United Nations Daily Highlights, 06-07-31

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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 MARIE OKABE

DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

WITH

AHMAD FAWZI, DIRECTOR OF THE NEWS AND MEDIA DIVISION,

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INFORMATION

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Monday, July 31, 2006

ANNAN WELCOMES SUCCESSFUL HOLDING OF ELECTIONS IN D.R. CONGO

Secretary-General Kofi Annan welcomes the successful holding of the presidential and national legislative elections in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo on 30 July. This historic event is a milestone in the countrys peace process.

The Secretary-General congratulates the Congolese people for their broad participation and for the peaceful conduct of the elections, and commends the Congolese Independent Electoral Commission for organizing the polling.

He notes that the elections were held in a generally calm environment, with only isolated incidents, and calls for calm as the results are tabulated. Voting continues today at the few polling stations that could not open yesterday.

The Secretary-General looks forward to the announcement of the results by the Independent Electoral Commission, and appeals to all of the Congolese parties and candidates to respect the outcome in a spirit of peace and reconciliation.

The Congolese people continue to face major challenges, including political and economic reforms, national reconciliation, good governance, and reconstruction and development.

The United Nations remains deeply committed to supporting them in their efforts to build lasting peace and democracy.

VOTE COUNTING UNDERWAY IN THE D.R. CONGO,

HIGH TURNOUT REPORTED DURING ELECTION

Ballot counting is now underway in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo, where millions of people voted yesterday in that countrys first free and democratic elections in over four decades. The UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo reports that the turnout was high and voting proceeded in a generally orderly and peaceful fashion.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for that country, William Lacy Swing, thanked the Congolese for their discipline, wisdom and maturity in participating massively in the landmark polls. Swing congratulated the Independent Electoral Commission on discharging its colossal duty of overseeing the vote. Swing also commended the Congolese police for maintaining public order and safety throughout the country. Swing called regrettable the election-related incidents reported in the eastern Kasai Province and in the capital Kinshasa.

SECURITY COUNCIL DEMANDS IRAN SUSPEND

ALL ENRICHMENT-RELATED ACTIVITIES

This morning the Security Council held a meeting on non-proliferation. By a vote of 14 to one, with Qatar voting no, the Council adopted a resolution, demanding that Iran suspend all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, including research and development.

The Council also requested by 31 August a report from the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, primarily on whether Iran has established a full and sustained suspension of all such activities.

The Security Council went on to approve a one-month extension of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), until the end of August, and urged all concerned parties to abide scrupulously by their obligation to respect the safety of UNIFIL and other UN personnel. It also adopted a resolution on the

Democratic Republic of the Congo, concerning sanctions.

The Council then went into consultations on Lebanon at the request of the Lebanese. It decided to hold an open meeting this afternoon at three on Lebanon. That meeting may be followed by consultations, also on Lebanon.

SECURITY COUNCIL EXPRESSED SHOCK OVER QANA BOMBING

The Security Council met in an emergency session on Sunday, in response to a request by the Secretary-General following the Israeli attack that killed dozens of civilians, including children, in the

Lebanese town of Qana.

The Secretary-General told the Council that we must condemn this action in the strongest possible terms, and I appeal to you to do likewise. He added, I am deeply dismayed that my earlier calls for immediate cessation of hostilities were not heeded, with the result that innocent life continues to be taken and innocent civilians continue to suffer.

He warned that the tragedy at Qana has, rightly, provoked moral outrage throughout the world. While no one disputes Israel's right to defend itself, the Secretary-General said, its manner of doing so has caused, and is causing, death and suffering on a wholly unacceptable scale.

The Secretary-General told the Security Council that its authority and standing are at stake, as people have noticed its failure to act firmly and quickly during this crisis.

The Council, in the evening, adopted a

Presidential Statement in which it expressed its extreme shock and distress at the shelling by the Israeli Defense Forces in Qana. The Council strongly deplored this loss of innocent lives and the killing of civilians in the present conflict, and requested the Secretary-General to report to it within one week on the circumstances of this tragic incident.

Asked about the reasons for the postponement of the meeting for potential troop contributors for a possible Lebanon force, Ahmad Fawzi, the Middle East spokesperson, said that time was needed to get the details right for such a force. The delay was simply a question of timing and logistics, he said. Asked about differing views by Member States on having a meeting, he said that Member States need to be given time to get those matters in order.

Asked about Hezbollahs role in the Lebanese Government, Fawzi said that the Secretary-General is very concerned that the authority of the Government of Lebanon not be affected by the incidents of recent days. He noted the need for efforts to help Lebanon regain authority over all its territory, and added that the United Nations counts on the Lebanese Government to talk to Hezbollah on compliance with UN resolutions.

Asked how many more such incidents as Qana would have to take place before the Security Council acts, Fawzi said that the Secretary-General had expressed the same thought, wondering how many more civilians have to die before a resolution.

Asked about comments from Syrias UN Ambassador that Syria would be willing to discuss the crisis with the Secretary-General, Fawzi responded that the Secretary-General has been in contact with the parties involved or concerned, stressing the need for a cessation of hostilities so that efforts to secure a more formal ceasefire can take place.

