Europe

Security Council team’s meetings in Kosovo cause for confidence, official says

28 April 2007
The head of a United Nations Security Council team travelling in the Balkans today said its meetings in Kosovo give cause for confidence on the future of the Serbian province that has been run by the United Nations since Western forces drove Yugoslav troops out in 1999.

Secretary-General regrets fatal violence during protest at statue removal in Estonia

27 April 2007
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed dismay today after one person was reported killed and dozens of other were injured in the Estonian capital amid unrest after authorities removed a contentious Soviet-era war memorial.
Mstislav Rostropovitch

Death of master Russian cellist and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador mourned

27 April 2007
The Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) today expressed his “profound sadness” at the death of the great Russian cellist who also served as Goodwill Ambassador for the agency.

Marking 21 years since Chernobyl, Ban Ki-moon says world cannot forget loss and pain

26 April 2007
On the 21st anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, the worst nuclear power plant accident in history, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today said that although the world should never forget the loss and pain caused by the tragic incident, it is imperative to move forward.
Dirk Jan Bruinsma

UN mourns loss of Deputy Secretary-General of its trade and development arm

26 April 2007
The United Nations today mourned the death of Dirk Jan Bruinsma, the Deputy Secretary-General of the world body’s Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), who passed away at age 56 in The Hague, Netherlands, on 22 April following a brief illness.

Security Council’s Balkans mission in Belgrade to meet with Serbian authorities

26 April 2007
A Security Council delegation on a fact-finding mission to the Balkans today made a stop in Belgrade to meet with leaders there as the 15-member body deliberates the future of Kosovo, the ethnic Albanian-majority province of Serbia that has been run by the United Nations since Western forces drove Yugoslav troops out in 1999.

Security Council mission to Kosovo holds talks with European Union officials

25 April 2007
The Security Council delegation heading to Kosovo on a fact-finding trip to help determine the permanent future status of the Serbian province with an ethnic Albanian majority stopped in Brussels today for talks with European Union (EU) and NATO officials.

Cyprus: UN poll finds majority backing in both communities for federal settlement

24 April 2007
A federal settlement is the only proposal to resolve the Cyprus problem that enjoys majority support in both communities on the Mediterranean island, but there is widespread scepticism that any solution is imminent, according to an inter-communal survey conducted by the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP).

Ban Ki-moon expresses sadness at death of former Russian leader Yeltsin

23 April 2007
Voicing sadness today at the death of Boris Yeltsin, the Russian Federation’s first democratically elected president, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recalled the critical role he played in promoting political and economic reforms in his country.

Security Council delegation on Kosovo heads to region tomorrow

23 April 2007
A Security Council delegation heads tomorrow for Kosovo on a fact-finding trip as the 15-member body considers a United Nations envoy’s proposal to grant independence in a phased process to the ethnic Albanian-majority province of Serbia that has been run by the UN since 1999.