ISRAEL'S 'IMMORAL' USE OF CLUSTER BOMBS IN LEBANON POSES MAJOR THREAT - UN AID CHIEF

ISRAEL’S ‘IMMORAL’ USE OF CLUSTER BOMBS IN LEBANON POSES MAJOR THREAT – UN AID CHIEF
New York, Aug 30 2006 6:00PM
The top United Nations aid official today criticized Israel’s heavy use of cluster bombs in the last three days of the war with Hizbollah, describing their use as “immoral” and warning that up to 100,000 deadly bomblets still lie unexploded across vast areas of southern Lebanon where they are maiming and killing people every day.

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland also said that around a quarter of a million Lebanese returnees who fled their homes during the month of fighting were unable to return because of the devastation or for fear of injury caused by these and other unexploded ordnance.

“What’s shocking and I would say to me, completely immoral, is that 90 per cent of the cluster bomb strikes occurred in the last 72 hours of the conflict when we knew there would be a resolution, when we really knew there would be an end of this,” he told reporters in New York.

“Cluster bombs…have affected large areas, lots of homes, lots of farmland, lots of commercial businesses and shops and they will be with us for many, many months, possibly for years. Everyday people are maimed, wounded and are killed by these ordnance, it shouldn’t have happened.”

UN teams have been helping remove these bomblets and other unexploded ordnance since the cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hizbollah came into effect on August 14, and Mr. Egeland said nearly 85 per cent of bombed areas in southern Lebanon had now been assessed to reveal “shocking new information.”

“They identified 359 separate cluster bombed strike locations that are contaminated with as many as 100,000 unexploded bomblets…The people returning home however are facing massive problems, 250,000 of them in our view are not able to move into their homes at all because they are destroyed or because of unexploded ordnance.”

In addition to the unexploded cluster bomblets, Mr. Egeland said there was also around 20,000 pieces of other unexploded ordnance, including mines, although the bomblets were the main threat to the Lebanese returnees because they have been scattered over such a large area.

Turning to other humanitarian assistance for Lebanon, Mr. Egeland said the UN and all international organizations would fully support the Government as it moves toward the new stage of “reconstruction and recovery” for the country with its appeal for hundreds of millions of dollars to be launched at a donor meeting tomorrow in Stockholm.

However, he said a revised UN humanitarian appeal for Lebanon would ask for very little new money because the world body had already received pledges of more than $90 million for its emergency needs.

Mr. Egeland will be among the officials attending an international donors conference for Lebanon in Stockholm tomorrow, along with UN Deputy Secretary-General Mark Malloch Brown.

On the ground in Lebanon, emergency UN assistance continues to get through to those most in need, with more trucks leaving Beirut today carrying supplies from the World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), a spokesman told reporters in New York.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has also been sending convoys to villages around Nabatiyeh from the southern port city of Tyre, Stephane Dujarric said, adding these carried blankets, mattresses and cooking kits.
2006-08-30 00:00:00.000

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RELIGIOUS LEADERS ENDORSE UNICEF-BACKED DECLARATION ON VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN

RELIGIOUS LEADERS ENDORSE UNICEF-BACKED DECLARATION ON VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN
New York, Aug 30 2006 6:00PM
Senior religious leaders from across the globe today endorsed the Declaration on Violence against Children, an instrument aimed at combating violence against society’s youngest members that was developed with the help of the United Nations Children’s Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org">UNICEF).

Delegates representing more than 70 inter-religious groups made the endorsement at the Eighth World Assembly of Religions for Peace in Kyoto, Japan. The Declaration commits religious and faith communities to confront violence against children and protect children in their communities.

The document was developed during a global consultation this past May in Toledo, Spain, which was convened by UNICEF and Religions for Peace, a coalition of leaders representing the world’s major faiths.

“UNICEF has a long history of working with religious communities across the globe. Their moral authority and their vast constituencies make them uniquely powerful allies for children,” <"<"http://www.unicef.org">said the agency’s Executive Director, Ann Veneman. “This Declaration is a rallying call for religious groups to unite around this common cause: the protection of children from violence of all kinds.”

