BY FRED ECKHARD
SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Thursday, May 6, 2004

BRAHIMI RETURNS TO BAGHDAD, MEETS IRAQI LEADERS

• Lakhdar Brahimi , the Secretary-General's Special Advisor, arrived in Baghdad earlier today. He has already had two meetings with Iraqi leaders: Governing Council President Ezzedine Salim and Adnan Pachachi.  
  
• They discussed the political transition. Brahimi listened to their views on the formation of the new caretaker government. Later in the day, Brahimi met with U.S. Administrator L. Paul Bremer.  
  
• Asked who else was on Brahimi's team, the Spokesman said that the spokesman for that team was Ahmad Fawzi.

• The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights today said it will present a report on the situation in Iraq to the Human Rights Commission on May 31.
  
• The report will look at the military and security situation, including acts of terrorism; the protection of civilians; and the treatment of persons in detention, among other subjects. It will explore the period from April 2003 through May 2004.
  
• Acting High Commissioner for Human Rights Bertrand Ramcharan has written to Bremer, members of the Iraqi Governing Council and the foreign ministers of the countries participating in the Coalition Forces, asking them to provide any information they consider to be relevant.
  
• The team working on the report plans to visit Amman, Beirut and other neighboring capitals to conduct interviews with persons wishing to provide relevant information. Should circumstances permit, the acting High Commissioner and members of his team would be ready to visit Baghdad, as well.  

• The head of the UN Mission in Afghanistan , Jean Arnault , welcomed the handing over of several hundred weapons yesterday in the province of Wardak. But Arnault also expressed his serious concern about the stalled disarmament program in the country.
  
• That program, he warned, has not yet started, and the possibility that it will be completed in time is now in serious jeopardy. 
  
• Many of the military units that have yet to be decommissioned or downsized, Arnault added, have been involved in factional fighting over the past two years in Afghanistan . He warned that further stalling of the disarmament program is bound to have negative consequences.  

• The Security Council this morning was told about the significant progress in weapons destruction in Bougainville, where UN observers have certified that five out of 10 districts have completed their weapons disposal programs.
  
• Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Danilo Türk told the Security Council, in an open meeting, that Bougainville has become a success story. He credited the Government of Papua New Guinea, the people of Bougainville, regional partners and “a small but very efficient UN Mission” for the momentum in the peace process.
  
• At 4:30 this afternoon, the Security Council will also meet with the countries that contribute troops to the UN Mission in Timor-Leste . An open meeting on Timor-Leste is scheduled for next Monday.

• As the Security Council President mentioned at his press conference this week, Council members are scheduled to hear back-to-back briefings on Darfur under  “other matters” in consultations on Friday.
  
• James Morris , Executive Director of the World Food Programme , who led a humanitarian mission to the Darfur region, would brief on its findings, will speak to the pres press following consultations.
  
• A briefing on the recently completed human rights mission to Darfur is also expected by the Acting High Commissioner for Human Rights, Bertrand Ramcharan.  

• The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Liberia , Jacques Paul Klein, and the National Transitional Government of Liberia (NTGL) Chairman, C. Gyude Bryant, have formally launched the recruitment campaign for the new Liberian Police Service. 
  
• Over the next two years, 3,500 men and women will be recruited and trained for a new police service.
  
• Meanwhile, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers has concluded his mission to West Africa by appealing for funds to help repatriate and reintegrate Liberian returnees starting in October.  

• The World Food Programme is warning that tens of thousands of Angolan refugees in Namibia, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are facing hunger when they return home this year because of a funding shortage. 
  
• WFP is due to help almost 70,000 refugees return home this year – some of them have spent decades living in refugee camps. 
  
• The agency says it has had a sluggish response to its appeals to support refugee programmes – overall, it needs at least $136 million to feed more than a million Angolans who have already returned home or are scheduled to be repatriated this year.
  
• WFP adds that while the international community has rushed to the rescue of victims of last month's deadly train explosion in North Korea, aid programmes to help millions of other needy people across the country remain critically under-funded.

• To enhance security at UN Headquarters , we are beginning a number of projects to upgrade the facilities here, including by replacing the First Avenue fence with a new perimeter fence and new gates. The lighting and surveillance systems along the perimeter will also be enhanced, to deter unauthorized entry.
  
• The perimeter fence currently present at First Avenue was not part of the initial design for UN Headquarters. It was added later, in consultation with New York City's Parks Department, to be compatible with the fences that encircle other city parks.
  
• The new fence was designed by the Parks Department, and was personally approved by the Secretary-General.
  
• Asked about the cost of the project, the Spokesman said it cost $21 million.  

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL AFFIRMS SUPPORT FOR U.N. STAFF COLLEGE: Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette today visited the UN System Staff College in Turin, Italy, where she affirmed her ongoing support for the College's activities.

INCREASE IN SEXUAL ABUSE IN THE GAMBIA: A report released by the Government of The Gambia and UNICEF reveals that sexual abuse and exploitation of children is on the rise in the West African nation which is a favorite destination for tourists from several European countries.

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