United Nations Daily Highlights, 02-05-17

United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY

FRED ECKHARD

SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Friday, May 17, 2002

ANNAN TO ARRIVE IN EAST TIMOR ON EVE OF INDEPENDENCE

On Sunday, Secretary-General Kofi Annan is scheduled to arrive in Dili, East Timor, for the start of the celebration of East Timors independence, which takes place at the stroke of midnight that night, as Monday, May 20, begins.

The Secretary-General and General Assembly President Han Seung-soo will kick off the ceremony with speeches at around half past 11 on Sunday night. Then, just a few minutes before midnight, the UN flag will be lowered. At midnight itself, East Timor will be declared independent and the East Timor flag will be raised.

The Secretary-General will hand over power to the President of the Parliament, Francisco Lu-Olo Guterres, who will administer the oath of office to the new President, Xanana Gusmão. Gusmão will then address the nation, prior to a fireworks display.

The new government of East Timor will be sworn in on Monday morning, and the Secretary-General will attend the swearing-in ceremony and an Independence Day street parade. He will also dedicate a UN House for East Timor before returning to Indonesia on Monday afternoon.

At UN headquarters today, the Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 1410 (2002), which establishes the UN Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET) as a successor to the UN Transitional Administration in the territory (UNTAET) on May 20.

In Dili, Chief Minister of East Timor, Mari Alkatiri, announced that negotiations with Australia on the implementation of the Timor Sea Treaty were concluded yesterday and the Council of Ministers approved the treaty and associated documents. The treaty will be signed on May 20 and submitted to the East Timor Parliament for ratification. The treaty creates a framework for oil and gas investment in the Joint Petroleum Development Area.

ANNAN PRAISES INDONESIAN LEADER DECISION TO GO TO TIMOR CELEBRATION

Secretary-General Kofi Annan arrived in Jakarta, Indonesia, this morning, and met later in the day with Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri.

The President informed the Secretary-General that she would go to East Timor to attend the Independence Celebration on May 20, which the Secretary-General, in comments to reporters afterward, welcomed as a conciliatory, wise and courageous decision.

The President and the Secretary-General also exchanged views on the Middle East, and the Secretary-General reiterated his views that the situation needed a comprehensive approach. He also explained his reasons for disbanding the fact-finding team to Jenin.

They also discussed the upcoming meeting, to take place in Bali from May 27 to June 7, of the Preparatory Committee of the World Summit on Sustainable Development.

In his comments to reporters afterward, the Secretary-General applauded President Megawatis efforts in this difficult period of transition, and the competence with which she has managed in the reform process.

Speaking on the Middle East, he said they had both agreed that there is no military solution, and that they both looked forward to a conference that will help in our search for a final settlement of this long drawn-out problem.

Earlier today, the Secretary-General attended a luncheon hosted by the President in his honor.

Saturday morning, the Secretary-General is scheduled to have a working breakfast with Foreign Minister Noer Hassan Wirayuda before holding a meeting with him.

SECURITY COUNCIL ADOPTS THREE RESOLUTIONS, DISCUSSES DR CONGO

In addition to the resolution on East Timor, the Security Council this morning unanimously adopted two other resolutions -- one on UN tribunals and the other on Angola.

Resolution 1411 (2002) clarifies the national status of any persons who have two or more nationalities who serve on either the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia or the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

Resolution 1412 (2002) suspends a travel ban for 90 days on members of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) aimed at facilitating travel by UNITA members for the peace process and national reconciliation.

Following the formal meetings, the Council moved to closed consultations to receive a briefing by Amos Namanga Ngongi, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for the Democratic Republic of the Congo on developments in Kisangani and Pweto in the DRC.

The discussion was also on the follow-up on the report of the Security Councils recent mission and how the council can further contribute towards the peace processes in the DRC and Burundi.

