Posted on October 26th, 2007 by Marian Houk
Four governments who are not particularly needy are to receive nearly half a billion dollars in compensation from Iraq’s oil revenues, paid out by the UN Compensation Commission. Kuwait alone will receive over $388 million dollars. Saudi Arabia is to receive nearly $40 million. Turkey will get some $22 million. And the USA will be [...]
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Filed under: Iraq, UN Security Council, United Nations
Posted on October 26th, 2007 by Marian Houk
In an interview published today in the Italian newspaper La Stampa, in which he was asked whether he was concerned about Iran’s nuclear program, UNSG BAN Ki-Moon said: “Yes, I’m very worried about Iran’s nuclear progress.” Reuters news agency is reporting from Rome that BAN also said “he had met Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad briefly [...]
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Filed under: BAN Ki-Moon, Iran, Sanctions, UN Security Council
Posted on October 24th, 2007 by Marian Houk
The U.S. State Department announced last night that “Secretary Rice will visit Jerusalem and Ramallah November 4-6 to continue her discussions with Israeli and Palestinian leaders to support their ongoing bilateral dialogue and the serious effort underway to draft a joint document that could lay the foundation for negotiations. [n.b., notice the qualifiers] The Secretary [...]
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Filed under: Gaza, Israel, Palestine & Palestinians, Quartet
Posted on October 24th, 2007 by Marian Houk
US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice is testifying today to the U.S. Congress on the state of preparations for the Middle East Peace Conference (or “meeting”) that is still expected to be held in Annapolis by the end of the year. In her opening statement at the hearing called by the House Foreign Affairs Committee, [...]
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Filed under: Israel, Middle East Peace Process, Palestine & Palestinians, Quartet
Posted on October 24th, 2007 by Marian Houk
Joshua Landis’ SyriaComment posts today a report from the Iraqi blogger Riverbend, who has now left Iraq and arrived in Syria. Riverbend writes…”It took me at least three weeks to teach myself to walk properly again- with head lifted, not constantly looking behind me. It is estimated that there are at least 1.5 million Iraqis [...]
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Filed under: Iraq, Syria
Posted on October 24th, 2007 by Marian Houk
UN-Truth opened its site to the world a year ago today. It was 24 October — which is also United Nations (UN) Day, marking the annual commemoration of the signing of the UN Charter in San Francisco on 24 October 1946. Over 600 posts later, and only a little bit wiser, we can say that [...]
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Filed under: Uncategorized
Posted on October 24th, 2007 by Marian Houk
The spokesperson for the President of this annual General Assembly told journalists at UNHQ/NY on Tuesday that the President is, indeed, disappointed that there was not sufficient high-level attendance at the meeting that opened Tuesday. The President’s “disappointment”, the spokesperson said, “reflects is the fact that he was expecting them, probably based on assurances, to [...]
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Filed under: Global Economy, Millennium Goals, UN General Assembly, United Nations, United Nations Agencies and Programmes
Posted on October 24th, 2007 by Marian Houk
Amnesty International has just published a report saying that Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza are “Torn Apart By Factional Strife”. Both sides – Fatah and Hamas – have shown “a flagrant disregard for the human rights of a civilian population already worn down by decades of Israeli occupation, military campaigns and blockades”, [...]
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Filed under: Gaza, Human Rights, International Law, Middle East Peace Process, Palestine & Palestinians, Quartet
Posted on October 23rd, 2007 by Marian Houk
The UN spokesperson was asked on Monday about UNSG BAN’s role in the still-planned Middle East peace conference (or “meeting”) that the U.S. is planning to convene by the end of the year in Annapolis: “Question: Michèle, on this Middle East talk, I mean process, that Washington has called, is the Secretary-General going to be [...]
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Filed under: BAN Ki-Moon, Israel, Middle East Peace Process, Palestine & Palestinians, Quartet, UN Secretary-General, United Nations
Posted on October 23rd, 2007 by Marian Houk
The head of the UN’s World Food Program in Somalia was freed today on bail, the AP reported. “Idris Osman, the Somali head of U.N. World Food Program operations in Somalia’s war-battered capital, was seized Oct. 17 when dozens of armed security agents stormed a U.N. compound. Osman was released on bail Tuesday, but is [...]
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Filed under: Somalia, United Nations Agencies and Programmes
