Europe

War crimes judge for former Yugoslavia urges full cooperation to seize fugitives

11 October 2005
The historic achievements of the United Nations war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia will be tarnished if seven senior-level accused still at large are not brought to justice, the court’s president has told the General Assembly.

UN Kosovo Envoy urges Serbian leadership to continue dialogue with Pristina

8 October 2005
Following Secretary-General Kofi Annan's announcement that final status talks on Kosovo should begin, the senior United Nations envoy to the province met with Serbian leaders to stress that dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade would be crucial as the political process enters its next phase.
Annan with President Schmid of Switzerland

Talks on Kosovo’s final status should begin now – Annan

7 October 2005
Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today talks should now begin on the final status of ethnically-divided Kosovo, which the United Nations has run ever since the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) drove out Yugoslav troops amid grave human rights abuses in fighting between the province’s Albanians and Serbs in 1999.
Carla Del Ponte

UN prosecutor for former Yugoslavia says investing in justice brings best dividends

7 October 2005
Investing in justice for victims of the Balkans wars will bring dividends by discouraging revenge, obliging the region's countries to improve their governance and replacing myths with facts in the collective memory, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) says.

Poverty, mental health greatest stumbling blocks for Chernobyl survivors, UN

6 October 2005
Among the hundreds of thousands who were exposed to radiation during the Chernobyl disaster 20 years ago, only about 4,000 people will die from acute radiation and cancer, but many more suffer from the lingering effects of poverty, and lack of information on how to live in the contaminated areas and on how to regain their livelihoods, according to a new United Nations report.
IAEA safeguards inspectors

UN watchdog agency assists safe removal of nuclear weapons-grade uranium

6 October 2005
As part of the ongoing battle to prevent nuclear proliferation and terrorism, the United Nations atomic watchdog agency has assisted the return from the Czech Republic to Russia of 14 kilogrammes of highly enriched uranium (HEU) that could be used to assemble a nuclear weapon.

Millions of disabled children in Eastern and Central Europe denied rights: UN report

5 October 2005
Most of the estimated 2.5 million disabled children in Central and Eastern Europe live in segregated institutions and suffer from stigma, discrimination and a denial of human rights, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said today in a new report which calls for integrating these youngsters back into society.
Kofi Annan (R) with Special Envoy Kai Eide

Kosovo: Annan receives comprehensive review report ahead of final status talks

4 October 2005
Secretary-General Kofi Annan today received a report on Kosovo that could influence the timing of talks on the final status of the ethnically-divided province, which the United Nations has run since the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) drove out Yugoslav troops amid grave human rights abuses in fighting between Albanians and Serbs in 1999.

Annan to visit Switzerland, Portugal, Spain over next 10 days

4 October 2005
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan will be travelling in Europe over the next 10 days, paying official visits to Switzerland and Portugal, attending UN meetings and addressing an Ibero-American Summit.

France generally respects religious freedom despite areas of concern – UN expert

30 September 2005
While the French Government generally respects the right to freedom of religion or belief, there are still some areas of concern about such issues as the ban on conspicuous religious symbols in public schools, a United Nations expert has found after a visit to the country.