Monthly Archives: August 2005
Annan Expresses Sympathy for Hurricane Katrina Victims
“United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today expressed his sympathy for victims of Hurricane Katrina in the United States and extended condolences to those affected by the storm.
In a statement issued by his spokesperson, the Secretary-General said he is deeply saddened by the loss of life and large-scale destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina along the United States Gulf Coast. He also extended condolences to all the victims and their families, it added.” [Read more]
Wild Birds Likely to Spread Bird Flu Far and Wide
Duck farm in Thailand with newly installed net to keep ducks
and wild birds apart, a measure against spread of the avian
flu virus.
“The deadly strain of bird flu that has hit several countries in Asia is likely to be carried over long distances along the flyways of wild water birds to the Middle East, Europe, South Asia and Africa, with the potential to trigger a global human pandemic, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned today.
“Avian influenza is an international problem that definitely needs a strong international response,” FAO Chief Veterinary Officer Joseph Domenech told a news conference at the agency’s headquarters in Rome.” [Read more]
News Roundup #50
Selected summary of United Nations related news and events
UN Ambassadors Launch Crisis Talks on Reform Plans
UN Names Four Lebanese Suspects in Assassination of Hariri
First Willing Refugees Could Return to South Sudan
After Rainy Season, Says Guterres
UN’s Annan Speaks out for Journalists in War Zones
IRAQ: Child Mortality Rates Finally Dropping
UN Steps up Police Presence in Kosovo After Serb Killings
News Roundup #49
Selected summary of United Nations related news and events
Sudan: UN Refugee Chief Calls on World Leaders to Help
Rebuild Shattered Lives
Afghanistan Reduces Opium Poppy Cultivation by 21%, UN Says
Member States Discuss UN Reform
UN Cleared to Help Prepare for Congo Elections
Chavez Threatens UN Complaint, if No Action Against Robertson
Blog Roundup #44
A sampling of United Nations related blog commentary
UPDATE: Booman Tribune: “The United Nations announced that the United States Government has accepted the world body’s offer of help in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.”
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Melancholy ID: “Judy Cannon argues the United Nations can boast a remarkable list of achievements over the last 60 years.”
Echidne: “Remember how the radical cleric Pat Robertson said that he wants to see Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan president, assassinated? Now Chavez has said this in return: “I announce that my government is going to take legal action in the United States … to call for the assassination of a head of state is an act of terrorism.” Chavez said in a televised speech. The fiery left-wing critic of Bush’s foreign policy who frequently charges the U.S. government is plotting to kill him, called Robertson “crazy” and a “public menace.” He said Venezuela could seek Robertson’s extradition under international treaties and take its claim to the United Nations if the Bush administration did not act.”
Demlog: “Iraqi negotiators finished the country’s new constitution Sunday without the endorsement of Sunni Arabs who helped prepare it, dealing a blow to the Bush administration and setting the stage for a bitter campaign leading up to an October referendum. The 15 members of the Sunni panel said they rejected the document because of disagreements over such issues as federalism, Iraq’s identity and references to Saddam Hussein’s Sunni-dominated Baath Party. Sunni Arab negotiators also said in a joint statement that they had asked the United Nations and Arab League to intervene.”
Martin Stabe: “Canada flexes Arctic muscles – For those who have missed it, the NATO allies Canada and Denmark are in a border spat over a tiny, remote island off Greenland north of the Arctic Circle. The RCN has been conducting “Arctic sovereignty patrols” in the nippy region. In July, the RCN planted a flag on Hans Island, and the Canadian defense minister Bill Graham later made an unannounced visit, prompting protests from Copenhagen, which dispatched its own naval ships to region. Before things got ugly, the two countries decided to settle the dispute at the United Nations.”
Clarity and Resolve: “Jihad In the Balkans – I get the feeling that things may once again get very ugly in the Balkans when the U.N. leaves.”
TPM Cafe (Steve Clemons): “The End of Diplomacy? – This from a thoughtful piece by Anne Penketh in The Independent: “Mr Bolton is at the UN with a mission. At the end of the Cold War, Francis Fukuyama famously decreed the end of history. We could be witnessing the end of diplomacy.” America in the past has generally demonstrated capacity to be a great leader of others — a planning nation, a strategic nation, a complex systems integrator in war and peace — but now the obsession with doing things alone is a rejection of leadership and guarantees future weakness.”
No Silver Bullet for Africa’s Hunger – Annan
“LONDON (Reuters) – There is no silver bullet to eradicate the food shortages afflicting Africa, but more money and a better early warning system could help speed aid to people in need, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said.
A ten-fold increase in the U.N.’s Emergency Fund and greater emphasis on prevention through debt relief, trade reform and encouraging better agricultural practices were also crucial to fighting hunger, he wrote in the Financial Times on Monday.
There is no silver bullet, but there is much we can do,” he said, warning that the mass hunger in Niger could still be repeated in southern Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia and southern Africa, affecting 20 million people.
“If the world acts now, this need not happen,” he said.”
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The SC; HRC; DPRK; South Sudan
The SC: The Security Council today held its last consultations under the Council Presidency of ROK. Tomorrow, Russia will take over the rotating Presidency of the Security Council for March under Ambassador Vitaly Churkin.
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The SG; Mali; Middle East; Palestine
The SG: At the Fifth Global Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations in Vienna, Austria today, the SG emphasized the role of youth in ensuring a “prosperous, equitable and peaceful future.”
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The SG; DRC; HRC; Palestinian Prisoner
The SG: In Ethiopia over the weekend, the SG is now in the United Arab Emirates. Today he met with Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashed Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, where the two discussed developments in the region, including Syria, Iran, Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan, and in the Middle East Peace Process.
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