ARCHIVES
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY FRED ECKHARD
SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
OF THE UNITED NATIONS
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
ANNAN
APPALLED
BY MURDER OF SOUTH KOREAN HOSTAGE
IN IRAQ
Secretary-General
Kofi Annan is appalled by the murder of Mr. Kim Sun-Il, who was taken
hostage in Iraq on 17 June 2004. The Secretary-General condemns in the
strongest terms this heartless crime, which no political or other cause can
justify.
On this sad and painful occasion, the
Secretary-General extends his sincere condolences to the family of Mr. Kim
Sun-Il and the Government of the Republic of Korea.
The Secretary-General reiterates his appeal for the
immediate and safe release of all hostages being held in Iraq.
Asked
whether the Secretary-General had been in contact with any other people
concerning the hostage taking, the Spokesman said he was unaware of any
meetings other than one that took place on Monday with the UN Permanent
Representative from the Republic of Korea.
IRAQ MONITORING BOARD TO RECEIVE
FINAL AUDIT MID-JULY
The
International Advisory and Monitoring Board for Iraq
(IAMB) has concluded
a two-day meeting in Paris. During this meeting, the Board’s seventh, members
were given a comprehensive briefing by the accounting firm of KPMG on the
status of its audit of the Development Fund for Iraq.
The Board is
scheduled to receive the final audit from KPMG during its next meeting in
Washington in mid-July. The Board will ensure that the audit reports, and its
comments thereon, will be made public.
Asked about
allegations of U.S. over-spending in Iraq, the Spokesman said that one media
outlet had referred to something in writing from the auditors, which he did
not know about. The Spokesman said that the auditors had given a briefing to
the IAMB.
He doubted
that there would be any comment on the allegations until the final report,
which the IAMB intends to make public, was issued on 14 July.
The IAMB’s
next meeting is in Washington, D.C., on 14-15 July, so the report may be
issued there, he said.
ANNAN CALLS FOR DIALOGUE
BETWEEN UNITED NATIONS,
CIVIL SOCIETY
There should
be a two-way dialogue between the United Nations and civil society, to ensure
that their efforts complement each other, the
Secretary-General told the
Security Council in its open debate today.
Addressing
the Council’s debate on the role of civil society in post-conflict peace
building, which is being chaired by Philippine Foreign Secretary
Delia Domingo Albert, the Secretary-General welcomed the Council’s efforts
to strengthen its informal relations with civil society. But, he added, the
time may have come for the Council to deepen its dialogue with civil society
groups.
He asked the
Council to pay serious attention to
the report released yesterday by the
high-level panel on UN relations with civil society, adding that the
Secretariat is studying the panel’s recommendations carefully. The report, he
said, offers many innovative ideas to strengthen the partnership with civil
society in the UN’s humanitarian and development work.
The Council
open debate is continuing now, with thirty speakers, including the
President of the
Economic and Social Council and the Secretary-General of CARE
International, set to speak.
Then, at 5:00
this afternoon, Under-Secretary-General for
Peacekeeping Operations
Jean Marie Guéhenno will brief the Council in closed consultations on the
Democratic Republic of the Congo.
U.N. PEACEKEEPERS CAME
UNDER FIRE IN DR CONGO
Regarding
request for comments on reports that UN peacekeepers in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo were using force against rebel troops and
siding with the Government, the Spokesman said that last Sunday a military
patrol from the UN Mission in the DR Congo
(MONUC),
came under fire from rebel forces under the command of Colonel Jules Mutebutsi
in Kamanyola, near the eastern town of Bukavu.
A UN
helicopter was called in and warning shots were fired at the rebel forces, who
then dispersed. No casualties were reported.
This action
was fully authorized within MONUC s mandate under Chapter Seven of the U.N.
Charter, to take the necessary action to protect UN personnel, facilities,
installations and equipment, and to ensure the security and freedom of
movement of its personnel.
The
UN
High Commissioner for Refugees
reports that it is watching the DR Congo-Burundi border situation closely
following the arrival in Burundi of some 31,000 Congolese refugees since 9
June, and it is deploying emergency staff to the area to provide assistance.
Meanwhile,
on Sunday, a group of 137 Congolese refugees returned voluntarily to the DR
Congo from Rwanda. They were mostly non-Banyamulenge who were among those who
fled to Rwanda following fighting around Bukavu in late May, and who expressed
a wish to return home. A second group of non-Banyamulenge will probably be
repatriated today.
U.N. STAFF MEMBER KILLED IN
INGUSHETIA FIGHTING
The fighting
last night in the Russian republic of Ingushetia claimed the life of one local
UN staff member, Magomed Getagazov, who was killed by cross-fire in the Ingush
capital, Nazran. The UN Resident Coordinator in the Russian Federation said
that he had been a much appreciated colleague, and would be deeply missed.
All other UN
staff members are safe, and the United Nations has reviewed and enhanced its
security arrangements for staff currently in the northern Caucasus. It has
also cancelled new missions to the northern Caucasus this week.
SECURITY COUNCIL MISSION
HEADED TO COTE D’IVOIRE
The
Security Council mission to
West Africa is headed to Cote d’Ivoire this afternoon.
Upon arrival
in Accra on Monday,
mission leader Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry of the United Kingdom talked about
the importance of West Africa for the Security Council and the United Nations.
