HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING

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

Monday, April 26, 2004

NOT TOO LATE TO REGAIN PATH TOWARDS MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS

• The record on achieving the goals to which world leaders agreed at the
  Millennium Assembly is mixed, Secretary-General Kofi
  Annan said ,
  although it is not too late to regain the path on which we set out with
  such hope.
• The Secretary-General this morning opened the yearly meeting that brings
  together the Economic
  and Social Council , the World
  Bank , the International Monetary Fund and the World
  Trade Organization . 
• He told them that nations must demonstrate clearly by next year that
  they are truly serious about reaching the Millennium
  Development Goals .
• He emphasized the need for national policies to focus on attaining those
  Goals; for greater foreign investment in developing countries; for real
  gains for developing countries in the Doha negotiations; for more and better
  aid; and for poor countries' debt burdens to be addressed.

ANNAN DISAPPOINTED OVER FAILURE OF CYPRUS REUNIFICATION
EFFORTS

• On Saturday, the settlement plan for Cyprus was
  approved by the Turkish Cypriots and rejected by the Greek Cypriots. As
  a result the Foundation Agreement will not enter into force.
• Speaking to reporters today, the Secretary-General said
  that “we're all very disappointed that the reunification efforts did not
  succeed.”
• He added: “I hope, now that they have woken up to what has happened,
  they will reflect and take necessary steps to get back to the table.”
• In a statement read
  out Saturday evening in Nicosia by his Special Advisor for Cyprus, Alvaro
  de Soto, the Secretary-General said that a unique and historic chance to
  resolve the Cyprus problem has been missed.
• In that statement, the Secretary-General said he intends to give careful
  thought to the implications of the result. Meanwhile, he added that Cyprus
  will remain divided and militarized as it accedes to the European Union,
  and the benefits of a settlement will not be realized. 
• During the press conference, de Soto said his Good Offices mission would
  begin to close down. 
• This morning, de Soto began to pay farewell calls to a number of leaders
  on the island, including Tassos Papadopoulos, Mehmet Ali Talat and Serdar
  Denktash. De Soto will make his way back to New York and brief the Security
  Council .
• Asked about the future of the UN force in Cyprus, the Spokesman said
  the United Nations would first want the dust to settle, and would then
  think about the future of the UN role and discuss it with the Security
  Council.
• The Spokesman said the Secretary-General had done his level best to get
  the two sides to agree, but one side rejected the plan in the Saturday
  referendum, and now both sides would have to live with the consequences.
  The Secretary-General's good offices on Cyprus, he added, ended on Saturday.
• Asked about whether the travel of Cypriots across the Green Line would
  continue, the Spokesman said that matter was for the parties to decide,
  and, if they agreed on it, the United Nations could continue to facilitate
  the crossing. The larger question, he added, is what would be the mandate
  for the UN peacekeeping force.

ANNAN HOPEFUL OF POLITICAL SETTLEMENT TO FALLUJAH FIGHTING

• The Secretary-General was
  asked by members of the press today about the situation in the Iraqi city
  of Fallujah, and said that it is tricky and dangerous to fight in a built-up
  area.
• He noted that the Coalition Provisional Authority and the military on
  the ground have been extremely careful. The Secretary-General added, “I
  hope they will succeed in working out a political settlement,” without
  having to fight their way into Fallujah.
• Asked when Special Adviser Lakhdar
  Brahimi would speak next to the press, the Spokesman said Brahimi
  would talk to reporters on Tuesday afternoon, following his briefing
  on Iraq to the Security Council .
• Asked about recent reports concerning the nature of Iraq's sovereignty,
  the Spokesman said that the Iraqi people are in the process of deciding
  on the nature of a transitional government, and, to the extent that Brahimi
  can help that process, he will.
• Brahimi, he added in response to another question, would consult this
  week with members of the UN Secretariat and with representatives of Member
  States.
• Asked about Brahimi's recent comments on the Middle
  East , the Spokesman said that he was asked a question, and he answered
  it, criticising Israeli policies and saying what he felt the impact of
  those policies was on the region and on Iraq .
• Asked whether the Secretary-General agreed with those comments, the Spokesman
  said that the Secretary-General's views on the Middle East have been laid
  out in his public statements made over the past seven years.