The website ( http://www.mfa.gov.sg/unsc) of the current Presidency of the Security Council, Singapore, has posted the annotated agendas of meetings in advance as well as items discussed under so-called other matters in consultations and draft resolutions being considered.

UNRWA CHIEF SAYS WEST BANK SITUATION NOT BACK TO NORMAL

This morning in Geneva, Peter Hansen, Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), briefed journalists following his speech earlier this week at World Health Assembly.

Hansen said the situation in the West Bank was very far from having normalized, at least not normalized back to a definition of normalcy that ought to apply.

The major problem faced by UNRWA and other humanitarian agencies is that of access.

Hansen reported that there had been some positive movement from the Israeli side but he fears that if the Israeli government puts into effect plans to close off the West Bank from Jerusalem with buffer zones, the operations of humanitarian agencies will come to a grinding halt.

In response to a question, Hansen said that UNRWA had estimated the damage to its installations in the camps [in the West Bank] as a result of the recent military operations were around $ 3.8 million.

As for Jenin specifically, he added that the agency estimates that it will take $35 to $40 million to repair damaged infrastructure and rebuild shelters for around 800 families.

"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language: UNHCR SAYS SOMALI REFUGEES KILLED BY GUNFIRE

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees said this morning it airlifted relief supplies to some 10,000 Somali refugees who have fled to the remote north-eastern border town of Mandera, Kenya, to escape weeks of clan warfare in towns and villages just over the border.

UNHCR also reported that on Wednesday, four refugees were killed by stray gunfire as fighting flared again between rival sub-clans in the town of Bula Hawa, just opposite Mandera on the Somali side of the border.

The dead refugees were among a group of several thousand currently living in makeshift shelters Seven other refugees at the site suffered shrapnel wounds.

The outbreak of fighting in Somalia's Upper Gedo region in mid-April has sent two waves of refugees into north-eastern Kenya. A first wave of some 5,000 refugees entered Mandera nearly a month ago. A second influx sought safety at the beginning of May, bringing to some 10,000, the total number of Somali refugees who have crossed into the Mandera area.

LIBERIAN REFUGEES SEEK REFUGE IN GUINEA

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees reports today that some 4,000 Liberian refugees have arrived this week in Guinea from Liberia's strife-torn Gbarnga region. According to the newly arrived refugees, there could be another 6,000 to 10,000 Liberians heading to the border from the Gbarnga area, the scene of new fighting between government and rebel forces in recent weeks.

In all, Guinea hosts an estimated 73,000 Liberian refugees, of whom 26,000 are in camps. The others are in urban areas or villages.

The Office of the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs reports that the fighting in the Gbarnga area resulted in large displacement of the local population.

UN TORTURE COMMITTEE CONCLUDES SPRING SESSION

Today in Geneva, the Committee against Torture concluded its three-week spring session, and, among its review of reports from six countries, the panel said that Saudi Arabia should re-examine the imposition by authorities of corporal punishments, including flogging and amputation, that were not in conformity with the Convention against Torture.

It asked for Russia to ensure prompt, impartial and full investigations into many allegations of torture reported to the authorities, including in Chechnya.

UN GUATEMALA MISSION CONCERNED AT GROWTH IN ARMYS BUDGET

The UN Verification Mission in Guatemala today issued another of its thematic verification reports, this one on the Army.

Of particular concern is the increase in the Armys budget over the limits agreed on in the Peace Accord, which the report says will divert funds from social development areas.

UN ENVOY CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION TO HELP DISPLACED ANGOLANS

At the conclusion of a weeklong visit to Angola (May 11-17), Olara Otunnu, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict called for immediate action to provide assistance to displaced persons, especially those emerging from previously UNITA controlled areas.

Otunnu drew attention to the plight of children suffering from severe malnutrition, malaria, pneumonia, scabies and other preventable diseases.

