee Against Torture. During its three-week session, the Committee will examine the reports of Georgia, Greece, Bolivia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Brazil, Kazakhstan and Costa Rica.

A two-day consultation meeting organized by the non-governmental Middle Powers Initiative is beginning at UN Headquarters today to deal with the 13 steps towards eliminating nuclear weapons, which were set out in the final document of last year's Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference. Jayantha Dhanapala, Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs, made the opening speech for the meeting this morning.

On Saturday, authorities in the earthquake-stricken Indian state of Gujarat laid the foundation stone of a shelter project in the village of Rajansar in the Kutch district. The project, supported by the UN Development Programme ( UNDP), will provide more than 1,000 single room, earthquake-proof shelters, housing about 5,500 people in one of the areas hardest hit by the devastating earthquake last January.

Andorra became the 30th country to deposit instruments of ratification to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. The statute will come into force when 60 countries have ratified it.

The Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) announced its 21st session, which will begin next week. The Executive Secretary, Mervat Tellawy, will submit a report on the work of the Commission and its priorities for the biennium 2002-2003.

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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