United Nations Daily Highlights, 05-05-13

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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

MARIE OKABE

ASSOCIATE

SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Friday, May 13, 2005

ANNAN TO CO-CHAIR MEETING IN ADDIS ABABA

TO BOLSTER AFRICAN UNION MISSION IN DARFUR

Secretary-General Kofi Annan is pleased to announce that, together with the chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Alpha Oumar Konare, he will be chairing a high-level donors meeting in support of the AU Mission in Sudan, which is deployed in Darfur.

This meeting will be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 26 May.

Asked how this donors conference differed from one held earlier this year in Europe, the Spokeswoman said that the previous donors conference (in Oslo) concerned humanitarian and other immediate assistance for

Sudan. Following that conference, she noted, humanitarian officials had said that they had hoped for more pledges, since the needs on the ground were so great.

The Addis Ababa conference, however, is intended to provide as much international financial and logistical support as possible for the

African Union mission on the ground in Darfur, she said. She noted that the Security Council this week called for increased support for that mission, and she said it was the only game in town to deal with the suffering of the people of Darfur.

Asked about recent Canadian assistance to the African Union mission in Sudan, the Spokeswoman said that the Secretary-General had been appealing for a long time for aid to that mission. The net was cast wide, and when the Canadians announced their generous offer on Thursday, the Secretary-Gen/eral issued a statement welcoming it.

COMMISSIONER TO PROBE KILLING OF EX-LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER IS NAMED

The Secretary-General today sent a letter to the President of the Security Council informing the Council of his intention to appoint Detlev Mehlis of Germany as the Commissioner of the UN International Independent Investigation Commission into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Mehlis is currently the Senior Public Prosecutor in the Office of the Attorney General in Berlin. He has 25 years of prosecutorial experience and has led numerous investigations into serious, complex transnational crimes.

Mehlis has been a senior public prosecutor since 1992 and has, over the course of his career, been responsible for prosecuting terrorism and organized crime cases. Since 1998, he has been the Chief of the Contact Office of the European Judiciary Network and Coordinator for the fight against organized crime in the State of Berlin.

Mehlis will travel to Beirut as soon as possible to begin the Commissions investigation.

Asked about Mehliss travels, the Spokeswoman said that he is coming to New York from Berlin early next week.

After that, she said, he will deploy within a week to Beirut with a small team, of up to 10 people. His team will assess the results of investigations up until now, which will shape his investigation, and the team will also start sifting through the information collected, the Spokeswoman said.

In response to a question about the overall numbers of the investigators, she said that, given the seriousness of the crime and the nature of the investigation, there would probably be a substantial number of investigators added. First, however, Mehliss team would assess the situation on the ground.

Asked about the verification team dealing with Syrias withdrawal from Lebanon, the Spokeswoman said that the team is on its way to New York, and, as the Secretary-General noted in

comments to the press today, they are to report to him very soon.

U.N. MISSION LOOKS INTO EXCHANGE OF FIRE BETWEEN LEBANON AND ISRAEL

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) today reported an exchange of fire across the Blue Line between Lebanon and Israel, at the Shebaa Farms area.

The Interim Force made contact with the parties on both sides of the Line. Since then, UNIFIL reports that the exchange of fire has ceased.

UNIFIL will investigate todays exchange of fire.

OIL-FOR-FOOD CRISIS WILL NEVER DIE DOWN FOR SOME, ANNAN SAYS

The Secretary-General

talked to press upon entering the building this morning, following his return from visits to Moscow and Geneva.

Asked about recent developments with the nuclear programs in Iran and the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, the Secretary-General said recent events showed the importance of the current Review Conference for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and the need for countries to make progress in that Conference.

He said he was concerned that it took two weeks to agree on an agenda for the Conference, adding, I hope they will accelerate their work.

Addressing the Iranian issue, he said the Europeans are trying very hard to keep the talks going, and "I don't think it is completely out of the question yet, and I hope they will succeed to keep them at the table, to continue their discussions."

As for the DPRK, he hoped six-party talks would succeed, calling them the only game in town. He noted that the United Nations had been assisting the North Koreans with humanitarian aid and also encouraging them to cooperate on the nuclear front.

Asked how the oil-for-food investigation would affect UN reform, the Secretary-General said he hoped that Member States will focus on the work ahead and strengthen the United Nations, adding that he does not expect the investigation to derail the reform process. For some, he added, the oil-for-food crisis will never die down.

D.R. CONGO: U.N. PEACEKEEPER DIES FROM GUNSHOT WOUNDS

Regarding the

Democratic Republic of the Congo, we told you yesterday about an attack on UN peacekeepers, southeast of Bunia. The UN Mission there issued a press release yesterday afternoon, confirming that one of those peacekeepers had died from gunfire wounds.

Asked about the nationality of the peacekeeper who had been killed, the Spokeswoman said he was Bangladeshi. She declined to identify the peacekeeper, saying that the United Nations was trying to notify his next of kin.

