United Nations Daily Highlights, 04-08-03

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

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY FRED ECKHARD

SPOKESMAN FOR THE

SECRETARY-GENERAL

OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Tuesday, August 3, 2004

ANNAN: SUDAN INDICATES IT WANTS TO COMPLY WITH RESOLUTION

Sudan is indicating that it wants to comply with the Security Councils demands on Darfur and is moving in the direction of implementation of the Councils recent resolution, Secretary-General Kofi Annan told reporters.

Speaking to the press upon entering UN Headquarters this morning, he noted that the Joint Implementation Mechanism, co-chaired by his Special Representative Jan Pronk and the Sudanese Foreign Minister, Mustafa Ismail, had met on Monday to go over what further steps the Sudanese Government can take to protect the population.

The Secretary-General said that the Council wants to see results on the ground within a month, and added that there had been some confusion over a separate, 90-day plan for the humanitarian community to provide assistance in Darfur. He affirmed that Sudan must show that it is serious within a month, and this has to be seen by the people, and felt by the people, not by public declarations.

Asked about the agreement on Cote dIvoire reached last week in Accra, Ghana, the Secretary-General said that pressure must be maintained on Ivorian leaders to implement it. He said, We all hope that, this time around, it is serious and they are going to go back and honor their commitments.

Asked what happened to the Sudanese who had been camped at Meshtel, which the Secretary-General visited on his trip to Sudan, the Spokesman recalled that, when the Secretary-General had visited the site, the camp had been vacated, apparently overnight by the Government.

He noted that humanitarian agencies did not have a presence in the camp, which had cropped up spontaneously.

The Spokesman said the people in the Meshtel camp had been moved to a well-established camp, Abushouk, which was nearby. The UN delegation was told that the Abushouk camp was full to the maximum.

The Spokesman added that the Meshtel inhabitants, according to reports, have not been registered at Abushouk.

DANISH SUPPLIES AIRLIFTED TO SUDANESE REFUGEES IN CHAD

The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, reports that humanitarian supplies from Denmark are now being airlifted by the French military to the eastern Chadian town of Abeche.

The French military began airlifting some 40 metric tons of humanitarian material over the weekend from the capital, N'djamena, to Abeche.

The airlift is drastically cutting transport times to the east for the supplies, which otherwise would have to come in by truck over roads in very bad condition. Once unloaded in Abeche, the materials are being flown to the refugee camps on helicopters. The airlift, which began Saturday, is scheduled to run through today.

The airlifted supplies include cholera medical kits, badly needed equipment to improve communications in the vast border zone where the refugees are hosted, basic medical kits, fuel bladders and other relief items.

HUMAN RIGHTS MISSION FINDS MASS GRAVES IN COTE DIVOIRE

The UN Operation in Cote dIvoire (UNOCI) reports today that a human rights mission it had sent to the northern area of Korhogo had confirmed the existence of three mass graves, containing at least 99 bodies.

Some of the victims appear to have been killed by gunfire, while, according to credible accounts from witnesses, others were suffocated.

The UN human rights mission had been sent to the area following reports of grave human rights violations during clashes between rival groups of the Forces Nouvelles in Korhogo. The team visited the area twice, between July 1 and 12, and then from July 22 to 26.

The human rights team also expressed concern about people who have been detained since those clashes.

The mission will submit a final report on its findings shortly, transmitting it to the national authorities and the concerned parties.

Asked about the Secretary-Generals reaction to the mass graves, the Spokesman said that the report on what happened at Korhogo was only received today, and the Secretary-General would want to study it before reacting.

ANNAN TO BRIEF SECURITY COUNCIL ON ACCRA SUMMIT

The Security Council began its work for the month this morning by holding consultations on the program of work for August.

Russian Ambassador Andrey Denisov, the Councils President, presented his credentials to the Secretary-General earlier today, and later briefed the press about the Councils work.

On Wednesday morning, after it considers a Presidential Statement on the two international tribunals in a formal meeting, the Council will hear a briefing from the Secretary-General in consultations.

He will discuss his recent trip to Accra, Ghana, during which he discussed Cote dIvoire and Sudan with African leaders.

WORK NEEDED TO REPAIR DAMAGE FROM KOSOVO VIOLENCE

The Secretary-Generals latest report on the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo notes that, while progress has been made in some priority areas, much still remains to be done to repair the physical and psychological damage that resulted from the violence last March.

He points out that attempts by the Kosovo Assembly to amend Kosovos Constitutional Framework are clearly outside of its competencies and reflect a worrying unwillingness to focus on Kosovos immediate priorities.

