United Nations Daily Highlights, 06-10-17

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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

U.N. HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

TIMOR-LESTE: ANNAN URGES PEOPLE TO ACCEPT REPORT ON VIOLENCE

IN CONSTRUCTIVE MANNER

Today, the UN Independent Special Commission of Inquiry for Timor-Leste submitted its report to the National Parliament of Timor-Leste. The Commission was set up to establish the facts relating to the outbreaks of violence back in April and May.

The Commissions findings include that there was an absence of systematic control over weapons and ammunition within the security sector, particularly within the national police.

In regard to former Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri, the Commission finds that there is no evidence before it which could lead to a recommendation that he be prosecuted for being personally involved in the illegal movement, possession or use of weapons.

Nevertheless, the Commission adds, it has information which gives rise to a suspicion that he knew about the illegal arming of civilians with police weapons by the interior minister and accordingly, the Commission has recommended further investigation to determine whether Alkatiri bears any criminal responsibility.

In a message to the people of Timor-Leste, the Secretary-General urged them to accept the reports conclusions and recommendations and to act on them in the constructive manner in which they were formulated.

SECURITY COUNCIL IS BRIEFED ON ELECTION PREPARATIONS IN DR CONGO, DEVELOPMENTS IN ETHIOPIA & ERITREA

The Security Council held consultations today on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hédi Annabi briefed Council members on the preparations for the second round of elections in that country, which are to take place on 29 October.

Annabi, under other matters, will also talk to the Council about recent developments in Ethiopia and Eritrea.

The members of the Security Council are also holding their monthly luncheon with the Secretary-General.

Asked about UN action to protect television stations and transmitters in the DRC, the Spokesman said that the UN Mission in that country recently had spoken out forcefully on the need to protect media outlets, and had also called on those outlets to avoid inflammatory rhetoric or hate speech.

Asked about the Eritrean presence in the temporary protected zone between Eritrea and Ethiopia, the Spokesman said that the Eritrean assets of about 1,500 troops and 14 tanks were still in the zone.

He noted that the Acting Special Representative there, Azouz Ennifar, had spoken to Eritrean officials to lodge a protest and had also met with Ethiopian officials. The United Nations, Dujarric said, very much hopes that Eritrea will pull back its forces.

Asked if the United Nations was aware of any other Eritrean troop movements, the Spokesman said that the flight ban imposed on the UN Mission by Eritrea remains in place and hampers its ability to monitor the situation.

ELECTION OF NON-PERMANENT SECURITY COUNCIL SEAT TO RESUME AT 3:00 P.M.

The General Assembly is scheduled to resume elections this afternoon for the fifth non-permanent member of the Security Council to start a two-year term starting 1 January 2007.

The seat, to be awarded to a member of the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States, remains in contention after neither Guatemala nor Venezuela obtained the needed two-thirds majority during the 16 rounds of balloting that began yesterday and continued this morning.

Belgium, Indonesia, Italy and South Africa were elected to serve as non-permanent members yesterday.

LEBANESE CHILDREN RETURN TO SCHOOL

The Acting Force Commander of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Brigadier General J.P. Nehra, met today with senior officers from the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to discuss the situation around the southern Lebanese town of Gajjar and future security arrangements for the area.

Afterwards, Nehra said that the meeting went very well, and that the parties have more or less closed all the gaps except for a few minor technical issues. He said that the issues should be finalized soon, and then he expects the IDF to complete their withdrawal from South Lebanon.

Also, about half a million Lebanese children returned to their public schools yesterday, for the start of the school year, delayed by one month because of the conflict.

The UNIFIL Force Commander, Major General Alain Pellegrini, will be at UN headquarters this week, and he will be the guest at the noon briefing on Thursday.

U.N. ENVOY CALLS FOR DIALOGUE IN NORTH DARFUR

The UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) says that the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Sudan, Jan Pronk currently in North Darfur met with political leaders and field commanders from the rebel groups which are non-signatories to the Darfur peace Agreement. His message to them was that they should extend dialogue to the other parties, and that they should unite for the cause of peace.

Later Tuesday, Pronk held meetings with the African Union, both at Al-Fasher and in Kutum. In both locations he discussed the humanitarian and security situations, including the alarming increase in banditry. He also discussed the implementation of the UNMIS light support package to the African Union Mission in Sudan.

