United Nations Daily Highlights, 01-06-12

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

FROM THE NOON BRIEFING

BY MANOEL DE ALMEIDA E SILVA

DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Tuesday, June 12, 2001

ANNAN ARRIVES IN CAIRO, NOTES OPPORTUNITY IN MIDDLE EAST

Secretary-General Kofi Annan left London this morning, and flew to Cairo, Egypt, where he arrived in the afternoon. This evening, he and his delegation are expected to meet with Amre Moussa, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States. Moussa and the Secretary-General are also to hold a private dinner.

Upon arrival at Cairo airport, the Secretary-General had a brief encounter with the Foreign Minister of Jordan, Abdul Ilah El-Khatib, who was in transit.

Speaking to reporters at the airport, the Secretary-General said, "There is a real international alliance for peace working on this issue - the Americans, the European Union, the Russian Federation, the Arab leaders and the United Nations are all agreed that we should push for full implementation of the Mitchell plan."

He added, "There has been too much suffering in this region, too much suffering for Palestinians and Israelis who have lost many loved ones for us not to try to end this tragedy. We should do whatever we can to bring this tragedy to an end. I hope my visit to this region will help move the process in the right direction."

In response to a question about prospects for peace, the Secretary-General said, "I think we have a fleeting moment, a fleeting opportunity which we much seize and seize promptly, and I hope the parties see it this way; otherwise, we may lose an opportunity."

The Spokesman, in response to a question, noted that the Secretary-General would meet Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Wednesday.

SECURITY COUNCIL DISCUSSES DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

The Security Council met in closed consultations this morning to discuss the eighth report of the Secretary-General on the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo ( MONUC).

Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hédi Annabi introduced the report to the Council. A draft resolution was also introduced.

On Wednesday, a public meeting on the Democratic Republic of the Congo is scheduled. Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guéhenno, Olara Otunnu, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict and DRC Foreign Minister Leonard She Okitundu are expected to speak.

Also scheduled Wednesday is a vote on a draft resolution resulting from the report of the Councils Working Group on peacekeeping operations.

IRAQ SUSPENSION OF OIL EXPORTS CONTINUES

According to the Office of the Iraq Programme, Iraq continues its suspension of oil exports under the "oil-for-food" program.

In the week ending on June 8, 7.2 million barrels of oil were lifted, raising an estimated 205 million euros in revenue, at current prices.

Since the beginning of the oil-for-food program on December 10, 1996, Iraqi oil exports have totaled approximately 2,500 million barrels for an estimated revenue of $38.6 billion and 6.7 billion euros.

The total value of contracts placed on hold by the Security Council's Sanctions Committee dealing with Iraq increased slightly to $3.04 billion. Of that total, $2.6 billion were for humanitarian supplies while $428 million were for oil industry spare parts and equipment.

UNHCR SAYS THOUSANDS MORE FLEEING FYR OF MACEDONIA

Thousands of ethnic Albanians are continuing to flee from the fighting in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, according to the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees ( UNHCR). UNHCR said by 3:00 p.m. local time today, some 2,000 Albanians had crossed into Kosovo.

On Monday, UNHCR estimated that 5,300 people passed through the main border crossing at Blace on their way to Kosovo. Many of the new arrivals on Monday were people coming from the FYROM capital, Skopje, and its outskirts, and they cited the threat of a military confrontation in the immediate vicinity of Skopje as a reason for their departure.

UNHCR reported that an overwhelming majority of those crossing the border are women and children. Since last Friday, the agency said, nearly 18,000 people have left FYROM for Kosovo, with the vast majority being accommodated with host families after they arrive.

Asked about the state of the truce in FYROM, the Spokesman noted reports that it was holding.

ANNAN URGES ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT BY KOSOVO SERBS IN KOSOVOS FUTURE

The Secretary-General, in his latest report to the Security Council on the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo ( UNMIK), says the way ahead for UNMIK in the coming months is clear.

In the short term, the political and security challenges to achieving the missions goals may loom large, but they will not dissuade UNMIK from remaining on track to achieve the long-term objectives of holding Kosovo-wide elections, implementing the Constitutional Framework and setting the stage for self-government and economic viability, the Secretary-General says.

A major challenge in this regard is securing the participation of the Kosovo Serb community, he says. The Kosovo Serb community should realize that it cannot hold itself outside of the UNMIK-led process and that the benefits of cooperation are preferable to marginalization.

Citing the tense security situation as the single most important threat to the attainment of the international communitys goals, the Secretary-General welcomes the robust policies of UNMIK towards improving law and order, including clear initiatives to tackle terrorism and crime.

He also notes the steady improvement in UNMIK relations with the Yugoslav authorities, despite existing differences.

The Security Council is expected to hold consultations Thursday on the upcoming Security Council mission to Kosovo.

Council President Anwarul Karim Chowdhury of Bangladesh will brief the press at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday on the Council's mission to Kosovo. It is the first Council mission in which all members are participating and the first to be led by a Council president.