The Declaration will be presented, along with a report on violence against children, to the General Assembly on 9 October.
2006-08-30 00:00:00.000

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TIMOR-LESTE: UN POLICE, INTERNATIONAL SECURITY FORCES MOVE TO APPREHEND PRISON ESCAPEES

TIMOR-LESTE: UN POLICE, INTERNATIONAL SECURITY FORCES MOVE TO APPREHEND PRISON ESCAPEES
New York, Aug 30 2006 6:00PM
United Nations Police and international security forces in Timor-Leste today mounted a widespread search for the dozens of prisoners who have escaped from Becora Prison, just east of the capital, Dili.

They are seeking to apprehend the escaped prisoners through intensified operations throughout Dili and the surrounding areas, UN Acting Police Commissioner Antero Lopes said.

Mr. Lopes strongly urged the population to contact the UN Police or the international security forces should they have any information about the escaped prisoners. The group includes Major Alfredo Reinado, the leader of an armed group that demanded the resignation of the Prime Minister during the recent unrest in Timor-Leste.

Violence earlier this year in the country, which the UN helped guide to independence from Indonesia in 2002, left dozens dead and forced some 155,000 people to flee their homes. The clashes erupted when the Government dismissed about 600 soldiers who had gone on strike.
2006-08-30 00:00:00.000

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SECURITY COUNCIL EXPECTED TO VOTE TOMORROW FOR UN PEACEKEEPING MISSION IN DARFUR

SECURITY COUNCIL EXPECTED TO VOTE TOMORROW FOR UN PEACEKEEPING MISSION IN DARFUR
New York, Aug 30 2006 6:00PM
The Security Council is set to vote tomorrow on a draft resolution outlining the establishment within months of a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Sudan’s strife-torn and impoverished Darfur region.

Ambassador Nana Effah-Apenteng of Ghana, which holds the Council presidency for August, told reporters today after consultations among Council members at UN Headquarters in New York that he expected the draft resolution would be adopted at a meeting tomorrow.

Mr. Effah-Apenteng said such a vote would not mean the Council is “shutting the door” on continued negotiations with the Sudanese Government, which has stated several times that it is opposed to any UN force taking over from the current African Union (AU) mission in Darfur.

Asked about the reference in the draft resolution to the need for consent from the Sudanese Government before any UN force can be deployed, he responded that 2 million people are currently suffering in Darfur, and “the lives of these people should weigh heavily on the minds of everybody.”

The Ghanaian ambassador also observed that the existing UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), which is helping to implement the 2005 peace accord in the south of the vast country, has not “compromised the sovereignty or territorial integrity” of Sudan.

The Council has scheduled a meeting for 8 September on Darfur and invited high-level officials from the Sudanese Government, the League of Arab States and the Organization of the Islamic Conference to attend.

The draft resolution before the Council, circulated by the United Kingdom and the United States, comes amid mounting alarm at the deteriorating conditions inside Darfur, a region roughly the size of France on Sudan’s western flank that has been beset by war and massive displacement since 2003.

On Monday the UN’s top humanitarian official Jan Egeland told the Council in a closed-door briefing that “a man-made catastrophe of an unprecedented scale” looms within weeks unless the Council acts immediately to deal with the spiralling violence, looting and displacement.

Mr. Egeland, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, said “we could see hundreds of thousands of deaths” if aid operations – already at grave risk because of rising numbers of attacks against individual workers, dramatically reduced access to those in need, and massive funding shortfalls – collapse.
2006-08-30 00:00:00.000

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WEALTHY COUNTRIES SHOULD ALLOW IN MORE REFUGEES, UN HIGH COMMISSIONER SAYS

WEALTHY COUNTRIES SHOULD ALLOW IN MORE REFUGEES, UN HIGH COMMISSIONER SAYS
New York, Aug 30 2006 6:00PM
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is urging the world's rich countries to provide more resettlement opportunities for those who have been forced to flee their homes across borders.

