United Nations Daily Highlights, 04-04-20

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

BY FRED ECKHARD

SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Tuesday, April 20, 2004

ANNOUNCEMENT OF OIL-FOR-FOOD INQUIRY PANEL EXPECTED WEDNESDAY

Asked about the official announcement of the Oil-for-Food Independent Inquiry, the Spokesman said the letters of appointment for the members were going to go out today or tomorrow.

He said that an official announcement was expected at the noon briefing Wednesday.

Following discussions amongst Security Council members regarding the independent inquiry into the Oil for Food program, a draft Security Council resolution welcoming the inquiry has been put into "blue," or a form ready to vote on.

SECURITY COUNCIL SCHEDULES CONSULTATIONS ON CYPRUS;

DISCUSSES NON-PROLIFERATION OF WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION

At 3 p.m., consultations on Cyprus have been scheduled.

In the morning, the Security Council

held consultations on the issue of the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Under "other matters," the Security Council heard a briefing on the latest developments in Kosovo.

ANNAN MOURNS DEATHS OF TWO U.N. OFFICERS IN KOSOVO

Monday afternoon, a statement was issued in which Secretary-General Kofi Annan expressed his deep sadness at the loss of life of two UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) Correctional Officers from the United States, Kim Bigley and Lynn Williams, in an attack by a Jordanian UNMIK police officer on Saturday.

The Secretary-General conveyed his profound and heartfelt sympathy at these tragic deaths, and also expressed his concern at the injuries to another 10 U.S.Correctional Officers, some of whom are in critical condition, and one Austrian Civilian Police Officer, during the same incident. He wishes all these officers a swift and full recovery.

ANNAN RECOMMENDS ESTABLISHMENT OF U.N. MISSION IN

HAITI

The Secretary-Generals report to the Security Council on Haiti is out today. In it, the Secretary-General recommends the establishment of a multidimensional operation, to be known as the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti, for an initial period of 24 months.

He recommends that this mission should consist of up to 6,700 troops, as well as more than 1,600 Civilian Police and the required number of international and local civilian staff.

The Secretary-General calls for a partnership, first and foremost with the Haitian people, with important regional partners such as the Organization of American States and the Caribbean Community, and with other international actors, including the UN system.

He stresses that this effort will need the sustained attention of all of its partners, especially the Haitian authorities and the Haitian people, if it is to be successful.

PROGRESS MADE IN CLOSING FILES ON KUWAITI P.O.Ws

IN IRAQ

Appreciable progress has been made since last December in closing the files of Kuwaiti prisoners of war and third country nationals held in Iraq, according to a report by the Secretary-General to the Security Council.

In his report to the Council, the Secretary-General writes that resolved cases have increased to 92 and more than 200 files are pending identification.

The Secretary-General calls on the Council to extend the mandate of the high-level coordinator, Amb. Yuli Vorontsov, as a way to bring closure to this humanitarian issue.

He also stresses the need for Vorontsov to travel to Baghdad to discuss these issues with the new Iraqi authorities.

SUDANESE GOVERNMENT ALLOWS U.N. TEAM ACCESS TO

DARFUR;

FUNDS FOR RELIEF EFFORTS EXHAUSTED

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva announced that the Sudanese authorities have granted permission for a UN human rights fact-finding team to visit Khartoum

and the Darfur

region.

The five-person team would be travelling to the area within the next few days to complete the work which they had set out to do when they left for Chad on the 5th of April. The team had been in Chad

from 5 to 14 April where they interviewed people who fled Darfur.

As the estimated number of internally displaced persons in Sudans Darfur

region has risen to one million, shortfalls of shelter, clean water, food and health care supplies are compounding the humanitarian needs there. All funds contributed for relief efforts in Darfur

so far have already been exhausted. As the ability of humanitarian agencies to assess the needs of people in Darfur increases, the United Nations expects it will have to revise its humanitarian Appeal for Darfur upwards, beyond the $115 million it requested this month.

CHILDREN LOBBY FOR MORE EFFORT TO ENROLL ALL CHILDREN IN SCHOOL

Children around the world are today gathering at national parliaments, and local assemblies as well as village councils, to ask their elected representatives to do more to enroll all children in school.

The Big Lobby as the event is called is organized by the Global Campaign for Education with UNESCO and is one of the highlights of Education for All week ending Sunday.

This years focus is on the 100 million children around the world who have no access to education denial of this right makes them vulnerable to poverty, hunger, violence, exploitation and disease.

REFUGEE CAMPS NEAR AFGHAN-PAKISTAN BORDER TO CLOSE BY SEPTEMBER

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers ended his mission to the Afghanistan region by announcing the closure of all "new" camps near the Afghan-Pakistani border by September this year.

Lubbers said the roughly 200,000 refugees in the 13 camps, who fled into Pakistan following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, would be offered assistance to return home.

He said the camps needed to be closed because there was a danger that forces opposed to the current Afghan government, including the Taliban and al-Qaeda, could find sanctuary and recruit people from the border camps.

EXPERTS GATHER TO DISCUSS GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES

The 22nd session of the UN Group of Experts on Geographical Names is taking place here at headquarters today, and will run until 29 April.

Around 150 experts, representing 22 linguistic and geographical divisions are attending. Theyll address issues relating to the national and international standardization of geographical names.

Correct use of accurate place names can provide benefits to local, national and international communities engaged in a wide range of activities, ranging from trade and commerce to emergency preparedness, according to the group.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

LIBERIAS DISARMAMENT PROGRAM BEGINS IN SECOND CITY: The disarmament program started smoothly this morning in the Liberian city of Buchanan

for MODEL ex-combatants, who turned out in an orderly and peaceful manner, reports the UN mission from Monrovia. The exercise continues at Gbarnga for ex-combatants of the LURD faction. So far, 1,300 ex-fighters have been disarmed and demobilized since the resumption of the programme on April 15.

ANNAN HOLDS NEGROPONTE IN HIGH PROFESSIONAL REGARD: Asked for the Secretary-Generals reaction to the appointment of U.S. diplomat John Negroponte as the new U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, the Spokesman said the Secretary-General holds Ambassador Negroponte in high professional regard and looks forward to him in his new capacity in Baghdad. The Spokesman added that Annan was very comfortable with President Bushs appointment.

TREATY PAVES WAY FOR ASIA-EUROPE HIGHWAY: A UN treaty-signing event next week in Shanghai, China, is to pave the way for the completion of a 140,000-kilometer highway that will connect 32 Asian nations and link Europe to Asia by road. The ceremony to mark the opening for signature of the Asian Highway Agreement will take place on April 26.

CODE SETS OUT POLICY AGAINST COMMERCIAL SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN: The UN Childrens Fund, UNICEF, the World Tourism Organization, and the international childrens advocacy group ECPAT will launch the "Code of Conduct" for the North American travel industry tomorrow at UNICEF Headquarters. The code sets out an ethical corporate policy against commercial sexual exploitation of children. The event will be attended by UNICEFs Executive Director, Carol Bellamy, Queen Silvia of Sweden, and the Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State on the Trafficking of Persons, John Miller.

PANEL ON CHANGE HOLDING SERIES OF REGIONAL MEETINGS: Asked for an update on the work of the

High-level Panel on global security threats and reform of the international system, the Spokesman said the Secretary-General expected the members of the panel to submit their findings at the end of the year. Members of the panel are also holding a series of regional meetings, the latest being in China. The Secretary-General would then reformulate those in a report to the General Assembly.