United Nations Daily Highlights, 03-04-09

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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

Wednesday, April 9, 2003

ANNAN: ONLY WAY TO PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST IS "ROAD MAP"

The Secretary-General, in a statement released through his Spokesman, is deeply concerned by Israels air attack last night in the Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City that resulted in the deaths of seven Palestinians and the wounding of dozens more.He deplores the use of excessive force in a densely populated area and reiterates his opposition to extra-judicial killings.

While he recognizes Israels right of self-defense, the Secretary-General again calls on Israel to conduct itself in a manner fully consistent with its obligations under international humanitarian law.

The Secretary-General reiterates his strongly held conviction that the only way out of the cycle of violence and retaliation is an immediate cessation of violence by all parties and a return to the negotiating table.He believes that the best path to a just and comprehensive peace is through the full implementation of the Quartets Road Map, which will soon be presented to the parties. [The diplomatic Quartet is comprised of the United Nations, European Union, Russian Federation and United States.]

IRAQ: ANNAN SAYS CIVILIAN POPULATION MUST BE PROTECTED

Secretary-General Kofi Annan, upon arrival at UN Headquarters this morning, asked about the situation in Iraq, and he drew attention to the need to take steps to ensure that calm is restored and that the civilian population is protected.

He also noted reports about the lack of medication and other challenges being reported in Iraqs hospitals, and said that the United Nations is doing whatever it can to see how to get medicines in as soon as possible.

The Secretary-General had been invited by Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis, in his capacity as President of the European Union, to attend the European Conference in Athens on April 17. Since that occasion will provide him with the opportunity to meet with the leadership of the European Union, as well as other participating countries, he has decided not to travel to Europe today, as we had previously announced.

"We will let you know what his full travel plans are once the plans have been firmed up, but for now, he will discuss the situation in Iraq with European leaders in Athens next Thursday," the Spokesman said.

Asked what would happen to the current Iraqi ambassador to the United Nations now the government in Baghdad appeared to have fallen, the Spokesman said that the issue of credentials of representatives was a matter for the General Assemblys credentials committee to decide. The Spokesman added that the current situation does not affect the membership of Iraq in the organization..

Asked if todays events had changed the thinking in the United Nations as to what its role would be in post-conflict Iraq, the Spokesman said that what ever role the United Nations would play would have to be decided by the Security Council. Eckhard added that the Secretary-General has made his Special Advisor, Rafeeuddin Ahmed, available to Security Council should they want to discuss ideas about a post-conflict role for the Organization. Ahmed has been meeting a number of them yesterday, today and also in the coming days.

The first objective for the United Nations, the Spokesman went on to add, is getting international humanitarian workers back into Iraq as parts of the country become more stable.

LAWLESSNESS IN IRAQ COMPLICATES RESUMPTION OF HUMANITARIAN AID

The breakdown of law and order in Baghdad and in Basra, Iraq, has been accompanied by widespread looting, said the Spokesman for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian affairs during todays daily UN briefing in Amman.

The longer the situation remains out of control, the more difficult it will be to start humanitarian relief operations and the greater the delay in beginning the work of reconstruction. The operating environment for humanitarian assistance requires secure access to populations in need. That environment does not yet exist, except in Umm Qasr and from Turkey, in the north.

The UN Childrens Fund issued a warning today that despite significant progress in humanitarian cross-border trucking operations, early attempts by UNICEF to reach Iraqi children and women were being significantly hampered by what it called "a residue of fear and chaos."

Praising the courage of civilian contract drivers venturing into recently fought-over towns and cities to deliver aid, UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy said that all forces which controlled territory were also obliged to provide secure access to civilian populations. "Even conflicts are guided by rules and humanitarian conventions. It is the responsibility of those who retain effective control of a territory to ensure that there is order and that there is secure access for the delivery of life-saving humanitarian aid," said Bellamy.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) also expressed its concern about the general lawlessness that is apparent in parts of Iraq. UNHCR's fears that growing chaos in Iraq's cities and the precarious humanitarian situation could combine to spark the displacement of civilians.

The World Health Organization has highlighted the dire situation of hospitals in Baghdad where a growing number of patients are going without basic medical needs and services. WHO is flying more medical supplies into Jordan and is looking into urgent ways of getting those items into Iraq.

High Commissioner for Human Rights Sergio Vieira de Mello is deeply disturbed by reports of the increasing number of deaths and injuries of civilians during the Iraq conflict. He said, The impact on civilians must never be underestimated, for it is truly terrible in a way that words simply cannot convey. He noted his appeal to all parties to make distinctions between combatants and non-combatants, adding, The most precious right of all is the right to life. He also voiced his concern that the fighting has already claimed the lives of roughly a dozen journalists, and added that the right to freedom of information suffers a fatal blow when journalists are killed or wounded.

The Director-General of the UN Scientific, Educational and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Koïchiro Matsuura, issued a statement deploring the heavy toll paid by the press in Iraq and reminding the belligerents of their obligation to treat journalists as civilians. He recalled that article 79 of the Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions states that, Journalists engaged in dangerous professional missions in areas of armed conflict shall be considered as civilians.