“Refugees are victims, not a threat,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) António Guterres yesterday during a tour of the Thai government’s Tham Hin camp for Karen refugees. “They have been victims of conflict and persecution and sometimes they may be victims again if security concerns do not take into account their real situation.”

More than 140,000 Karen refugees, who fled conflicts in their home country of Myanmar, live in nine camps along the Thai-Myanmar border.

“It's very important for people who have lived for 10 years without freedom of movement, without employment, without any hopes for the future, to have a chance to start a new life,” he said.

Mr. Guterres, currently on a four-day mission to Thailand, is travelling with the United States Assistant Secretary of State Ellen Sauerbrey, head of the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration. He thanked the US for welcoming two-thirds of the 70,000 refugees that are resettled each year.

He also paid tribute to Ms. Sauerbrey for her role in removing roadblocks to resettlement of the Karens in Tham Hin caused by anti-terrorism legislation. By year’s end, the United States plans to accept 2,700 Karen refugees from the camp.
2006-08-30 00:00:00.000

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UN TRIBUNAL FINES CROATIAN JOURNALIST FOR PUBLISHING CONFIDENTIAL MATERIAL

UN TRIBUNAL FINES CROATIAN JOURNALIST FOR PUBLISHING CONFIDENTIAL MATERIAL
New York, Aug 30 2006 2:00PM
The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) has found a Croatian journalist guilty of contempt for publishing closed session transcripts and part of a witness statement.

In a judgement issued today, the Tribunal fined Josip Jovic, a former editor-in-chief of the Croatian daily newspaper Slobodna Dalmacija, 20,000 Euros.

In a series of articles that appeared in November and December 2000, Mr. Jovic published the transcripts and part of a statement given to the Office of the Prosecutor by Croatian President Stjepan Mesic, who testified against a former Croatian Army general.

The ICTY Trial Chamber expressed particular concern over Mr. Jovic’s decision to ignore a cease and desist order from the Tribunal after the first four articles had appeared, noting that he went on in subsequent editions to boast that the transcripts he was publishing were “secret.”

“His actions not only were contemptuous, but also stymied the Tribunal’s ability to safeguard the evidence of a protected witness and risked undermining confidence in the Tribunal’s ability to grant effective protective measures,” said the Trial Chamber in its judgement summary.

The defence had argued that Mr. Jovic did not believe he was bound by the Tribunal’s orders and therefore could not be held in contempt, but this was found to be erroneous.
2006-08-30 00:00:00.000

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CALLING GAZA 'TICKING TIME-BOMB,' UN OFFICIAL URGES AID TO AVOID SOCIAL EXPLOSION

CALLING GAZA ‘TICKING TIME-BOMB,’ UN OFFICIAL URGES AID TO AVOID SOCIAL EXPLOSION
New York, Aug 30 2006 7:00PM
Warning that Gaza is a “ticking time-bomb” marked by conditions so severe a social explosion is inevitable, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator today called on donors scheduled to convene tomorrow in Stockholm to generously fund assistance efforts for the Palestinians.

“You cannot seal off an area, which is a little bigger than the city of Stockholm, has 1.4 million people, of whom 800,000 are youth and children, and then have 200 artillery shells go in there virtually every day, seal off the borders so that it is very hard for them to send anything out, crippling the economy, for people to live or even humanitarian supplies to get in,” Jan Egeland <"http://www.un.org/News/briefings/docs/2006/060830_Egeland.doc.htm">told reporters in New York, calling a “ticking time-bomb.”

He said the conditions will lead to some a social explosion. “Is it in 10 days or is it in 10 months? Of course we don’t know but it is a time-bomb. Nobody visiting Gaza can avoid the fact that it is a totally untenable situation,” he said.

Mr. Egeland, who will attend tomorrow’s meeting in Stockholm, said the previous humanitarian appeal for the occupied Palestinian territories had brought in only 40 per cent of the $385 million being sought. He voiced hope that more money would be forthcoming and that there would be full diplomatic support for “a fresh look at the situation.”

In a related development, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) today spotlighted the plight of women in labour who are being delayed at Israeli checkpoints, forcing roadside births and even causing the death of some women and infants. The agency issued a statement urging access to health facilities and stressing that humanitarian organizations must be allowed to operate freely.

