United Nations Daily Highlights, 06-09-08

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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 STEPHANE DUJARRIC

SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Friday, September 8, 2006

INTERIM NAVAL TASK FORCE STARTS WORK OFF LEBANON

FOLLOWING LIFTING OF BLOCKADE

Major-General Alain Pellegrini, Force Commander of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), said that the interim naval task force is now operational, as of this afternoon. He said that it is his understanding that Israels naval blockade has been lifted.

The Force Commander held discussions on this matter with the

Lebanese and Israeli authorities and with the Italian Navy Commander, Rear Admiral Giuseppe De Giorgi, who will lead the Force.

The interim naval task force is under Italian command, but is coordinating its activities with the UN Force, and UNIFIL has set up a naval operations centre in Naqoura to coordinate all operational details.

Officers from UNIFIL yesterday had met with Israeli army and navy officials to map out the plans for patrolling the waters off Lebanon at the end of the Israeli blockade.

In response to a request from the Government of Lebanon, an expert assessment team comprising police, border and military security experts will be deployed to UNIFIL as of tomorrow, to evaluate security conditions at the Beirut International Airport, coastal entry points, and the land border, and to identify areas in which the UN might provide technical assistance.

There are more than 3,200 UNIFIL personnel in Lebanon as of now, and some 200 French personnel, involved in logistics, are expected to arrive over the weekend.

Asked whether Israel had only partially lifted its blockade, the Spokesman said that Israels air blockade had ended on Thursday and the naval blockade earlier today. He said that work continues on the withdrawal of the Israeli army from southern Lebanon, which is proceeding.

The Spokesman, in response to a question, said he had no information today about the work of a facilitator dealing with the issue of Israeli and Lebanese prisoners.

U.N. LEGAL CHIEF HAS CONSTRUCTIVE MEETINGS ON

INTERNATIONAL TRIBUNAL FOR HARIRI MURDER INVESTIGATION

Nicolas Michel, the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, left Beirut today, after meetings yesterday with Prime Minister Fuad Siniora and Justice Minister Charles Rizk.

In those meetings, he discussed the draft statute and main issues around the establishment of a tribunal of an international character dealing with the

murder of the late Prime Minister, Rafiq Hariri, and 22 others.

Before his departure, Michel told reporters that he had very constructive and fruitful meetings, and that much has been achieved so far. He made it clear that the tribunal would need to be agreed to by the United Nations and the Lebanese government.

ANNAN TO HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE NEXT WEDNESDAY

Secretary-General Kofi Annan returned from his marathon trip last night and was at headquarters this afternoon to attend the General Assembly (GA) plenary meeting slated to open at 3:00 p.m. and then address the DPI-NGO conference at 5:15 p.m.

The Secretary-General will hold his traditional pre-GA press conference next Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. at UN Headquarters.

Asked about the Secretary-Generals opinion of the GAs draft counter-terrorism strategy, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General very much hopes that the draft text will be adopted this afternoon. The Secretary-General, he said, believes it contains a number of positive items and helps nations to focus on the task at hand.

The Spokesman added that the draft text recommits Member States to fighting terrorism in all its forms. But he declined to comment on specific parts of the text, which is still being discussed by Member States.

ANNAN WELCOMES SIGNING OF CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT IN BURUNDI

The Secretary-General welcomes the signing of a Ceasefire Agreement between the Government of Burundi and the PALIPEHUTU-Forces nationales de libération (FNL) in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, on 7 September.

He expresses his appreciation for the efforts of the Regional Initiative for Peace in Burundi and the South African Facilitation, to help achieve this Agreement, which, it is hoped, will bring to an end thirteen years of armed conflict in the country.

The Secretary-General calls on the Government and FNL to implement the Agreement expeditiously and in good faith. Its successful implementation is vital for the consolidation of peace in Burundi and the overall stability of the Great Lakes region. The Secretary-General urges both parties to continue working together in a spirit of cooperation to resolve all outstanding issues.

The United Nations stands ready to assist the parties in implementing the Agreement, in collaboration with other partners, and to continue to support all efforts to enhance good governance, including through the respect of human rights and establishment of rule of law.

SECURITY COUNCIL TO DISCUSS SUDAN ON MONDAY

There are no meetings or consultations of the Security Council scheduled for today.