UNMIS adds that Pronk met yesterday with Hilary Benn, the British envoy who is currently on a visit to Sudan. They conducted a thorough review of the political, security and humanitarian situation in Darfur.

Also on Monday evening, Pronk held a meeting with the political bureau of the Sudan Liberation Movement and he advised them to extend the hand of friendship to those who did not sign the Abuja peace deal and to welcome the non-signatories to join it.

Asked about plans for a mini-African summit on Sudan, the Spokesman said that that effort was part of a broad international strategy, also involving the League of Arab States and the African Union, to persuade Sudan to accept a transition to a UN force in Darfur.

HUMANITARIAN APPEAL: $35 MILLION NEEDED FOR SOMALI REFUGEES IN KENYA

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that the international aid community has issued a $35 million

flash appeal for Kenya, to meet the needs of increasing numbers of Somali refugees over the next six months. Fighting, drought and poverty in Somalia have caused the number of Somali refugees in the northeastern Kenyan town of Dadaab to swell to 160,000.

The UN refugee agency, or UNHCR, has sent more staff to Dadaab to carry out emergency camp registration procedures, and the World Food Programme is distributing food to new arrivals. But the situation remains precarious. Particularly worrying is the fact that a 3-year-old girl in one of the camps has been diagnosed with polio, despite having received all necessary vaccinations. This is the first case in Kenya in more than 20 years. A team composed of government officials, UNHCR, the World Health Organization and UNICEF is on its way to Dadaab today to organize a response.

ANTI-POVERTY CAMPAIGN SETS NEW WORLD RECORD

Today is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, which highlights the need for a truly global anti-poverty alliance. In a message to mark the occasion, the Secretary-General said developed nations need to come through on their Official Development Assistance (ODA) and debt relief commitments. And developing nations should prioritize the Millennium Development Goals and adopt strategies to achieve them, he added. And we have copies of his remarks upstairs.

This afternoon, Deputy Secretary-General Mark Malloch-Brown delivered remarks at an event at UN Headquarters organized by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs to mark this day.

Earlier today, Under-Secretary-General for Public Information Shashi Tharoor presented the results of the Millennium Campaign at a press conference. Tharoor said that more than 23.5 million people stood up against poverty in a 24-hour period in multiple locations around the globe. He added that officials at the Guinness World Records have verified that the Stand Up Against Poverty campaign has set a new world record for the largest single coordinated movement of people.

NEXT SECRETARY-GENERAL TO MAKE HIS OWN STAFFING DECISIONS

Asked about meetings between Secretary-General-designate Ban Ki-moon and UN officials, the Spokesman said such contacts were normal. He said that Secretary-General Kofi Annan had instructed his staff to ensure as smooth a transition to his successor as possible, and meetings with senior officials are taking place to that end.

Asked whether officials at and above the rank of Assistant Secretary-General would resign, as U.S. Ambassador John Bolton had suggested, the Spokesman said that the decisions on staffing would be made by the Secretary-General-designate. He added that the majority of contracts for Under-Secretaries-General would expire in February, to give the Secretary-General flexibility in making appointments.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

INTERNAL WATCHDOG AN INDEPENDENT ORGAN: Asked about a report by the Office of Independent Oversight Services (OIOS) on the Department for Political Affairs, the Spokesman said that the OIOS is an independent UN organ, which makes its reports public. He said that the Secretary-Generals office would follow up on its recommendations.

AID GIVEN TO REFUGEES FROM SOUTH SENEGAL: With continuing fighting between the Senegal army and rebel factions in the restive southern Senegal province of Casamance, some 5,247 civilians have fled into neighbouring Gambia. They started receiving food aid sufficient for one month yesterday, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. There have also been distributions of shelter materials, mosquito nets and jerry cans. UNICEF in The Gambia has started work on sanitation and education projects, and will also run mine-awareness training for the refugees.

NEW DRAMA PROJECT ENCOURAGES VOTING IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA: The UN Development Programme is

funding a project in Papua New Guinea to encourage voter participation in the electoral process and improve political representation across the country. This project uses live drama to provide education and awareness about electoral governance, particularly in remote locations.

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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