HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S BRIEFING
BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
ASSOCIATE
SPOKESMAN FOR THE
SECRETARY-GENERAL
OF THE UNITED NATIONS
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Thursday,
December 16, 2004
ANNAN, IN
WASHINGTON, D.C., MEETS WITH POWELL, RICE AND ADDRESSES
COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
Secretary-General Kofi Annan is in Washington, D.C. today, where started
the day with a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. He then met
in the White House with U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice.
Afterwards, he spoke at a luncheon of the Council on Foreign Relations. In that
address, where he said that that the only universal instrument that can
bring States together in a global effort against the major threats of our age
is the United Nations.
He said the United Nations is not perfect, and at times
shows its age, but “our world will not easily find a better instrument for
forging a sustained, global response to today’s threats.”
He discussed the
report of the
High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change, noting that the Panel
has proposed a definition of
terrorism, which Member States should use to enact a full anti-terrorism
convention.
He added that tomorrow’s United Nations would provide a
more muscular framework to prevent a cascade of nuclear proliferation.
Among other points dealt with in the report, the
Security Council must sometimes have to authorize the use of force to stop
mass atrocities in sovereign States. “We face such a situation today in
Darfur,” he said.
The Secretary-General also highlighted the UN efforts in
Iraq, where it has helped to train 6,000 election workers and to recruit
and train up to 130,000 poll workers. The technical preparations for the 30
January election are on track, and the United Nations stands ready, if asked,
to support Iraqi efforts to draw up a constitution.
ANNAN DISCUSSED U.N. SUPPORT FOR IRAQI
ELECTIONS WITH U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE
This morning, the
Secretary-General also met with Colin Powell. They discussed Iraq,
including UN support for the January elections, and the Secretary-General told
Powell that the United Nations is strengthening its presence in
Iraq.
The two also discussed
Middle East reform,
Haiti,
Sudan,
Afghanistan and
UN reform. Their meeting included a brief one-on-one encounter.
Afterward, they
spoke to the press, and
the Secretary-General said about Iraq that the United Nations will put in the
staff it deems necessary.
“It’s not a question of numbers,” he said. “It’s a
question of what you need to get the job done.”
Asked about the
oil-for-food allegations, the Secretary-General said he is anxious to see
the investigations concluded as quickly as possible, so that we can “focus on
the essential work of the United Nations.”
Later today, the Secretary-General will travel to
Brussels, to attend the summit of the European Union.
Asked how many of the Iraqi
electoral personnel mentioned by the Secretary-General had been trained by the
United Nations, the Spokesman said the United Nations had been involved in
training them all through a system of “cascade training,” in which UN
electoral experts trained some Iraqis who went on to train others. The United
Nations also designed booklets, programs and other instructional material for
the whole process.
The Spokesman noted that the
United Nations had designed a training program for members of Iraq’s
Independent Electoral Commission, which included training in Mexico this
summer. It also directly trained permanent workers for the elections, both
inside and outside Iraq.
MORE THAN 200 POLITICAL ENTITIES HAVE
REGISTERED FOR IRAQI ELECTIONS
Yesterday was the last day for the registration of
political entities in the run-up to the elections in
Iraq.
The latest figures we have show that 237 political
entities have registered. This translates to over 11,000 candidates running
for the elections. So far no political entity has been rejected.
The entities represent a broad spectrum of Iraqi society,
with all religious and ethnic groups being represented. Some of the candidate
lists include representatives from other tribes and minority religious sects,
showing that groups are using the electoral process to form alliances and
attract wide support.
Regarding the number of UN international staff in Iraq,
as of today, the total number of staff with the
UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) in Baghdad is around 220. This
number includes 157 Fijian guards and a ceiling of 64 for non-guard personnel.
Another 70 UNAMI international staff are based in Amman
and in Kuwait. UNAMI electoral staff inside and outside Iraq are part of an
integrated team of some 50 international electoral experts from the United
Nations European Union and other organizations operating under a single UN
command.
Asked whether the United
Nations believes that the elections will not be undermined by violence, the
Spokesman noted that Special Representative Ashraf Qazi had spoken on the
matter earlier this week, saying that the United Nations is working closely
with the Iraqi people to make sure that elections go forward.