The Secretary-General also notes that he has received the recommendations put forward by Ambassador Kai Eide following his comprehensive review of the policies and practices of all actors in Kosovo.

The Security Council is scheduled to hold an open meeting on Kosovo this Thursday.

GEORGIA MISSION ASKS PARTIES NOT TO ACT UNILATERALLY

The United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) has called on both sides in the Georgian-Abkhaz peace process to refrain from any unilateral actions, which could negatively affect the peace process and further complicate the situation.

The Missions statement follows a recent maritime incident in the vicinity of Sukhumi and the subsequent decision of the Abkhaz side, on July 31, to suspend its participation in negotiations carried out in the framework of the peace process.

The Mission said it remains convinced that there is no alternative to the resolution of such incidents except through negotiations. This applies also to all outstanding issues.

It called on all participants of the peace process to spare no efforts aimed at overcoming the present impasse.

UNCTAD WELCOMES PROGRESS AT WTO MEETING

The Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development, Rubens Ricupero, today welcomed the progress made in the resumption of Doha negotiations during the World Trade Organizations General Council meeting last Saturday.

Ricupero says that the agreement reached last weekend re-affirms the value of multilateralism in the area of trade, while re-establishing the viability of the Doha work program.

Also, the decision reached last weekend represents forward movement in several areas, particularly in agriculture.

RESUMPTION OF POLIO IMMUNIZATION WELCOMED IN KANO

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative has welcomed the resumption of polio immunization campaigns in the Nigerian state of Kano.

The UN-backed Initiative says that Kano's decision to vaccinate children comes at a critical time in the polio eradication program, as Sub-Saharan Africa is on the verge of the largest polio epidemic in recent history.

Cases recorded in the region are five times that for the same period in 2003, due to an earlier outbreak originating from Kano and surrounding states.

COMMEMORATION CEREMONY TO BE HELD ON AUGUST 19

A ceremony to commemorate the first anniversary of the bombing of the UN Headquarters in Baghdad will take place in the UN Trusteeship Council this August 19, starting at 8:30 a.m.

A plaque dedicated to those who died in the explosion will be unveiled in the presence of Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette. In Geneva, the Secretary-General will speak at a similar ceremony, which will be connected by live video-link to the one in New York.

The commemorative plaque and the flag that had flown over the Canal Hotel in Baghdad will subsequently be mounted in the Visitors Lobby.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

NO NEWS ON POSTPONEMENT OF IRAQI ELECTIONS: Asked whether elections in Iraq might be postponed, as the National Conference had been, the Spokesman said he had not heard anything from the UN electoral assistance team about any intention to postpone the elections. He noted that the National Conference had been delayed to allow for more time to make it more broadly representative among Iraqis.

UN ENVOY FOR IRAQ MAY ARRIVE BEFORE CONFERENCE: Asked when Special Representative Ashraf Jehangir Qazi would arrive in Iraq, the Spokesman said the Secretary-General expected Qazi to arrive in time for the holding of the National Conference.

BANGLADESH COULD FACE CATACLYSMIC FLOODS IN AUGUST: The World Food Programme (WFP) is calling for vigilance in Bangladesh in the wake of that countrys worst flooding in six years. WFP says that while the floodwaters are currently receding, Bangladesh may be in for a cataclysmic flood in mid-August, when the next monsoon rains wont be unable to drain into the waterlogged ground. In the meantime, WFP has been distributing existing food supplies to 1.8 million people, while at the same time calling on donors to support its steadily mounting relief campaign.

WFP TO EXTEND OPERATIONS IN PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES: The World Food Programme (WFP) announced today that it will extend its emergency operation in the Palestinian Territories for a further 12 months. Under the new operation, valued at $41 million, WFP will provide relief food distribution to almost half a million people facing severe hardship. According to WFP, more than a third of the population is estimated to be food-insecure, and another quarter of the population is considered at risk. Under the previous emergency operation, which ended last month, WFP provided food to more than half a million people at a cost of $29 million.

UNICEF APPEALS FOR $8 MILLION FOR KENYA: UNICEF, the UN Childrens Fund, is appealing for more than $8 million as it steps up its response to drought affected areas in Kenya. The appeal is in response to the drought emergency recently declared in Kenya by President Mwai Kibaki. The funds will go towards supporting the Governments efforts to alleviate the consequences of the drought on the most vulnerable groups, children and women. An estimated 2.3 million Kenyans are faced with food insecurity.

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

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