SECRETARY-GENERAL ENCOURAGES SUDANESE PARTIES TO PRESS AHEAD WITH PEACE TALKS

The following statement was issued on Saturday, 16 November, in Geneva by the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan this morning telephoned the President of the Sudan, Omar Al-Bashir, and John Garang, leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, to convey his encouragement for the current peace talks going on in Kenya.

                                                            Note No. 5766

                                                            Note No. 5765

                                                            Note No. 5764

Fifty-seventh General Assembly

Third Committee

52^nd Meeting (AM)

FIVE TEXTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS APPROVED BY THIRD COMMITTEE; DISCUSSION ON REFUGEES CONCLUDES

Approved Drafts Concern Human Rights Prizes, Elimination of Religious Intolerance,

Human Rights Defenders, Strengthening UN action, Decade for Human Rights Education

Fifty-seventh General Assembly

Second Committee

37^th Meeting (AM)

FOLLOW-UP TO SPECIAL SESSION ON CHILDREN TO BE CONSIDERED IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

PLENARY, ACCORDING TO DECISION APPROVED BY SECOND COMMITTEE

Fifty-seventh General Assembly

Fifth Committee

26^th Meeting (PM)

DELEGATES DISCUSS OVEREXPENDITURES, HIGH VACANCY RATES IN RWANDA TRIBUNAL

The Rwanda Tribunal needed to strengthen its control over expenditures to avoid huge overspending, the representative of China told the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) this afternoon as it began its consideration of the financing of the two International Tribunals.

Fifty-seventh General Assembly

Open-ended Panels

AFGHANISTAN PANEL PINPOINTS NATIONWIDE SECURITY, INSTITUTION-BUILDING, RECONSTRUCTION,

ECONOMIC REVIVAL, OUTSIDE INTERFERENCE AS PERSISTENT AREAS OF CONCERN

UN MESSENGER OF PEACE, MUHAMMAD ALI, ON MISSION TO AFGHANISTAN 17-19 NOVEMBER

Muhammad Ali is undertaking a humanitarian mission to Afghanistan to raise awareness of the humanitarian needs of the people of Afghanistan and the work of the United Nations there.  The Mission is being sponsored by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)

                                                            AFG/210*