UN Foundation President Timothy E. Wirth issued a statement on the draft United Nations General Assembly resolution that condemns deniers of the Holocaust:

"The United Nations Foundation welcomes the international effort to reaffirm the tragedy of the Holocaust. Neither the horror of the Holocaust nor the shining example set for international cooperation in response to it should ever be forgotten."

Read Wirth's full statement here.

BBC News: "North Korea says it will not consider halting its nuclear program unless UN sanctions imposed after it tested a nuclear device in October are lifted.

The condition was part of the North's tough opening statement as six-nation talks on the issue resumed in Beijing after a one-year suspension."

CNN: "Blaming the United States for instigating U.N. Security Council sanctions against it, North Korea on Tuesday called the resolution approved over the weekend a "declaration of war."

North Korea's Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency that the country wants "peace but is not afraid of war."

"The Security Council voted unanimously on Saturday to impose strict sanctions on North Korea for its reported nuclear test, overcoming objections from Russia and China by explicitly excluding the threat of military force." More

Washington Post: "The Israeli cabinet voted Sunday to accept a U.N.-declared cease-fire, even as Israeli military forces and Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon launched some of their most intense barrages of the war in anticipation of the Monday morning deadline. The Lebanese government and Hezbollah agreed to the cease-fire Saturday."

AP: "The U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution Friday that calls for an end to the war between Israel and Hezbollah, and authorizes 15,000 U.N. peacekeepers to help Lebanese troops take control of south Lebanon as Israel withdraws.... Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert endorsed the resolution late Friday, after a day of brinksmanship including a threat to expand the ground war."

"United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan is working "very intensely" with Security Council members and key leaders to push for a resolution concerning the situation along the Blue Line separating Israel from Lebanon." [More]

Washington Post: "Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pressed Sunday for approval of a draft U.N. resolution calling for a "cessation of hostilities" between Israel and Hezbollah, saying it is a crucial "first step" toward resolving the conflict.

Acknowledging that passage of the resolution would not immediately end the fighting that has raged for most of the past month, Rice said that it nonetheless offers a framework that would not only eventually end the hostilities but also stabilize the area going forward."

"The United States and France agreed Saturday on a draft U.N. Security Council resolution that calls for a "full cessation" of fighting between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas, but would allow Israel to defend itself if attacked.

The draft, obtained by The Associated Press, "calls for a full cessation of hostilities based upon, in particular, the immediate cessation by Hezbollah of all attacks and the immediate cessation by Israel of all offensive military operations." [Full story]

"Britain and the US say a deal is close to being reached on the resolution which would set the stage for an international force for south Lebanon. But France says there must be a halt to the clashes before UN forces can be sent in." Link

Washington Post: "The U.N. Security Council Monday adopted a resolution demanding that Iran suspend its nuclear activities by the end of August or face possible sanctions.

The resolution, approved by a vote of 14-1, with Qatar opposing, is the first on Iran to set out legally binding demands and a threat to consider sanctions. The United States and its allies suspect Iran is developing nuclear bombs and accuse it of concealing research over 18 years."

"British Prime Minister Tony Blair will seek a U.N. resolution to resolve the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas during talks with President Bush in Washington, his spokesman said Friday." [More]

New York Times: "The Security Council condemned North Korea's missile launchings on Saturday and demanded that the country suspend its ballistic missile program, in a resolution that was weakened at the 11th hour to forestall a veto by China. All 15 members voted for the measure, which requires all countries to prevent North Korea from receiving or transferring missile-related items and "strongly urges" North Korea to abandon its nuclear program and return to the six-party talks on that program."

"The United Nation Security Council today unanimously called on Syria to detain Syrian suspects identified by an independent probe into the terrorist assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and clarify all unresolved issues, threatening 'further action' in the case of non-compliance.