In other news, there will be a disarmament ceremony held in Bunia tomorrow.

ANNAN WELCOMES EUROPEAN SUPPORT FOR U.N. REFORM

The Secretary-General last night had dinner at his residence with the President of the European Commission, José Manoel Durao Barroso, and today had a formal meeting with him at UN Headquarters.

In todays meeting, the two men reviewed UN-EU cooperation, and discussed the process leading up to the Summit of world leaders to be held at the UN in September 2005. They also discussed the situation in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Iraq. They emphasized their shared commitment to Africa as a clear priority in the work for development, peace and security, welcoming the increasing role of the African Union in this area.

The Secretary-General and Commission President Barroso stressed their shared goal of strengthening multilateral institutions. The Secretary-General welcomed EU support for UN reform, and for the ongoing consultations on reform led by the President of the General Assembly. He also welcomed ongoing discussions about ways for the UN and the EU to work together with regional and sub-regional organizations, in line with the proposals in his In Larger Freedom

report.

UNITED NATIONS TO SET UP HUMAN RIGHTS OPERATION IN UGANDA

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)

said it is finalizing arrangements for the establishment of a human rights operation in Uganda as a way of helping to strengthen the international response to the abuses and violations occurring in northern Uganda as a result of the conflict there.

The Office hoped that this new country office would be operational by next month. It is currently in the process of recruiting the monitors who would go to northern and eastern parts of Uganda to do monitoring and to carry out training and capacity-building of local actors.

NUMBER OF COUNTRIES PAYING U.N. DUES FALLS

The UN Controller, Warren Sach, has

reported to the Fifth Committee on contributions by Member States to the UN Budget.

He said there was a mixed picture. The number of Member States that had paid their assessments in full by the end of 2004 had fallen to 124 from the 131 that had done so by the end of 2003. But on a more positive note, the amount unpaid for the regular budget at the end of 2004 fell from $442 million to $357 million.

By 31 January 2005, 35 Member States had paid their assessed contributions in full. This number had grown to 72 by 30 April 2005, compared to 77 by 30 April 2004.

NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY CONFERENCE

FAILS TO AGREE ON ALLOCATION OF AGENDA ITEMS

The General Committee for the NPT

Review Conference, which handles questions of procedure, concluded its meeting yesterday afternoon with no agreement yet to recommend to the plenary session the allocation of items on the agenda to the three Main Committees.

Intensive consultations continued this morning among the Main Committee chairs and regional groups.

The General Committee will meet at 3:00 p.m. today to hear a report on the outcome of those consultations.

ANNAN TO RECEIVE HONORARY DEGREE IN PENNSYLVANIA

Next Monday, the Secretary-General will deliver the commencement address at the University of Pennsylvania, and will also receive an honorary doctorate from the University.

In his speech, he will talk about the ideals and daily work of the United Nations, and the vision of reform laid out in his In Larger Freedom

report. He will stress the important role of the United States in the work the United Nations does, now and in the future.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

SECURITY COUNCIL BRIEFED ON HAITI: The Security Council this morning began a public meeting on

Haiti, and was briefed on the recent Security Council mission to that country, which was led by Ambassador Ronaldo Sardenberg of Brazil.

KOSOVO COMMITTED TO REBUILDING DAMAGED RELIGIOUS SITES: The Secretary-Generals Special Representative in Kosovo, Sřren Jessen-Petersen, this morning

addressed the International Donors Conference for the Protection and Preservation of Cultural Heritage in Kosovo, convened by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris. He noted that Kosovos Provisional Institutions for Self-Government are seriously committed to contributing what they can to rehabilitating religious sites damaged or destroyed in the March 2004 riots.

BENIN APPEALS FOR FUNDS TO HELP TOGOLESE REFUGEES: According to the UNs Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the government of Benin has appealed for $5.9 million to help care for more than 20,000 Togolese refugees in the country. The UN refugee agency, meanwhile, said the post-electoral refugee outflow from Togo into Benin and Ghana had slowed down across the major border crossing points but pockets of refugees who had crossed over informally had been recently located in both countries, pushing the combined total of refugees to 26,084.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Monday, May 16

The Secretary-General will deliver the commencement address at the University of Pennsylvania, and he will also receive an honorary doctorate from the University.

At 11:30 a.m., Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette will open the Fourth Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

The Security Council has scheduled a private meeting with troop contributors for the UN Mission in Timor-Leste, followed by a public meeting on Timor-Leste.

Tuesday, May 17

The Security Council has scheduled consultations on the UN Mission in Sierra Leone.

At 11:00 a.m., there will be a background briefing with a senior UN official on UN reform.

The guests at the noon briefing will be the Chairman of the UN Forum on Forests and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai.

Wednesday, May 18

The Security Council has scheduled an open briefing, followed by consultations, on the Middle East.

Thursday, May 19

The Deputy Secretary-General will present a keynote address at the annual Ministerial Meeting of the Human Security Network, which takes place in Ottawa, Canada.

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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