On Monday, a debate open to the public on Sudan is scheduled and the Secretary-General is planning to attend and address that meeting.

U.N. REFUGEE CHIEF WARNS OF MORE MASSIVE DISPLACEMENT IN DARFUR

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres,

warns that the worsening situation in

Darfur threatens to spark another round of massive displacement that could destabilize the entire region.

And the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said reports from UN human rights monitors confirmed the assessment of a worsening situation in Darfur. Civilians in Darfur, in particular those living in rebel controlled areas, continue to be exposed to abuses either as a result of indiscriminate attacks or as a result of getting caught in the middle of clashes between warring parties.

Of particular concern was that the climate of impunity in relation to human rights abuses meant that those carrying out such attacks could almost always count on not being held to account.

Asked whether the United Nations has a strategy for unblocking the situation in Sudan, the Spokesman said that it is hoped that the Monday meeting can send a message to the Government of Sudan to encourage it to reconsider its position and support a transition to a UN force in Darfur. He also noted efforts to strengthen the African Union Mission in Sudan, and expressed the hope that it could stay in place for a transition to a UN force.

The Spokesman added that those countries that have influence with the Sudanese Government should use it in order to implement

resolution 1706.

Asked about contingency plans for the protection of civilians in Darfur, the Spokesman said that the protection of civilians is a matter of extreme concern to the Secretary-General. If the Government of Sudan, he said, is not willing to shoulder its responsibility to protect its civilians, the African Union Mission must be supported prior to a transition to a UN force.

He said that the United Nations has been trying to help the African Union Mission to receive funds and assets that it needs to work effectively, and is discussing with Member States what can be done to assist.

Asked whether a threat of offensive action would violate the Abuja peace agreement, the Spokesman agreed that the deployment of military forces would violate the agreement in letter and in spirit. He noted that there have been violations of the agreement by various parties.

U.N. ENVOY WELCOMES PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION RESULTS IN D.R. CONGO

The UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) says that the countrys Independent Electoral Commission announced last night the provisional results of the countrys recent parliamentary elections. The presidential alliance, AMP, did not obtain an absolute majority. It won 224 seats out of 500; while RENACO the party that supports Vice-President Jean-Pierre Bemba won a hundred seats.

The new National Assembly will be inaugurated 15 days from now, and its expected that the next Prime Minister of the

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) will be from President Joseph Kabila's coalition.

The Secretary-Generals Special Representative in the DRC, William Swing, has welcomed the results, saying that they will enable the DRC to have a stable government based on a strong parliamentary majority thatll also face a strong opposition.

Regarding security in Kinshasa, MONUC says it is been continuing its confidence- and security-building efforts ahead of the second round of presidential elections. Joint patrols have been sent to verify various allegation, including the alleged deployment of mortars in Bembas office complex.

MONUC says that over the coming days, its own efforts to resolve differences between Kabila and Bemba will receive an additional diplomatic boost with various high-level officials coming to Kinshasa to help where possible these include President Sassou Nguesso of Congo-Brazzaville and Javier Solana, the EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Affairs, as well the defence ministers of South Africa and Belgium.

UNITED NATIONS INVESTIGATES DUMPING OF TOXIC WASTE IN COTE DIVOIRE

At the request of the Government of Côte dIvoire, the UN Environment Programme is

investigating whether the toxic wastes recently dumped in Abidjan are linked to illegal exports from Europe.

Meanwhile, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that an inter-agency task force has been established in Cote d'Ivoire to coordinate UN agencies' response to the situation and the Government's request for assistance.

U.N. OPERATION IN COTE D'IVOIRE HAS NEW FORCE COMMANDER

The Security Council has written back to the Secretary-General, taking note of his intention to appoint Major-General Fernand Marcel Amoussou, of Benin, as the Force Commander of the UN Operation in Cote dIvoire. Major General Amoussou will replace Major General Abdoulaye Fall, who left the mission in April.

Asked about a letter from two former Ivorian leaders asking the Secretary-General to ensure that President Laurent Gbagbo could not influence Cote dIvoires future, the Spokesman said that the issue of the electoral calendar is under the authority of the countrys electoral commission.

Dujarric said that political issues would be dealt with by Cote dIvoires party leaders when they meet in New York later this month on the sidelines of the General Assembly.

