SENIOR UN OFFICIAL APPEALS TO ALL MILITIA IN DARFUR TO END FIGHTING AND BEGIN TALKS

SENIOR UN OFFICIAL APPEALS TO ALL MILITIA IN DARFUR TO END FIGHTING AND BEGIN TALKS
New York, Feb 1 2009 4:10PM
The chief of the joint United Nations-African Union effort to bring peace to Darfur today urged all armed forces in the region to put down their weapons and engage in peace negotiations.

Djibril Yipènè Bassolé, the Joint Chief Mediator for Darfur, called on rival factions on the western flank of the Sudan "to consult each other and to work together to create the conditions for peace negotiations, to help resolve the crisis and alleviate the suffering of Darfurians."

Over the past five years in Darfur around 300,000 people are estimated to have been killed, either through direct combat or a result of disease, malnutrition or reduced life expectancy, while 2.7 million others have had to flee their homes.

Since his appointment in June 2008, Mr. Bassolé has consulted with all parties in a bid to rejuvenate efforts to resolve the conflict that has raged between rebels, Gov
ernment forces and allied militiamen known as the Janjaweed.

Renewed fighting in southern Darfur's Muhajeria area that began earlier this month has exposed about 30,000 people to previously unseen levels of violence, destroyed an aid agency''s office and forced the UN to relocate its staff.

Pointing in particular to military clashes involving the Government, the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), and another rebel group known as the Sudan Liberation Army/ Minni Minawi (SLA/MM), on Thursday Mr. Bassolé called on the parties to cease fighting to minimize civilian suffering and create "a conducive environment for a political dialogue."

Today he reiterated his call for all parties to refrain from any acts that could jeopardize the on-going peace efforts and, instead, to engage constructively in the search for solutions.
Feb 1 2009 4:10PM
________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/email/

UN CHIEF URGES NEW SOMALI PRESIDENT TO PRIORITIZE NATIONAL RECONCILIATION

UN CHIEF URGES NEW SOMALI PRESIDENT TO PRIORITIZE NATIONAL RECONCILIATION
New York, Feb 1 2009 3:10PM
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged newly elected President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed of Somalia to reach out to all people and parties in the strife-ridden country.

The Secretary-General congratulated the recently expanded Somali Parliament for the successful conclusion of its presidential election, saying that its political leaders had taken a major step forward towards national reconciliation.

"The United Nations has supported this process and stands ready to help the new Government in its efforts towards national reconciliation and the establishment of effective security," Mr. Ban said in a statement attributable to his spokesperson.

For its part, he stressed that the UN will provide logistical support to the African Union (AU) peacekeeping mission in Somalia, known as AMISOM and help strengthen Somalia's own security forces.

Violence has continued in
Somalia despite the signing in June 2008 of the UN-facilitated Djibouti Agreement by the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS), in which they agreed to end their conflict.

Mr. Ban called on President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, who heads the ARS, to include all parties still outside the Djibouti Agreement in the political process in an effort to improve the security situation in the Horn of Africa country, as well as aid the humanitarian relief work.

"The Security Council will decide in the months ahead, the appropriateness of a UN peacekeeping operation to support the Somali political, economic, and social development," Mr. Ban said.

The new President is expected appoint a prime minister and form a government of national unity, in a bid to bring stability to a nation that has not had a functioning central government since 1991 and has been plagued by violence and humanitarian suffering.

Feb 1 2009 3:10PM
________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/email/

TOP UN OFFICIAL TO AFGHANISTAN CALLS FOR PUSH TO END OPIUM PRODUCTION

TOP UN OFFICIAL TO AFGHANISTAN CALLS FOR PUSH TO END OPIUM PRODUCTION
New York, Feb 1 2009 11:10AM
Opium cultivation in Afghanistan is set to shrink this year, which could deal a major blow to the illicit drug industry, the top United Nations official to the war-torn country said today.

Since 2002, poppy production had increased every year until a small reduction last year, but a major reduction in is now in reach, the Secretary-General''s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Kai Eide, told journalists in Kabul.

At a press conference announcing the release of a new UN report, the Opium Rapid Assessment Survey, Mr. Eide said, "This year could be a turning point."

"There could be a reduction in each and every province in the country, and the number of poppy-free provinces could grow beyond 20 [of the country''s 34 provinces]," he added.

Similar to previous years, opium cultivation this year is expected to be virtually confined to the seven most unstable provinces in the south
and south west of Afghanistan, where production has also been significantly reduced.

"Since this industry is so intimately linked to crime, corruption, and food insecurity, the effects could be wide-ranging, and very positive," said Mr. Eide.

In the south and south-west, the drop-off in opium cultivation is explained by high wheat prices, low opium prices and a lack of water in the face of severe drought, according to the report produced by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

In other parts of the country, the report attributes pressure from government authorities, food scarcity and effective pre-planting information campaigns for the decline in poppy cultivation.

Mr. Eide warned that "we could face a backlash instead of further progress" if the Government and donors do not take advantage of the window of opportunity presented by this year''s decrease in production.

"Governors need additional resources to enable them to demonstrate that reduction in poppy production lead
s to development today. They have huge responsibilities, but few resources," he said.

Highlighting the contribution made by the United States and the United Kingdom to the Good Performance Initiative, Mr. Eide urged other donors to support the effort.

The Special Representative called for other measures to break the country''s dependency on the illegal crop, including an increase in direct agricultural assistance to farmers and involving local community and religious leaders in the fight against poppy production.

"The survey shows that where such assistance was given, the communities tend to stop
poppy production.

As you are aware, agriculture has been a neglected sector. Both the government and donors must make sure that agriculture becomes a priority not only in rhetoric but in the allocation of resources."

Feb 1 2009 11:10AM
________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/email/