ANNAN URGES PARTIES TO NEGOTIATE FOR PEACE  IN DARFUR, SUDAN

• According to a statement issued today, the Secretary-General is encouraged to
  learn that the Government of Sudan and the armed opposition in Darfur have
  agreed on a framework for continuing talks to address the problems in Darfur
  in a comprehensive manner.  He urges the parties to continue negotiations
  in good faith.  
• The Secretary-General further calls on the parties to adhere to the ceasefire
  and do everything possible to prevent attacks on civilians.  He underlines
  the need to assure unimpeded access for the delivery of humanitarian assistance
  to the civilian population.
• The Secretary-General commends the African Union's decision to send a
  ceasefire observer mission to Darfur and encourages its speedy deployment.
• The Secretary-General assures the parties, the Government of Chad and
  the African Union of the UN's support and cooperation in restoring peace
  in Darfur.
• Meanwhile, the temporary ceasefire in western Sudan is allowing humanitarian
  aid workers first time access to hundreds of thousands of displaced people
  who were previously unreachable. UNICEF ,
  in a press release ,
  outlines the relief work that is underway. With the onset of the rainy
  season in June, the potential for outbreaks of disease due to inadequate
  shelter and crowded living conditions is a serious threat.

U.N. TEAM REACHES NORTHERN UGANDA IN WAKE OF REBEL RAIDS

• Thousands of people have fled settlements
  in northern Uganda in recent weeks following a series of raids by rebels
  of the feared Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). Due to the recent LRA raids
  and reports of extensive population displacement in northern Uganda, representatives
  of the UN High Commissioner
  for Refugees (UNHCR), World Food Programme ,
  and the Ugandan government travelled to the affected area over the weekend
  to assess the situation.
• According to UNHCR, the number of recently displaced Sudanese refugees
  in the region is estimated at 25,000. UNHCR notes that this number is a
  fraction of the displacement of local Ugandan population.
• LRA rebels have been operating hit-and-run tactics in the region for
  years, raiding communities and forcing thousands of native Ugandans to
  flee their homes, displacing more than 1.5 million people in the proces

SIGNIFICANT LOSS OF LIFE REPORTED AT TRAIN BLAST SITE IN NORTH KOREA

• A UN assessment mission went to Ryongchon County in the Democratic People's
  Republic of Korea on Saturday, and confirmed that the area had suffered
  a significant loss of life and experienced extensive damage to housing
  and infrastructure following last
  Thursday's train explosion .
• The mission says that there is no need for international search and rescue
  operations, but there exist considerable immediate needs to provide shelter
  to affected families and to repair damaged buildings.
• UN agencies have been providing medical supplies from existing programs
  to Ryongchon, and the UN system is also making available emergency grants
  to respond to the disaster. Those include $50,000 from the Office
  for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs , $50,000 from the UN
  Development Programme and $25,000 from the World
  Health Organization .

SECURITY COUNCIL TO HOLD CONSULTATIONS ON WMD

• At 3 p.m., the Security Council is
  scheduled to hold consultations on the issue of the non-proliferation of
  weapons of mass destruction.
• Under other matters, the Council is expected to hear a briefing on the
  latest developments in Cote d'Ivoire.

ANNAN APPOINTS EXPERTS TO MONITOR DR CONGO ARMS
EMBARGO

• In a letter to
  the President of the Security Council ,
  the Secretary-General informed
  him that he has appointed the four members of the group of experts who
  will monitor the arms embargo in the Democratic
  Republic of the Congo (DRC).
• The four experts, from Cameroon, Canada, France and the United States,
  are part of the monitoring mechanism established by the Security Council
  in March to review information on the flow of illicit weapons to armed
  groups in the DRC, as well as the presence of any foreign military in that
  country.

U.N. OPERATIONS TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED IN KANDAHAR REGION

• The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan , reported that
  an explosive device hit the rear wall of a warehouse in Kunduz leased by UNHCR last
  Thursday, although no injuries or casualties were reported.
• Also last Thursday, the Mission says an unidentified man died while detonating
  an improvised explosive device on the road to the airport in the southern
  city of Kandahar. Another explosive device detonated near a UN electoral
  vehicle traveling on that same road later that day, damaging the vehicle's
  panels and windscreen.
• The United Nations is investigating these incidents, and UN staff remain
  in Kandahar, although all UN operations in the region have been temporarily
  suspended until the investigations are completed.

