United Nations Daily Highlights, 01-10-03

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HIGHLIGHTS

OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY FRED ECKHARD

SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Wednesday, October 3, 2001

ANNAN NAMES SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR AFGHANISTAN

[In letters sent to the General Assembly and the Security Council Wednesday afternoon, Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced his intention to re-appoint Lakhdar Brahimi as his Special Representative for Afghanistan in view of the grave humanitarian and political situation affecting Afghanistan and the surrounding region.

I would want to entrust my Special Representative with overall authority for the humanitarian and political endeavours of the United Nations in Afghanistan. He will also initiate preparations for the development of plans for the rehabilitation of that shattered country, he said.]

ANNAN URGES ISRAELIS AND PALESTINIANS TO RETURN TO NEGOTIATIONS

The Secretary-General, in a statement issued through his Spokesman, said he is deeply disturbed that, despite the recent cease-fire agreement, there has been yet another round of violence and retaliation in the Middle East in which over 20 Palestinians and two Israelis have been killed.

He strongly deplores this, and the heavy loss of life. He urges all sides to exercise maximum restraint and to make every effort to observe the cease-fire and implement the agreement reached by Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and President Yasser Arafat on 26 September.

The casualties on both sides underline the urgent need to return to the negotiating table, so as to address the basic political issues.

UN BOOSTS HUMANITARIAN ACTIVITIES IN AND AROUND AFGHANISTAN

With winter and the threat of a refugee exodus looming, humanitarian agencies involved in the Afghan relief effort stepped up the scope of their operations by deploying staff to the neighbouring countries of Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Iran. At the noon briefing, the UNs Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Carolyn McAskie gave an overview of efforts underway.

The World Food Programme said it moved 2,000 tons of food from Tajikistan to the Panjshir Valley, an area almost completely cut-off in the winter.

A consortium of aid agencies dealing with health is worried about the potential for malaria epidemics in the coming days in eastern and northeastern Afghanistan.

No progress was reported regarding communications between UN national staff inside Afghanistan and the outside world, although one radio continues to operate in Herat under Taliban monitoring.

In Kandahar, in the southeast, despite assurances by local authorities that staff and property would be protected, three UN vehicles have been taken by the Taliban.

Asked if the Secretary-General had any plans to travel to Afghanistan and the region, the Spokesman said no.

UNHCR URGES CARE IN BALANCING SECURITY AND REFUGEE PROTECTION NEEDS

The

Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees today urged governments considering new asylum safeguards in the aftermath of Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States to strike a careful balance between additional security needs and existing international refugee protection principles.

In a statement to UNHCRs governing Executive Committee meeting in Geneva, the agencys director of international protection, Erika Feller, noted that the 1951 Refugee Convention already excludes persons who are a danger to national security, or who are convicted of a particularly serious crime.

SECURITY COUNCIL DISCUSSES IRAQ/KUWAIT, SIERRA LEONE, ETHIOPIA/ERITREA

The Security Council met in closed consultations this morning to be briefed by Assistant Secretary-General for Peace Keeping Operations, Hedi Annabi, on political and security developments in Sierra Leone, including the deployment of UN mission in that country.

Annabi also briefed the Council on the latest developments relating to the UN mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Council members also reviewed the UN Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission.

DATES FOR GENERAL DEBATE SET

The Spokesman for the President of the General Assembly announced that the general debate will be held from November 10 to 16, 2001.

WORLD FOOD SUMMIT MOVED TO ITALYS ADRIATIC COAST

The Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization, Jacques Diouf, announced today in Rome that the World Food Summit plus five, originally scheduled for Rome in November, will be moved to Rimini, on Italys Adriatic coast.

The meeting, which forms part of the FAO's annual Conference, will be held from November 5 to 9.

The Conference itself will still be held in Rome.

UNRWA RECEIVES CONTRIBUTION FROM ISLAMIC CHARITY

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) will receive a $5 million contribution to its Third Emergency Appeal from the Alquds and Al-Aqsa funds, which were established by the Arab League and administered by the Islamic Development Bank.

The $5 million contribution is to be used mainly in creating temporary job opportunities for unemployed Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza where more than half the population currently live below the poverty line.This contribution brings the total amount of pledges towards UNRWA's Third Emergency Appeal to some $43 million out of the total $77 million requested at is launch in June 22, 2001.

FRENCH GENERAL TAKES OVER KOSOVO FORCE COMMAND

Lt. Gen. Marcel Valentin, of France, today became the sixth commander of the NATO-led forces in Kosovo, known as K-For.

Valentin is taking command of some of the 50-thousand soldiers from Norwegian Gen. Thorstein Skiaker.

At the ceremony, Valentin pledged to work closely with the UN mission in Kosovo and added that KFOR would effort to provide a safe environment for the upcoming November elections.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Registrar of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, Adama Dieng, addressing the Preparatory Commission for the International Criminal Court in New York, said that the success of the ICC would depend on its capacity to execute those functions entrusted to it as a global public service. Remembering the victims of the recent terrorist attacks, Dieng said that a fair and independent global system of justice would bring individual perpetrators of massive crimes to trial in the hope of deterrence of further violence and in the hope of peace.

This morning, the Central African Republic became the 41st country to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Sixty ratifications are needed to bring the statute into force.

Today Saudi Arabia will deposit the Instrument of Adhesion to the Convention on Biological Diversity, becoming the 40th party to the Convention.

The annual observance of International Day of Older Persons, which was on Monday, will be held tomorrow beginning at 10.00 a.m. at UN headquarters.

All statements at this weeks General Assembly: Debate on measures to eliminate international terrorism are posted on the UN website.

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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