ANNAN PREFERS JOINT INVESTIGATION INTO KHIAM BOMBING

Over the weekend, the Secretary-General wrote to the President of Security Council, informing the Council that he understands that Israel will carry out its own investigation into the events that led to the deaths of four UNTSO military observers at the patrol base in Khiam,

southern Lebanon.

The Secretary-General said he had made it clear to the Israeli Prime Minister that he would have preferred a joint investigation by the United Nations and Israel. He said in his letter to the Council that he has urged Israels investigation to be comprehensive and for its results to be made public.

He also noted that, in view of the ongoing hostilities in southern Lebanon, the UN Force Commander there, General Alain Pellegrini, has been delegated full authority regarding additional relocations of personnel under his command if it becomes necessary to better ensure the safety of UN personnel.

A message from the Secretary-General was read out yesterday at a memorial service in Jerusalem for the four military observers.

UNITED NATIONS SENDS TWO HUMANITARIAN CONVOYS TO LEBANON

The United Nations today sent two humanitarian convoys to southern Lebanon. One went to Qana with five trucks of wheat flour, canned food and edible oil. The second convoy went to Tyre and had eight trucks for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, for the Palestinian refugee camps there.

The World Food Programme reported that yesterday, it was forced to cancel a planned aid convoy to the town of Marjayoun in southern

Lebanon because Israeli Defence Forces did not agree to the operation.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), however, did manage to send its first relief convoy to Beirut from Syria on Saturday. The convoy carried 3,500 blankets, 3,600 mattresses, nearly 3,000 collapsible jerry cans and more than 50 kitchen sets.

For its part, the UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) has now provided 45 water tanks to the Beirut, Aley and Chouf areas, thereby meeting the needs of 20,000 people. UNICEF has also donated $1.2 million for medical supplies, as well as recreational kits for nearly 35,000 children in schools and centers for displaced people.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization is

preparing to conduct rapid health assessments in shelters hosting Lebanese refugees, and the UN Environment Programme is

putting together a team of experts to help clean up an oil slick caused by an air strike on a power utility south of Beirut.

NO ROCKET FIRING REPORTED IN UNIFILS AREA OF OPERATIONS

According to reports from the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), there were no incidents of rocket firing or aerial bombardment in the UNIFIL area of operations since 4:00 a.m. this morning, except in the area of

At Tayyabah, in the eastern sector, where two air strikes were reported around 10:00 a.m.

It was reported that some of the Israeli Defence Forces withdrew from the area of Marun Al Ras yesterday evening. UNIFIL says that the situation in these areas is relatively quiet this morning, and there are no reports of serious fighting.

UNIFIL continued to provide medical assistance to the local population in different areas and also continued efforts to extricate and provide escorts for a number of foreign nationals for evacuation from the country.

SECURITY SITUATION IN DARFUR REMAINS VOLATILE

The UN Mission in Sudan says that the security situation in

Darfur remains volatile, particularly in North and West Darfur where fighting between government forces and rebel groups which have not signed the Darfur Peace Agreement were reported over the last three days.

In West Darfur, there were reports of fighting involving the Sudan Armed Forces and rebel groups on 28 July. On the same day in North Darfur, there were reports of fighting between the Government and the group known as the National Redemption Front in three locations in the general area of Kulkul.

And on 29 July, there were reports of government and armed militia gathering to attack Kulkul, Turba and surrounding areas.

Ambushes on humanitarian convoys continue to be reported. The latest ambush took place over the weekend, when a convoy of 29 World Food Programme trucks were ambushed by six armed men near Khor Harazaya when returning to base in Geneina, West Darfur, after delivering food to distribution points in the Habila locality. No injuries were reported.

U.N. OFFICIAL TO ATTEND MEETING ON SOMALIA CRISIS

The Special Representative of the Secretary General for Somalia, Francois Lonseny Fall, will attend a meeting of Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD) tomorrow in Nairobi. The meeting is being called by Kenya's Minister of Foreign Affairs to address the unfolding crisis in Somalia.

Participants, including representatives from Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda, will consider recent Security Council statements on Somalia as well as an IGAD and African Union report on an Assessment and Reconnaissance Mission to Somalia completed earlier this month.

Asked whether the United Nations could confirm the presence of Ethiopian troops in Somalia, the Spokeswoman said that the United Nations was not in a position to make such a confirmation. She noted, in reply to another question, that the United Nations has a political office dealing with Somalia, but no peacekeeping force on the ground that could confirm the reported presence of other troops.

Okabe added that the Secretary-General has called on Somalias neighboring countries to respect Somalias territorial integrity.

WORK CONTINUES TO ENSURE SPEEDY START TO CYPRUS MEETINGS

In matters relating to Cyprus, the principal aides to H.E. Mehmet Ali Talat and H.E. Tassos Papadopoulos today exchanged lists of issues of substance at the office of the Secretary-Generals Special Representative in Cyprus, Michael Moller.

Work is continuing to ensure the speedy start of the technical committees on issues affecting the day-to-day life of people as well as of the expert bi-communal working groups on substantive issues.

Moller and the aides expressed confidence that the start of this process was imminent.

*** The guest at the Noon Briefing was Jean-Marie Guehenno, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations. He spoke about yesterdays elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

United Nations, S-378

New York, NY 10017

Tel. 212-963-7162

Fax. 212-963-7055

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