[23 January, 2006]

ADDRESSING KOSOVO ASSEMBLY, UN ENVOY PAYS TRIBUTE TO LATE PRESIDENT

New York, Jan 22 2006 1:00PM The senior United Nations envoy to Kosovo today delivered an address to the province's Assembly in tribute to the memory of its late President, Ibrahim Rugova. "We were all, of course, aware of the seriousness of the President's illness, but still yesterday's news was a shock," said Soren Jessen-Petersen. Mr. Rugova was battling lung cancer at the time of his death on Saturday. The UN envoy recalled his first meeting with Mr. Rugova. "Then, as afterwards, he struck me with the constancy of his political vision and the firmness of his dedication towards a single aim -- the aim to which he dedicated his life -- that of a free Kosovo," Mr. Jessen-Petersen said. That vision, he stressed, remains in the hands of Kosovo's political leaders "whose unity and commitment to the President's vision will be vital in the coming months." Preparations are being finalized for talks on the future status of Kosovo, which the UN has administered since NATO troops drove out Yugoslav forces in 1999. For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

[16 January, 2006]

Biography of General Ensio Siilasvuo (Finland) from Letter of a Young Peacemaker

General Siilasvuo is the best known of Finland's many peacekeepers. He spent 15 years in a range of important peacekeeping duties in Cyprus and the Middle East. The Yom Kippur War between Israel and the Arab states was fought in September 1973. In the aftermath a tent was erected in the Sinai desert, where Israeli and Egyptian officers tried to reach agreement concerning the surrounded Egyptian army. Siilasvuo was involved as UN representative and impartial mediator. Agreement was reached and the implementation process, led by US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, smoothed the way, in part, for the later peace settlement between Israel and Egypt. Siilasvuo began his peacekeeping career in the 1950s, when he headed the Finnish company in the UNEF operation in Sinai. Following this, he was Commander of the Finnish Cyprus battalion in 1964-1965. He then served in the Middle East from 1967 until 1979, ending up as chief coordinator of all the UN's Middle East operations (http://www.un-museum.ru/vestnik/223.htm#1)

[09 January, 2006]

ANNAN DEPLORES ROCKET ATTACK FROM LEBANON INTO ISRAEL

New York, Dec 28 2005 2:00PM United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today deplored the recent firing of Katyusha rockets from Lebanon into the Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona and called on all parties to forestall a rise in tension. "The rockets caused serious damage to property but fortunately there were no casualties," a spokesman for Mr. Annan said in a statement responding to last night's attack. Pointing to the fragile situation in Lebanon and across the region, the Secretary-General repeated his call on the Lebanese Government "to extend its control over all its territory, to exert its monopoly on the use of force, and to put an end to all such attacks." He called on all parties to respect fully the Blue Line which marks the Israeli withdrawal and to avoid any actions that could lead to an escalation... (UN News Service)

[26 December, 2005]

DR CONGO: UNICEF RUSHES AID TO 10,000 PEOPLE DISPLACED BY FRESH FIGHTING

New York, Dec 22 2005 4:00PM The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has provided emergency relief items to over 10,000 newly displaced people in three camps north of Katanga province. "This immediate emergency response has helped ensure that the vulnerable populations are able to cope with the present crisis with dignity," UNICEF said of the supplies, including plastic sheeting, blankets, soap and cooking utensils, which have been distributed to the displaced families by the non-governmental organization (NGO) MSF-Holland (UN News Service)

[19 December, 2005]

HAITI: 3 UN PEACEKEEPERS INJURED IN AMBUSH

New York, Dec 17 2005 7:00PM Three soldiers serving with the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) were injured in an attack on Friday, the UN reported today. At least four individuals took part in the afternoon ambush, firing on MINUSTAH blue helmets patrolling in Plaisance, which is located some 30 kilometres outside of Cap-Haitien. The assailants fled when peacekeepers returned fire, MINUSTAH said. The injured troops, all Chilean, were evacuated to the Mission's hospital in the capital, Port-au-Prince. They are all expected to survive their injuries. For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

[12 December, 2005]

