Monthly Archives: August 2006
UN Permits Wide Use of Force in Lebanon
Need for Water Could Double in 50 Years, UN Study Finds
Iran to Issue Nuclear Reply
Reuters: “Iran, set to reply on Tuesday to an offer by world powers aimed at defusing a nuclear standoff, has insisted it would not stop enriching uranium as they demand by an August 31 deadline to avoid possible sanctions. But a rebuff would not yet trigger immediate action by the U.N. Security Council, which passed a resolution on July 31 giving Iran a month to halt enrichment or risk sanctions.”
Darfur’s Last Chance?
In May, the Security Council authorized the deployment of peacekeepers to Darfur. Three months later, blue helmets are nowhere in sight. Meanwhile, the UN’s top humanitarian official recently warned that a peace accord signed in Abuja, Nigeria between some of the rebel factions and Khartoum is “doomed to failure” and that the situation was going from “really bad to catastrophic.”
So who or what is to blame for this appalling inaction in Darfur?
Martin Peretz of The New Republic views the continuing violence in Darfur as a failure of the United Nations to enforce its own resolutions. In a sense, he is correct: The Security Council resolution passed in conjunction with May’s peace accords called for the paltry African Union monitoring force in Darfur to be replaced with a robust United Nations peacekeeping force.
Lebanon Has ‘Urgent’ Need for UN force: Bush
“U.S. President George W. Bush says Lebanon needs an international force “as quickly as possible” to safeguard the ceasefire … The UN-brokered ceasefire resolution, which kicked in on Aug. 14, ended 34 days of cross-border attacks by Israel and Lebanon-based Hezbollah militants that left more than 1,000 dead.” [Full story]
Annan Appeals to Iran to Reply Positively to UN-Backed Offer on Nuclear Issue
“The Secretary-General stressed that in a time of acute crisis in the Middle East, progress on the nuclear issue was essential for the stability not only of the region, but the international system itself. “It is time to take steps in the right direction,” Mr. Annan said. “I am convinced that a way is now open for setting a milestone for international non-proliferation efforts.”
Noting that the EU3 plus 3 had reaffirmed Iran’s right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, the Secretary-General said it was important for Iran to assure the world that its intentions are peaceful, and that it re-builds confidence in its nuclear programme, as both the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Security Council had called for.” [More]
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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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