Under-Secretary-General visits Moscow for talks on Cyprus, Middle East

Cyprus, the Middle East and other hotspots topped the agenda during talks in Moscow on 18 April 2006 between the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Ibrahim Gambari and the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov. The two discussed issues facing the Middle East Quartet, including aid to the Palestinian people, and also touched on the Iranian nuclear issue, Lebanon and Lebanese-Syrian relations, as well as the situation in Iraq. In a statement, Foreign Minister Lavrov expressed support for efforts, being led by DPA, to strengthen U.N. capacity as a mediator engaged in resolving conflicts around the world.

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U.N. cooperation with Regional Organizations hailed at Doha Forum

Cooperation with the United Nations and other challenges facing regional organizations were the subjects of an address by Under-Secretary-General Ibrahim Gambari to the Sixth Doha Forum for Democracy, Development and Free Trade, in the Qatari capital on 11-13 April 2006. The Under-Secretary-General pointed to a number of examples of successful partnerships in recent years, including UN cooperation with the European Union and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in peacebuilding in Kosovo. The crisis in Darfur has presented a new and urgent challenge for cooperation – in this case between the UN and the African Union (AU). “The United Nations acknowledges that it cannot go it alone in confronting conflicts around the globe,” he said. “At the same time, regional organizations should welcome a broader multilateral role when it can usefully augment and complement regional efforts.” The Forum, hosted by His Highness the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, was attended by international and government officials, parliamentarians, policy and academic experts, business leaders and journalists from around the world.

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Under-Secretary-General addresses Arab League Summit in Khartoum

The Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs, Ibrahim A. Gambari, led a high-level UN delegation to the Summit of the League of Arab States held on 28-29 March in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum. Discussions focused heavily on Darfur as well as the situation in Iraq and the Middle East. Gambari delivered a message on behalf of U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, reaffirming support from the United Nations during "a period of continuing turbulence in the Arab world and the surrounding region." On the sidelines of the summit, and during a subsequent stop in Cairo before returning to New York, Under-Secretary-General Gambari held discussions on a wide range of issues with leaders including LAS Secretary-General Amre Moussa, President Omar el-Bashir of Sudan, President Abdullahi Yusuf of Somalia, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora of Lebanon, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, and Foreign Minister Ahmad Abul Gheith o Egypt.

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Assistant Secretary-General urges security and humanitarian needs of Palestinians be met

In a 30 March briefing to the Security Council on developments in the Middle East, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Tuliameni Kalomoh recognized serious differences between Israel and the Palestinian Authority as they transition to new governments, but called on both sides to keep the plight of residents of Gaza and the West Bank from deteriorating. "Despite the gulf between the parties, they and the international community share a common interest and duty to prevent a security or humanitarian crisis in the occupied Palestinian territory," Kalomoh told the Council. Turning to Lebanon, Kalomoh praised the country's ongoing National Dialogue as an "historic" development through which political leaders had come together for an open and fruitful discussion on key national issues.

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United Nations and Spain ink partnership on Electoral Assistance

The U.N. Secretariat and the government of Spain have agreed to work more closely together in the increasingly important area of electoral assistance. A memorandum-of-understanding -- signed on 17 March by Ibrahim A. Gambari, the Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs, and Maria Garcia Mahamut, General Director for Domestic Policy of Spain's Ministry of Interior -- establishes potential cooperation in many areas, including support to election observer groups, exchanges of electoral experts and technical assistance for strengthening electoral systems within Member States who request support. Similar agreements have been signed with other governments, including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, India, Mexico and Panama. The Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs is the U.N. focal point for electoral assistance, responsible for advising the Secretary-General on requests from Member states, and in ensuring consistency in the delivery of electoral assistance by the United Nations. He is supported in this function by the Electoral Assistance Division of the Department of Political Affairs.

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In Istanbul: DPA and UNDP review innovative partnership to help nations prevent conflict

The Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs, Ibrahim A. Gambari, and the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, Kemal Dervis, were the keynote speakers at a meeting in Istanbul from 6-8 March 2006 to take stock of progress to date in a joint DPA-UNDP program working since 2004 to help Member States prevent conflict before it erupts. The Joint Programme on Building National Capacities for Conflict Prevention and Transformation is currently supporting initiatives in Guyana, Ecuador, Ghana, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Mauritania, and Lesotho, and work in other countries is being planned. Activities are tailored to each country's needs, and have focused on such issues as improving human rights and access to justice, resolving land and natural resource conflicts, as well as promoting inter-communal dialogue. The Programme emphasizes that peace and development are closely intertwined.

U.N. role in Lebanon discussed

An expanded U.N. role in helping Lebanon overcome present difficulties was the focus of remarks by Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Ibrahim A. Gambari, at a 9 March gathering in New York of the Lebanese Society. Under-Secretary Gambari noted that the Department of Political Affairs is working on multiple fronts to support a broadened U.N. presence during the past two years, including the U.N. International Independent Investigation Commission (IIIC) created by the Security Council to probe the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister, Rafik Hariri. Under-Secretary Gambari reiterated U.N. support for Lebanon's sovereignty, independence and stability, and also encouraged Lebanese political leaders to continue their National Dialogue aimed at resolving critical problems and fostering national reconciliation. "The Lebanese people deserve no less, and the international community wishes them no less," he said.