HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S NOON BRIEFING
BY FRED ECKHARD
SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Wednesday, February 2, 2004
IRAQ: U.N.
ENVOY HOLDS TALKS WITH POLITICAL LEADERS ON
POST-ELECTION PHASE OF POLITICAL PROCESS
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative in
Baghdad, Ashraf Qazi, is continuing to hold intensive talks with Iraqi leaders
on the political situation in
Iraq and the role the United Nations will play in the country in
supporting the political process in the post election phase.
Qazi met with Iraqi interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi.
They explored means through which the United Nations can help the Iraqis
during the transitional process. This process is set to continue after the
convening of the Transitional National Assembly with the drafting of a
permanent constitution and adopting it through a national referendum ahead of
holding new elections towards the end of the year.
The top UN official in Iraq also held similar talks with
the president of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution, Abdul Aziz Al
Hakim, and with the leading candidate from the United Iraqi Coalition, Iraqi
nuclear scientist Hussein al-Shahristani.
Qazi is scheduled to hold further talks this week with
leading Iraqi personalities representing various political trends in the
country with a view to encouraging an inclusive political process and
discussing United Nations support for it.
BILL CLINTON NAMED AS
SECRETARY-GENERAL’S TSUNAMI ENVOY
The Spokesman
confirmed yesterday afternoon that the Secretary-General has offered to
former U.S. President Bill Clinton the position of his Special Envoy for
Tsunami-affected Countries and he has accepted.
The Secretary-General is confident that President Clinton
will bring energy, dynamism and focus to the task of sustaining world interest
in the vital recovery and reconstruction phase following the tsunami disaster
that hit South Asia. He believes that no one could possibly be better
qualified for this task.
The terms of reference for President Clinton are still
being finalized, but they will focus on reconstruction and recovery in the
region, and ensuring that the international community stays engaged for the
long term.
The Spokesman was therefore wide of his brief in
responding to a question yesterday when he said that, if asked, President
Clinton could extend good offices to the Indonesian and Sri Lankan Governments
in their respective peace talks. His mandate will not include the peace
processes that are in the hands of others.
ANNAN CONCERNED BY ATTACK ON AFRICAN
UNION MONITORS
In a
statement issued late yesterday, the Secretary-General’s expresses serious
concern about the recent shooting at two African Union monitors in
South Darfur on 31 January.
He strongly condemns this attack, which could jeopardize
the fulfillment of the African Union mission in Darfur and which occurred at a
time when the military observers were conducting investigations to verify
allegations of aerial bombardments and other violations of the cease-fire
agreement in the towns of Jayjay and Shangil Tobai.
The Secretary-General calls upon the Government and rebel
forces in Darfur to respect the neutrality of African Union monitors,
observers and police, as well as all international humanitarian workers, and
he also urges them to investigate the shooting incident and take immediate
action against those found responsible.
SUDAN: MORE REPORTS OF FIGHTING AND RAPE
IN DARFUR
The Special Representative for
Sudan will leave Khartoum this evening to New York where he is scheduled
to take part in meetings of the Security Council on Sudan.
The UN mission, meanwhile,
continues to send reports of insecurity on the ground.
Long-standing tensions over
access to water in an area of North Darfur turned violent on Monday when
clashes broke out between tribes. No further details are currently available,
but this incident compounds concerns over a general water shortage in the
region that has been worsened by the present drought conditions.
In South Darfur, security and
military officials from Nyala travelled to a town where a gathering of
internally displaced persons was reportedly attacked by militiamen a few days
ago.
Three Norwegian Church Aid
national staff members who were detained by local authorities at the beginning
of January were released two days ago, the mission reports. Jan Pronk had
urged local authorities to release aid workers during his visit to Darfur last
week.
The mission also says it is
receiving daily reports of rapes in one area of Darfur and reports that
insecurity has caused new displacements of up to 50,000 people.
Meanwhile, the World Health
Organization has appealed to humanitarian agencies to be on the look out for
possible meningitis cases given the recent outbreak in Chad.
SECURITY COUNCIL APPROVES PROGRAMME OF
WORK
The Security Council has approved its
programme of work
for the month of February.
Security Council President, Joel W. Adechi,
Permanent Representative of Benin,
briefed correspondents on the month’s programme immediately following the
noon briefing.
COTE D’IVOIRE: SECURITY COUNCIL
AUTHORIZES
U.N. MISSION TO MONITOR SANCTIONS
The Security Council yesterday unanimously
approved a
resolution which authorizes the
UN Operation in Cote d’Ivoire and the French forces in that country to
monitor the implementation of sanctions measures, imposed last year in
Resolution 1572.
UN and French forces are also authorized to collect, as
appropriate, arms and any related materiel brought into Cote d’Ivoire in
violation of the sanctions measures.
The Security Council also requested the Secretary-General
to create, within 30 days of the resolution’s adoption, a group of experts to
examine the implementation of the sanctions.
In Cote d'Ivoire, the
UN Operation in Cote d’Ivoire reports that Acting Special Representative,
Alan Doss, and Force Commander, Abdoulaye Fall, were in Bouaké to discuss
security related issues with officials of the Forces Nouvelles.
The talks will continue in order to facilitate the return
of Forces Nouvelles ministers to cabinet meetings and pave the way to the
disarmament process in Cote d’Ivoire, according to the mission.
U.N. ENVOY TO VISIT SYRIA AND LEBANON
The Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the
implementation of Security Council
Resolution 1559 (2004), Terje Roed-Larsen, will visit Damascus on 5
February and Beirut on 8 February.
In both capitals he will hold talks with government
officials and convey a message from the Secretary-General to President Bashar
al-Assad of Syria and President Emile Lahoud of Lebanon.
DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL TALKS ABOUT
U.N.'S CHALLENGES
The Deputy Secretary-General,
Louise Fréchette, is in
Washington D.C. today, where she will be addressing the Women's Foreign Policy
Group on "New Challenges for the United Nations."
She is expected to mention the
importance of the United States in moving forward the
UN’s renewal and reform process, and that America’s engagement has always been
crucial for a strong and successful United Nations.
Following her speech, the
Deputy-Secretary-General will take part in a question and answer session with
participants.
INTERNATIONAL TOURISM REBOUNDS
The UN’s
World Tourism Organization reports that, after three years of stagnant
growth, international tourism
rebounded in 2004.
According to the agency’s latest publication, the number
of international tourists reached an all-time record high of 760 million -- an
increase of 10% over 2003.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
UNITED NATIONS EXPECTS 38TH MILLIONTH VISITOR: The
38 millionth visitor to the United Nations is expected to take a
guided tour of the building early this month. Close tallies of visitors have
been kept since the first guided tour took place in 1952.
U.N. FLAG AT HALF MAST:
The UN flag is flying at half-mast today in observance of the official
mourning for Mr. Sami Kronfol, Permanent Representative of Lebanon to the UN,
who passed away yesterday.
GUYANA FLOODS CORRECTION:
Regarding the Guyana floods, the Spokesman corrected a number he read out
yesterday. He had said that, according to the World Food Programme, some 375,000
people still remained in shelters. The number is actually 3,750.
Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General
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