ANNAN CONCERNED
ABOUT RESTRICTIONS PLACED ON AUNG SAN SUU KYI
The
Secretary-General is seriously
concerned to learn that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s personal security detail
has been withdrawn, and the already limited access to her by her physician
that currently exists has been further restricted.
He reminds the Myanmar authorities of their
responsibility to ensure Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s security and well-being.
The Secretary-General also reiterates strongly his calls
on the authorities to honour their expressed commitments to the United Nations
and to ASEAN by lifting all the restrictions on Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s
movement and activities as soon as possible; and by taking the requisite steps
to ensure that the process of democratisation and national reconciliation in
Myanmar is fully inclusive
SECURITY
COUNCIL BRIEFED ON OPPORTUNITY TO REVITALIZE
MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS
A window of opportunity exists to revitalize the
Middle East peace process, Under-Secretary-General for
Political Affairs,
Kieran Prendergast, told the
Security Council today.
Addressing an
open meeting
of the Council, Prendergast says that the Palestinian leadership has
continued to oversee the transitional period in a highly commendable manner,
with no significant internal unrest.
The optimism among the Palestinians, he added, is
mirrored on the Israeli side, with a recent survey showing that three-quarters
of Israelis favor the resumption of negotiations.
Prendergast also noted with satisfaction and hope for the
future that the overall level of violence has dropped in the past month.
Nevertheless, casualty figures are still too high, with 52 Palestinians and
seven Israelis having been killed since 15 November.
Much work remains to be done, he said, and we should make
clear that we expect both Israel and the Palestinians to seize the moment to
act constructively, and to work within the framework of the Road Map.
The open briefing on the Middle East was followed by
consultations on the same subject, which are still going on.
Asked about reported remarks by
a Hamas official concerning the targeting of Israelis living outside Israel,
the Spokesman said he was unaware of those remarks. He reiterated the
Secretary-General’s condemnation in the strongest terms of all violence and
his emphasis on the importance of negotiations. The Spokesman added that “we
need to focus on” the commendably smooth Palestinian transition.
In a
statement to
the press, members of the Council said that they encourage the Secretary
General and the Secretariat to continue to provide full support to upcoming
Palestinian presidential elections and encourage parties to do their utmost to
ensure success of elections. The Council members added that they agree that
the moment is propitious for movement to implement the roadmap and look
forward to free, fair and open Palestinian elections.
PALESTINIANS OF DESTROYED HOMES IN WEST
BANK CITY
RECEIVE KEYS TO NEW HOMES
The head of the
UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East,
Commissioner-General
Peter Hansen, today
handed over new house keys to hundreds of families whose homes have been
replaced in the West Bank city of
Jenin.
The rebuilding of homes in Jenin camp that were destroyed
during fighting in April 2002 is now complete, the Agency says.
Hansen said that the rebuilding in Jenin has been the
biggest humanitarian project in the occupied Palestinian territory since the
conflict broke out four years ago.
He said he hoped that the fresh start for the Jenin camp
will be accompanied by an improved situation for all Palestinians.
U.N. LIAISON
OFFICE TO OPEN IN RAMALLAH
AHEAD OF PALESTINIAN ELECTIONS
Regarding UN efforts in the upcoming
Palestinian presidential elections, the UN expects the UN Liaison and
Support Unit to open its office in Ramallah the day after tomorrow, and that
soon after, a satellite office will open in Gaza.
The primary function of these offices will be to liaise
with International Observer Groups, to ensure that they have access to all
relevant information needed for them to work efficiently.
It will also promote liaison and collaboration among
national and international observers.
The UN officers will act as an interface between the
international observers and the Palestinian Central Electoral Commission.
Asked whether the United
Nations would open an office in Jerusalem for the elections, the Spokesman
said the United Nations is not involved in the voting in East Jerusalem.
Instead, he said, Israel and the Palestinians have agreed to implement a 1996
agreement allowing East Jerusalem residents to vote.
NORTHERN AFGHAN CITY OF MAZAR-E-SHARIF
IS FULLY DISARMED
The
UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said today that the northern city of
Mazar-e-Sharif has been fully
disarmed.
More than 6,700 soldiers in that city have turned in
their weapons, and the Mission says that nearly 29,000 military personnel have
been disarmed throughout
Afghanistan since October 2003.