CIVILIANS STILL VICTIMS OF VIOLENT CONFLICT DESPITE RECENT UN EFFORTS, ANNAN SAYS

New York, Dec 9 2005 6:00PM Despite a sharper United Nations focus on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, civilians continue to suffer devastating "collateral damage," as well as targeted violence, increasingly in the form of sexual abuse, forced displacement, terrorism and extreme economic deprivation, requiring ever-evolving protective mechanisms, the Security Council was told today. "In the five years since the adoption of Security Council resolution 1296 (2000) there have been new challenges to the safety and well-being of civilian populations, and the tools that we have at our disposal to address these concerns need to be developed accordingly," Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in his latest report on the matter, which the Council discussed today. For details see http://www.un-museum.ru/vestnik/218.htm#8

[05 December, 2005]

ANNAN WELCOMES COMMUNIST REBELS' EXTENSION OF CEASEFIRE IN NEPAL

New York, Dec 2 2005 3:00PM United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today welcomed the decision by the rebel Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) to extend by one month the unilateral ceasefire that it declared in September in its decade-long battle to oust the Himalayan country's monarchy. "It will be recalled that the Secretary-General had recently called for an extension and urged His Majesty's Government of Nepal to reciprocate the ceasefire," Mr. Annan's spokesman said in a statement. Just two days ago UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour expressed serious concern about the possible resumption of full-scale armed conflict in Nepal, as well as about increasing violations of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. "A mutual ceasefire between the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and the Government of King Gyanendra and steps towards lasting peace are crucial to bring to an end a period of grave violations of human rights and international humanitarian law by both the Maoists and the State," Ms. Arbour said...(UN News Service)

[28 November, 2005]

GENERAL ASSEMBLY INCREASES FUNDING FOR UN MISSIONS

New York, Nov 25 2005 2:00PM With the Security Council having decided to strengthen the United Nations peacekeeping missions in Cote d'Ivoire and Haiti, the General Assembly has approved increases in funding for both missions over the year ending next June. Acting on the recommendations of the Assembly's Administrative and Budgetary Committee, also called the Fifth Committee, the Assembly adopted without a vote a resolution raising the amount appropriated for the UN Operation in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI) by $51.28 million, in addition to $386.89 million already approved for the 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006 period. The UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) already had a budget of $494.89 million and that was increased by $46.41 million... (UN News Service)

[21 November, 2005]

900,000 VOLUNTEERS TO HELP MONITOR BIRD FLU IN THAILAND

28-Oct-05 900,000 VOLUNTEERS TO HELP MONITOR BIRD FLU IN THAILAND Thailand has assigned 900,000 volunteers to perform house-to-house checks for signs of the deadly avian influenza virus, Health Minister Suchai Charoenratanakul said Monday. The volunteer programme, which also involves bringing possibly infected subjects to nearby hospitals, is similar to a campaign launched in 2004. Read article: http://ennews.worldvolunteerweb.org/e_article000478519.cfm?x=b67hR2s,b2G2Pgmt (Global Volunteer Update Volunteerism worldwide: News, views & resources)

[14 November, 2005]

UN SECRETARY-GENERAL TRAVELS TO BAGHDAD TO EXPRESS SOLIDARITY WITH IRAQ

New York, Nov 12 2005 2:00PM United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan arrived in Iraq this morning for a one-day visit to the capital, Baghdad, where he met with a number of top Iraqi leaders and the staff of the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) while voicing support for an Arab League conference on the troubled country. Speaking to reporters, he stressed the importance of Iraq's political transition, and said the process must be inclusive and transparent, taking into account the concerns of all groups. Mr. Annan also backed the Arab League's plans to arrange a reconciliation conference. "Obviously, it will have to be very carefully prepared, and we support that initiative," he said. He also addressed the pressing issue of terrorism, the effects of which he witnessed first-hand during a visit earlier this week to Jordan. "I understand that today there has been a bomb [attack] in Baghdad where five people have died. We also know what happened in Amman a few days ago and I'm afraid we have not seen the end yet," he said... (UN News Service)

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