United Nations Daily Highlights, 04-10-26

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

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S NOON BRIEFING

BY FRED ECKHARD

SPOKESMAN FOR THE

SECRETARY-GENERAL

OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Tuesday, October 26, 2004

IAEA INFORMS SECURITY COUNCIL

THAT EXPLOSIVE MATERIALS ARE MISSING IN IRAQ

On Monday afternoon, the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mohamed ElBaradei, informed the Security Council that 342 tons of high explosive materials that had been subject to Agency monitoring have been lost through theft and looting in Iraq.

In a letter to the Security Council President, ElBaradei said that he had been informed of the loss of the explosive materials by the Iraqi authorities on October 10. They said that the missing materials included 194 tons of HMX, 141 tons of RDX, and nearly 6 tons of PETN, all of which had been stored at Iraqs Al-Qaqaa complex.

[The subject of the IAEA letter came up briefly under "other matters" during today's closed consultations of the Security Council.]

SECURITY COUNCIL WILL MEET IN NAIROBI NEXT MONTH

The Security Council began its work this morning by voting unanimously to hold meetings focusing on Sudan in Nairobi, Kenya, on November 18-19.

In the resolution, the Council also decided to discuss Sudan with representatives of the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) at the meetings.

In addition, the Council decided to take the opportunity of the presence of the Security Council in Nairobi to discuss other peace efforts in the region with both the AU and IGAD.

SECURITY COUNCIL DISCUSSES WESTERN SAHARA, SOMALIA

The Security Council then went into closed consultations on Western Sahara and Somalia.

The Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Western Sahara, Alvaro de Soto, briefed on the latest report, and a draft resolution was introduced.

Winston Tubman, Head of the UN Political Office for Somalia, then briefed the Council on the latest developments concerning that country.

[In a 10-point presidential statement on Somalia read out in a formal meeting following consultations, Council members commended the recent progress made at the Somali national reconciliation conference in Nairobi. They also urged the Somali leaders to create a favourable environment for the future Transitional Federal Government by making determined efforts to bring about improvements in the security situation on the ground and reiterates that those who persist on the path of confrontation and conflict will be held accountable.]

U.N. HUMANITARIAN ENVOY TO TRAVEL TO NORTH DARFUR;

GOODWILL AMBASSADOR ANGELINA JOLIE IS VISITING WEST DARFUR

The Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sudan in charge of humanitarian affairs and development, Manuel Aranda Da Silva, is travelling Wednesday to Al Fashir in North Darfur to visit the areas where the Government of Sudan has claimed that some 70,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) have returned voluntarily.

The

UN mission in Sudan, meanwhile, continues to report security incidents in Darfur.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees reports that UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie is currently in West Darfur on a three-day mission to see for herself the situation of the hundreds of thousands of IDPs uprooted by the conflict. She will hold a press conference in Khartoum on Wednesday afternoon.

U.N. MIDDLE EAST ENVOY TROUBLED BY GAZA STRIP VIOLENCE

In a statement issued today in Jerusalem, the UNs Middle East envoy, Terje Roed-Larsen, said he was deeply troubled by the continuing violence in the Gaza Strip.

Roed-Larsen added that he deplored the loss of life during the renewed military operation that began Sunday and ended this morning, resulting in the death of at least 17 Palestinians, as well the destruction of houses and the leveling of agricultural land.

He reiterated his call on Israel, as the occupying power, to act within the framework of international law.

HAITI: U.N. ENVOY SAYS ECONOMIC SECURITY MUST NOT BE THREATENED

On a visit to the Port au Prince port area on Monday, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative in Haiti, Juan Gabriel Valdés, noted that economic security is vital to Haitis future and must not be threatened.

In a meeting with the head of national customs, Valdés said he was pleased that the area had now been secured by UN peacekeepers and that economic activity had resumed in both the port and the customs authority. This was allowing food aid, which had been blocked in the port for some time, to be distributed to those in need.

Valdés stressed the continuing efforts of the World Food Programme to distribute food to those affected by the flooding in the Gonaives area.

The UN Mission in Haiti also reported that 110 members of a Jordanian formed police unit arrived in Port au Prince Monday to join the peacekeeping operation.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS INITIATIVE TO BE LAUNCHED: On Wednesday, High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour will launch the Secretary-General's reform initiative on strengthening UN country-level support for the promotion and protection of human rights. The launch of the initiative, known as Action Two will take place at UN headquarters and Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette will attend the event. A press conference follows featuring Arbour, UN Development Programme Administrator Mark Malloch Brown; Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland; and UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Carol Bellamy.

SECURITY COUNCIL, GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND ECOSOC TO LAUNCH SIERRA LEONE TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION REPORT: There will be a meeting at 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday at UN headquarters, chaired by the Presidents of the Security Council, General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council to launch the Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission report. Other speakers will include representatives of Sierra Leone and UNICEF. The aim is to give publicity to this important report.

UGANDA RAINSTORM AFFECTS WAR DISPLACED: The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that a heavy rainstorm has devastated the largest camp for war-displaced people in northern Uganda. Camp officials have underscored the need for tarpaulins, food, non-food items, and a mobile clinic in the camp, home to 62,000 IDPs.

UNICEF REPORTS CHILD-TRAFFICKING PROBLEM IN LAOS: A new study by UNICEF and the Government of Laos says that child trafficking is an important problem for that country and it requires urgent action. While it has been known that a large part of the worlds trafficking in women and children occurs in or from East Asia, it is only now that the extent of the problem in Laos is being grasped. The study is the first of its kinds for Laos, and it found cases of child trafficking from each of the seventeen provinces surveyed.

ANNAN HONORS LONG-TIME U.N. STAFF: Secretary-General Kofi Annan today hosted an awards ceremony honoring staff who have served 25 years or more at the United Nations. He told the honorees that, like them, he is an old-timer, who personally knows the meaning of at least 25 years of service in the Secretariat. He added, Together, we have lived through a quarter-century of almost dizzying change.

Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

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All other inquiries to be addressed to (212)

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