United Nations Daily Highlights, 07-04-24

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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 MICHELE

MONTAS

SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

U.N.

HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

BAN KI-MOON HOLDS CONSTRUCTIVE MEETINGS WITH SYRIAN LEADERS

The Secretary-General is in Syria, where he met for an hour and 15 minutes tête-à-tête with President Bashar al-Assad.

On the plane ride from Doha to Damascus, the Secretary-General and his delegation talked for two hours with the Syrian Foreign Minister, Walid el-Muallem. Following the meeting with President Assad, the Secretary-General met with Vice President Farouk al-Shara.

The delegation also visited the UN Development Programme (UNDP) office in Damascus, and stopped over to see the work done by the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), whose more than 1,000 troops have been deployed in the Golan Heights since 1974 to maintain the ceasefire there.

The Secretary-General spoke to reporters before leaving Syria, saying that he had held constructive meetings with the Syrian leaders. He said that President Assad has assured him of cooperation in all matters relating to peace and security in the region, including the implementation of resolution 1701.

Asked whether UN Legal Counsel Nicolas Michel and Terje Roed-Larsen, the Secretary-Generals Special Envoy dealing with the implementation of resolution 1559, were present for the meetings in Syria, the Spokeswoman said that Roed-Larsen and Geir Pedersen, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Lebanon, had attended the Syria meetings.

Michel, she said, is traveling elsewhere but will be back in New York next week.

Asked whether Michel had been encouraged by his recent meetings in Lebanon, Montas said that Michel always sees encouraging signs.

SUDAN: TWO HUMANITARIAN WORKERS INJURED IN ATTACK

The UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) reports that unknown armed men attacked an international non-governmental organization vehicle yesterday near Marla, 55 kilometers southeast of Nyala in South

Darfur, and they shot at the vehicle. As a result, two staff members were injured.

Also yesterday, the UN Mission says, a group of young men armed with sticks entered the Ardamata camp for internally displaced persons, five kilometers east of El Geneina in West Darfur, and started threatening the people there. Local police intervened to address the situation, but humanitarian workers suspended their activities in the camp. The reasons behind this incident remain unclear.

The World Food Programmes (WFP) Executive Director, Josette Sheeran, is visiting Darfur and southern Sudan this week to view food aid activities on her first international mission as head of the world's largest humanitarian relief organization.

U.N. PEACEKEEPING OFFICIAL NOTES POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS IN CÔTE DIVOIRE

Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hédi Annabi just wrapped up a 12-day visit to

Côte dIvoire.

In an interview with the UN radio station in that country, he said he had found an easing of the situation, as well as a very clear willingness on the part of Ivorian leaders to implement the Ouagadougou Accord in a timely manner.

Annabi added that the UN would continue to help the parties implement the Accord.

MAJORITY OF CYPRIOTS SAY U.N. PRESENCE IS ESSENTIAL

The UN Mission in Cyprus today released the results of an inter-communal survey measuring public opinions on the island.

The poll, which was conducted last January and February, indicates that majorities in both of Cypruss communities feel that the UN has an important role to play in Cyprus and that its presence on the island is essential.

The survey also shows that Cypriots believe inter-communal contacts can pave the way for improved levels of trust, and that a federal solution is still the best hope for resolving the Cyprus problem.

Asked about the significance of the Cyprus survey, the Spokeswoman said that the survey was taken to assess the two communities attitudes towards the UN presence, and will be part of any follow-up discussion.

BAN KI-MOON WILLING TO HELP IN COLOMBIAN PEACE EFFORTS

Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe chaired a meeting yesterday bringing together senior officials throughout the UN system with a high-level delegation from the Government of Colombia that was led by Vice-President Francisco Santos and Foreign Minister Fernando Araújo.

The meeting allowed an open and constructive exchange on the United Nations work in Colombia, as well as on the status of peace efforts in Colombia. In that context, United Nations officials expressed the willingness of the Secretary-General to use his good offices in support of a negotiated solution.

The Colombian delegation expressed that, should appropriate conditions exist, the Colombian Government would value the UN contribution in its peace efforts.

U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY AIDS THOSE FLEEING FIGHTING IN SOMALIA

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says it is distributing urgent aid supplies to thousands of people fleeing fighting in Mogadishu.

A road linking Mogadishu with Afgooye, some 30 kilometers west of the capital, reopened yesterday morning and was filled with a continuous flow of displaced people, a UNHCR staff member on the ground said.

He said that more than 41,000 displaced persons had streamed into the area, and the hungry and thirsty crowds were becoming increasingly difficult to control, making aid distribution very difficult.

DR CONGO: U.N. AGENCIES HELPING CIVILIANS DISPLACED BY RENEWED FIGHTING IN NORTHEAST

Renewed fighting between militias and Government troops in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has forced thousands of civilians to flee, according to the World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

WFP has provided more than a thousand tons of food to those displaced, while UNHCR has conducted dozens of rapid assessment missions to follow up reports of serious human rights abuses.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

U.N. AGENCY DELIVERS FOOD TO CYCLONE-HIT MADAGASCAR: The World Food Programme (WFP) says it has started flying desperately needed food and other humanitarian supplies into northwestern Madagascar. The area has been cut off after one of the worst cyclone seasons in years left bridges and roads destroyed. As part of a four-week operation, WFP plans to use helicopters to transport essential relief items to some 20,000 people in isolated villages.

UNICEF CONDEMNS USE OF CHILD IN BEHEADING: UNICEF has issued a statement condemning as a war crime the use of a minor in a Taliban execution. It says that a video circulating in Pakistan, showing a young boy beheading an adult, is a terrible example of how children can be used by adults to commit heinous crimes in times of conflict.

SECURITY COUNCILS KOSOVO MISSION LEAVES TODAY: This afternoon, the Security Council is holding a closed meeting of its Informal Working Group on Documentation and Other Procedural Questions. Meanwhile, a Security Council mission to Brussels, Belgrade, Kosovo and Vienna is scheduled to depart this afternoon.

APOLOGY FOR MISUNDERSTANDING OVER SECRETARY-GENERALS COMMENTS ABOUT U.N. PRESS CORPS: Asked about comments made in Geneva by the Secretary-General about the UN press corps in New York, the Spokeswoman apologized for any misunderstanding, saying that the comments were made in jest and not intended to be taken seriously. She said that the Secretary-General greatly appreciates his meetings with the UN Correspondents Association and that he regards the work it does covering UN issues as essential.

SECRETARY-GENERAL NOT COMMENTING ON WORLD BANK PRESIDENT: The Spokeswoman, in response to a question, said that the Secretary-General did not have a comment at this time concerning World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz.