United Nations Daily Highlights, 03-07-23

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From: The United Nations Home Page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.org

OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY FRED ECKHARD

SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Wednesday, July 23, 2003

UN HUMANITARIAN CHIEF SAYS MILLIONS AT RISK IN LIBERIA

Marc de Bernis, the UN Humanitarian Coordinatorfor Liberia, who was evacuated from that countrys capital on Monday along with the last UN international staff remaining in Monrovia, spoke on Tuesday to the press in neighboring Sierra Leone and warned that more than a million people are now trying to survive in Monrovia under extremely difficult conditions.

He said that the poor health and sanitation situation in the capital has led to recent outbreaks of cholera, measles and malaria, which could be further intensified if they are not contained immediately.

He also noted the urgent need to secure safe access by humanitarian workers to hundreds of thousands of people living outside Monrovia. The Humanitarian Coordinator said that for now, local staff was carrying out UN humanitarian work in Monrovia.

The Office for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says that hundreds of Sierra Leonean refugees, desperate for food and pleading to be evacuated out of Liberia, have jammed the UNHCR compound in Monrovia, with more than 800 people in all at the compound. By this morning, the compound had run out of food, and the situation there is extremely difficult.

On Tuesday, in Dakar, Senegal, the foreign ministers of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) met to discuss ways of expediting the arrival of a vanguard force to Liberia. The Secretary-General this week reiterated the need for the deployment of such a force without delay.

SWITZERLAND FREEZES ACCOUNTS LINKED TO LIBERIAN PRESIDENT

The Special Court for Sierra Leone announced today that, following a request filed last month by Prosecutor David Crane to the Swiss Government to block the account of indicted suspect President Charles Taylor of Liberia, Switzerlands Justice Office announced today that around two million Swiss francs, equivalent to about $1.5 million, have been frozen in accounts held by two persons associated with President Taylor. The Office of the Prosecutor is pleased with the assistance received from the Swiss authorities.

The Special Court on Tuesday denied a request by lawyers representing former Revolutionary United Front leader Foday Sankoh for a stay of proceedings in his trial until the Court had completed a full psychiatric and physiological examination of him.

The equipment necessary for the examination is not available in Sierra Leone, and a UN travel ban on Sankoh is still in place. A psychiatrist who had made a preliminary examination of Sankoh in March described him as catatonic but could not make a complete diagnosis as to whether the indicted suspect is competent to stand trial.

Also on Tuesday, the Court denied a request by lawyers representing another suspect, Alex Brima, for bail, as well as a writ of habeas corpus claiming that Brimas detention is unlawful.

ANNAN CONCERNED BY INCREASE VIOLENCE IN JAMMU AND KASHMIR

Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in a statement issued through his Spokesman, is deeply concerned by the increase in violence in Jammu and Kashmir in the past two days and expresses his condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives.

The Secretary-General reiterated his condemnation of all acts of terrorism. At the same time, he urged those concerned to exercise restraint following these tragic incidents and encouraged the Governments of India and Pakistan to continue their recent efforts to resolve their differences peacefully through normalization of diplomatic relations, confidence-building measures and renewed dialogue.

SECURITY COUNCIL HEARS REPORT OF COUNTER TERRORISM COMMITTEE

The Security Council held an open meeting today to hear a briefing on the work of the Counter Terrorism Committee, by the Committees chair and current Security Council President, Ambassador Inocencio Arias of Spain.

Arias told the Council that the Committee not only met its work program for the last three months, but in some cases had even gone beyond it.

The Council discussion included the participation of 10 non-Council members along with all 15 Council members.

SECRETARY-GENERAL TO LAUNCH PRIVATE SECTOR COMMISSION

A high-level Commission on the Private Sector and Development is to be launched officially by the Secretary-General at Fridays noon briefing, and that Commission is to be co-chaired by Canadas former Finance Minister, Paul Martin, and former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo. The Secretary-General and UN Development Programme Administrator Mark Malloch Brown will introduce the co-chairs on Friday.

In a press release issued by UNDP, the Secretary-General says the Commission has been created as a direct response to the growing notion that the Millennium Development Goals can be achieved only if the private sector is involved.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

FAO WARNS OF FOOD EMERGENCIES IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: In a report released today, the Food and Agriculture Organization warned that 23 countries in sub-Saharan Africa are facing food emergencies caused mainly by continuous armed conflict, adverse weather conditions, HIV/AIDS and the internal displacement of people leaving rural areas. The report, Food Supply Situation and Crop Prospects in Sub-Saharan Africa, provides for an elaborate overview of the situation per country.

UN MISSION TRANSFERS BODIES INTO KOSOVO: The UN Mission in Kosovo announced that the mortal remains of some 40 people, whose bodies were exhumed from Batajnica, will be repatriated from Serbia proper to Kosovo today. The bodies have been identified by DNA, and the mortal remains will be ready for release to family members in Kosovo once forensic inspections are complete.

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