At a special ministerial-level session, the 15-member body adopted a resolution endorsing the findings of the UN International Independent Investigation Commission (UNIIIC) into the assassination. Resolution 1636 took note "with extreme concern" of the UNIIIC's conclusion that "while the Syrian authorities have cooperated in form but not substance with the Commission, several Syrian officials tried to mislead the Commission by giving false or inaccurate information." MORE

NYT: "The resolution threatens Syria with economic penalties if it does not give full cooperation to the United Nations investigation that has identified high-ranking security officials as suspects in the assassination of a former Lebanese prime minister, Rafik Hariri. The measure also orders Syria to take into custody and make available to the investigators people they suspect of involvement in the killing."

Update: "Key U.N. Security Council members dropped the threat of sanctions against Syria on Monday in a last-minute effort to get all 15 nations to back a resolution demanding that Damascus cooperate with an investigation into the assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister.... U.S. Ambassador John Bolton told reporters that foreign ministers of the five permanent veto-wielding nations agreed to the changes because of "the prospect of getting a near unanimous vote in the council." Despite the changes, he said, "it's going to be unmistakably a clear message" and "a strong resolution." - AP

Reuters: "The U.N. Security Council pressed Lebanon on Wednesday to hold parliamentary elections on schedule and welcomed "noticeable progress" in Syria's withdrawal, but said all U.N. demands had not yet been met."

"Secretary-General Kofi Annan is dispatching a United Nations military team to Lebanon today to verify whether there has been a full and complete withdrawal of all Syrian troops, military assets and intelligence apparatus as mandated by Security Council resolution 1559.

A UN spokesman said Mr. Annan had asked the mission to complete its work as soon as possible following an accord worked out earlier this month by his special envoy on this issue, under which Syria agreed to withdraw from its smaller neighbour by 30 April, ending a physical presence that began with the 1975-1990 Lebanese civil war." More...

WP: "The Syrian government has promised to remove all its troops and intelligence agents from Lebanon by April 30, the U.N. envoy said Sunday after meeting with Syria's president and foreign minister.

The withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon, where they have been stationed since 1976, has been demanded by a United Nations resolution last year, which also called on Syria to end its influence in Lebanese politics."

"Syria will completely withdraw its troops and intelligence agents from Lebanon, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Tuesday.

In meeting with Annan on the sidelines of an Arab summit in Algiers, Syrian President Bashar Assad agreed to present a firm timetable by early April for a full withdrawal of his country's forces from Lebanon.

Assad confirmed his commitment to U.N. Resolution 1559, which calls for a Syrian withdrawal." Read more...

From the Sydney Morning Herald: "The United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, expects Syria to withdraw its 20,000 troops and intelligence agents from Lebanon before the country holds parliamentary elections in the northern spring, his spokesman said.

This is the first time the UN has set a deadline for the complete withdrawal of Syrian security forces, who have held sway over Lebanon for 29 years. It follows confidential discussions between Mr Annan's top envoy, Terje Roed-Larsen, and Lebanese and Syrian political leaders."

"A top U.N. envoy will tell President Bashar Assad that Syria will face political and economic isolation if he does not completely and quickly withdraw from Lebanon, U.N. and U.S. officials said ... Terje Roed-Larsen plans to inform Syria that the international community is united in insisting that Damascus comply with U.N. Resolution 1559 -- and is prepared to impose wide punitive sanctions if it does not act quickly, the officials said.

"If he doesn't deliver, there will be total political and economic isolation of his country. There is a steel-hard consensus in the international community," a senior U.N. official said." More...

LA Times: "The General Assembly approved a nonbinding resolution Tuesday that urges member states to adopt legislation "to prohibit all forms of human cloning in as much as they are incompatible with human dignity and the protection of human life."

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The Dispatcher spent some time in Beirut during the Lebanese civil war. This article touches on one of the holdovers of that war: the presence of thousands of Syrian troops inside Lebanon... "Mr. Roed-Larsen, until last month UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, was named to his new post to implement Security Council resolution 1559, which was adopted in September and called for the withdrawal of all remaining foreign forces from Lebanon, disbanding all militias and extending Government control over the whole country."