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      UNITED NATIONS BRIEFING: FRIDAY, 27 APRIL 2007  (MaximsNews.com, U.N.)

UNITED NATIONS - / www.MaximsNews.com@UN/ -  27 April 2007 – The following is the U.N. Briefing by the Spokesperson for the U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for Friday, 27 April 2007 at U.N. headquarters in New York:

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY MICHELE MONTAS
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

BAN KI-MOON TO HEAD TO EGYPT FOR LAUNCH OF IRAQ COMPACT

• The Secretary-General will travel next week to Sharm-El Sheik, Egypt, where he will co-chair, on 3 May, the launching of the International Compact with Iraq (ICI).

• The Secretary-General will also attend a meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Iraq’s Expanded Neighbors, representatives of the Permanent Members of the Security Council, and members of the G8 countries.

• The ICI is an Iraqi initiative co-sponsored by the United Nations. It seeks to consolidate peace in the conflict-torn country and pursue political, economic and social development over the next five years.

• The Secretary-General attaches great importance to the ICI and considers this process to be one of the most critical means of helping Iraq to build a “secure, unified, federal and democratic nation, founded on the principles of freedom and equality, capable of providing peace and prosperity for its entire people”.

• Meanwhile, Ibrahim Gambari, the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser for the Compact and Other Political Issues, continued his meetings in various capitals to widen support for the International Compact with Iraq and discuss commitments of Member States before the launch event next week in Sharm el-Sheikh.

• He met in Brussels today with Javier Solana, the European Union’s High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, who confirmed his attendance at the launch event, as well as that of several ministers of the European Union. 

• Earlier in the week, Gambari, who is traveling with Dr. Sinan Mohammed Rida Al-Shabibi, the Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, held high-level meetings in London, Kuwait City and Sofia, Bulgaria.

BAN KI-MOON DISCUSSES CLIMATE CHANGE WITH AL GORE, EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT

• The Secretary-General met this morning with the European Commission President, Jose Manuel Barroso, with whom he discussed the UN reform process, climate change, Darfur and Kosovo.

• During a press encounter following that meeting, the Secretary-General was asked about his meeting earlier today with former US Vice President Al Gore, and he said that he was encouraged by Gore’s firm commitment and strong support regarding climate change efforts.

UNIFIL INVESTIGATES ALLEGED VIOLATIONS ON BLUE LINE

• The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) received a report on Thursday that an Israeli foot patrol allegedly crossed the Blue Line into Lebanese territory, in the general area of Kafar Chouba.

• UNIFIL immediately deployed peacekeepers, followed by reinforcements, to the area to ensure that there was no violation of the Blue Line, and technical experts were also sent to the area. The team established that the Israeli foot patrol did not violate the Blue Line and did not cross into Lebanese territory.

• Today, UNIFIL peacekeepers continued to patrol and monitor the area, and the situation on the ground has been generally calm.

• UNIFIL also says that its full strength has risen to 13,308 peacekeepers.

U.N. EXPERTS TO HOLD TALKS WITH SUDANESE OFFICIALS ON IMPROVING HUMAN RIGHTS IN DARFUR

• The Group of Experts on Darfur, which was established last year by the Human Rights Council, today announced that it will meet with high-level representatives of the Sudanese Government in May, to identify practical steps to improve the human rights situation in Darfur.

• The Group of Experts on Darfur is to report at the Human Rights Council’s fifth session, which takes place this June. The Group is chaired by Sima Samar, the special rapporteur on human rights in Sudan.

• Asked how much time the Secretary-General wanted in terms of a delay from nations imposing new sanctions on Sudan, the Spokeswoman said he had not laid out any timetable.

• Rather, she said, after he had met with African Union Chairman Alpha Oumar Konaré and received commitments from Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, the Secretary-General had wanted some more time for political efforts to move forward before new sanctions were considered.

FIJI: U.N. FACT-FINDING MISSION WRAPS UP WORK

• The UN inter-agency fact-finding mission to Fiji wrapped up its work today.

• The mission held a wide range of discussions with various Fijian interlocutors on elections, human rights, the rule of law and related issues pertaining to the restoration of democracy, peace and stability.

• The mission will submit its confidential recommendations to the Secretary-General upon its return. That report will form the basis of continued consultations between the UN and Fiji.

