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Posted 11:15 AM
by Mary
UN REFUTES ISRAEL'S CLAIM THAT JENIN PROJECT MANAGER WAS KILLED AMID FIRING IN CAMP
New York, Nov 25 2002 10:00AM
The United Nations has refuted Israeli claims that a slain aid worker managing a UN project in the West Bank was killed amid gunfire.
"Our preliminary findings into the circumstances surrounding the death of Iain Hook in Jenin do not concur with the statement made by the Israeli military that firing had been coming out of the UNRWA compound in Jenin," the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said in a statement on Sunday.
"It is quite clear to UNRWA at this stage that such a report of live fire from the compound is totally incredible," the Agency said.
Mr. Hook, a British national who had been managing the Jenin camp rehabilitation project, was trapped for several hours in the UNRWA office compound after the IDF's entry into the area sparked a prolonged armed clash. The Agency said the Israeli Defence Force initially refused immediate access for an ambulance that had been summoned by UNRWA, and he died of a gunshot wound before reaching the hospital.
2002-11-25 00:00:00.000
Posted 8:51 AM
by Mary
WORLD NEEDS UN MORE THAN EVER, ANNAN TELLS US AUDIENCE
New York, Nov 12 2002 10:00PM
The world has rarely needed the United Nations as much as it does today, particularly in dealing with global dangers such as terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said tonight in Washington, D.C.
"The threats and challenges we face require as never before multilateral cooperation if they are to be dealt with successfully," the Secretary-General said, according to the text of his prepared remarks to the UN Association of the United States International Visionaries Award Dinner.
Mr. Annan pointed out that the negotiations leading to the adoption last Friday of a new Security Council resolution on Iraq showed what a central role the UN can -- and must -- play in the quest for a world free from the threat of weapons of mass destruction. "In short, the UN played its proper role as the only universal instrument of global cooperation," he said.
UN news
Posted 12:38 AM
by Mary
Is it possible to have dialogue when the partners' differing values may involve violence amd threats to life? A unique group, the Values Caucus at the UN is dedicated to the importance of seeking dialogue wherever possible. The word dialogue is key-- a goal to be sought for. The Values Caucus searches for common values in a non-confrontational setting which emphasizes active listening to discover the values of others, a search for ways in which they can be shared, and ways to use these shared values for action towards peaceful cooperation in an interdependent and culturally diverse world.
The Values Caucus is not officially a part of the UN, but it functions within it. Martha Gallahue, of the American Ethical Union's National Service Conference, has been active since 1998 in the Coordinating Council of the Values Caucus. Their Coffee Series is a much appreciated undertaking , in which ambassadors meet NGOs in an informal setting. The ambassadors are invited to speak from their personal sense of mission, ideals and commitments.
The series has included talks from ambassadors from Chile, Mexico, Lesotho, Burundi, Sudan-- the list continues back through 1997. In the words of one ambassador, "I spoke the way I did because there was no microphone." President Khatami of Iran, a country described by our administration as part of an axis of evil, has called for "a dialogue between civilizations." On Oct. 17, the invited speaker was the Iranian ambassador, H.E.M.R. Javad Zarif.
A sleepy-eyed, relaxed and friendly man, he sprang into a total concentration of response when asked about ways of bridging distances between cultures. "Debate is non-productive, only dialogue can be useful. But in order to have dialogue, it must spring from a culture which promotes it. What I do at the UN is debate. If I did not, I would be sent home." Further, Mr Zarif emphasized that the legitimacy of governments depends on participation by their peoples. On the international scene he felt that Sept. 1 should have made dialogue more rather than less important, as unfortunately, it has become. The possible war with Iraq would bring great suffering to the Iranian people and the region. Iran had already experienced the shock of chemical weapons from the war with Iraq, weapons which had been sold to them by the U.S.
When asked if Iran would support force, if a Security Council resolution on Iraque disarmament would be invoked, his answer was yes, but Iran would not participate in a war against Iraq. If by some miracle the U.S. could end the war quickly, that would be desirable, but he did not believe that the U.S. was interested in supporting an Iraqui-led government.
