Middle East

UN telecommunications conference to be held in Qatar in March next year

12 January 2005
The United Nations telecommunications agency will hold a conference of its highest policy-making body in an Arab state for the first time when its Member States meet next year in Qatar.

Residents return to devastated Iraqi city of Fallujah with help of UN refugee agency

11 January 2005
The United Nations refugee agency is working with Iraq’s Ministry of Displacement and Migration to help some of the more than 250,000 people of Fallujah return to their city after it was heavily damaged in last November’s assault by United States-led forces against insurgents there.
SRSG Ashraf Qazi

At meeting of Iraq's neighbours, envoy pledges UN's commitment to helping Iraqi people

11 January 2005
The United Nations envoy for Iraq today told a meeting of the country's neighbours and the eight leading industrialized nations that the world body remained committed to helping the Iraqi people and stressed the importance of this month's elections.

UN registry of damage to Palestinians from Israeli barrier moves step closer

11 January 2005
The establishment of a United Nations register of the damage Israel's construction of a separation barrier is causing Palestinians in the occupied West Bank moved a step closer today when Secretary-General Kofi Annan forwarded a letter to the General Assembly setting out a framework and the next moves for its creation.
Argentine Amb. César Mayoral

Security Council calls for restraint in southern Lebanon following 'Blue Line' shootings

11 January 2005
Security Council members today called on the parties in southern Lebanon to live up to their commitments and to exercise restraint, after an exchange of fire over the weekend between the Israeli military and Hizbollah forces across the line of withdrawal led to the killing and wounding of United Nations peacekeepers.

Hailing new Palestinian president, Annan looks forward to independent state

10 January 2005
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today welcomed the election of new Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as "a significant step in what is a historic democratic transition" in the occupied territories, and said he was looking forward to working for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

UN peacekeeper in Lebanon killed, prompting Annan to condemn rise in fighting along 'Blue Line'

10 January 2005
A French United Nations peacekeeper was killed and a Swedish colleague injured Sunday while patrolling the line of withdrawal in southern Lebanon, prompting Secretary-General Kofi Annan today to deplore the rise in fighting between Israel and Hizbollah along the so-called Blue Line.

UN undertaking management review in response to early findings in Oil-for-Food probe

10 January 2005
United Nations officials today welcomed initial findings by an independent probe into the UN Oil-for-Food programme for Iraq, acknowledging deficiencies in the way the multi-billion dollar humanitarian operation was run and pledging to revamp the world body's current overall management structure.
SRSG Ashraf Qazi

In talks with Iraqi Foreign Minister, UN envoy emphasizes support of local region

7 January 2005
The senior United Nations envoy for Iraq today held talks with the country's Foreign Minister about the upcoming elections and the current political situation, stressing that Iraq's neighbours were supporting its attempts to make the transition to democracy and security.

UN officials help observers to monitor polling in Palestinian presidential election

7 January 2005
As Palestinians prepare to go to the polls on Sunday to choose a president, United Nations officials today unveiled some of the details of the technical and logistical assistance they are giving to ensure that the elections are free, fair and staged smoothly.