United Nations Daily Highlights, 02-09-06

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

OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY

FRED ECKHARD

SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Friday, September 6, 2002

ANNAN DISCUSSES IRAQ WITH CHIRAC BEFORE HEADING BACK TO NEW YORK

In Paris today, Secretary-General Kofi Annan met with French President Jacques Chirac for about an hour. The President briefed the Secretary-General on a phone conversation he had had earlier today with U.S. President George W. Bush on Iraq. Chirac and the Secretary-General discussed the situation in Iraq in some detail.

They also talked about the humanitarian situation of the Palestinian people, which was described in the recent report by the Secretary-Generals Personal Humanitarian Envoy, Catherine Bertini. Among other subjects, they discussed the situation between Cameroon and Nigeria, and also talked about Chad, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Colombia.

In a brief exchange with the press afterward, the Secretary-General said that President Bush is going to speak at the United Nations on September 12, and added, I think we can all look forward to hearing what he is going to say. The Secretary-General said he has indicated that it would be unwise to attack Iraq now, and it would raise international tensions, and added that President Bush and his team would bear that in mind.

He said, I was encouraged yesterday when he said that he will consult the international community. I hope that will also include the Security Council, which is at the center of that community.

The Secretary-General was also asked if the United Nations should set a deadline for the return of UN weapons inspectors to Iraq. He said, I think this is something the Security Council will have to decide.

He said that, in his recent meetings with Iraqi leaders, he had encouraged them to accept the return of inspectors. He added, Many heads of state, including many in the Middle East, are encouraging them to do that.

ANNAN SAYS GAPS DIVIDING CYPRUS LEADERS CAN BE BRIDGED

This morning, the Secretary-General met at 10:00 a.m. with His Excellency Rauf Denktash, the Turkish Cypriot leader, and then at 11:30am with His Excellency Glafkos Clerides, the Greek Cypriot leader. Then at 1:00 p.m., he hosted a lunch with both men.

The Secretary-General asked the leaders to return to Cyprus and work with his Special Adviser, Alvaro de Soto, on the issues that he highlighted to them today, and then to meet with him once more in New York on October 3 and 4.

In a statement issued after the lunch, he voiced the hope that the leaders will tackle with urgency the matters that were discussed before their next meeting, and said de Soto would work with them to achieved the requisite progress.

Referring to recent press speculation, he said, My discussions today confirm my belief that, though serious differences remain, the elements of a comprehensive settlement that would meet the basic needs of both sides do, in fact, exist.

He said he believes the gaps dividing the parties can be bridged, and, on some issues, those gaps are quite a bit smaller than they were at the beginning of the talks. The Secretary-General affirmed, There is an opportunity at hand, waiting to be seized.

Following the meeting, the Secretary-Generals Special Advisor on Cyprus, Alvaro de Soto, answered a few questions from reporters. He said the meetings in New York would be to encourage both Clerides and Denktash to continue their efforts. We are not saying that we expect the settlement to be solved by the first week of October, but the Secretary-General is hoping for very significant progress by then, de Soto added.

Asked if Alvaro de Soto would brief the Security Council on Monday, the Spokesman later answered that he would not.

ANNAN PRESENT AT TALKS BETWEEN NIGERIA, CAMEROON

In Paris Thursday, the Secretary-General met with President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria and President Paul Biya of Cameroon, who discussed, in the Secretary-General's presence, the Bakassi Peninsula between their two countries, as well as other issues of common interest.

In the course of their meeting, both Presidents agreed to: respect and implement the decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the Bakassi Peninsula; establish an implementation mechanism, with the support of the United Nations; and resume, in Abuja on September 30, ministerial-level meetings of the Joint Commission. They also agreed on the need for confidence-building measures.

Following that meeting, the Secretary-General met Thursday evening with French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin, and they discussed the question of the Bakassi peninsula, as well as the Great Lakes Region, Cyprus, Iraq and the Middle East. The Foreign Minister reiterated his support of the Secretary-Generals efforts in all those areas.

SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS UN MISSION IN ETHIOPIA/ERITREA

The Security Council met in consultations this morning to discuss a draft resolution extending the mandate by six months of the UN mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea, which was later adopted in a formal meeting.

Members of the Security Council also received a briefing from Under Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean Marie Guehenno on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Guehenno provided them with an update on the overall situation in the DRC, including the diplomatic activity between the DRC and Uganda as well as between the DRC and Rwanda.

Security Council President Stefan Tafrov, Bulgaria's Ambassador to the United Nations, read a press statement on behalf of Council, which welcomed the signing of the Luanda Agreement on the withdrawal of Ugandan forces from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. At the same time, the Council expressed extreme concern about the situation in the eastern part of the country and called for an immediate end to hostilities by all forces and armed groups in South Kivu.

The Council President, in a separate press statement on Afghanistan, condemned in the strongest possible terms Thursday's assassination attempt against President Hamid Karzai and Governor Gul Agha Sherzai in Kandahar, as well as the terrorist car bomb explosion in Kabul. Council members were briefed on Afghanistan during consultations by John Renninger, Director of the Asia and Pacific Division of the Department of Political Affairs.

