HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S NOON BRIEFING
BY FRED ECKHARD
SPOKESMAN FOR THE
SECRETARY-GENERAL
OF THE UNITED NATIONS
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Monday,
December 6, 2004
AFGHANISTAN:
COMPETENT AND DIVERSE CABINET CRITICAL
FOR NATIONAL RECONCILIATION IN AFGHANISTAN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in a
report issued today, says that the year ahead will present many challenges
to
Afghanistan’s political and economic recovery.
“For the first time, however, Afghanistan will face these
challenges with a directly elected President endowed with a strong popular
mandate,” the Secretary-General said.
President Hamid Karzai has an opportunity now to select
an effective Cabinet that is able to extend government authority throughout
the country and deliver basic services, he added. A Cabinet that is both
competent and representative of Afghanistan’s diversity will be critical for
advancing national reconciliation, he said.
Many issues, including social indicators and human
rights, remain insufficiently addressed, he said.
But he asserts that “it is a cause for hope and optimism
that Afghans have embraced with such enthusiasm the transition to civilian,
democratic rule.”
Meanwhile, Lakhdar Brahimi, the Secretary-General’s
Special Adviser, arrived in Kabul today to head the UN delegation that will
attend Karzai's inauguration tomorrow. During his three-day stay in Kabul,
Brahimi will meet with the President and other senior Afghan officials, and
will also hold discussions with the head of the
UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), Jean Arnault, and UN agency
heads.
TOP U.N. OFFICIAL IN COTE D’IVOIRE
RESIGNS
The
UN Operation in Cote d’Ivoire has confirmed that the Secretary-General’s
Special Representative Albert Tevoedjre has submitted his resignation, in a
letter dated November 24.
The Special Representative is expected to stay on the job
until the end of January. He is expected to be in New York next week for
consultations in the Security Council on Cote d’Ivoire, which are scheduled
for Monday.
Asked why Tevoedjre was resigning, the Spokesman said
that the Special Representative was 75-years-old and “felt he’s made a good
effort, but it’s time for him to move on.” Teveodjre will stay until a
replacement can be found, Eckhard added.
In Cote
d'Ivoire, the Deputy Secretary-General for Cote d’Ivoire, Alan Doss,
traveled to Bouake yesterday along with visiting South African President Thabo
Mbeki, in a bid to revive the peace process. Doss took part in a close-door
meeting Mbeki held with the Secretary-General of the Mouvement Patriotique de
Côte d’Ivoire, Guillaume Soro.
The general situation is reported to be calm in Abidjan
and throughout the country, and UN peacekeepers are conducting their normal
patrols.
U.N. PEACEKEEPERS SHOT IN DR CONGO
Peacekeepers from the
UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC)
carried out a police operation yesterday to disarm an armed group in the Ituri
region. The operation was carried out as part of the Mission’s role in
protecting civilians.
Its aim was to investigate allegations that the militia –
belonging to the Armed Forces of the Congolese People, known by its French
acronym FAPC – had executed a number of civilians, as well as child members of
the militia, who had attempted to flee.
Two UN peacekeepers and a civilian were wounded during
the operation, and two militia fighters were killed. A number of militia
members, along with their families, escaped into the bush.
U.N. ENVOY DISCUSSES ELECTIONS, SECURITY
WITH IRAQI OFFICIALS
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for
Iraq, Ashraf Qazi held separate talks in Baghdad yesterday with Iraqi
Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh and Minister of Defense Hazem Sha'lan.
The talks tackled progress in the political process, as
well as preparations for Iraq's national elections, scheduled for Jan. 30.
Qazi and the two ministers also discussed the security
situation in Iraq and efforts to improve it ahead of the elections.
Qazi, who is continuing contacts with Iraqi officials and
political activists, also met with civil society groups for discussions on how
the UN can further contribute to advancing the political process in the
country.
