United Nations Daily Highlights, 05-12-01

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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 STEPHANE DUJARRIC

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Thursday, December 1, 2005

MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE TO MEET HIV/AIDS TARGETS

Today is

World AIDS Day, and Secretary-General Kofi Annan has issued a

message, saying that although our response so far has succeeded in some of the particulars, it has yet to match the epidemic in scale.

He adds that reaching the Millennium Development Goal of halting and reversing the spread of AIDS by 2015 requires us to do far, far more especially since meeting that Goal is a prerequisite for reaching most of the others.

Stephen Lewis, the Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, also issued a statement, saying that, although funds to fight AIDS are desperately needed, the only thing African countries can count on for certain is betrayal from wealthy countries.

A

message was also issued by Peter Piot, Executive Director of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

ANNAN DISAPPOINTED BY LACK OF AGREEMENT ON TERRORISM TREATY

The Secretary-General was

disappointed to learn that it has not been possible to reach agreement in the Sixth Committee of the General Assembly on a draft comprehensive convention on international terrorism.

He intends to consult the chairman of the Committee, and other representatives of member states, to see if there are ways for him to assist their efforts to reach agreement on and conclude the convention during the sixtieth session of the General Assembly, as agreed by heads of state and government in the

2005 World Summit Outcome.

Meanwhile, he urges all member states that have not yet done so to become parties to, and implement, the existing 13 conventions on different types of terrorism, and hopes that the General Assembly will expedite its work on adopting and implementing a strategy to promote comprehensive, coordinated and consistent responses to counter terrorism, developed from the elements that he identified in his Madrid speech last March.

He stands ready to amplify and further refine those elements if so requested by the Assembly. And in the meantime he is confident that the Security Council is ready to take any further measures that are necessary to deal with the threat of international terrorism, which continues to cause death and suffering to innocent people in many different parts of the world.

Asked what the Secretary-General would do to push forward the discussions on the terrorism convention, the Spokesman said that his first step would be to consult with the Chair of the Sixth Committee and the Member States, to discuss how best to proceed.

U.N. HUMANITARIAN CHIEF HEADS TO ZIMBABWE THIS SATURDAY

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland will visit

Zimbabwe from 3 to 7 December as agreed between the Secretary-General and President Robert Mugabe during the World Summit at UN headquarters.

Egeland plans to meet with the President and other government officials, UN Country Team members, and NGO partners, as well as civil society representatives.

He plans to undertake field visits.

Egeland will also meet with the Government of South Africa in Pretoria to discuss closer collaboration in humanitarian assistance, including the proposed global Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).

Meanwhile, the World Food Programme today

welcomed the conclusion of an agreement with the Government of Zimbabwe on the delivery and distribution of food aid to millions of people in the country.

Asked whether Egeland would meet with the Zimbabwean opposition, the Spokesman said that Egeland hoped to meet with as wide a spectrum of Zimbabwean society as possible. Egeland, he noted, would be meeting with civil society groups.

Asked about criticisms of UN work in Zimbabwe by Human Rights Watch, the Spokesman said the United Nations had seen that report. He said that the United Nations has been working hard from the outset to respond to the serious situation in Zimbabwe, as was shown in Special Envoy Anna Tibaijukas

report, which demonstrated the scale of the problem and alerted the international community to the unfolding tragedy. He added that the Secretary-General has repeatedly expressed his concern about the situation in the country, while the UN system has mounted humanitarian operations to assist the population affected by the clearance operations.

U.N. MISSION NEGOTIATING PULLBACK OF TROOPS ON ERITREA-ETHIOPIA BORDER

The Force Commander of the UN Mission in Ethiopia Eritrea (UNMEE), Major-General Rajender Singh, at a press briefing to reporters from both countries, confirmed that troop movements had been noticed on both sides of the border and noted that restrictions on UN patrols continue, with many being prevented from going off main roads to carrying out their monitoring functions.

Singh also said he was in the process of negotiating with the leadership of Ethiopian Armed Forces a withdrawal of their troops to the December 16, 2004 levels as called for by Security Council

resolution 1640 and he was hopeful for a positive response from them.

He also intended to meet with the Eritrean Defence Forces leadership on compliance with the recent Security Council resolution.

UNITED KINGDOM TAKES OVER SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENCY

The United Kingdom today assumes the rotating

Presidency of the Security Council, and is holding bilateral discussions on the Councils program of work for December. The Council is expected to discuss its program of work in consultations tomorrow.

Yesterday afternoon, the Security Council wrapped up its work for November with two Presidential Statements.

The Security Council

welcomed the successful opening of the Rafah Crossing in Gaza, as an important step forward.

In its second Presidential Statement, the Council

expressed its deep concern at persistent disagreements among the parties in Cote dIvoire over the appointment of a Prime Minister, and reaffirmed its readiness, in close consultation with the African Union mediation, to impose individual measures provided for in resolutions

1572 and

1633.

IRAQ: INT'L OBSERVERS WILL MAKE 15 DECEMBER ELECTIONS MORE CREDIBLE

Ashraf Qazi, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for

Iraq, today

met with Iraqi Vice President Ghazi El-Yawar, and discussed with him the elections scheduled for 15 December.

