Fifty-seventh General Assembly

Fifth Committee (Resumed)

56^th  Meeting (PM)

BUDGET COMMITTEE APPROVES $2.17 BILLION FOR 2003/2004 PEACEKEEPING,

AS IT CONCLUDES RESUMED SESSION

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) this afternoon approved some $2.17 billion gross to finance 11 active peacekeeping missions for 2003/2004, as it concluded its second resumed session.  That amount includes some

STATES PARTIES TO LAW OF SEA CONVENTION TO MEET AT HEADQUARTERS, 9 - 13 JUNE

The Secretary-general arrived at Lausanne, Switzerland, via Geneva on Sunday, 31 May.

RECONCILIATION AND REFUGEES:  A DIFFICULT EQUATION FOR CÔTE D’IVOIRE

(Reissued as received –- delayed in transmission.)

SECRETARY-GENERAL WARMLY WELCOMES MIDDLE EAST SUMMIT IN AQABA; PLEDGES PERSONAL EFFORTS TO ASSIST PARTIES IN ACHIEVING JUST PEACE

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

SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS LIBERIA ‘TORN APART BY DISASTROUS CONFLICT’ FOR TOO LONG;

GHANA CONFERENCE AT LAST OFFERS HOPE FOR PEACEFUL RESOLUTION

Following is Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s message to the opening session of the Liberian peace conference, delivered by Abou Moussa, Representative of the Secretary-General in Liberia, in Accra, Ghana, on 4 June:

BSE CASE IN CANADA SHOULD NOT CAUSE PANIC

Surveillance, Diagnosis Programmes

Working –- FAO Urges All Countries to Check for BSE

(Reissued as received.)

Rome, 3 June (FAO) -- The discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a cow in Canada proves that active surveillance and diagnosis programmes are working, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a statement today.

SECRETARY-GENERAL URGES OPPOSITION IN ZIMBABWE TO DEMONSTRATE PEACEFULLY, GOVERNMENT TO RESPECT FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, ASSEMBLY

The following statement was issued by the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan on 2 June:

PRESS STATEMENT ON CÔTE D’IVOIRE BY SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT

The following press statement on Côte d’Ivoire was delivered today by Security Council President Sergey Lavrov (Russian Federation):

Members of the Security Council were briefed by Assistant Secretary-General Hédi Annabi on the latest developments in Côte d’Ivoire and on progress made towards establishing the United Nations Mission in Côte d’Ivoire (MINUCI).

SECRETARY-GENERAL URGES ‘GROUP OF EIGHT’ LEADERS TO SUPPORT ACTION TO ATTAIN MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS

Following is the text of remarks by Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the Millennium Development Goals at the Group of Eight Summit (afternoon working session) in Evian, France, on 1 June: