Terrorism threatens U.N. missions

UNITED NATIONS, March 25 (UPI) -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday the growing risk faced by U.N. personnel from terrorism is threatening missions around the world.

Ban, speaking at the 23rd International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members, said U.N. staff face violence, hostility and crime and now have to contend with the heightened risks posed by global terrorism. Current U.N. figures say that 40 staff members are under arrest have been detained or are missing. Additionally between July 2006 and June 2007 there was an estimated 273 arrests and detentions of U.N. staff, the United Nations reported.

"At a time when the U.N. is needed to do more in a rising number of high-risk locations, the dangers are ever greater," Ban said in a statement. "We must meet this challenge and do much more to protect our staff."

Ban has appointed veteran diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi to lead an independent panel to assess the safety and security of U.N. staff on missions around the world. Ban is also calling on countries to keep their international commitments to ensure the safety of U.N. staff and to bring to justice persons who have committed crimes against the United Nations.