More than 68 pregnant Palestinian women had to give birth at Israeli checkpoints during the last six years, leading to 34 miscarriages and the death of four women, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

A recent report by the Ministry shows that since the beginning of the Al-Aqsa intifada in September 2000, pregnant Palestinian women in labour are often prevented by Israeli forces from reaching hospitals to receive appropriate medical attention. As a result, 10 per cent of women who wished to give birth at medical centres have had to spend two to four hours on the road before reaching a hospital, while 6 per cent spent more than four hours. The normal time, before the intifada, was 15 to 30 minutes.

“These figures underline the need to put an end, once and for all, to the agony of pregnant Palestinian women held at Israeli checkpoints,” said UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid. “It is urgent to facilitate access by pregnant women to life-saving services, as stipulated by international humanitarian law.”

UNFPA has been helping pregnant women avoid suffering at the checkpoints by training health personnel and equipping them with delivery kits to provide services within their communities. It has also formed local community support teams to assist health providers and raise awareness of the availability of delivery services.

The agency continues to work with its partners on providing the Gaza population with essential emergency services and supplies, including by restoring health facilities, purchasing reproductive health supplies and other essential drugs to support the Ministry of Health, and providing psychological and clinical services to women and their families.
2006-08-30 00:00:00.000

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TOP UN AID OFFICIAL TO VISIT DR CONGO, UGANDA AND SOUTHERN SUDAN

TOP UN AID OFFICIAL TO VISIT DR CONGO, UGANDA AND SOUTHERN SUDAN
New York, Aug 30 2006 7:00PM
Although the troubled eastern half of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has made some progress recently, there have also been serious setbacks and donor funding falls way below local needs, the United Nations’ most senior humanitarian official said today.

UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York that the humanitarian needs in the eastern DRC are probably greater than anywhere else in the world as he announced he would visit central Africa next week.

As many as 500,000 people have become newly displaced this year alone, he said, although last month’s historic national presidential and parliamentary elections – the first in 45 years – offered an opportunity for a break from the cycle of violence.

After arriving in Kinshasa, the capital of DRC, Mr. Egeland is scheduled to visit the eastern provinces of Katanga, North and South Kivu, and Ituri. He said he would meet some of the newly displaced, as well as rape victims and people who have returned to the DRC as the country tries to put years of civil war behind it.

Mr. Egeland <"http://www.un.org/News/briefings/docs/2006/060830_Egeland.doc.htm">told reporters that “the jury is still out” on whether the international community can set matters right in the eastern DRC, scene of some of the worst atrocities during the civil war.

Only about one-third of the money sought in the UN’s humanitarian appeal for the DRC has been provided, forcing the UN to grant the country about $38 million – more than for any other country – from its Central Emergency Response Fund.

He said one of the key messages he would send out during his trip would be that the culture of impunity for rebel and militia leaders must end in the DRC.

Mr. Egeland, who is also Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, will then travel to Uganda before finishing his tour in Juba, southern Sudan, where peace talks involving the Ugandan Government and the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) are taking place. Last weekend the LRA and Uganda signed a cessation of hostilities agreement to end their 20-year conflict in the north of the nation.
2006-08-30 00:00:00.000

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ANNAN EXPRESSES SUPPORT FOR PALESTINIAN UNITY GOVERNMENT ON TRIP TO WEST BANK

ANNAN EXPRESSES SUPPORT FOR PALESTINIAN UNITY GOVERNMENT ON TRIP TO WEST BANK
New York, Aug 30 2006 7:00PM
Secretary-General Kofi Annan today expressed support for Palestinian efforts towards forming a unity government in the occupied territory as he met President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank for talks focusing on the economic and social problems there and in Gaza.

Mr. Annan arrived for the meeting with the leader of the Palestinian Authority from Israel on the latest leg of his regional tour to promote the full implementation of resolution 1701 that ended the month-long conflict in Lebanon, which he emphasized should not be allowed to divert attention from the plight of the Palestinians.