It is important, he added, for all Ivorian parties and political leaders to extend their full cooperation with the Prime Minister to facilitate the expeditious formation of a new government in order to avoid further delays in the peace process at this critical juncture.

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL TO ATTEND IRAQ COMPACT MEETING

The Deputy Secretary-General, Mark Malloch Brown, will be in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, on Sunday, for a meeting of the Preparatory Group of the International Compact for Iraq.

The meeting will be held under the auspices of the Government of

Iraq and the United Nations, which jointly co-chair the Compact. Its purpose will be to assess preparatory work vis-ŕ-vis the Compact.

The event will be attended by representatives of a number of countries, as well as officials from the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Islamic Development Bank and Arab Development Fund.

Asked about the purpose of the trip, the Spokesman said that it was to follow up on the initial meeting on the Iraq Compact, an initiative to help the long-term development of Iraq. This is part of a series of meetings to move forward with the compact, with the Deputy Secretary-General tasked by the Secretary-General to lead that effort.

UP TO SECURITY COUNCIL TO DECIDE ON CHANGE IN UNMOVIC MANDATE

Asked about the functioning of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission for Iraq (UNMOVIC), the Spokesman said that the Commission is mandated by the Security Council, and it is up to the Council to determine any change in its mandate.

It had been funded through part of the proceeds of the Iraqi sanctions regime, but, he noted, it has sufficient funds that it was able to turn some of its funds over to the

Development Fund for Iraq.

Asked about its work, the Spokesman said that its acting Executive Chairman, Demetrius Perricos, briefed the Council on Thursday. UNMOVIC continues to publish reports on its work, which are publicly available.

Asked about the functioning of Paul Volckers Independent Inquiry Committee, the Spokesman said that it continues to exist through the end of December as a repository for documents. It is working with the UN Office for Legal Affairs on a transfer of documents, so that they can remain available to investigators.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO MEET ON COUNTER-TERRORISM STRATEGY

The Spokesperson for the President of the General Assembly (GA) is meeting today to take action on a draft resolution on the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.

Also on the agenda for action this afternoon are draft resolutions on revitalization of the General Assembly and on the arrangements for the Peacebuilding Fund.

The General Assembly will hold the closing meeting of its 60th session on Monday at 10:00 a.m. President Jan Eliasson will make a concluding statement, and will hand over the ceremonial gavel to the incoming President, Sheika Haya Al Khalifa.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

ROAD MAP CALLS FOR FREEZE IN BUILDING OF NEW HOUSING IN ISRAELI SETTLEMENTS: Asked about the United Nations response to reports that Israel will build new housing in some settlements, the Spokesman said that the construction of new housing in settlements contradicts Israeli obligations under the Road Map, which calls for a freeze on all settlement activity. He said that the United Nations has repeatedly expressed its concern that settlement expansion could undermine a future Palestinian state and is not conducive to the Middle East peace process.

MAJOR POLIO VACCINATION CAMPAIGN STARTS IN HORN AFRICA ON SATURDAY: The largest-ever synchronized polio vaccination campaign in the Horn of Africa

starts tomorrow and lasts until 12 September, with support from the World Health Organization and the UN Childrens Fund. Millions of children under the age of five will be simultaneously vaccinated in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya.

WATER PARTNERSHIP LAUNCHES WATER FOR LIFE CAMPAIGN: The partnership between the United Nations, MTV and hip-hop artist Jay-Z, which was announced by the Secretary-General on 9 August, is launching its Water for Life campaign today. More information can be found at www.un.org/works.

HIGH LITERACY RATES ESSENTIAL FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH: Today is International Literacy Day. The theme this year is Literacy sustains development. In a message to mark the occasion, the Secretary-General says that higher literacy rates are essential to economic growth, poverty eradication, social participation and environmental protection.

According to a related report from the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, some 780 million adults live without basic literacy skills. Asked who writes such messages, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General relies on speechwriters but has full knowledge of all the statements and messages they write.

NUCLEAR WEAPON FREE ZONES ENHANCE GLOBAL PEACE: In a message for the signing ceremony of the Central Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty, the Secretary-General says that, individually and collectively, nuclear-weapon-free zones strengthen the global nuclear non-proliferation regime, reinforce efforts to achieve a nuclear-weapon-free world, and enhance global and regional peace and security.