Asked about recent comments made by Special Adviser
Lakhdar Brahimi on the difficulty of holding Iraqi elections, the Spokesman
said that Brahimi was speaking in his personal capacity and not on the
Secretary-General’s behalf.
Asked whether Qazi had determined that the situation was
sufficiently stable to hold elections, the Spokesman said that the matter was
not one for the United Nations to decide; rather, it is up to the Iraqis to
determine whether they can hold elections or not.
Asked whether Iraq would return to its previous status as
an occupied country if elections were not held by January 30, Eckhard said
that the Iraqi government would have to decide how to bridge the gap in the
Transitional Administrative Law.
Asked how many UN electoral staff were now in Iraq, the
Spokesman said that it was roughly 20, with the ceiling remaining at 59 total
international staff.
U.N. ENVOY LOOKS AT PROGRESS MADE IN
SUDANESE PEACE PROCESS
The Special Representative for
Sudan, Jan Pronk, met today in Naivasha, Kenya, with General Lazarus
Sumbeiywo, the chief mediator to the Sudan talks.
They discussed the level of
progress made so far by the parties towards achieving a comprehensive peace
agreement.
Pronk is also scheduled to meet
later today with Sudanese Vice President Ali Osman Taha and John Garang of the
rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement (SPLA/M). He will be reviewing
with them separately the progress achieved so far, and the prospects for
meeting the 31 December deadline for concluding a comprehensive peace
agreement.
NEWLY ELECTED SECURITY COUNCIL MEMBERS
PREPARE FOR JANUARY 2005
There are no meetings or consultations of the
Security Council scheduled for today.
There is a
note from the
President of the Security Council out on the racks today, saying that
newly elected Council members – whose terms will not begin until 1 January –
have been invited to attend the informal consultations of the whole, as well
as both formal and informal meetings of the subsidiary bodies of the Council.
The agreement applies, as of December 1, to Argentina,
Denmark, Greece, Japan and Tanzania.
GOVERNMENTS NEED TO DO MORE TO HELP
FAMILIES, ANNAN SAYS
Policies and programs must recognize that strong and
healthy family structures are essential for human well being, the
Secretary-General
told the General Assembly this morning.
He spoke at an event marking the 10th anniversary of the International Year of the Family.
He also said that, although families take many different
forms, all confront very serious pressures. So Governments need to do more to
help them adapt, thrive, and fulfil their social, cultural and economic roles.
DONORS URGED TO PAY MORE ATTENTION TO
SOMALIA
Over the weekend, UN Emergency
Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland wrapped up a three-day mission in Somalia.
In Nairobi, Kenya, today,
Egeland urged the donor community and the press to pay closer attention to
Somalia, where a major humanitarian crisis had been all but forgotten.
With the establishment of a
transitional government, he said, Somalia had reached a turning point.
For UN agencies to be effective
in their efforts to capitalize on this momentum, they would need a much
stronger response to the
2005 Humanitarian Appeal for Somalia, totaling $164 million.
NOT
EASY FOR ANNAN TO HEAR DEMANDS FOR RESIGNATION
The Spokesman responded to a question on whether the
Secretary-General was “in torment” over the allegations made against him by
saying that he was not; rather, the Secretary-General is focused on his
substantive work, most particularly the reform of the United Nations and the
implementation of the Millennium Development Goals.
He said it was not easy for the Secretary-General to hear
demands for his resignation from a few politicians and a few media outlets.
But, in response to a question on when the
Secretary-General would talk to the press, he said that he expects to give a
year-end press conference before the December holidays. He noted that security
restrictions had limited his press availability somewhat, but added that the
Secretary-General had been giving one-on-one interviews with journalists, as
well.
Asked about the Secretary-General’s recent comment to the
press that his son, Kojo Annan, had introduced him to some of his friends, the
Spokesman said that the point was that “casual social encounters naturally
take place” without being linked to business activities.