“The suffering of the Palestinian people must not be forgotten… I have made my feelings known in talks with Israeli officials. Beyond preserving life, we have to sustain life. The closure of Gaza must be lifted. Crossing points must be opened not just to allow goods in, but to also allow Palestinian exports out as well,” he <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/offthecuff.asp?nid=926">told reporters at a joint press conference with Mr. Abbas in Ramallah.

“I also discussed with President Abbas his ongoing efforts with Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh to form a National Unity Government. This is a very important process. If the Palestinians can unite around a common and realistic programme, and if this can help bring the security situation under control, it would be a very positive step indeed.”

Mr. Annan said he had also spoken with the President about efforts to release the abducted Israeli soldier who was kidnapped in June. The meeting also focused on ending the rocket attacks and Israeli incursions, as well as Mr. Abbas’ long-standing demands for progress on Palestinian prisoners.

“The immediate problems are those of daily life. And I mean ‘life’ quite literally. Over 200 Palestinians have been killed since the end of June. This must stop immediately.”

“I fully agreed that an end to the occupation and the creation of a Palestinian state living side by side with Israel is key to resolving the problems of this troubled region.”

From Ramallah, Mr. Annan flew to Jordan, where he is scheduled to hold meetings with Foreign Minister Abdul Ilah Khativ and King Abdullah tomorrow. He will then continue his regional diplomatic initiative with stops planned in Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and Turkey.
2006-08-30 00:00:00.000

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MORE THAN $36 MILLION TO BE HANDED OUT AS UN DEMOCRACY FUND RELEASES FIRST GRANTS

MORE THAN $36 MILLION TO BE HANDED OUT AS UN DEMOCRACY FUND RELEASES FIRST GRANTS
New York, Aug 30 2006 4:00PM
The United Nations Democracy Fund (<"http://www.un.org/democracyfund/">UNDEF) has unveiled its first beneficiaries, awarding $36 million in grants to 125 projects around the world that range from promoting voter registration to encouraging judicial reform, supporting female parliamentarians and teaching human rights awareness in schools.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan approved the first batch of projects that had been whittled down by the UN Programme Consultative Group and then UNDEF’s Advisory Board from the original pool of more than 1,300 applications.

Set up by Mr. Annan in July last year, UNDEF is designed to promote and consolidate new and restored democracies in the areas of elections, human rights, civil society, the media and rule of law.

The Fund defined six areas as funding priorities for the initial group of projects: strengthening democratic dialogue and support for constitutional processes; civil society empowerment; civic education, voter registration and strengthening of political parties; citizens’ access to information; human rights and fundamental freedoms; and accountability, transparency and integrity.

More than 60 per cent of the grant recipients – the money will be disbursed later this year – are civil society organizations, with UN agencies receiving 24 per cent of the total and the remainder going to governmental or regional organizations.

At least a third of grants are directed at projects focused on sub-Saharan Africa, and almost four out of every five applications were for projects aimed at one country.

Mr. Annan believes “the initial response from applicants is powerful evidence of the strong demand for support from the UN for this very important agenda,” according to a statement released by his spokesman.

The Secretary-General called on UN Member States to support UNDEF “and use it as an innovative and flexible mechanism for advancing the UN democracy agenda.” So far the Fund has received almost $50 million in contributions and pledges from 17 Member States.

UNDEF’s 17-member Advisory Board includes representatives from the largest Member State contributors, other countries chosen to ensure geographical diversity, as well as representatives from civil society and on behalf of the UN.
2006-08-30 00:00:00.000

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TENNIS STAR SERVES UP A VIDEO MESSAGE TO HELP IN THE UN FIGHT AGAINST HIV/AIDS

TENNIS STAR SERVES UP A VIDEO MESSAGE TO HELP IN THE UN FIGHT AGAINST HIV/AIDS
New York, Aug 30 2006 5:00PM
The world’s top tennis player, Switzerland’s Roger Federer, has recorded a public service announcement for the United Nations Children’s Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/media/media_35497.html">UNICEF) to help in its campaign against the scourge of HIV/AIDS.

