UN Radio Iraq Talks Begin To Transfer Sovereignity

UN Radio: Negotiations Under Way to Speed Transfer of Sovereignty to Iraq

Negotiations Under Way to Speed Transfer of Sovereignty to Iraq

Negotiations are currently under way among members of the Security Council to move quickly to create conditions which would permit the transfer of sovereignty of Iraq back to the Iraqis. Council president for the month of September, Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry of the United Kingdom, says a working text is emerging in the Council aimed at bringing together the commitment of the international community to make a success of Iraq:

"... To carry us forward to a destination which would better assure a peaceful resolution to the situation in Iraq; to get a sufficient progress on the political that that can succeed and that the economic aspects are also covered, so that we can take care of the reconstruction and the economic development of that country."

Ambassador Parry also envisages a multinational force authorised by the Security Council to help develop security and stability in Iraq.

Latest UNMOVIC Report Shows Readiness of UN Weapons Inspectors to Resume Work

The UN weapons inspectors are ready to resume operations in Iraq despite the damage to their Baghdad offices. A report by the UN monitoring commission in Iraq (UNMOVIC) says it is able and ready to resume field operations in Iraq relating to disarmament at short notice, if asked to do so by the UN Security Council. Inspectors of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission - UNMOVIC - were withdrawn by the Secretary-General on March 19 just before the United States declared war on Iraq. Ewen Buchanan is the spokesman for UNMOVIC:

"Clearly we have a capability both in terms of the staff here who remain at headquarters in New York, plus we also have capabilities in the sense that we still have our roster of trained experts. We have more than 300 people who are still willing to serve in Iraq if the Security Council decides that we should go back."

The Acting Executive Chairman of UNMOVIC, Dimitri Perricos, will brief the UN Security Council on the report on Thursday.

IAEA Head Urges States to Ratify Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

The head of the UN nuclear agency has appealed to countries such as the United States and China to hurry up and ratify the global treaty banning all tests of nuclear explosives. Mohamed El Baradei said a verified, permanent, global ban on all types of nuclear explosive tests has been a key item on the international security agenda for nearly half a century. He said more than 2000 nuclear explosive detonations have taken place since 1945, with the most recent ones in 1998. El Baradei's appeal was made in written remarks submitted to a three-day conference in Vienna aimed at speeding up the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.

Annan Urges A Moratorium On All Nuclear Explosion Tests

Meanwhile, Secretary-General Kofi Annan has warned that any further delay in ratifying the treaty, increases the risk of nuclear testing. UN Spokesman Fred Eckhard says Mr. Annan, in a message to the Conference, called upon all states that have not yet ratified or signed the treaty to do so without delay:

"He notes that seven years have already passed since the treaty was opened for signature. 'Delay increases the risk that nuclear testing might resume,' he says, adding,'it jeopardises efforts to take further steps towards the goal of nuclear disarmament.' "

Spokesman Fred Eckhard says the Secretary-General particularly directs the call to sign or ratify the treaty to North Korea as well as to 11 states whose ratification is needed for the treaty to enter into force. He also urged that no nuclear testing be tolerated under any circumstances.

WHO Head Pleads for Treatment for AIDS Patients in Africa

The head of the UN health agency (WHO) has called for urgent treatment for AIDS patients in Africa. Dr. Lee Jong-wook proposed a response strategy called "3 by 5", which aims to provide three million people living with AIDS with anti-retroviral medicines by the end of 2005. He said African countries must be major partners in this effort, and he warned that overall success would require the commitment of civil society, United Nations agencies, the private sector and member States. More than 30 million people in Africa are HIV-positive.

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