AGREEMENT REACHED ON UNIFIED GLOBAL RESPONSE TO AIDS

• A historic
  agreement to adopt a unified global response to tackling the AIDS epidemic
  was reached Sunday in Washington, D.C., UNAIDS announced.
• Donors and developing countries agreed to three core principles to improve
  the coordination of national AIDS responses. Those are to have one AIDS
  action framework in each country; to have one national AIDS coordinating
  authority; and to have one country-level monitoring and evaluation system.
• Dr. Peter Piot, the Executive Director of UNAIDS, praised yesterday's
  agreement, saying, “We left our flags and affiliations at the door.”
• Also, UNAIDS and UNICEF today jointly appointed action
  star Jackie Chan as a Goodwill Ambassador who will work on behalf of efforts
  to tackle AIDS. He is also interested in dealing with issues involving
  children affected by armed conflict.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
NEEDS OF CHERNOBYL REGION NOT FORGOTTEN: Eighteen
years ago today at the Chernobyl power plant, the world suffered the worst nuclear
accident in its history. In a statement issued
to mark the occasion, the Secretary-General reaffirms
the resolve of the United Nations to ensure that the ongoing needs of the people
of the region are not forgotten. He urges the international community to provide
the moral and financial support necessary to keep the affected communities from
suffering the effects of this tragedy for decades to come.

NEW EUROPE-ASIA HIGHWAY IS A “MAJOR STEP FORWARD”: Twenty-three
Asian countries today signed an agreement to complete a trans-continental
network of standardized roadways , at a Shanghai meeting of the UN
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific . In a message delivered
at that meeting, the Secretary-General said
that infrastructure such as highways and roads have just as crucial a role
to play in creating opportunities for economic growth and social progress,
and in overcoming the region's widespread poverty and inequality, and the Agreement
on the Asian Highway Network is thus a major step forward.

TOO FEW DEVELOPING COUNTRIES BENEFITS FROM GROWTH OF INTERNATIONAL
TRADE: In a message to
the Joint
Advisory Group of the International
Trade Centre , the Secretary-General said
that despite the increase in international
trade over the past five decades, too few countries in the developing
world have shared in the benefits of this growth. The message was delivered
today on the Secretary-General's behalf by the Director-General of the UN
Office in Geneva.

WEST AFRICAN COUNTRIES DISCUSS NIGER BASIN DEVELOPMENT :
In a message at the opening of a two-day conference on the Niger River Basin,
the Secretary-General noted that the equitable distribution of water resources
is one of the most important challenges that we face today. The message was
delivered in Paris by his Special Representative for West Africa Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah.

DISARMAMENT CONTINUES IN LIBERIA: The disarmament
and demobilization of Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy
(LURD) combatants in Tubmanburg, about 35 kilometers northwest of Monrovia, began
Sunday , with 268 combatants, including 51 women and 75 children, joining
the program. The town witnessed combatants marching to pick-up points with
rifles and boxes of ammunition. UNHCR ,
meanwhile, said it is resuming full
operations in Liberia, sending staff to previously-inaccessible areas on
the heels of UN peacekeeping troops to pave the way for organised repatriation
later this year. UNHCR has also completed the airlift of Liberian refugees
stranded in Mali. .

UNITED NATIONS TO HELP CHINA IN SARS INVESTIGATION: At
the request of the Chinese Ministry of Health, the World
Health Organization is today sending the
first members of an international team to help investigate the source of SARS cases
recently reported in Beijing and the eastern province of Anhui. The team, which
is expected to begin work on Wednesday, will include experts in epidemiology,
virology, infection control, and laboratory bio-safety.

U.N. POPULATION AWARD WINNERS NAMED: Internationally acclaimed
demographer, John C. Caldwell, and the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital, a pioneer
in the treatment of childbirth injuries, have won the
2004 United Nations Population Award. The UN
Population Fund said the Award is given annually to individuals and institutions
for their outstanding work in the field of population and in the improvement
of the health and welfare of individuals. The awards will be presented in July
at a ceremony at U.N. Headquarters.  

** Today's guest at the noon briefing was Oscar de Rojas, Director
of the Financing for Development Office in the Department
of Economic and Social Affairs . He spoke about today's
meeting between the Economic
and Social Council , the World
Bank , the International Monetary Fund and the World
Trade Organization .

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