Federer – who became a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF in April – recorded the 30-second message in English and French that was released in New York yesterday and is now available for use by broadcasters around the world.

“Every minute of every day, a child under the age of 15 dies of an AIDS-related illness,” Federer says in the video message. “HIV/AIDS is threatening children as never before – everywhere, every day.”

The message was recorded as part of a campaign, “Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS,” that started in October last year and is also supported by other UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors, including Shakira, Pierce Brosnan, Amitabh Bachchan and Angelique Kidjo.
2006-08-30 00:00:00.000

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DR CONGO: UN MISSION CALLS ON MEDIA TO EXERCISE RESTRAINT DURING PRESIDENTIAL RUNOFF

DR CONGO: UN MISSION CALLS ON MEDIA TO EXERCISE RESTRAINT DURING PRESIDENTIAL RUNOFF
New York, Aug 30 2006 5:00PM
The UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) today renewed its call for calm during the upcoming presidential runoff elections, appealing to the local media to refrain from publishing hate messages and propaganda.

The mission, known by its French acronym MONUC, lamented the clashes that erupted between the security forces of President Joseph Kabila and Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba, the two front runners in last month’s historic polls, after the release of preliminary results last week.

“The media were certainly not responsible for these, but they have an important role to play in informing the public on all election-related events,” said Deputy Spokesman Jean-Tobie Okala at a weekly press briefing in Kinshasa.

Mr. Kabila and Mr. Bemba are scheduled to face each other in a second round of voting on 29 October.

MONUC reports that all media stations in the capital Kinshasa have now reached an agreement with the High Authority of the Media to respect a code of good conduct during the campaign and throughout the post-electoral period.

“MONUC appeals to the media to respect the code of conduct,” said Mr. Okala. “We also ask of them to separate information from propaganda, and to refrain from publishing hate messages that would incite the population to violence.” He also urged the Congolese people to remain calm.

“We appeal to the population to disregard rumours which might be used to lure them into acts of violence, insults or tribalism. We remind everyone again that the time of gaining power through the use of arms is a thing of the past in the DRC,” Mr. Okala said.

In related news, MONUC reports that some 5,000 Congolese militiamen have been disarmed and demobilized since the beginning of June as part of a UN-sponsored national disarmament initiative.
2006-08-30 00:00:00.000

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MEETING OLMERT, ANNAN RENEWS CALL FOR LIFTING OF ISRAELI BLOCKADE AGAINST LEBANON

MEETING OLMERT, ANNAN RENEWS CALL FOR LIFTING OF ISRAELI BLOCKADE AGAINST LEBANON
New York, Aug 30 2006 3:00PM
Meeting today in Jerusalem with Israel’s Prime Minister and other top officials, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan renewed calls for the immediate lifting of the blockade of Lebanon, which has now been in place for the past seven weeks, and said all sides had a responsibility to work for peace in the strife-torn region.

Mr. Annan, who arrived in Israel yesterday after high-level talks in Lebanon, also told Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that he had repeated his calls for the “unconditional” release of captured Isreali soldiers, including discussing this issue with a Hizbollah member of the Lebanese cabinet.

“I have been urging for the immediate lifting of the blockade on Lebanon. It is important not only because of the economic effect it is having on the country but it is also important to strengthen the democratic Government of Lebanon with which Israel has repeatedly said it has no problems,” Mr. Annan told a joint press conference with the Israeli Prime Minister.

“When I was in Lebanon…I stressed the unambiguous release and unconditional release of the abducted soldiers. And, of course, here I have also raised the question of the issue of the prisoners.”

Mr. Annan, who also visited the families of the three Israeli soldiers, stressed the impact on civilians of the recent conflict between Hizbollah and Israel and emphasized the need to fully implement Security Council resolution 1701 that ended the 34 days of fighting.

“Israel is also a country where innocent civilians have suffered. Hundreds of thousands have also had to spend a month or so in bomb shelters just as in Lebanon where innocent civilians have suffered,” he said.