ANNAN ASKS FOR 12-MONTH EXTENSION OF UN MISSION IN BOSNIA

The Secretary-General's latest report on the UN Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH), which was issued today, notes that the belief by some parties that state borders and democratic institutions can be changed by obstruction and violence is "a fundamental source of instability" in the country.

The Secretary-General urged that all parties cooperate, and said, "The people of Bosnia and Herzegovina should engage fully in constructing their society together and not repeat the tragedy of the past by again following ultra-nationalist leaders into a historical cul de sac."

He also noted signs of progress in Bosnia, including the establishment of the State Border Service and the development of domestic and external police cooperation.

The Secretary-General recommended that the Mission's mandate be extended by the Security Council for a further 12-month period; the current mandate expires this June 21.

The Council is expected to discuss the Bosnia Mission on Thursday.

UN MISSION NOTES PROBLEMS OF 500,000 DISPLACED IN BURUNDI

The internally displaced population in Burundi, estimated at more than 500,000, is in urgent need of increased assistance, said UN Assistant Emergency Relief Coordinator Ross Mountain at the conclusion of a three-day mission to Burundi.

Burundi, he said, "is facing one of the most acute problems of population displacement in Africa today."

According to the Office of the Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs in Burundi, the country remains one of the most under-funded of all humanitarian emergency appeals. Only 15 percent of the $102 million requested for 2001 has been received.

SIERRA LEONE MISSION NOTES START OF DISARMAMENT IN LUNSAR

The UN Mission in Sierra Leone today announced that disarmament of combatants in Lunsar is expected to begin today. Over 1,500 RUF combatants are expected to enter the process.

Meanwhile, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Oluyemi Adeniji, appealed to the donor community to "respond generously" to the Government of Sierra Leones request for financial assistance for the full completion of the disarmament, at the meeting in Paris of the Sierra Leone Multi-donor Trust Fund, organized by the World Bank.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees ( UNHCR) reports it was able for the first time last week to evacuate 130 Liberian and Guinean refugees from an area of Sierra Leone controlled by Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels. The group, which had been in Kailahun, eastern Sierra Leone, was taken to a Government-controlled area where it can receive urgently needed assistance.

The mission was the first of a series of similar humanitarian missions, which will be carried out to assess the situation of Sierra Leonean returnees, Liberian refugees and Guinean nationals in RUF-controlled areas.

SECRETARY-GENERAL SUPPORTS REGIONAL CALL TO RESOLVE HAITI CRISIS

The Secretary-General, in a statement, noted the joint mission of the Organization of American States (OAS) and Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to Haiti, which recently reported its findings to the 31st General Assembly of the OAS in San José, Costa Rica.

He noted that the OAS has adopted a resolution calling upon all Haitians to commit themselves to resolve the current political crisis. The Secretary-General fully supported this call and all other efforts by the Organization of American States and the Caribbean Community, which aim to strengthen democracy and respect for human rights in Haiti.

NEW DEPUTY SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE APPOINTED IN EAST TIMOR

The Secretary-General has decided to appoint Dennis McNamara as his Deputy Special Representative for East Timor. McNamara will take over from Jean-Christian Cady, who will be leaving at the end of June.

McNamara, a national of New Zealand, is currently United Nations Special Coordinator on Internal Displacement, and has worked for 25 years with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees ( UNHCR).

The Secretary-General's Special Representative in East Timor, Sergio Vieira de Mello, has signed a notification setting the date of elections for East Timor's Constituent Assembly for August 30. The campaign period is to begin on July 15.

The UN Mission also issued a status report on the registration of political parties, which notes that, so far, 13 parties have submitted registration applications to East Timor's Independent Electoral Commission, and eight have currently been registered.

In another political development, Vieira de Mello over the weekend called the decision to dissolve the umbrella organization, the National Council for Timorese Resistance, "a politically courageous, wise and timely one." The Transitional Administration will do its utmost, he added, to assist the group's members as they enter civil service.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Secretary-Generals Special Envoy for the Central African Republic, Gen. Amadou Toumani Touré is in the capital, Bangui, where he will be meeting with representatives of UN agencies and later with President Ange-Felix Patassé.

The UN Environment Programme ( UNEP) warns that by 2050, up to 80 percent of the Arctic will be affected if industrialization continues at the current rate. Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of UNEP, said that this would "lead to increasing pressure on the life-style of indigenous peoples as well as on precious habitats and ecosystems in an area of the world vital for wildlife and for regulating the Earths climate."

The World Health Organization ( WHO) warns that many developing countries will not make the targets set by the United Nations for reductions in maternal mortality. The agency estimates that maternal mortality claims the lives of 515,000 women a year, 99 percent of them in developing countries.

On Wednesday afternoon at 1:45 p.m., in conference room 1, Nane Annan will deliver a speech on behalf of the Secretary-General to honor the legacy of Raphael Lempkin, a man who was instrumental in drafting the Genocide Convention. This event, organized by the Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights, will also mark the 50th anniversary of the coming into force of the Convention.

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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