United Nations Daily Highlights, 01-05-22

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From: The United Nations Home Page at <http://www.un.org> - email: [email protected]

FROM THE NOON BRIEFING

BY FRED ECKHARD

SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Tuesday, May 22, 2001

ANNAN SHARES CONCERNS ON MIDDLE EAST WITH SECURITY COUNCIL

Secretary-General Kofi Annan this morning briefed the Security Council on the Middle East, discussing developments between the Palestinians and Israelis, as well as on tensions on the border between Israel, Lebanon and Syria.

Speaking to reporters outside the Security Council following his briefing, the Secretary-General said that he had expressed his grave concern to the Council about the situation in the Middle East. He reiterated that he believes that the report by the panel chaired by former U.S. Senator George Mitchell, along with the Egyptian-Jordanian peace initiative, offers a way forward from the current situation.

The Secretary-General said that he told the Council that he would keep up his active involvement on the Middle East, and would be willing to go to the region at the appropriate time.

He said, in response to questions, that the first steps now are to bring the parties to end the violence, take up confidence-building measures and eventually return to the negotiating table. Any monitoring mechanism, he said, would have to be agreed to by the parties. He added that the U.S. response to the Mitchell report was very encouraging, and noted that U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell was working in close cooperation with other leaders on the issue.

Immediately after the Secretary-General's briefing, the Security Council held closed consultations on Angola, to hear from the Secretary-General's Adviser for Special Assignments in Africa, Ibrahim Gambari, on his recent mission to that country.

Asked about the peace initiatives on the Middle East, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General had noted the work of the parties that attended the talks last year at Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt, and had said that those parties and Russia would continue to work on bringing the tragic situation under control. [The parties at Sharm-el-Sheikh included the Israelis and Palestinians, as well as the United States, the European Union, Egypt and Jordan.]

Eckhard added that the Secretary-General has stressed the need for a unified effort among nations to deal with a problem of this magnitude.

SECURITY COUNCIL TO MEET ON IRAQ

At 3:30 p.m., the Security Council will hold closed consultations on Iraq.

The Secretary-General's latest 180-day report on the implementation of the oil-for-food program, dealing with Phase IX of the program, which will end this June 3, notes that over the past four years, the humanitarian programme has contributed to improving the living conditions of the average Iraqi.

As foreseen, the report confirms a revenue shortfall of about $2.6 billion for the oil-for-food program in phase IX, with the final revenue expected to stand at $5.7 billion, some $4 billion less than the funds received under the previous phase.

The Secretary-General's report underlines the necessity for the Government of Iraq to place a priority on the contracting of humanitarian supplies, especially in the food, health and nutrition sectors. With only three weeks left to the end of the current phase, he notes that not a single contract had been received by the Office of the Iraq Programme for the health, education, water and sanitation and oil sectors. He adds that with the size of revenues available to the programme, shortfalls in distribution basket items and essential medicines can no longer be justified.

The Secretary-General emphasizes his grave concern at the large value of contracts placed on hold by the Security Councils 661 sanctions committee, which at the time the report was completed stood at $3.7 billion.

Benon Sevan, Executive Director of the Office of the Iraq Programme, intends to present the report to the Security Council this Friday.

According to the weekly update from the Office of the Iraq Programme, during the week of May 12-18, Iraq exported some 13.6 million barrels of oil last week, earning an estimated revenue of 365 million euros at current prices.

DIALOGUE AMONG PARTIES IN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO TO BEGIN

The first preparatory session of the Inter-Congolese Dialogue will take place on July 16, Ambassador Jean-David Levitte of France told journalists this morning in Lusaka, Zambia, just before the start of the Security Council delegations meeting with Zambian President Frederick Chiluba.

The 12 ambassadors of the Security Council mission to the Great Lakes had met with former Botswanan President Ketumile Masire, Facilitator of the Inter-Congolese dialogue, this morning for more than an hour.

Levitte also told journalists that Masire would be sending his representatives during the month of June to throughout the provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ( DRC) in the process of selecting representatives to the dialogue.

In the afternoon, the Council delegation met with members of the Political Committee overseeing the Lusaka Accords. The session was opened by President Chiluba, and focused on the major facets of the Congolese peace process, including the disengagement of forces, disarmament and demobilization of so-called negative forces and finally the withdrawal of all foreign forces from the DRC.

At the Political Committee meeting, Jean-Pierre Bembas rebel Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC) announced it will disengage from the front lines in the DRC. The delegation is scheduled to meet with the Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD-Goma) in Lusaka later tonight.

FIGHTERS DISARMED IN SIERRA LEONE, BUT KOIDU ATTACK REPORTED

The disarmament of Revolutionary United Front (RUF) and Civil Defense Force (CDF) combatants, which began on Friday, continued today in Sierra Leone's Kambia and Port Loko districts. So far, a total of 1,728 RUF and CDF combatants disarmed.

The ex-combatants turned in a range of heavy and light weapons, including an anti-aircraft battery and mortars, as well as AK-47s, AK-58s, rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), and other small arms and ammunition. The weapons were immediately disabled.

The UN Mission in Sierra Leone also reported today that the Civil Defense Force (CDF) last Saturday night attacked RUF positions approximately 20 miles east of Koidu, in violation of the May 15 cessation of hostilities agreement. This attack was verified by the Bangladeshi Battalion, which maintains a permanent patrol presence at Koidu. The attack caused some 600 internally displaced persons to flee the area and move westwards towards Sefadu.