“I will also want to use this opportunity to call on all neighbours – all the neighbours – to really cooperate fully with the implementation of the resolution,” said Mr. Annan, who is on a diplomatic tour of the region that will include stops in Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan, and likely Syria and Iran as well.

“This is a resolution that Israel has accepted,” the Secretary-General continued. “The Lebanese Government, including Hizbollah, has accepted it. And we all have a responsibility to work to make sure that it is fully implemented.”

While in Jerusalem, the Secretary-General also met with Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres before holding discussions with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, at which he also emphasized the importance of resolution 1701, adding that he had been encouraged by the talks so far during his regional visit but that there was no time to waste.

“Having come from Lebanon, and also held discussions with the Israeli leadership, I am convinced that both countries are determined to implement 1701 fully. They see an opportunity to turn a page and build on a very solid basis. And I think that it is important that we do so rapidly, sustain the momentum, and not let this drag.”

Mr. Annan will next fly to Ramallah for discussions with the President of the Palestinian Authority before travelling to Jordan and elsewhere in the region as part of his further diplomatic efforts.

Meanwhile, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said today that the Israeli Defence Forces had continued their withdrawal from the south of the country, leaving general area of Bastra and the area south of the Kafr Shuba and Shaba villages. UNIFIL has established checkpoints and will carry out intensive patrolling and plans to handover the area to the Lebanese Armed Forces.
2006-08-30 00:00:00.000

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UN PRESENTS $37.5 MILLION AID PLAN TO HELP SRI LANKANS AFFECTED BY VIOLENCE

UN PRESENTS $37.5 MILLION AID PLAN TO HELP SRI LANKANS AFFECTED BY VIOLENCE
New York, Aug 30 2006 1:00PM
With more than 200,000 Sri Lankans fleeing their homes in recent months to escape escalating violence between the Government and Tamil separatists, the United Nations humanitarian office today presented an inter-agency appeal calling for $37.5 million to provide food, water, protection and other urgent assistance.

The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) country team in Sri Lanka launched the action plan, which covers the period from September to December, in response to “serious humanitarian consequences have arisen from the spiralling conflict” in the north and east, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a press release.

It also highlighted the “unprecedented” killing of 17 Sri Lankan employees of the non-governmental organization (NGO) Action Contre la Faim earlier this month, saying the murders dealt a “sharp blow to the security of humanitarian operations.”

“There is an urgent need for restoring and safeguarding of humanitarian operational space to ensure effective access to allow the delivery of services and the monitoring of assistance programmes,” said Rashid Khalikov, Acting Director of OCHA in Geneva, while presenting the humanitarian action plan to Members States.

Recurrent conflict has resulted in the breakdown of family structures and social safety nets in Sri Lanka. By the end of this month, the number of people displaced in the north and east will have risen to over 217,450, with an additional 9,200 people having sought refuge in India, OCHA said, warning that these figures may continue to increase.

The inter-agency humanitarian plan identifies priority actions to be taken to provide protection, shelter, food, water and environmental sanitation, health care, education and livelihood support for affected populations, including those displaced.

Fighting between Government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has intensified since April despite a ceasefire agreed in 2002 aimed at ending a conflict that has lasted for more than 20 years and claimed some 60,000 lives.
2006-08-30 00:00:00.000

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UGANDA: UNICEF APPLAUDS CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES IN LONG-RUNNING CONFLICT

UGANDA: UNICEF APPLAUDS CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES IN LONG-RUNNING CONFLICT
New York, Aug 30 2006 1:00PM
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has joined the chorus of support for last weekend’s signing of an official cessation of hostilities between the Ugandan Government and the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), ending a 20-year conflict there that has become notorious for its use of child soldiers.

UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman released a statement today urging both sides to now aim for a comprehensive peace agreement which gives priority to ensuring the welfare of children and women.

Ms. Veneman also called for the prompt return of all children and women who have become separated from their families and communities in northern Uganda.

“UNICEF will continue to work with partners to provide the necessary and appropriate assistance to, and protection of, the returning children and women,” she said.

An estimated 25,000 children have been abducted by the LRA and forced to serve as soldiers, while UN human rights officials have said the rebel group has used numerous other children as porters and “allocated” many girls to senior officers in a form of institutional rape.

