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Thursday, April 22, 2004

ANNAN ALARMED BY DEATH TOLL OF ISRAELI INCURSIONS IN GAZA

• In a statement issued today through his Spokesman, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he was alarmed by the deadly consequences of the two-day Israeli incursion into the northern Gaza Strip , which ended today. Among the Palestinian fatalities were reportedly at least 10 civilians, including five children under 15 years of age.
  
• The Secretary-General is aware that the incursion followed rocket and mortar fire against Israeli targets. However, the Secretary-General urges Israel to respect its obligations under international law as an occupying power regarding the use of disproportionate force in civilian areas.

• The Secretary-General was asked by reporters this morning about the investigation into the , and said it was unfortunate that what has been overlooked is the fact that every household in Iraq was touched by the relief that the program provided.
  
• He noted that the United Nations set up one of the best distribution systems, to such an extent that some even suggested that the distribution cards provided by the United Nations be used for elections.
  
• The Secretary-General hoped that the independent inquiry headed by Paul Volcker will provide a report as soon as possible, adding that if UN staff are found to be guilty, they will be dealt with severely. He added that he expects all staff members to cooperate.
  
• Asked about the situation in Fallujah, the Secretary-General said he hoped the cease-fire and discussions that are going on would lead to a peaceful settlement.
  
• At the noon briefing, the Spokesman was asked why Judge Richard Goldstone, a former prosecutor for the two UN tribunals, had been named on the panel. The Spokesman noted that Volcker had said that Judge Goldstone's experience was valuable not simply for his work on the tribunals but on South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which dealt with corruption.
  
• Asked when the panel would complete its work, the Spokesman noted that Volcker on Wednesday said that the work would be last as long as it would take, with an update provided within three months. The Secretary-General hoped the panel would complete its work as soon as possible.

• The UN's Children's Fund, UNICEF, has condemned the killing of children in the midst of the ongoing fighting in Iraq.
  
• “The fighting(…) is exacting a heavy toll,” said UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy, “and children are paying with their lives.”
  
• UNICEF's statement comes after the death Wednesday of children on a school bus in Basra and the reported deaths of more than 100 children in Fallujah in recent days.

• Following consultations yesterday, the Security Council held a formal meeting on Cyprus in which 14 members voted in favour of a resolution, but Russia vetoed it.
  
• The Secretary-General today told reporters that he was gratified that those 14 countries had voted to reassure the Cypriots that the United Nations would support them in efforts to reunite the country. He said that, even though Russia could not join the consensus, it had indicated that its reasons for not doing so were technical and not substantive.
  
• Asked why the Secretary-General had asked for a Security Council resolution, the Spokesman said the Secretary-General had the same interest as Member States, who had felt the need for a resolution that could reassure some of those who would be voting in the Saturday referenda in Cyprus. The Secretary-General's job, he added, included carrying out Security Council mandates, and his actions were perfectly consistent with his role as Secretary-General.
  
• Asked whether it was appropriate for the Secretary-General to discuss sensitive issues that were under investigation, Eckhard noted that the Secretary-General had been responding to questions from reporters. In that context, the Secretary-General had been asked about his Wednesday meeting with Benon Sevan, and whether Sevan would cooperate with an investigation, and had said he believed that Sevan would. During that questioning, the Secretary-General had said that the allegations shouldn't discount the positive effects of the work of many UN staff in Iraq, which had a positive effect on mortality rates and caloric intakes in the country.

• The Security Council today adopted a resolution on children and armed conflict and a Presidential Statement on Libya, before it began its current open debate, on weapons of mass destruction.
  
• In its resolution, the Council strongly condemned the recruitment and use of child soldiers, the killing and maiming of children, and rape and other sexual violence, among other violations.
  
• It requested the Secretary-General to devise, preferably within three months, an action plan for a systematic and comprehensive monitoring and reporting mechanism on violations and abuses committed against children affected by armed conflict. It also called upon all parties concerned to abide by international obligations.
  
• The Council's Presidential Statement on Libya welcomed its decision to abandon its programs for developing weapons of mass destruction, and reaffirmed the need to seek to resolve proliferation problems by peaceful means.
  
• The Council went on to hold an open debate in which States discussed a draft resolution before the Council on the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Fifty-one speakers were inscribed.

• The Secretary-General's Special Adviser, Lakhdar Brahimi, is scheduled to brief the Security Council in an open meeting at 3 p.m. on Tuesday 27 April. Consultations are scheduled to follow the meeting.
  
• Asked about what Brahimi would discuss at that meeting, the Spokesman said Brahimi would report on his recent visit to Iraq. He added that Brahimi had already said that he would be returning to talk with Iraqis about their views on the upcoming transfer of power.

• In Kosovo today, a memorial service was held for the two U.S. corrections officers killed in the shooting incident at Mitrovica detention center last Saturday.
  
• The ceremony, held at the UN Mission's headquarters, was attended by the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Kosovo, Harri Holkeri, as well as Kosovo's President Ibrahim Rugova, and its Prime Minister Bajram Rexhepi.
  
• Holkeri paid tribute to the victims of the shooting, and we have a release with his comments available upstairs.
  
• Separately, one of the correction officers injured in the shoot-out has been pronounced brain dead as a result of his injuries.
  
• The investigation into the incident continues – and the four Jordanian police officers detained in connection with the shooting are assisting investigators in their work.

• A UN human rights fact-finding mission to look into reported abuses in the Darfur region of Sudan has arrived in Khartoum.
  
• The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva said earlier this week that the Sudanese authorities have granted permission for the team to visit the Darfur region.
  
• In response to questions, the Spokesman said that Emergency Relief Coordinator, Jan Egeland, had felt the obligation to call international attention to a crisis and describe developments in Sudan as accurately as he could, and the Secretary-General had also commented on the humanitarian crisis there, described by some as the worst in the world.

• The acting High Commissioner for Human Rights, Bertrand Ramcharan, condemned in the strongest possible terms the terrorist bombings that took place yesterday in Saudi Arabia and in Iraq. He extended his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims of these heinous acts.
  
• Ramcharan called terrorism an assault on the values the international community holds dear, and added that upholding the rule of law is essential in fighting this scourge.

• More than 600 million people – most of them children living in sub-Saharan Africa – urgently need effective malaria treatment.
  
• The World Health Organization says existing, cheaper medicines, which have been used for many years, are no longer effective in most places because the malaria parasite has developed resistance to them.
  
• The WHO is urging countries where there is resistance to conventional treatments to adopt new highly-effective treatment therapies.
  
• But despite some progress, the new treatment has not become available as widely or as quickly as it needs to.
  
• Because of the cost of the new treatment – which at around $2 for an adult dose is 10-20 times more than older treatments – the WHO says external funding will be required.

The UN Mission in Afghanistan says that electoral teams are now operational in 24 provincial centers, with offices open and work beginning to inform voters in those areas about the registration process. As of yesterday, 1,856,875 Afghans had registered to vote. The gender breakdown is 1,306,420 men and 550,455 women, or 70 percent to 30 percent.

ANNAN MEETS ITALY'S FOREIGN MINISTER : Asked about the Secretary-General's meeting today with Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, the Spokesman said that they had discussed Iraq and the Middle East. The Foreign Minister professed Italy's full support for the work the United Nations is doing in both places.

YEAR OF RICE PHOTO CONTEST: A global photography contest to highlight the importance of rice as a staple food crop and a symbol of cultural and global identity has been launched by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the United Nations. As 2004 is the UN International Year of Rice, professional and amateur photographers are invited to capture the "Rice is Life" theme in photographs illustrating the rich diversity of regions, people and resources linked to this internationally vital food source.

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