Secretary-General

This marks an important step in Iraq’s political transition process.

Now that the TNA has been convened, the Secretary-General hopes that the
Transitional Government of Iraq will be formed quickly so that Iraq can move
forward to the next phase of its political transition, particularly the
drafting of a national constitution by the people of Iraq.

As stated by his Special Representative,

To that end, his Special Representative will continue to consult with the
newly elected members of the TNA and other Iraqi representatives, with a
view to promoting dialogue and national reconciliation.

Qazi today told the Transitional National Assembly, "The opportunities
before the people of Iraq are unlimited. But the challenges facing them are
also significant."

He told the Assembly that they should keep their constituents regularly
informed about their deliberations, and will profit from transparency and
inclusiveness during the writing of the Constitution.

 ANNAN ENDS VISIT TO MIDDLE EAST VISIT AMID RENEWED HOPE
FOR PEACE

Last night, the Secretary-General wrapped up his trip in Israel at a
dinner hosted by President Moshe Katsav, and

The ceremony, he added, also occurs as Israel and the United Nations
continue to build a new relationship. "There is a sense that Israel and the
United Nations have rediscovered each other," he said.

Before dinner, the Secretary-General met with the Speaker of the Knesset,
Reuven Rivlin.  The Speaker shared with the Secretary-General his views
on the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians.

 U.N. TEAM ON HARIRI KILLING IS ON ITS WAY BACK TO NEW YORK

The team left Lebanon this morning, and members of the team are expected
to arrive in New York on Thursday. The team hopes to report to the

Asked when the report by the team would come out, the Spokesman said that
the results of their work will be conveyed to the

EASTERN DR CONGO IS BIGGEST, MOST NEGLECTED HUMANITARIAN
EMERGENCY

That is the view of

Egeland said that a recent survey indicated that there were 1,000
preventable deaths in the eastern DRC each day. 

 NUMBER OF DISPLACED PEOPLE IN DARFUR COULD REACH THREE
MILLION

Also in Geneva, 15 UN human rights experts issued a joint statement,
saying that the violations in Darfur have been "staggering in scale and
harrowing in nature." If the statement "Never again" is to have any meaning,
they said, now must be the time for action.

The experts called on the

The

U.N. PEACEKEEPERS HELP CLEAN UP CITE SOLEIL NEIGHBOURHOOD IN
HAITI

The operation involved 200 blue helmets from the Jordanian military
contingent, as well as fourteen armored vehicles, and tractors, trucks and
water tankers.

Members of the Ecuadorian and Chilean military contingents later joined
the Jordanians.

As well as maintaining a visible presence to help deter violence there,
the UN peacekeepers also rid the neighbourhood of huge piles of rubbish
which had been cluttering roads and affecting the health of residents.

In addition, the peacekeepers distributed food and water to the
residents. 

 ERSKINE BOWLES APPOINTED DEPUTY SPECIAL ENVOY FOR TSUNAMI
RECOVERY

At the request of the Special Envoy, former U.S. President

Bowles will also attend an Asian Development Bank conference in Manila on
18 March. 

Following Bowles' visit to the region, President Clinton will convene a
meeting of UN agency heads in New York to discuss the status of their
tsunami recovery work.

  UNICEF IS APPALLED BY MASSACRE OF KENYAN CHILDREN

UNICEF Representative Heimo Laakkonen expressed horror at the viciousness
of the attack on the Garre clan, which took place yesterday. "The shocking
reality is that children seem to have been the primary target," he said.

The attack took place in the Mandera District, where over twenty thousand
people have been displaced by violence in recent months.

U.N. ENVOY WELCOMES DIRECT TALKS BETWEEN SERBIA AND KOSOVO

The talks are to resolve the issue of more than 3,000 people still
missing five years after the North Atlantic Treaty Organization drove out
Yugoslav troops amid ethnic fighting between Albanians and Serbs.

 WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME TO ASSIST DROUGHT VICTIMS IN UGANDA

Even before the poor harvest of 2004, the region’s malnutrition rate of
18.7% was the highest in the country. WFP says it is greatly concerned about
the situation, and has started distributing food and assisting health
centres across the region.

To maintain its full activities until December 2005, WFP currently
requires an additional $54 million.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

DAMAGE REPORTED IN SOUTHERN COOK ISLANDS FOLLOWING CYCLONE: Turning now
to Cyclone Percy, which struck the South Pacific last month, a UN emergency team
has completed assessments in the southern Cook Islands and confirmed that they
are not in a state of emergency. In Tokelau, however, significant damage has
been reported on three atolls, with extensive beach erosion, a massive loss of
staple crops, and destroyed fish habitats being areas of particular concern.

NO SECURITY COUNCIL MEETINGS TODAY:  There are no meetings or
consultations of the

DILEEP NAIR CASE TO MEET MALLOCH-BROWN AT END OF WEEK: Asked when the
case of the Under-Secretary-General for

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