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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE PRESS CONFERENCE
FOLLOWING A MEETING OF THE MIDDLE EAST "QUARTET"

 BY UN SECRETARY-GENERAL KOFI ANNAN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE
COLIN POWELL, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SERGEY LAVROV, IRISH FOREIGN MINISTER
BRIAN COWAN, EU HIGH REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE COMMON FOREIGN AND SECURITY POLICY
JAVIER SOLANA, EU EXTERNAL RELATIONS COMMISSIONER CHRIS PATTEN

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Tuesday, May 4, 2004

Secretary-General Kofi Annan read the following statement following the meeting.

"Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen. Thank you for waiting. Let me now read
you what the Quartet has agreed:

We reaffirm our commitment to our shared vision of two states living side
by side in peace and security. One of those states will be Israel and the other
a viable, democratic, sovereign and contiguous Palestine.

We call on both parties to take steps to fulfil their obligations under the
roadmap, as called for in Security Council resolution 1515 and in our previous
statements, and to meet the commitments they made at the Red Sea Summits in
Aqaba and Sharm el Sheikh.

In that context, we welcome the Israeli government's recent reaffirmation
of its readiness to implement certain obligations under the roadmap, including
progress towards a freeze on settlement activity. We urge the Israeli government
to implement these commitments, and to fully meet its roadmap obligations.

We view the present situation in the Middle East with great concern. We condemn
the continuing terror attacks on Israel, and call on the Palestinian Authority
to take immediate action against terrorist groups and individuals who plan
and execute such attacks.

While recognizing Israel's legitimate right to self-defence in the face of
terrorist attacks against its citizens, within the parameters of international
humanitarian law, we call on the Government of Israel to exert maximum efforts
to avoid civilian casualties.

We also call on the Government of Israel to take all possible steps now, consistent
with Israel's legitimate security needs, to ease the humanitarian and economic
plight of the Palestinian people, including increasing freedom of movement
for people and goods both within and from the West Bank and Gaza, removing
checkpoints, and other steps to respect the dignity of the Palestinian people
and improve their quality of life.

The Government of Israel should take no actions undermining trust such as
deportation, attacks on civilians, confiscation and/or demolition of Palestinian
homes and property, and other measures specified in the Tenet work plan. The
Quartet calls for renewed efforts to reach a comprehensive ceasefire as a step
towards dismantlement of terrorist capabilities and infrastructure, and renewed
progress towards peace through implementation of the roadmap.

We note the Government of Israel's pledge that the barrier is a security rather
than a political barrier and should be temporary rather than permanent. We
continue to note with great concern the actual and proposed route of the barrier,
particularly as it results in the confiscation of Palestinian land, cuts off
the movement of people and goods, and undermines Palestinians' trust in the
roadmap process by appearing to prejudge the final borders of a future Palestinian
state.

We took positive note of Prime Minister Sharon's announced intention to withdraw
from all Gaza settlements and parts of the West Bank. This should provide a
rare moment of opportunity in the search for peace in the Middle East. This
initiative, which must lead to a full Israeli withdrawal and complete end of
occupation in Gaza, can be a step towards achieving the two-state vision; and
could restart progress on the roadmap.

We further note that any unilateral initiatives by the Government of Israel
should be undertaken in a manner consistent with the roadmap, and with the
two-state vision that underlies the roadmap. We reaffirm President Bush's June
24, 2002 call for an end to the Israeli occupation that began in 1967, through
a settlement negotiated between the parties.

We also note that no party should take unilateral actions that seek to predetermine
issues that can only be resolved through negotiation and agreement between
the two parties.

Any final settlement on issues such as borders and refugees must be mutually
agreed to by Israelis and Palestinians, based on Security Council resolutions
242, 338, 1397 and 1515, the terms of reference of the Madrid peace process,
previous agreements, and the initiative of Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah endorsed
by the Beirut Arab League Summit. It must also be consistent with the roadmap.

We have agreed to undertake the following steps, with appropriate mechanisms
established to monitor progress and performance by all sides:

We will act on an urgent basis, in conjunction with the World Bank, the UN
Special Coordinator (UNSCO) and the Ad-hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC), on the
basis of a World Bank/UNSCO rapid-assessment study, to ensure that Palestinian
humanitarian needs are met, Palestinian infrastructure is restored and developed,
and economic activity is reinvigorated.

We are prepared to engage with a responsible and accountable Palestinian leadership,
committed to reform and security performance. The Quartet members will undertake
to oversee and monitor progress on these fronts.

We will seek to ensure that arrangements are put in place to ensure security
for Palestinians and Israelis, as well as freedom of movement, and greater
mobility and access, for Palestinians. We underscore the need for agreed, transparent
arrangements with all sides on access, mobility and safety for international
organizations, and for bilateral donors and their personnel.

As Israel withdraws, custody of Israeli-built infrastructure and land evacuated
by Israel should be transferred, through an appropriate mechanism, to a reorganized
Palestinian Authority, which – in coordination with representatives of Palestinian
civil society, the Quartet, and other representatives of the international
community – will as quickly as possible determine equitable and transparent
arrangements for the ultimate disposition of these areas.

Effective security arrangements continue to be critical to any possibility
of progress. Palestinian security services should be restructured and retrained,
consistent with the roadmap, to provide law and order and security to the Palestinians,
and to end terror attacks against Israel.

Finally, we reaffirm our commitment to a just, comprehensive, and lasting
settlement to the Arab-Israeli conflict, based on Resolutions 242 and 338.
We remind all parties of the need to take into account the long-term consequences
of their actions, and of their obligation to make rapid progress toward resumption
of a political dialogue.

An appropriate coordinating and oversight mechanism will be established, under
the Quartet's authority.

We call on all states in the region to exert every effort to promote peace
and to combat terrorism.

Thank you very much. We will now take your questions."
[Click here for full communiqué. A summary of questions and answers
to follow.]

OTHER  DEVELOPMENTS IN THE UN SYSTEM

ELECTIONS HELD FOR COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS

• The Economic and Social Council today held elections to fill 14 vacancies
  on the Commission on Human Rights , for three-year terms beginning in 2005.
• Eight vacancies were filled without a vote, when the number of endorsed
  candidates was equal to the number of vacancies: Guinea, Kenya, Sudan and
  Togo were elected for Africa; Armenia and Romania were elected for Eastern
  Europe; and Ecuador and Mexico were elected for Latin America and the Caribbean.
• Secret ballots were conducted to select three candidates each from Asia
  and from Western Europe and Other States. Malaysia, Pakistan and the Republic
  of Korea were elected from Asia, while Canada, Finland and France were
  elected from Western Europe and Others.

HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF VOICES REVULSION AT IRAQ ABUSE REPORTS

• Acting High Commissioner for Human Rights Bertrand Ramcharan added his
  voice to the expressions of revulsion regarding reports and photographs
  depicting the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by Coalition forces.
• Work has begun on collecting information for a report by the High Commissioner
  on human rights in Iraq, which will be carried out by staff from the High
  Commissioner's office who worked in Iraq and in the region. Ramcharan hopes
  to have the report ready by the end of May, at which point it would be
  submitted to the Commission on Human Rights.

SECURITY COUNCIL DISCUSSES MAY PROGRAM, DR CONGO

• The Security Council held consultations today to approve the for the month, and heard a briefing on recent developments
  in the . Briefings on Burundi and the were also planned.
• The Council President, Ambassador Munir Akram of Pakistan, is scheduled
  to brief reporters on the program at 3 p.m. today.

UN MISSIONS TO DARFUR WIND UP WORK

• The High Commissioner for Human Rights said that the Office's fact-finding
  team, which had gone to Sudan to assess the human rights situation in Darfur,
  had returned to Geneva and was finalizing its report, which it said would
  be made public. 
• Meanwhile, World Food Programme Executive Director James Morris, who
  led the humanitarian mission to Darfur, is scheduled to brief the Security
  Council in New York on Friday.
• The UN refugee agency that
  m ore than 50,000 Sudanese refugees have now moved from the Chad-Sudan
  border to camps in the interior of Chad.

UN AGENCIES DRAW ATTENTION TO 'FORGOTTEN CRISIS' IN NAMIBIA

• The World Food Programme (WFP) says Namibia was one of the world's forgotten
  crises.
• WFP and the 51³Ô¹Ï Children's Fund (UNICEF)  had launched
  emergency appeals totalling $5.8 million to help more than 600,000 orphans,
  vulnerable children and women in Namibia who were suffering from the combined
  effects of erratic weather, severe poverty and the worsening HIV/AIDS epidemic.
  Both agencies say they have "received nothing" to date.

SERBIAN COOPERATION "NEARLY NON-EXISTENT"

• In a letter to the President of the Security Council, Judge Theodor Meron,
  President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
  , notes that Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte describes Serbia and Montenegro's
  cooperation with the Tribunal as "nearly non-existent."
• Cooperation, she says, has declined following the December 2003 elections.
  Judge Meron said that Serbia and Montenegro is failing to comply with its
  obligations, and such failures could seriously affect the Tribunal's efforts
  to complete its work.

HIGH CRIME RATE IN HAITI NOTED: The Office for the Coordination
of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that  the high crime rate in Haiti is
affecting humanitarian assistance in that country. Some 25,000 persons around
the country are believed to have small arms and other weapons in their possession;
kidnapping and theft have increased and the police forces are still understaffed
and poorly armed. Crime during February and March also caused enormous damage
to the water sector, including sabotage of installations, looting of premises
and theft of spare parts and means of transportation. As a direct consequence,
water supply has fallen to 75 percent of what it was before the latest crisis.

GLOBAL COMPACT IN ITALY LAUNCHED : Deputy Secretary-General
Louise Fréchette attended the formal launch of the in Italy today, a part of the 1999 UN initiative to have business
leaders to embrace universal principles in the areas of human rights, labour
and the environment. Speaking at the event in Rome, Fréchette said that
the Italian Government and the business community had shown great leadership
in advancing the Compact. She noted that there were convincing reasons for
the corporate world to embrace an agenda of development and peace, as the more
than 1,200 companies from over 70 countries which had joined the Compact went
to show. Tomorrow, the Deputy-Secretary-General will visit the UN System Staff
College in Turin, where she is President of the Board.

AFRICAN PEACEKEEPERS' TRAINING UNDERWAY AT UN STAFF COLLEGE: Thirty-five
officers from the Armed Forces of various African countries began yesterday
an intense, three-weeks training programme on conflict prevention and management
issues, at the UN Staff College in Turin, Italy. The course falls under the
framework of the G-8 Action plan for Africa and efforts of the international
community to strengthen African peacekeeping capacities.

ANNAN TO RECEIVE FDR FOUR FREEDOMS AWARD : The Secretary
General was due to travel soon to Middelburg, in the Netherlands, where he
was to receive the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Award on 8 May. But
due to world events which require his presence here at UN headquarters, he
can no longer attend the ceremony. His wife, Nane Annan, will formally accept
the award on his behalf during the ceremony, which will be attended by Her
Majesty the Queen. The Four Freedoms Award are presented to national and world
citizens of who have made extraordinary contributions to advancing freedom
on a global scale.

INDIVIDUALS RESPONSIBLE TO CHANGE TO "SUSTAINABLE" HABITS: In
a video message to the International Consultation on Education for Sustainable
Development, the Secretary-General said every country, and every individual,
has a responsibility to change to habits which are sustainable – to move from
exploiting the environment to looking after it. He added that the policies
needed to fight global warming, to defeat hunger and disease, and to promote
balanced growth, are known – what must be found is the will, and the resources,
to put them into practice. The event is being held in Goteborg, Sweden, and
runs until 7 May.

UNICEF SUPPLIES SENT TO VIOLENCE-HIT THAI PROVINCES : is
sending school supplies to the three southern provinces in Thailand affected
by the recent violence. Since January 2004, an estimated 30 schools have been
destroyed in southern Thailand, affecting some 5,000 students. Teachers have
been intimidated and there is a fear that some schools may not reopen after
the current holiday due to security considerations, according to UNICEF.

ANNAN TO RECEIVE HUMANITARIAN AWARD FROM REFUGEES INTERNATIONAL :
This afternoon, the Secretary-General is scheduled to leave for McLean, Virginia,
to receive the first humanitarian award from Refugees International. He will
return to New York on Wednesday.

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