The Spokesman said, in response to another question, that
he did not want to speculate on why the accusations against the
Secretary-General were coming out now, but added that the Secretary-General
feels that he has the strong support of the UN Member States.
U.N.
ENVOY CONCERNED BY ISRAELI VIOLATIONS OF LEBANESE AIR SPACE
The Personal Representative of the
Secretary-General for
Southern Lebanon, Staffan de Mistura, today expressed his deep concern
over the numerous Israeli air violations of the Blue Line that occurred
yesterday.
A total of 14 overflights were recorded.
De Mistura reiterates the United Nations’
call on Israel to cease these violations and reminds all parties that one
violation cannot justify another.
U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP TO EXAMINE
ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES IN NEPAL
A
UN human rights working group that deals with enforced or involuntary
disappearances today began a field visit to Nepal.
The panel of experts, established by the UN
Commission on Human Rights, intends to examine the overall situation regarding
enforced disappearances.
During its visit, which is to last until
December 14, the group will meet with the King of Nepal and other senior
officials.
OTHER
ANNOUNCEMENTS
U.N. DISASTER TEAM ARRIVES IN PHILIPPINES: A UN
Disaster Assessment and Coordination -- or UNDAC -- team has arrived in the
Philippines to help that country cope with the recent floods. The UN Development
Program has provided emergency kits for 10,000 families. However, more supplies
are still needed, especially since the World Health Organization is warning that
malaria outbreaks can be expected in flood-hit areas in the next six to eight
weeks.
WHEAT SHIPMENT TO ERITREA
WELCOMED: The World Food Programme (WFP)
today welcomed the arrival of 42,500 metric tons of wheat to help alleviate
the suffering of 600,000 Eritreans suffering from drought, as well as an
additional 300,000 suffering from the effects of war and its economic
Impact. The shipment consists of 38,000 tons of wheat from the European
Commission, along with smaller amounts from Ireland, the United States and
Japan. Two-thirds of the population is unable to meet daily food needs.
REALISTIC PICTURE OF SHARKS SHOWN WITH NEW FILM: The
UN Environment Programme
(UNEP), Jean-Michel
Cousteau and 3D Entertainment have joined forces to protect sharks with a
new 3D IMAX Theatre Film, SHARKS 3D, that will have its world premiere
screening on 15 December in Las Vegas. Audiences will experience the sharks as
they truly are in their natural habitat, not wicked man-eating creatures, but
wild, fascinating, and highly endangered animals, UNEP said.
TEA PRODUCTION HIT RECORD HIGH IN 2003:
World tea production in 2003 reached 3.15 million tonnes, 75 000 tonnes more
than in 2002, largely as a result of favourable weather conditions, according to
a report released by FAO. India accounted for 27.4% of world output,
followed by China (24.6%), Sri Lanka (9.75%), and Kenya (9.4%). Production in
India reached 857 000 tonnes in 2003, from 829 000 tonnes in the previous year.
NEW IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM FOR SEAFARERS ANNOUNCED:
The International Labour Office (ILO)
announced on Friday that the new biometric system for issuing secure
identity documents to the world's 1.2 million seafarers is ready for
implementation, following successful testing of products that met the
challenging requirement of "global interoperability" for such documents. The new
system represents a comprehensive response to the need for greater global
security while guaranteeing the rights of workers in the global shipping fleet.
STAFF COUNCIL TOLD IT COULD SUBMIT NEW
INFORMATION ABOUT CASE INVOLVING SENIOR U.N. OFFICIAL: Asked about a
newspaper article in which Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) head
Dileep Nair said he had been assured there would not be a re-opening of his
case, the Spokesman said that statement ran counter to what he had been told and
to what Under-Secretary-General for Management Catherine Bertini told the
leadership of the UN Staff Council. Bertini, he said, had asked the Staff
Council to submit any information they had, and, if there was fresh information,
she would take a fresh look at the allegations.
Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General
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New York, NY 10017
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