NEPAL PEACE PROCESS ADVANCES CONSIDERABLY

• The Secretary-General, in his report to the Security Council released today, says the peace process in Nepal has advanced considerably in a very short period of time, and he congratulates all the parties to the peace process for their hard work to achieve consensus on difficult issues.

• The Secretary-General, however, added that much remains to be done in terms of the monitoring of arms and armed personnel which has been entrusted to the United Nations.

• The 13-page report reviews developments in the peace process, the activities of the United Nations Integrated Mission in Nepal since its establishment, and the Secretary-General’s assessment on the continuing challenges and opportunities for sustainable peace in that country. The report also covers human rights issues as well as the UN’s country team coordination.

SOMALIA: BAN KI-MOON INTENDS TO EXTENDS MANDATE OF U.N. ENVOY

• The Secretary-General informed the Security Council in a letter this week that he intends to extend the mandate of his Special Representative for Somalia, Francois Lonseny Fall, by a year, until 8 May 2008.

• Asked about comments by Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Gedi that had been critical of UN humanitarian work in Somalia, the Spokeswoman noted that the interview with the Minister took place a while ago. Since then -- last Monday in fact -- the World Food Programme (WFP) met with the Transitional Federal Government (TFG).

• The meeting was positive, Montas said, and WFP was given the green light to begin deliveries, which it has done. Matters between WFP and the TFG are satisfactory now, she said.

• According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the UN has some 200 national and international staff in South Central Somalia, whose sole aim is to assist the people of that country, including in delivering urgently needed life-saving assistance. The UN humanitarian agencies, which are non-political, do not aspire to enjoy power, in Somalia or elsewhere, Montas asserted.

SECRETARY-GENERAL URGES NIGERIANS WITH ELECTORAL GRIEVANCES TO LOOK FOR LEGAL SOLUTIONS

• Asked about criticism by elections monitors of the elections in Nigeria, the Spokeswoman said that the Secretary-General has been following developments in Nigeria concerning the elections. He continues to urge those with grievances to use legal and constitutional means to address their complaints.

• Asked whether a letter of congratulations would be sent by the Secretary-General to the Nigerian President, Montas said that the UN practice is to send a formal letter of congratulations to new heads of state at the time of their inauguration.

BAN KI-MOON CALLS ON COUNTRIES TO JOIN CHEMICAL WEAPONS TREATY

• This Sunday will be the tenth anniversary of the entry into force of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

• In a statement to mark the occasion, the Secretary-General calls upon all States that have chemical weapons to destroy their stockpiles according to the agreed deadlines. He also urges all Governments that have not yet done so to ratify or accede to the Convention without delay.

• The Secretary-General says we should redouble our efforts to ensure that no one’s life will ever be lost again through the use of chemical weapons.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

BAN KI-MOON REGRETS ESTONIA VIOLENCE: The Secretary-General regrets the violence and the loss of life in Tallinn, Estonia.  He appeals to all concerned to deal with the issues at hand in a spirit of respect and conciliation.

RWANDA GENOCIDE EXHIBIT TO OPEN: The previously postponed exhibit entitled “Lessons from the Rwanda genocide” is scheduled to open at UN Headquarters on Monday. The Secretary-General will open the exhibit at 6 p.m. in the South Gallery of the Visitors’ Lobby.  It will be on display for three weeks.

SECURITY COUNCIL TAKES UP LIBERIA DIAMOND SANCTIONS: This afternoon, the Security Council has scheduled a formal meeting to consider a resolution concerning the lifting of diamond sanctions on Liberia. Afterwards, Council members expect to attend an informal meeting with the Foreign Minister of Ethiopia.

ATTACKS ON EDUCATION INCREASING: Political and military violence aimed at educational systems is depriving a growing number of the world’s children of the right to education, according to a new UNESCO report. It found that Iraq’s educational system is the worst affected by violent attacks, with 30 percent of students now attending classes compared to 75 percent a year ago. But violent attacks also interfere with the right to education in Afghanistan, Colombia, Nepal, Thailand, and elsewhere, UNICEF says.  

