United Nations Daily Highlights, 02-10-23

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

OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY HUA JIANG

DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN

HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Wednesday, October 23, 2002

SECURITY COUNCIL MEETS ON BOSNIA, PLANS CONSULTATIONS ON IRAQ

The Security Council is scheduled to hold consultations on Iraq at 4 p.m. this afternoon.

Earlier in the day, the Security Council held an open meeting to review the work of the UN Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is to wrap up its work by the end of this year. Addressing the Council this morning, Jacques Klein, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Bosnia, called the Mission a success, and said that arrangements for a seamless transition to a European Union Police Mission are in place.

He said that, following recent elections where nationalist parties fared well, this is not a time for either pessimism or complacency.

The nationalist parties strong showing, Klein said, does not mean the peace process will stop, but it does present a more challenging political environment, which will require strong intervention and continued commitment.

He also warned of ominous signs of renewed political interference in the police forces.

On other fronts, Klein showed several signs of success, with Bosnia no longer serving as the principal entry point into Europe for illegal migrants, and Bosnia now showing a lower crime rate than many Western European countries.

In addition, Paddy Ashdown, the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, also addressed the meeting.

ANNAN WRAPS UP CENTRAL ASIAN TRIP

As the Secretary-General left Turkmenistan this morning, he and Nane Annan, his wife, stopped at the National Hippodrome, where they saw a rare breed of horse, known as the akhalteke, and the Secretary-General was offered a horse as a gift. He selected a rare golden stallion named Kenar.

He then flew to the United Arab Emirates, where he met with His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan, the President. He thanked the President for providing the plane that facilitated his visit to Central Asia, and they spend an hour discussing world issues.

In his comments to the press after the meeting, the Secretary-General said they had discussed the Iraq crisis, the Israeli-Palestinian situation, Afghanistan and the fight against terrorism, including a tendency by some governments to abuse that fight by cracking down on political opponents.

On Iraq, he said, We all expect Iraq to comply with the demands of the international community. He added, War is not inevitable, saying that if Iraq does what is required of it, we may be able to avoid military action in the region.

The Secretary-General is expected back in New York late Wednesday evening..

YUGOSLAVIA TRIBUNAL SAYS BELGRADE IS NOT COOPERATING

Judge Claude Jorda, President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, has written the President of the Security Council today to inform the Council officially of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavias failure to comply with its obligation to cooperate with the Tribunal.

In his letter, Judge Jorda says he has been persuaded by the arguments of Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte, who said that Yugoslavia has failed to arrest or transfer accused suspects in its territory and has adopted a law on cooperation with the Tribunal that violates its commitments to that body.

He reminds the Council that 11 accused, including Ratko Mladic, have still not been apprehended or brought before the Tribunal. He asks the Council to take all measures necessary to force the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to assume its international obligations fully.

Judge Jorda will travel to New York next week, where he is to meet privately with the Security Council on Monday morning.

NEW NAME ADDED TO UN AL QAEDA SANCTIONS LIST

The Security Council committee on sanctions against Usama bin Laden, Al Qaeda, Taliban and associated individuals and entities has added another name to its list of those subject to the measures.

The latest addition is a group called the Global Relief Foundation.

ANNAN REPORTS ON INCREASED TENSION IN ABKHAZIA

In his latest report to the Security Council on the situation in Abkhazia, the Secretary-General notes that the situation in the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict zone has not improved and upsurges of tension, including exchanges of gunfire, continued to occur with alarming frequency.

He appeals both sides to make efforts to reduce the tensions, and pledges supports to encourage advancement in the political process, but the basic responsibility lies with the parties, he adds.

FIVE YEARS AFTER FOOD SUMMIT, LITTLE PROGRESS ON REDUCING HUNGER.

Jean Ziegler, the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the right to food, in which he said it is an outrage that hunger and malnutrition still sentence millions of people to underdevelopment and early death.

He writes that more than 815 million people still suffer from hunger and chronic malnourishment, with 36 million people dying from hunger, either directly or indirectly, each year.

Ziegler also notes last years five-year review of the World Food Summit, saying it was disappointing that little progress has been made in reducing hunger, despite the commitments made in 1996 to reduce hunger by half.

EXPERTS GATHER TO STUDY WORLD-WIDE SHORTAGES OF VACCINES

Public health experts today called for urgent action to address current shortages of key vaccines and to improve the stability of future supplies. The call as made at a scientific colloquium organized by the Sabin Vaccine Institute held in Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York from today to Friday.

The colloquium will examine the shortages of vaccines supply affecting the industrialized and developing nations, and propose long-term solutions to remedy vaccine shortages.

The Executive Director of the UN Children's Fund and Chair of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, Carol Bellamy, will speak to the shortages of vaccines in the developing world.

NEW YORK CITY TO MARK UN DAY

The Office of the Mayor of the City of New York will mark UN Day at a ceremony tomorrow morning at Ralph Bunche Memorial Park.

The Mayors Office will also issue a Proclamation on the occasion of UN Day.

At tomorrow mornings ceremony, the Deputy Secretary-General will speak along with A Marjorie Bloomberg Tiven, City Commissioner for the UN and Deputy Mayor for Education Dennis Walcott.

A group of New York City school children will read the Preamble to the UN Charter.

NEW STUDY ON ASIAN ECONOMY REPORTS MUTED GROWTH

Banks in Asia are afraid to lend, and companies are reluctant to borrow, resulting in a deadly circle that threatens to keep economic growth muted across much of the region, according to a comprehensive study published today jointly by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and the Asian Development Bank.

In addition, the regions monetary authorities have given little or no indication how they will solve this credit crunch, the report says. The report also notes a lack of clarity across the region when it comes to tackling the problem. The so-called credit crunch has been much discussed over the last few years with little, or no, indication as to what monetary authorities might do to overcome it, it says.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

The World Food Programme launched today the Food Insecurity Atlas of Urban India. This ground breaking surveys shows hunger hot spots in India growing population centers. With a population of one billion, India has the highest absolute numbers of hungry people in the world.

According to a new report by the UN Environment Programme, the world's mountain regions, considered indomitable and unchanging, are gradually being tamed as more and more land is converted to farming and grazing, a new survey shows. The report will be presented to heads of state, ministers and other delegates attending the Global Mountain Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, which runs from 29 October to 1 November.

Today, two more countries paid their assessments to the UN regular budget in full, with Belize paying more than $11,000 and Croatia completing its payment of more than $500,000. As of today, 111 Member States have paid in full.