The conflict in northern Uganda has also resulted in more than 100,000 deaths and forced about 2 million people to flee their homes.

Last October, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants against humanity against five LRA figures: the leader Joseph Kony, and the commanders Vincent Otti, Okot Odhiambo, Dominic Ongwen and Raska Lukwiya. The five men are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Ms. Veneman’s remarks follow statements from Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland earlier this week welcoming the cessation of hostilities.
2006-08-30 00:00:00.000

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UN MARKS 'DAY OF DISAPPEARED' WITH CALLS FOR ACTION ON MISSING PERSONS

UN MARKS ‘DAY OF DISAPPEARED’ WITH CALLS FOR ACTION ON MISSING PERSONS
New York, Aug 30 2006 10:00AM
Marking the International Day of the Disappeared, United Nations officials today voiced concern about the plight of persons who have been forced to go missing and called for action to help them.

The Geneva-based UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, which since its establishment in 1980 has submitted more than 50,000 individual cases to Governments in more than 90 countries, today issued a statement decrying the problem.

“The Working Group is deeply concerned about the large number of reports of enforced disappearances that have been submitted over the past year. Many reports have been received of the disappearance of children and, in a few cases, of people with physical and mental disabilities.”

The five-member Group also called attention to threats against human rights defenders, relatives of disappeared persons, witnesses and legal counsel, and said that anti -terrorist activities “are being used by an increasing number of States as an excuse for not respecting the obligations of the Declaration on the Protection of all Persons from Disappearance.”

Certain mechanisms aimed at promoting “truth and reconciliation” have given rise to the enactment of amnesty laws and the implementation of other measures that lead to impunity, the Group said.

Voicing concern that very few States have created a specific criminal offence of enforced disappearance, the Group urged States to treat all acts of enforced disappearance as offences under criminal law punishable by appropriate penalties. It also welcomed a draft treaty on the issue and recommended that the UN General Assembly adopt it.

Meanwhile in Kosovo, the Acting Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, Steven Schook, took the occasion to call on all concerned to join together in efforts to determine the fate of persons still missing from the conflict in that province, where NATO troops drove out Yugoslav forces in 1999.

“As family members of persons missing from the conflict in Kosovo join voices with thousands of others across the world to mark the International Day of the Disappeared, resolving the issue of missing persons remains a top priority for us,” he said.

While considerable progress has been made in reducing the number of missing in Kosovo by half, approximately 2,300 persons are still physically unaccounted for, according to the UN Interim Administration in Kosovo (UNMIK).

Mr. Schook said UNMIK will continue to support the Kosovo Ministry of Justice in carrying out investigations of events of disappearance and more thorough searches for the unidentified.
2006-08-30 00:00:00.000

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NEW UN GUIDE HELPS LATIN AMERICAN FARMERS PREVENT AVIAN INFLUENZA

NEW UN GUIDE HELPS LATIN AMERICAN FARMERS PREVENT AVIAN INFLUENZA
New York, Aug 30 2006 10:00AM
In order to help prevent a possible outbreak of avian flu in Latin America and the Caribbean and raise public awareness of the threat posed by the disease, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (<"http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000381/index.html">FAO) has published a new handbook for the region’s small-scale poultry farmers.

The illustrated guide describes measures needed to ensure on-farm biosecurity and prevent contact between domestic poultry and potentially infected wild birds.

“The handbook stresses simple and affordable methods to prevent and control the disease,” said Joseph Domenech, head of FAO's Veterinary Services.

“It is very important for poultry farmers to be acquainted with the characteristics of this disease so that they can recognize it in the event of an outbreak, and immediately report it to the authorities. Prevention is the most effective weapon to forestall more serious damage and keep Latin America free of this fatal disease,” he added.

FAO's handbook is intended for widespread distribution and has been made available free-of-charge on the UN agency's website. It will also be circulated among the staff of local veterinary services and livestock technicians working with small-scale producers in Latin America and the Caribbean.
2006-08-30 00:00:00.000

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