It was clear that participation in decision making and sharing of power were major issues in his thinking. His comments on participation and power-sharing appeared to reflect not only the international situation, but by implication could be construed as the situation in his own home government in which a liberal parliament is struggling against the power of the fundamentalist mullahs. Terrorism, he pointed out, was created by two groups, the demagogues who fomented it, and the people who responded to their calls. He pointed out that material goals were not the only motivation of terrorists. Non-participation, contributing to powerlessness and alienation, promoted an other-worldly view of life. Mr Zarif's talk did not encourage any easy optimism. "There are bad people out there." he warned. But the honesty and directness of his message only reinforced the desirability and the need for dialogue at all levels, both internationally and nationally as well. As believers in ethics motivating action, we are philosophically equipped to make a contribution. In a hybrid and contentious world, the Values Caucus is an ambitious undertaking. It was inspiring to realize that the Ethical Movement's principles are playing a role.
Sylvain and Phyllis Ehrenfeld IHEU Representatives to the UN and the AEU's National Service Conference.
Posted 2:08 PM
by Mary
SECURITY COUNCIL UNANIMOUSLY AGREES TO RETURN UN WEAPONS INSPECTORS TO IRAQ
New York, Nov 8 2002 1:00PM
The Security Council today voted unanimously to return United Nations weapons inspectors to Iraq, offering Baghdad a last chance to comply with its disarmament obligations and recalling previous warnings of "serious consequences" in case of non-compliance.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan,
speaking in the Council's chamber immediately after the vote, hailed the
resolution for setting out in clear terms Iraq's obligation to cooperate with the United Nations. He urged Baghdad "to seize this opportunity," and warned that if its defiance continued, "the Security Council must face its responsibilities."
The measure adopted this morning by the 15-member Council demands that within a week of being notified by the Secretary-General of the resolution Iraq confirm its intention to comply with the text. The resolution also obliges Baghdad to cooperate "immediately, unconditionally, and actively" with the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (
IAEA).
Finding that Iraq "has been and remains" in material breach of its obligations, as spelled out in previous Council resolutions, the resolution calls on Baghdad to provide the UN's two inspection bodies a full accounting of its weapons programmes within 30 days.
According to the resolution, false statements or omissions in the declarations submitted by Iraq, as well as its failure to comply at any time with the implementation of the measure, would constitute a "further material breach" of its obligations. The heads of UNMOVIC and IAEA are directed to report immediately such violations to the Council for further assessment.
The Council agreed to convene immediately upon receipt of any such report in order to consider the need for full compliance with all of its resolutions "in order to secure international peace and security."
To help
UNMOVIC and the IAEA conduct their work, the resolution decides that Iraq shall provide them with "immediate, unimpeded, unconditional, and unrestricted" access to any and all areas they wish to inspect, including Presidential Sites, as well as to all officials they want to interview.
The resolution also spells out "revised or additional authorities" binding on Iraq to facilitate the two bodies' work, including unrestricted rights of entry into and out of the country and the right to "free, unrestricted, and immediate" movement to and from inspection sites.
UNMOVIC and the IAEA will also have the right to declare, for the purposes of freezing a site to be inspected, exclusion zones in which Iraq will have to suspend ground and air movement so that nothing is changed in or taken out of a potential site. In addition, inspectors are empowered to "remove, destroy, or render harmless all prohibited weapons, subsystems, components, records, materials, and other related items, and the right to impound or close any facilities or equipment for the production thereof."
Member States were called on to give full support to the two inspection bodies, including by providing any information related to prohibited programmes and by recommending sites to be inspected.
Reacting to the Council's action this morning, UNMOVIC Executive Chairman Hans Blix told reporters that both he and IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei were very pleased that the resolution was adopted unanimously. "That strengthens our mandate very much," he said.
It was now up to Iraq to cooperate, he added, stressing that Baghdad would have to submit its declaration on the country's weapons programme within 30 days.