Both agreed that a robust presence of international observers to monitor the elections would help to enhance the credibility of the process.

They also explored areas of cooperation to ensure the success of the reconciliation conference planned for late February or early March of next year.

Asked whether there is any mechanism to investigate allegations of prisoner abuse in Iraq, the Spokesman said that Qazi has raised reported abuses by police and security forces with Iraqi officials, on a number of occasions. Also, the UN Mission in Iraq continues to monitor the situation through its human rights component.

ANNAN TO SEND ENVOY TO ATTEND FRANCE-AFRICA SUMMIT IN MALI

On behalf of the Secretary-General, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Ibrahim Gambari will attend the 23rd Summit of Heads of State and Government of Africa and France, to be held in Bamako, Mali on 3-4 December. Gambari will deliver the Secretary-Generals message to the Conference.

The Conference will focus on Africa's youth -- harnessing its vitality, its creativity and its aspirations. The theme is especially pertinent, as people under 25 years of age constitute the majority of Africas population and face enormous obstacles ranging from war, inadequate educational and job opportunities to the threats associated with the spread of HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases.

CYPRUS: POLITICAL PROGRESS NEGLIGIBLE AT BEST

The Secretary-Generals latest

report on Cyprus is now available on the Security Councils web site. In it, he says that the situation on the island has remained stable, with calm prevailing along the ceasefire lines.

In addition, the opening of additional crossing points and small increases in trade between the two sides have enhanced opportunities for people-to-people contact.

At the same time, however, progress towards a political solution has been negligible at best. And he therefore recommends that the Security Council extend the mandate of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) for a further period of six months, until 15 June 2006.

He also says the time is not ripe for appointing a full-time person dedicated to his good offices, adding that, while calls have come from all concerned for the resumption of negotiations, the conditions need to be clarified.

UNITED NATIONS NEEDS FULL BUDGET, STARTING 1 JANUARY

Asked whether the Secretary-General was holding discussions with groups of nations concerning the UN budget issue, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General met this morning for a working breakfast with 27 permanent representatives, hosted by the Mission of the Republic of Korea. This, he said, was an informal group that discussed the pace of UN reform and the budget issue.

On the budget, the Secretary-General made his views clear. The organization needs a full budget, starting January 1, with the understanding that the Member States may need to review the budget a few months into the year once the reform proposals are fully in.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

SPOKESMAN DENIES RESIGNATION OF INVESTIGATOR OF HARIRI ASSASSINATION: Asked about reports from Beirut that Detlev Mehlis had officially resigned from his position as Chairman of the International Independent

Investigation Commission dealing with the 14 February bombing in Lebanon, the Spokesman said there had been no official announcement of his resignation. As for Mehliss stated intention to depart from the Commission, the Spokesman said that was not news; Mehlis had indicated from the beginning that he was available for six months. Obviously, should the life of the Commission be extended, Dujarric added, the United Nations would be very interested in having Mehlis remain associated with its work somehow. He added that the Secretary-General and Mehlis are in contact on the matter.

FORMER KOSOVO REBELS RELEASED FROM DETENTION: Two former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army, Fatmir Limaj and Isak Musliu, were today

released from the Detention Unit of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). This follows the Tribunals

judgment yesterday, which found both men not guilty of all charges against them. The Tribunal found a third former Liberation Army member, Haradin Bala, guilty and sentenced him to 13 years in prison.

DAMAGE ASSESSED IN STORM-BATTERED HONDURAS: Regarding Honduras, the UN country team there has

dispatched five inter-agency teams to conduct damage assessments, in the wake of tropical storm Gamma. For its part, the World Food Programme (WFP) has distributed nearly 200,000 family rations, and is planning to provide an additional 1750 tons of food for the next three months.

PART-TIME ADVISORS LAST MYANMAR TRIP NOT U.N.-RELATED: In response to a question from yesterday, the Spokesman said that the last trip to Myanmar by Joseph Verner Reed had been more than two and a half years ago and not related to the United Nations. Verner Reed had not traveled on his UN laissez-passer, and the trip was on behalf of the Bronx Zoo and the American Museum of Natural History.

COUNTRIES INVESTIGATING OIL-FOR-FOOD ALLEGATIONS WILL HAVE ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS: Asked whether there has been any progress in discussions between the UN Office of Legal Affairs and Paul Volckers

Independent Inquiry Committee on the handling of documents, the Spokesman said the discussions are continuing. Asked whether they include how documents will be maintained, the Spokesman said that documents will be properly indexed, and the goal of the discussions is to ensure that the national authorities who want to follow the Committees work with their own investigations will have the access to documents that they need.

COUNTER-TERRORISM CHIEF REQUESTS MEETING WITH ANNAN: Asked about the Secretary-Generals meeting today with Javier Ruperez, the Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate, the Spokesman said the meeting came at Ruperezs request.

PROGRESS SEEN IN TACKLING PROBLEM OF ILLEGAL LOGGING: The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

said today a new report indicates that governments are becoming increasingly innovative -- and effective -- in tackling the problem of illegal logging. The report documents successful efforts to combat illegal logging undertaken in Bolivia, Cambodia, Cameroon, Ecuador, Honduras, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Mozambique, Nicaragua and Peru.

Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

United Nations, S-378

New York, NY 10017

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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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