HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY MARTIN NESIRKY,
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
WEDNESDAY,
19
JANUARY 2011
U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF TO SEND ASSESSMENT
TEAM TO TUNISIA SHORTLY
The UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay,
said Wednesday that more than 100 deaths have occurred
so far during the unrest in Tunisia. She announced that she
plans to send an assessment team to Tunisia in the coming
days.
Pillay said that she
expects her team to gather information about the current and
past human rights situation and to come back with a set of
concrete proposals for action on issues relating to past
abuses, as well as future reforms.
The
Secretary-General is fully aware of the statement by the
High Commissioner for Human Rights and the planned mission
to Tunisia. He fully supports the initiative.
The
Secretary-General has
appealed for broad-based consultations in Tunisia to
establish an inclusive interim government leading to the
holding of timely and credible elections through which the
citizens of Tunisia can freely choose their leadership. The
Secretary-General has said United Nations stands ready to
provide assistance to the Tunisian people. B. Lynn Pascoe, the
Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, began the
Security Council’s open debate on the
Middle East this morning by warning that developments
in both the occupied Palestinian territory and in Lebanon
have heightened tensions recently.
On the Israeli-Palestinian track, Mr. Pascoe said, we
appreciate and support US efforts to engage in parallel
talks on substance with the parties. But he added that we
are seriously concerned at the continuing lack of progress
in the search for a negotiated settlement. Peace and
Palestinian statehood cannot be further delayed. He noted
that the Quartet Principals will meet in Munich on 5
February.
Mr. Pascoe noted the dissolution of the coalition government
in Lebanon and said that it is essential for all Lebanese
leaders to continue to address the current political
situation through dialogue, within the parameters
established by the Constitution of Lebanon.
The
Secretary-General headed back to New York today from Oman,
where he met with Omani leaders and discussed, among other
topics, the
forthcoming Decade of Action for Road Safety (2011-2020).
The
Secretary-General met with the Sultan of Oman and discussed
road safety, and they also talked about Iran and the Middle
East. And he also met with Oman’s Deputy Prime Minister,
with whom he discussed Lebanon, the Middle East peace
process and Tunisia. This morning, the
Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on the
UN Mission in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI),
authorizing the deployment of 2,000 additional military
personnel until 30 June of this year, as recommended by the
Secretary-General. On the ground, the
Mission reports that pro-Laurent Gbagbo security forces
fired shots to scatter demonstrators attempting to strike in
Attecoube on Tuesday. More shooting could
be heard this morning in that neighborhood, which is near
the Mission’s Headquarters. A Mission patrol was dispatched
to the area and confirmed that two people were killed and
nine were hurt. The UN and the
International Organization for Migration (IOM) have launched
an appeal for Liberia asking for $55 million to support
refugees and returnees in the country. That is addition to
the Regional Appeal for Cote d'Ivoire and four neighbouring
countries – Burkina Faso, Guinea, Ghana and Mali – for
nearly $33 million launched Tuesday by humanitarian agencies
in West Africa. The Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
says that to date, an estimated 30,000 refugees have fled
Côte d’Ivoire, the vast majority of them to Liberia, which
is receiving almost 600 new arrivals per day. The UN Refugee
Agency (UNHCR)
has reported that the increasing presence of refugees is
putting a strain on the Liberian local communities hosting
new arrivals with already limited resources.
SECRETARY-GENERAL
URGES ISRAEL TO ENSURE THAT FLOTILLA REPORT IS COMMUNICATED
PROMPTLY TO PANEL OF INQUIRY
Asked about delays
in receiving a report from Israel on last year’s flotilla
incident, the Spokesperson said that the Panel of Inquiry
that the Secretary-General appointed with regard to the
flotilla incident of 31 May 2010 has kept him abreast of its
activities. It is essential for the Panel to review material
provided by both sides, Israel and Turkey, on their own
national investigations into this incident.
While Turkey
provided a report on its national investigation in September
2010, Israel is still waiting for the final version of the
report of the commission, the Turkel Committee, which is
conducting its national investigation, to be handed over.
Geoffrey Palmer, the
Chair of the Panel, told the Secretary-General that he has
been informed by the Israeli side of another delay in the
provision of this report, which is disappointing, Nesirky
said.
The
Secretary-General urges Israel, both the Government and the
Turkel Committee, to ensure that the report on the flotilla
incident is communicated promptly to the Panel of Inquiry.
The Panel needs such elements to be able to proceed speedily
with its tasks.
The Spokesperson
said that the Secretary-General appreciates the cooperation
extended so far by the parties to this process. He strongly
encourages them to continue doing so. He reiterates his
confidence in the members of the Panel, and their ability to
carry out their important mandate.
U.N. MISSION SAYS
LEADERS OF TROOPS INVOLVED IN D.R. CONGO RAPES MUST BE HELD
ACCOUNTABLE
In response to
questions about rapes in Fizi, in the Democratic Republic of
the Congo, the Spokesperson said that the UN Mission in that
country (MONUSCO)
has called for the removal of the Commander and Deputy
Commander of the unit whose troops were involved in the
incidents, and asked that they be held accountable.
The Mission has also
urged prompt actions to ensure that all the perpetrators are
brought to justice, the Spokesperson said.
Nesirky added that
the Mission’s understanding is that ten Congolese Armed
Forces soldiers have been detained in Fizi in connection
with the incidents. Two others, who are Majors, have fled
from the area.
The Governor of
South Kivu has informed MONUSCO that the soldiers will be
tried in a court which is to be set up in Fizi and that he
expects the proceedings to start next week. The Commander of
the troops at the time of incident has not been arrested,
the Spokesperson added.
Ad Melkert, the
Secretary-General’s Special Representative for
Iraq, strongly
condemned the terrorist attack on Tuesday that targeted
police recruits in Tikrit and resulted in the killing of
dozens of people and injuries to many others.
Mr. Melkert
expressed great concern that such acts of violence,
including today’s attack, are targeting the Iraqi security
forces, who are striving to rebuild the country and protect
all Iraqi citizens. He extends his sincere condolences to
the bereaved families and his wishes for the full and speedy
recovery for the wounded. The World Food
Programme (WFP)
and the Government of Afghanistan
met on Tuesday to map out a common strategy on the
provision of the agency’s food aid to millions of vulnerable
Afghans over the next three years. The talks sought to
strengthen cooperation between WFP and the Government
ministries it works with in the South Asian nation. In Afghanistan, the
agency aims to both provide life-saving relief and emergency
assistance, as well as to help the country improve its
overall food security. OFFICIAL NAMED TO
SENIOR U.N. POST IN GUINEA-BISSAU:
The Secretary-General has appointed Gana
Fofang of Cameroon to serve as his Deputy Special Representative
in
Guinea-Bissau. He will also serve as United Nations Resident
Coordinator and UN Development Programme (UNDP)
Resident Representative. Mr. Fofang is currently the UN Resident
Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Sao Tome and
Principe. U.N. AND
PARTNERS APPEAL FOR AID FOR SRI LANKA:
In response to devastating flooding
in Sri Lanka, the United Nations and its partners are seeking
$51 million to meet the urgent needs of more than one million
people for the next six months. Torrential rain caused by the La
Nina weather phenomenon in Sri Lanka’s eastern and central
districts in the last week has caused more than 360,000 people
to flee their homes and claimed 43 lives. * The guests at the
noon briefing were Special Advisers Francis Deng and Edward Luck.
Office of the Spokesperson for the
Secretary-General
United Nations, SA-1B15
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055