SECURITY COUNCIL MEETS ON NORTH KOREA WITHDRAWAL FROM NUCLEAR TREATY

The Security Council held consultations on the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK). The subject was introduced under the heading of a letter dated February 12 sent by Mohamed ElBaradei, Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which transmits the Agencys Board of Governors declaration on the DPRKs non-compliance with the Treaty of Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

Security Council President, Ambassador Adolfo Aguilar Zinser of Mexico, said at the beginning of the month that the topic was being tackled one day before the date when the DPRK would be dispensed from its NPT obligations, from which it had withdrawn.

Following this morning's closed-door session, the Council President told reporters that Council members "expressed their concern and the Council will continue to follow up developments on this matter."

This morning, the Secretary-General responded to questions about todays consultations. He said that everyone has been trying to ensure that it is dealt with peacefully and noted that his Special Envoy, Maurice Strong, who has been in the region twice, is trying to get everyone talking. In the meantime, he said, the United Nations is providing humanitarian assistance to the North Koreans.

The Secretary-General also said the next step really is to get the parties talking and to find a format that will be acceptable to both parties and bring them to the table to talk.

HUMANITARIAN AGENCIES REPORT DETERIORATING SITUATION IN LIBERIA

Widespread fighting in western, northern, and eastern Liberia is cutting off those most in need from humanitarian aid. Aid agencies in Liberia fear the supplies they have will not be enough to meet growing needs.

An increasing number of Liberians are being forced to flee within their own borders, many of them for the second or third time.

With the rainy season fast approaching and numbers of displaced persons on the rise, UN humanitarian agencies and their NGO partners are trying to cope with shortages in shelter materials. Shortages have also prompted the World Food Programme to reduce the rations of food it will distribute for April and May.

To date, donors have provided just 2 percent of the $42.6 million in funding required under the 2003 UN humanitarian appeal for Liberia. UN humanitarian agencies urge donors to enable them to assist vulnerable Liberians by urgently funding this appeal.

SARS OUTBREAK CONTAINED SOUTH CHINA, CALLS FOR BETTER SURVEILLANCE

The WHO expert team who visited Guangdong Province, China, to investigate the outbreak of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS, today issued its official interim report and recommendations on the local SARS situation. The four-person team had been in Guangdong since Thursday 3 April.

According to the report, the outbreak in Guangdong Province appears to have been contained, but there is an urgent need to improve surveillance in rural districts. The team also found that resources need to be strengthened in the poorer provinces.

The team recommended that the reporting system established in Guangdong is an excellent model that should be followed and the Guangdong experience should be used to develop uniform standards.

As of yesterday, 2671 SARS cases with 103 deaths have been reported from 17 countries.

UNICEF LEADS WORLD LARGEST LESSON ON GIRLS EDUCATION

The United Nations Children's Fund brought together hundreds of children and UN staff this morning as part of a global attempt to break the world record for the largest lesson. The lesson, on the value and urgency of girls education, was led by Nane Annan, wife of the Secretary-General, and global music star Angelique Kidjo.

The Secretary-General stopped by at the beginning of the event and spoke briefly to children congratulating them on their efforts.

In addressing the children, Mrs. Annan said You dont have to be an expert, to realize that girls need education to participate fully in society and pull themselves out of poverty What you do need is to care.

The Secretary-General, in a message to commemorate the event, in which he notes that studies have shown that there is no tool for development more effective than the education of girls. Let this be not only the worlds biggest ever lesson, he says, but a lesson that the world will never forget.

TOP UN HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICIAL CONCERNED ABOUT TRIALS IN CUBA

The High Commissioner for Human Rights today expressed concern over the arrests and ongoing trials of approximately 80 people in Cuba, who were charged with working with a foreign power to undermine the Cuban Government.

Sergio Vieira de Mello said he was requesting Cuba to provide detailed information on the trials urgently. He said, There are questions about the fairness of such expedited proceedings, which have been closed to the public and observers, and I am calling for transparency.

He said Cuba must ensure that those accused obtain due process, including the right to an adequate defense.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

UNDP: UN Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Mark Malloch Brown is in Chile today, where he spoke Tuesday at the Conference of the Inter-Parliamentarian Union in Santiago. He told the assembled parliamentarians to make the Millennium Development Goals the pocketbook issues for their voters and to demand more from their Governments to achieve those goals. Today, before he departs the country, he is scheduled to participate in a seminar on global social responsibility, in which nine major Chilean companies are to sign on to the Secretary-Generals Global Compact

ICTY: The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia confirmed an indictment against Duska Jovanovic, the director of a media company that publishes the Montenegrin newspaper DAN, for contempt of court, alleging that he discloses to the public the identity of a protected witness in the trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic. That witness, identified in court documents as K32, has received death threats since his identity was made public, the Tribunal added.

BOSNIA: Although the UN Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina finished its work at the end of last year, the United Nations is maintaining a liaison office in Sarajevo, which is supporting the tasks of the European Union Police Mission that succeeded the UN peacekeepers, and that office has launched a new web (www.unlos-bih.org.) site providing information on its work. .

SIGNINGS: Gambia became the 167th country to sign the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.

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