The impact of the 30-year civil war in Angola has been particularly devastating for children. For example, out of over 4 million who have been displaced within the country, more than 50% are children. Some 100.000 children have been separated from their families and more than 50.000 children have been orphaned.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

In Geneva, there was a 40-nation donors conference on the security sector reform in Afghanistan. The Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah introduced the Interim Administrations vision and operational plan for the creation of a new armed force, and the strategy for demobilization and reintegration of ex-combatants. The Secretary-Generals Special Representative Lakhdar Brahimi said that he was encouraged by the response of the donors.

The new Director-General of the UN Office in Vienna, Antonio Maria Costa, today addressed the permanent representatives to the United Nations in Vienna, and assured them of the importance of good governance, saying, First and foremost, we must take care not to commit ourselves to more than we can deliver. He invited the member states to study with him, as frequently as necessary, any proposals before they become policy initiatives. And he promised that contributions to drug control and crime prevention programs will be regarded by his office as a commitment to deliver rather than an entitlement to spend.

Today is World Telecommunication Day, and the Secretary-General, in a message to mark the occasion, calls for resolve to bridge the digital divide between countries, and between rural and urban areas, rich and poor, educated and illiterate peoples, and men and women. The role of women, who make up 60 percent of the worlds poor, is particularly crucial, he said, calling it essential to promote access to information and communications technologies among women.

Three more Member States made full payment of their 2002 regular budget contributions today. Ecuador made a payment of more than $277,000; Japans payment was more than $207 million; and Spains contribution was more than $28 million. There are now 77 fully paid up Member States, exactly the same number as this time last year.

The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants received a number of signatures again today. Egypt, Ethiopia, Honduras, Lithuania and Mongolia all signed bringing the total of signatories to 141.

Also today, Benin signed the Protocols to the United Nations Convention Against Organized Crime on the manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms and smuggling of migrants.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS Saturday, May 18 The Secretary-General will meet in Jakarta with Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda.

Sunday, May 19 The Secretary-General will leave Indonesia and travel to Dili to attend East Timors independence celebration.

Monday, May 20

The Secretary-General, General Assembly President Han-Seung Soo and President-elect Xanana Gusmão will be among those gathered to mark the independence of East Timor. At midnight, the Secretary-General will hand over power to Parliament President Francisco Lu-Olo Guterres, and the new government will be sworn in on Monday morning. The UN Transitional Administration in East Timor will formally expire, to be replaced by the UN Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET).

In New York, the Security Council intends to hold a formal meeting on East Timor, which will be presided by Singapores Foreign Minister, S. Jayakumar. It expects to issue a Presidential Statement on East Timor.

The Security Council expects to receive the latest report on the Panel of Experts dealing with the exploitation of the natural resources of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Tuesday, May 21 The Security Council expects to receive the Secretary-Generals latest report on the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the Golan Heights towards the middle of the week.

"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language: The guest at the noon briefing will be Marc de Bernis, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in Liberia, who will discuss the deteriorating humanitarian situation in that country.

"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:

"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language: At 4:00 p.m., members of the Security Council expect to meet under the Arria formula with non-governmental organizations dealing with the Mano River Union, which comprises Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

Wednesday, May 22 The Secretary-General will return to New York, ending his week-long trip to Cyprus, Indonesia and East Timor.

The Security Council has scheduled a public meeting to discuss its ad hoc working group on Africa.

Today is the International Day for Biological Diversity.

Thursday, May 23 The Secretary-General will hold his monthly luncheon with the Security Council.

The Security Council has scheduled a public meeting on Afghanistan.

Friday, May 24 The Security Council has scheduled consultations on Sierra Leone and Ethiopia-Eritrea, and also intends to meet with troop contributing countries for the Golan Heights.

The United Nations will launch a set of stamps to mark the International Year of the Mountain.

Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General United Nations, S-378 New York, NY 10017 Tel. 212-963-7162 - press/media only Fax. 212-963-7055

All other inquiries to be addressed to (212) 963-4475 or by e-mail to: inquiries@un.org

United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next Article