HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S NOON BRIEFING
BY FRED ECKHARD
SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Thursday, February 24, 2005
LUBBERS DEPARTS
U.N. OFFICE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES
The High Commissioner for
Refugees,
Ruud Lubbers, on Thursday said an emotional goodbye to some 6,000 staff
members of the
UN Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
around the world and handed over temporary leadership responsibilities for
UNHCR to Deputy High Commissioner Wendy Chamberlin. She will work closely with
Assistant High Commissioner Kamel Morjane pending the appointment of a new
High Commissioner.
Lubbers left UNHCR's Geneva
headquarters at 3:38 p.m., ending what he described as "50 wonderful months"
as the world's top refugee official.
Lubbers, who took over as High
Commissioner on 1 January, 2001, had been scheduled to retire at the end of
this year. He
tendered his resignation to the
Secretary-General on Sunday.
Asked whether the
Secretary-General has the authority to accept the resignation of elected heads
of UN agencies, the Spokesman said that the legal ruling was that, once a
person is voted by the
General Assembly to such a position, that person becomes a staff member
and is therefore subject to staff rules and to the authority of the
Secretary-General.
Asked whether that rule would
also apply to the head of the
UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS),
Dileep Nair, the Spokesman said that was a different case, because the
OIOS reports to the General Assembly, not the Secretary-General.
U.N. TEAM ARRIVES IN LEBANON FOR REPORT
ON HARIRI KILLING
In a short while, Peter Fitzgerald, the leader of the
team the
Secretary-General named to report on the circumstances, causes and
consequences of the killing of former
Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, is scheduled to arrive in Beirut.
Fitzgerald may say a few words to the press upon arrival.
U.N. ENVOY IN TALKS ON POLITICAL
DEVELOPMENTS IN IRAQ
AHEAD OF NATIONAL ASSEMBLY MEETING
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for
Iraq,
Ashraf Qazi, today met with head of the Iraqi National Conference and
member of the United Iraqi Coalition, Ahmad Chalabi, for talks that focused on
political developments in Iraq ahead of the convening of the Transitional
National Assembly and the formation of a transitional government.
The meeting with Chalabi is part of a series of contacts
that Qazi has been having with Iraqi officials and political personalities to
promote national dialogue and discuss ways through which the United Nations
can further contribute to advancing the political process.
Several members of the United Iraqi Coalition, which won
the majority of seats in the transitional assembly, also attended the meeting.
Asked whether Qazi had become
involved in the formation of a government, the Spokesman said that Qazi was
not naming anyone for a post in the Iraqi Government or becoming involved in
the selection of individuals for the Government.
Rather, he said, Qazi was
involved in an open-ended effort to broaden the political base by reaching out
to fringe elements and other forces to bring them into the process. Eckhard
said that the stability of Iraq depends on including as many factions as
possible, including those who did not participate in the elections.
He added that Qazi has received
full cooperation from the Iraqis.
DELAYS IN NEGOTIATIONS ON KOSOVO’S FINAL
STATUS WOULD INCREASE RISKS
There is now a
clear timetable that could lead to negotiations on
Kosovo’s final status in the second half of 2005. To defer this process
for much longer would only prolong the pain, increase the risks, and delay the
day when the region will turn its back on a painful past and move towards a
common European future.
That’s what the
Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Kosovo,
Søren Jessen-Petersen, told the
Security Council this morning. He added that partition is not a realistic
option, since Kosovo must have space for all communities as a stable,
tolerant, multi-ethnic democracy.
He noted several
positive developments, including the upcoming
resumption of direct dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade, the transfer of
more competencies from the UN Mission to the Provisional Institutions of
Self-Government, and the fact that Kosovo’s Prime Minister has been reaching
out to minorities.
At the same time, however, he said that social and
economic hardship could at any moment turn into a threat to political
stability.
U.N. MISSION IN HAITI INVESTIGATING RAPE
CLAIM
The
UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti is investigating an allegation that
three peacekeepers raped a local woman, who claimed the incident took place in
Gonaives last Friday.
A preliminary inquiry started on Saturday morning;
results from that initial inquiry indicate that the incident involved two
Pakistani police officers and was a case of prostitution.
Nonetheless, the personal conduct code for peacekeepers
rules out any involvement in prostitution and strict disciplinary action will
be taken against both officers, including suspension from duty and
repatriation, if the allegations are further substantiated.
A board of enquiry is also being established to further
probe the allegations.
Asked about the follow-up to
the inquiry, the Spokesman said that, if troops have been contributed by a
national government, that government retains the responsibility for
disciplining them. If these soldiers are found to be guilty, he said, they
would be sent back to their home country, where they could face disciplinary
action.
U.N. PEACEKEEPING CHIEF MEETING U.S.
OFFICIALS IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
Jean-Marie Guehenno, the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping
Operations, is in Washington D.C. today and tomorrow.
His two-day trip includes a
speech on the
Democratic Republic of the Congo at the U.S. Institute for Peace this
morning, as well as meetings with the press and high-level government
officials.
As well as discussing general
peacekeeping matters, he’ll also be talking about the measures being taken by
the
UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations to address sexual exploitation
and abuse by UN peacekeepers.
PROJECTED COST OF U.N. MISSION IN SUDAN
IS $1 BILLION
An addendum to the
Secretary-General’s
report on the
UN Mission in Sudan on the financial implications for the deployment of
the UN peacekeeping operation in that country. The operation is currently
projected at some $1 billion for a 12-month period.