The UN Mission expects the numbers to rise even more in
the next few days, when another one thousand soldiers from Kabul’s Tenth
Division are scheduled to turn in their arms.
U.N. MISSION TO ASSESS AID NEEDS OF
RESIDENTS
WHO FLED RECENT FIGHTING IN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
The
UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo says that it has
located thousands of people who have fled the locality of
Kanyabayonga, which has been the site of fighting between armed groups
this week.
The Mission has sent a team to
assess the resident’s aid needs, but is experiencing difficulty in reaching
them from the south, and will now try to do so from the north.
ANNAN RECOMMENDS IMPROVED DIALOGUE
BETWEEN KOSOVO AND SERBIA
A letter on
Kosovo from the Secretary-General to the
President of the
Security Council was released today. It contains a report by Ambassador
Kai Eide of Norway, as well as the Secretary-General’s recommendations on how
to move forward, in the aftermath of last March’s violence.
The letter, among other things, recommends transferring
further competencies to the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government,
implementing a stronger economic development policy, and initiating a more
comprehensive dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade.
It also reiterates that achieving progress on the eight
basic standards, which were agreed upon by the international community, remain
the basis of UN policy in Kosovo.
UNHCR REPORTS
ON LIBERIAN, IRAQI AND MYANMAR REFUGEE MOVEMENTS
A
group of 385 Liberian refugees has left Ghana in the first sea movement of the
Liberian return operation,
according to the
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Meanwhile, UNHCR and the
UN Development Programme have signed an agreement to collaborate on
self-sufficiency projects in areas of return.
UNHCR and the Iranian government are
closing several camps for
Iraqi refugees with the departure of an estimated 107,000 Iraqi refugees
since the end of Saddam Hussein's rule last year. The agency is also helping
the Iraqi government to strengthen local capacity to reintegrate the refugees.
In a massive joint operation,
UNHCR and the Thai government have
started to re-register the entire population of the nine refugee camps in
Thailand that are currently sheltering an estimated 140,000 refugees who fled
from Myanmar some years earlier.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
U.N. MISSION HELPING HAITIAN
AUTHORITIES FIND SOLUTION TO STANDOFF OVER ARISTIDE HOME:
In response to a question about developments in
Haiti, the Spokesman noted that a group of former military troops occupied
the home of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide on Wednesday, reportedly
with the intention of making it their headquarters to “provide security to the
population.” Today, at 6:00 a.m., peacekeepers from the
UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti and the Haitian National Police have
surrounded the residence. The UN Mission is collaborating with the Haitian
authorities to find a peaceful solution to the situation.
INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE RULES ON SERBIAN CLAIMS
MADE AGAINST NATO: Yesterday in The Hague, the
International Court of Justice unanimously
ruled that it did not have jurisdiction to deal with the claims filed by
Serbia and Montenegro concerning acts allegedly committed by NATO in Kosovo in
1999. The Court found that Serbia and Montenegro was not a member of the United
Nations or a State party to the International Court of Justice’s statute at the
time of its filing.
FUNDING SHORTFALL MAY LEAD TO FOOD
AID CUTS FOR DISPLACED AZERBAIJANIS:
The
World Food Programme
warned today that, because of a $10 million shortfall, food distribution to
140,000 Azerbaijanis, displaced by the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict a decade ago,
will come to a complete halt in January. The
three-year humanitarian operation started in January 2003, and 75% of the
beneficiaries are women and children.
SHIFT REPORTED IN GLOBAL PATTERN ON BLINDNESS:
Success in tackling the infectious causes of blindness, combined with changes in
the world's population, have caused a dramatic shift in the patterns of
blindness around the world,
according to
new data published by the
World Health Organization. Ten years ago, infectious diseases such as
trachoma and onchocerciasis were among the leading causes of blindness. Today,
these factors are far less important compared to chronic diseases such as
diabetes, the new figures show.
OLYMPIC COMMITTEE TO HELP ACHIEVE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT
GOALS: Field representatives of the International Olympic Committee and the
United Nations have met for the first time and are wrapping up a two-day meeting
in Switzerland today, on the eve of the
International Year of Sport and Physical Education. The aim of this
innovative workshop is to pool experience on both sides in order to build up new
partnerships in developing countries capable of mobilizing the sport movement to
make an active contribution to achieving the
Millennium Development Goals.
Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General
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