In Accra,
President John Kufuor of
Ghana in his capacity as Chairman of the Economic Community of West African
States (ECOWAS), briefed the Council on the recent “mini-summit” in Abuja,
Nigeria, convened to find ways to overcome the current impasse in the Ivorian
peace process.
Upon arrival
in Abidjan today, the Council delegation will meet with the leadership of
the UN mission in Cote d’Ivoire (UNOCI),
and France's Operation
Licorne peacekeeping mission.
FIRST POLIO CASE IN THREE
YEARS DETECTED IN SUDAN
UNICEF, the UN Children’s Fund,
reports that a child has been paralyzed by
polio in the
Darfur region of the
Sudan, a country which had not seen the disease in more than three years.
The virus is closely linked genetically to poliovirus endemic to northern
Nigeria, which has spread through Chad in
recent months.
The
World Health Organization has found 521 suspected cases of measles in a
displaced persons camp in north Darfur. About two-thirds of those targeted, a
total of over half a million people, have been vaccinated. Challenges include
inaccessibility to some areas and delays in commencing vaccination in some
remote areas.
Meanwhile,
Kamel Morjane, Assistant high Commissioner of
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, was on the second day of his five-day visit
to Sudan where he was
discussing the potential return to south Sudan of some 600,000 refugees
who fled to neighbouring countries during the 21-year civil war. Tomorrow,
Morjane plans to travel to south Sudan to meet officials of the Sudan People’s
Liberation Movement, UN agencies and non-governmental organizations working
there and see for himself how conditions are in the south.
FOCUS ON HAITI TO SHIFT
TO RECONSTRUCTION,
REHABILITATION
The
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
reports that, with the ending of heavy rain in
Haiti, the immediate emergency phase is winding down. The focus is now
shifting from emergency relief towards immediate reconstruction and
rehabilitation, with continued attention to health, water, sanitation and
nutrition.
However, the
situation in Mapou, southeast of Port au Prince, is still considered serious:
access by road is difficult, reconstruction work is delayed and
World Health Organization representatives are concerned about possible
epidemic outbreaks.
So far, over
5,000
families affected by the floods have received food aid from the
World Food Program and the distribution of rice and biscuits will continue
during the next three weeks.
UNICEF, the UN Children’s Fund, is also providing medical assistance and
nourishment to those affected.
ANNAN RECOMMENDS MANDATE
EXTENSION FOR U.N. MISSION IN GOLAN HEIGHTS
The situation
in the Golan Heights has remained generally quiet over the past six months,
the
Secretary-General told the
Security Council in his latest
report on the
UN Disengagement Observer Force deployed in that area.
Nevertheless,
he adds, the situation in the
Middle East is very tense and likely to remain so, unless and until a
comprehensive settlement covering all aspects of the Middle East problem can
be reached. Under the circumstances, he considers the continued presence of
the UN peacekeeping mission to be essential, and recommends that it be
extended for a further six months, until the end of December.
The Security
Council has scheduled consultations on the Mission for this Friday.
U.N. ENVOY DID NOT MEET
NORTH KOREAN PRESIDENT DURING RECENT VISIT
Regarding the
visit that Maurice Strong, the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, had made to
the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) last month, the Spokesman
said that Strong did not meet with Kim Jong-il during the trip, which lasted
from 18-22 May, but did meet with other senior officials, including Kim Yong
Nam, the President of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly, and Paek
Nam Sun, the Foreign Minister.
The primary
focus of his trip was to prepare to meet the DPRK’s economic and energy needs,
as a necessary component of any settlement of the nuclear weapons issue. As on
previous trips, humanitarian issues were also prominently discussed.
EAST AND CENTRAL AFRICA
THREATENED BY POLIO EPIDEMIC
Epidemiologists of the
Global Polio Eradication Initiative have
warned that west and central
Africa are on the brink of the largest
polio epidemic in recent years.
The Initiative is spearheaded by bodies which include the
World Health Organization and
UNICEF, the UN Children’s Fund – its aim is to
ensure that
no child will ever again suffer the crippling effects of polio.
Five
times as many children in west and central Africa have been paralyzed by polio
so far this year compared to the same time period in 2003.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
ANNAN TO VISIT AFRICA, ASIA AND EUROPE:
Asked about the
Secretary-General’s upcoming travels, the Spokesman said he could not give
precise details, given security considerations, but confirmed that the
Secretary-General would travel to Africa, including Sudan, and also make stops
in Asia and Europe. In response to a further question, he said that the
Secretary-General did not intend to visit India or Pakistan on this trip.
U.N. MISSION IN WESTERN SAHARA
WELCOMES RELEASE OF MOROCCAN POWS:
The
UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara
(MINURSO)
has welcomed yesterday’s announcement by the Frente Polisario that it intends to
release 100 Moroccan prisoners of war. The Mission hopes for an early release of
all remaining prisoners of war, in compliance with international humanitarian
law and calls on the parties to cooperate with the efforts of the International
Committee of the Red Cross to resolve the fate of all those unaccounted for
since the beginning of the conflict.
SOUTHERN
AFRICA WEAKEND BY “DEATH SPIRAL”:
Southern Africa is being weakened by the “death spiral” caused by the
combination of
HIV, food insecurity, the burden on public administration and the drain on
human resources. That’s the conclusion of
James T. Morris, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Humanitarian
Needs in Southern Africa. Morris is in the region on a seven-day interagency
mission, which is reviewing how the UN System and the international community
can strengthen their assistance to the region’s most vulnerable people.
Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General
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