Meanwhile, the UN Mission in
Sudan in Khartoum says that the African Union has confirmed an attack by armed
militia on Sunday on a village near Nyala in
South Darfur in which two villagers were killed and two others wounded.
In southern Sudan, the United
Nations halted access to Juba while the mission assesses reports of an
ammunition dump explosion in that area yesterday.
Asked how many troops would be
paid for by the budget, the Spokesman said it was about 10,000, for a 12-month
period.
ANNAN SADDENED OVER HARM CAUSED BY
AVALANCHES
IN JAMMU AND KASHMIR
In a statement issued today, the Spokesman said that
Secretary-General Kofi Annan was
saddened to learn of the loss of life and damage to property in Jammu and
Kashmir due to avalanches and heavy snows over the past two weeks.
He extends his deepest condolences to the people of Jammu
and Kashmir, especially to the families of the hundreds who have been killed
and injured because of the heavy snowfall.
HEAVY SNOWFALL IN AFGHANISTAN CAUSING
CONCERN
The
UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan warns that the heavy snowfall that
has taken place in the country has caused great concern about disease
outbreaks, road blockage and food scarcity.
In one of the most-affected provinces, Ghor, the
World Food Programme has managed to distribute 182 metric tons of food,
and is now considering food airdrops.
Meanwhile, the
UN Office for Project Services is coordinating snow clearance in 12 Afghan
provinces, along with the country’s Ministry of Public Works.
In the long term, UN agencies and the Afghan Government
are looking into the possibility of floods throughout the country once the
snow melts, and are working to draw a map of high-risk areas that could be
affected by floods.
DEPUTY
SECRETARY-GENERAL DISCUSSES U.N. REFORM
WITH EUROPEAN UNION OFFICIALS IN BRUSSELS
The
Deputy Secretary-General, Louise Frechette, is in Brussels, completing the
second day of her visit to the European Union.
Yesterday, she met with the
President of the European Parliament. Discussion focused on UN reform and the
relationship between the United Nations and the European Parliament.
This morning, the Deputy
Secretary-General met with the Minister of Cooperation and Humanitarian
Affairs of Luxembourg, Jean-Louis Schiltz. Luxembourg currently holds the EU
Presidency. They discussed the preparations for the 2005 Summit, overseas
development assistance, innovative sources of financing for development and
aid coordination.
She is also meeting Franco
Frattini, Vice President of the Commission and Commissioner for Justice,
Freedom and Security.
BENON SEVAN REQUESTED EXTENSION BEFORE
REPLYING TO CHARGE LETTER
Yesterday was the deadline for Benon Sevan and Joseph
Stephanides to respond to the charge letters that had been sent to them two
weeks ago.
Sevan sent a letter to the Office of Human Resources
Management requesting an extension before replying in detail to the charge
letter. That request is being considered.
Stephanides did respond to the charge letter. His
response will now be reviewed according to normal procedures before any action
is taken.
In response to a question, the
Spokesman later said that internal audits by the
UN Office of Internal Oversight Services were never shared with the
members of the
661 committee. They subsequently given to
Paul Volcker and also to the U.S. government as per their request
following the
General Assembly resolution passed in December.
INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION WAS
NOT GRANTED
NECESSARY MEETINGS IN MYANMAR
A mission from the
International Labour Organization (ILO) left Myanmar today after a
three-day visit there. The purpose of the visit was to evaluate the attitudes
of the Myanmar authorities towards the elimination of forced labour.
The ILO team issued a
statement in which it made clear that the team had not been granted the
meetings that would have enabled it to complete its mission. It also said that
there would be no point in continuing talks with Myanmar officials at the
technical level.
In addition, the team urged the Myanmar authorities to
find credible solutions to the serious forced labour cases identified by the
ILO last year.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
TOBACCO TREATY ENTERS INTO FORCE ON SUNDAY: The
World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
enters into force this Sunday, 27 February. The
treaty will then become legally binding for the 40 countries that ratified
it before 30 November, 2004. Among other things, those countries will have three
years to ensure that tobacco packaging carries strong health warnings, and five
years to establish bans on tobacco advertising and promotion.
KOFI ANNAN INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP TO BE LAUNCHED
TONIGHT: The Friends of the Freie Universität Berlin and the
Global Compact will
launch the Kofi Annan International Fellowship in Global Governance
at tonight’s Transatlantic Bridge Award Gala in New York. Under the terms
of this fellowship, up to 20 doctoral and postdoctoral fellows from major
universities around the world will work with the Global Compact and its partner
organizations, as well as with companies participating in the Global Compact.
The program is expected to advance research on responsible corporate citizenship
and to strengthen the worldwide academic network of the Global Compact.
POLIO IMMUNIZATION CAMPAIGN BEGINS IN UGANDA:
UNICEF, the UN Children’s Fund, says the first of two rounds of
immunizations to protect more than a million children in
Uganda against the threat of
polio
begins this week in 15 districts of the country bordering Sudan. The
campaign is led by the Ministry of Health with the support of UNICEF,
WHO and other partners.
UNFPA RESPONDS TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH NEEDS IN TSUNAMI
REGION: Responding to critical needs in Thailand’s tsunami-affected
communities, the
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is
expanding its support for maternal and child health and family planning
services, as well as for
HIV prevention. Working with Thai health authorities and NGO partners, UNFPA
will offer training, research, supplies and equipment to four hard-hit
provinces.
***The guest at the noon briefing was Hania Zlotnik, the
new Director of the Population Division, who briefed on "World Population
Change: 1950-2050 -- the 2004 Revision."
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