MILLIONS LOSE OUT IN EASTERN EUROPEAN AND CENTRAL ASIAN GROWTH: Economic growth in Eastern Europe and Central Asia is leaving a large part of the population behind, according to new statistics compiled by the UN Development Programme, the UN Economic Commission for Europe and UNICEF. According to the data, children in some countries in the region are as badly off as their counterparts in the poorest parts of the world, and in some countries the majority of the population is living on less than two dollars a day.

SRI LANKA FACTION NOT SERIOUS ABOUT ENDING CHILD RECRUITMENT: UNICEF today said that one of Sri Lanka’s warring groups, the so-called Karuna faction, is not taking seriously its commitments to the UN to end the recruitment of child soldiers. The statement followed a UN mission undertaken last week to one of Sri Lanka’s conflict zones. UNICEF is part of a Security Council-established taskforce that was charged with monitoring the serious violations of children’s rights in Sri Lanka.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

28 April - 04 May 2007

[This document is for planning purposes only and is subject to change.]

Saturday, April 28

Today is World Day for Safety and Health at Work.

Sunday, April 29

Today is the 10^th anniversary of the entry into force of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

The Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Mr. Jean Ziegler, begins a weeklong fact-finding mission to Bolivia.

Monday, April 30
Today is the last day of the UK Security Council presidency.

At 3 p.m. in Conference Room 2, the Secretary-General is scheduled to brief an informal (closed) meeting of the General Assembly plenary on recent developments.

In Conference Room 4, the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) begins its two-week 15^th session, which will focus on energy, industrial development, air pollution/atmosphere, and climate change.

At 11 a.m. in Room 226, there will be a press conference by the Minister of Energy and Industry of Qatar, H.E. Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attiyah, on the opening of CSD session.

UNDP is scheduled to launch its Oil Pricing and the poor report.

From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Trusteeship Council Chamber, there will be a symposium on “Enhancing the implementation of Security Council sanctions”.

At 6 p.m. in the South Gallery of the Visitors’ Lobby, the Secretary-General will open an exhibit on “Lessons from the Rwanda genocide”.

In Vienna, the first session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons begins today and lasts for two weeks.

In Geneva, the 38^th session of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the 38^th session of the Committee against Torture begin today.  Both sessions will last for three weeks.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, continues her visit to Central Asia.  She will be in Kazakhstan today until Wednesday and in Turkmenistan from Thursday through Saturday.

The Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants, Mr. Jorge Bustamante, begins a three-week visit to the United States, at the invitation of the U.S. Government.

Tuesday, May 1

Today is the first day of the US presidency of the Security Council. 

The guest at the noon briefing will be UN High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, who will brief on the recent International Conference on Displacement of Iraqis and his trip to Darfur last week.

From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Conference Room 3, there will be an expert panel on international environmental governance.

Wednesday, May 2

From 3 to 6 p.m. in the Economic and Social Council Chamber, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, and the Representative of the Secretary-General on the human rights of internally displaced persons, Mr. Walter Kälin, will give an open presentation to the Peacebuilding Commission on “Displacement and peacebuilding”.

The guests at the noon briefing will be Robert Mahoney, Deputy Director of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), and Joel Campagna, the CPJ’s Senior Middle East Program Coordinator, who will brief on a new report released to mark World Press Freedom Day, which is tomorrow.

From 1:15 to 2.30 p.m. in Conference Room 8, there will be a special event on “Catastrophe risk insurance facility for Small Island Developing States”.

Thursday, May 3

The Secretary-General will be in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, to co-chair the launch of the International Compact with Iraq.

At 3 p.m. in the Trusteeship Council Chamber, there will be an informal meeting of the Open-ended Working Group on the Question of Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Security Council and Other Matters related to the Security Council.

In Conference Room 9, there will be an all-day round table with African experts on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Today is World Press Freedom Day.  From 1:15 to 2:45 p.m. in Conference Room 5, there will be Panel discussion on “The citizen journalist: The Internet as a tool for freedom of speech”.

In Santiago, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean releases its report on Foreign Investment in Latin America and the Caribbean 2006.

Friday, May 4

In Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, the Secretary-General will attend a meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Expanded Iraq neighbours, representatives of the Permanent Members of the Security Council and members of the G8 countries.

In Bangkok, there will be a press conference to mark the launch of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Working Group III report on "Mitigation of Climate Change"

Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055

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