To show its commitment to the peace process, a joint UN-Sierra Leone Government delegation traveled to Koidu today to talk to the CDF militia on the ground, with a view to resolving the situation.

ETHIOPIA, ERITREA AGREE ON MILITARY COORDINATION COMMITTEES

Senior members of the Ethiopian and Eritrean armed forces and UN peacekeepers held the sixth meeting of the Military Coordination Committee yesterday in Nairobi, Kenya, as part the ongoing process of solidifying peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

The parties agreed on a number of measures, including the establishment of sector-level military coordination committees to address local security and military concerns on the ground. They also agreed on the need to develop a mechanism to handle the unburied remains of those killed in the two-year conflict.

REPORT NOTES DENIAL OF ACCESS TO UN OBSERVERS IN GOLAN HEIGHTS

The Secretary-General's latest six-month report on the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the Golan Heights notes that the area of the Force's operations was generally quiet over the past six months, except for the Shab'a Farms area.

As in the past, both sides denied access to UN inspection teams to some of their positions; in addition to previous restrictions, Israel, in recent months, has denied the inspection teams access to Area 6 of its operations, where Shab'a Farms is located.

The Secretary-General says that the situation in the Middle East continues to be potentially dangerous, and he considers the Disengagement Observer Force's presence to be essential. He recommends that the Council extend its mandate by another six months, until November 30. He also notes the shortfall in funding the Force, with unpaid assessments currently amounting to some $22.8 million.

SIGNING CEREMONY ON POLLUTANTS BEGINS IN STOCKHOLM

The Diplomatic Conference to Sign the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants began today in Stockholm, Sweden.

Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) delivered a message on behalf of the Secretary-General, in which he congratulated the more than 100 countries that are to sign the agreement. He encouraged others both to sign and ratify the treaty so that it can enter into force as soon as possible.

The Convention will set out measures to ban, control or replace twelve of the world's most damaging pesticides, industrial chemicals and other organic pollutants. It will also strengthen international legal machinery on environment.

BOSNIA OFFICIAL TO COORDINATE UN PLANNING IN EAST TIMOR

The Secretary-General's Deputy Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Julian Harston, will be joining the UN Mission in East Timor for three months to coordinate various planning activities on the successor mission to the current UN Transitional Administration in East Timor ( UNTAET). He is to arrive in East Timor this Friday.

An eight-member working group, including four Timorese and four UN members, is already dealing with the issue of international assistance for East Timor once the current UN mission's mandate ends. That group is expected to issue a report to the UN Mission by the end of this month.

ONLY 23 PERCENT OF UN HUMANITARIAN APPEALS MET FOR THIS YEAR

Six months after the Secretary-General launched the 2001 Consolidated Appeals, a report on the appeals shows that only 23 percent of the needs have been met. In a review meeting held in Geneva today, Ross Mountain, Assistant Emergency Relief Coordinator, said that "the infamous gap between relief and rehabilitation yawns even wider and our efforts to make the bridge to the future are constantly falling short without funding."

Of the $2.8 billion called for in the appeals, $625 million has been funded leaving a gap of about $2.1 billion. Some of the hardest hit appeals are for Somalia, with only 5.2 percent of the $129 million requested funded so far, and Tajikistan, which has received 8.9 percent of $82 million requested.

The humanitarian community faces an environment that has become more and more insecure and access to the most vulnerable populations is becoming increasingly dangerous, the report said.

UN ADVISER URGES SPORTS WORLD TO TAKE UP UN GOALS

Speaking to the World Sports Forum in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Monday, former Swiss President Adolf Ogi, the Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace, urged greater cooperation between the United Nations and the sports world and said, "The United Nations is ready to take up sport. It is time for sport to take up the United Nations."

Ogi noted that, in one UN peacekeeping mission, UN troops said that when they deployed, one of the first requests they received was for soccer balls and volleyball equipment.

He noted other contributions that the sports world could make in advancing the goals of the United Nations, including ensuring full respect for international labor in the sports industry, particularly the elimination of the worst forms of child labor. "Sports has to mean fair play," he said, "Not only on the pitch, but also starting at the production level."

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

Asked about reports that the Taliban plan to segregate Afghanistan's Hindu population, the Spokesman said that the UN Office dealing with Afghanistan is investigating, but cannot confirm the reports. The Taliban's "information ministry" has denied the reports.

Asked whether the focus on AIDS in Africa would occur at the expense of other areas at the upcoming General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General has called AIDS a global problem, and that the worldwide dimensions of the problem were being addressed. He added that the Secretary-General hoped that, by the time of the Special Session, a banking facility would be in place for his proposed Global Fund on AIDS and other diseases.

Today in Rome, the Food and Agriculture Organization ( FAO) announced a new multi-million dollar long-term cooperation agreement with the Government of the Netherlands. In addition to the $10 million the Netherlands contributes to the FAO regular budget and $30 million it provides to finance regional and country level projects, the new agreement will provide $9 million up to the end of 2002.

The World Health Organization ( WHO) noted the end today of the 54th World Health Assembly.

The Economic Commission for Africa, in collaboration with the Economic and Social Council, will hold a panel discussion on the coordination of UN work in Africa on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Conference Room 2.

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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