UN ENVOY APPEALS FOR FOOD DONATIONS FOR ZIMBABWE

World Food Programme Executive Director James Morris, who is the Secretary-Generals Special Envoy for Humanitarian Needs in Southern Africa, today appealed for stepped-up donations to assist more than six million people in Zimbabwe facing increasing hardship.

Morris also welcomed assurances by the Government of Zimbabwe that it will go ahead with an agreement to distribute more food aid in the country while the government's concerns over potentially genetically modified food are addressed.

During consultations with President Robert Mugabe on Thursday, the President gave his assurance on a proposed swap of 17,500 tonnes maize grain, donated to WFP by the United States, for an equivalent amount of government-owned maize meal.

WFP says the swap is a positive step forward in addressing the Governments concern over importing non-milled maize, which potentially contains genetically modified organisms, while ensuring the population receives urgently-needed supplies of food aid through the World Food Programme.

Morris arrived in Harare two days ago as part of a two-week UN mission to the six affected countries in the region.

Tomorrow, the mission will continue to Zambia. Morris is accompanied by Carolyn McAskie, Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator for the UN Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), as well as representatives from the World Health Organization, the UN Childrens Fund, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

UNMOVIC CHIEF OUTLINES RECENT VIENNA TALKS WITH IRAQI OFFICIALS

Published today is the 10th quarterly report submitted to the Security Council by Dr. Hans Blix, the Executive Chairman of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), in which he reviews the Commissions work from June 1st to August 31st.

That period includes the dialogue that took place in Vienna between the Secretary-General and Iraqs Foreign Minister, Naji Sabri.

In his report, Dr. Blix outlines the expert-level talks he and UNMOVIC staff had with Iraqi officials while in Vienna, including the discussion of unresolved disarmament issues.

At its recent meeting, here in New York, UNMOVICs College of Commissioners expressed its support and confidence in Dr. Blix in the approach he had taken in the talks with the Government of Iraq and in his statements to the media.

The Commissioners also reaffirmed their view that any talks with Iraq prior to a return of inspectors should focus on practical arrangements so as to avoid disputes or misunderstanding during the start and operation of UNMOVIC inspections.

Dr. Blix will brief the Security Council on his report this coming Tuesday.

MARY ROBINSON, LAHKDAR BRAHIMI TO ADDRESS ANNUAL UN/NGO CONFERENCE

The 55th Annual Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations, organized by the Department of Public Information, begins on Monday.

In his message to the Conference the Secretary-General says that there are many opportunities for joint action on this years theme, Rebuilding Societies Emerging from Conflict: a Shared Responsibility.

The Conference, which will last three days, will have five plenary sessions and 30 midday workshops. The opening session will begin at 10:00 on Monday morning and will feature remarks by Deputy Secretary-General, Louise Frechette, President of the 56th Session of the General Assembly, Han Seung-soo, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi and outgoing High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson has issued a statement calling on the Government of India to ensure that the people who have been displaced since violence erupted in the state of Gujarat last February are not cut off from shelter and other assistance as relief camps for them are being closed. She emphasized the need to ensure conditions that would encourage people to return to their homes voluntarily and with dignity, including the prosecution of the perpetrators of the violence in Gujarat and steps to realize the right to adequate housing.

The United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has written to Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji, concerning the disappearance of AIDS activist Wan Yanhai. Yanhai has been missing since 24 August according to media reports.

East Timor will became the 79th country to become a party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

China today became the 97th Member State to pay its 2002 regular budget in full with a payment of more than $17 million.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS Sunday, September 8 Today is International Literacy Day.

Monday, September 9 The Secretary-General is scheduled to attend the traditional ceremony at the Holy Family Church marking the start of a new General Assembly session.

Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fr�chette will address the 55th annual Department of Public Information-NGO Conference.

The guest at the noon briefing will be Chief of Security Michael McCann, who will discuss security arrangements for the upcoming General Assembly session.

Tuesday, September 10 The General Assembly is expected to begin its 57th session under new President Jan Kavan of the Czech Republic, and will consider, among other matters, the inclusion of Switzerland as a UN Member State. This day is also the International Day of Peace.

In New York, the Assembly of States Parties of the International Criminal Court will conclude its session, and it is expected to adopt an agreement on the privileges and immunities of the Court. The Secretary-General will speak at that session.

The Security Council is scheduled to hold consultations on the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) for Iraq, with its chair, Hans Blix, expected to brief the Council.

Wednesday, September 11 The Secretary-General is to speak at a ceremony at the UN North Lawn at 10:00 a.m. to mark the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks, and General Assembly President Jan Kavan and U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte will also be among the speakers. The Secretary-General will also attend other commemorative events, including an evening ceremony organized by the City of New York in Battery Park and an interfaith ceremony at St. Bartholomews Church.

The Security Council expects to hold a formal high-level meeting to adopt a Presidential Statement concerning the September 11 attacks, and the Secretary-General will address that meeting.

Thursday, September 12 The plenary of the 57th General Assembly is scheduled to begin, with the Secretary-General to speak before the start of the general debate.

Friday, September 13

Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General United Nations, S-378 New York, NY 10017 Tel. 212-963-7162 - press/media only Fax. 212-963-7055

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