SMALL ISLAND FORUM OPENS IN NASSAU, BAHAMAS; SLOGAN –- ‘SMALLISLANDS,

BIG POTENTIAL’ -- PROPOSED FOR MAURITIUS MEETING

(Received from a UN Information Officer.)

CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT ADOPTS AGENDA FOR 2004 SESSION

Hears Statement by Syria on Making

Middle East Free from Weapons of Mass Destruction

GENEVA, 27 January (UN Information Service) -- The Conference on Disarmament this morning adopted by consensus its agenda for its 2004 session and heard a statement from Syria which called for turning the Middle East into an area free from weapons of mass destruction, especially nuclear weapons.

Committee on Elimination of

Discrimination against Women

645^th & 646^th Meetings (AM & PM)

ETHIOPIA COMMENDED FOR POLITICAL COMMITMENT TO WOMEN’S ANTI-DISCRIMINATION

CONVENTION, DESPITE FACING POVERTY, NATURAL DISASTERS, MILITARY CONFLICT

Country’s Representative Says Changing Attitudes

In Traditional, Conservative Society Will Be Long Struggle

MAURITIUS HOSTS TRAINING COURSE ON ECONOMIC ISSUES

(Reissued as received.)

‘KHARTOUM DECLARATION ON TERRORISM AND TRANSNATIONAL ORGANIZED CRIME’

ADOPTED AT UNODCWORKSHOP IN SUDAN

VIENNA, 23 January (UN InformationService) -- The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and theGovernment of the Sudan jointly organized a workshop on“International Cooperation on Counter-Terrorism and the Fight against Transnational Organized Crime”, held from 17 to 19 January 2004,in Khartoum, Sudan.

The Secretary-General arrived in Stockholm from Davos in the afternoon of 25 January, to attend the Stockholm Forum on Preventing Genocide.

The Secretary-General arrived in Davos on 22 January, for three days, to attend the World Economic Forum.

CONCERNED BY ‘DIFFICULT SITUATION’ IN SRI LANKA, SECRETARY-GENERAL

HOPES PEACE TALKS CAN RESUME IN NEAR FUTURE

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

SECRETARY-GENERAL SADDENED AT DEATH OF SVEN FREDERIKSEN, HEAD

OF EUROPEAN UNION POLICE MISSION TO BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

The Secretary-General is saddened to learn that Mr. Sven Frederiksen, the Head of the European Union Police Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, died earlier today in Sarajevo.

MAJOR-GENERAL ALAIN PELLEGRINI APPOINTED FORCE COMMANDER

OF UNITED NATIONS INTERIM FORCE IN LEBANON (UNIFIL)

Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced today the appointment of Major-General Alain Pellegrini of France as Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Force (UNIFIL) to succeed Major-General Lalit Mohan Tewari who relinquishes his post on 17 February 2004.