HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S NOON BRIEFING
BY FRED ECKHARD
SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Friday, February 25, 2005
ANNAN STRONGLY
CONDEMNS MURDER OF U.N. PEACEKEEPERS IN D.R. CONGO
Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in a statement, strongly
condemns the murder of nine United Nations peacekeepers from Bangladesh
today during an ambush by unidentified militia groups near Kafé in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) who were part of a company protecting a
camp for internally displaced people.
He extends his deepest sympathy and condolences to the
Government of Bangladesh and the families of the victims, who have sacrificed
their lives in the service of peace.
The Secretary-General calls on the Transitional
Government of the DRC to make every effort to find and hold accountable those
responsible for this reprehensible and criminal attack. He reaffirms that this
attack will not deter the
UN Organization Mission in the DRC (MONUC) from carrying out its mandate
in helping move the peace process forward in the DRC.
The UN flag at Headquarters is flying at half-mast today,
to officially mourn the killing of the peacekeepers.
The Secretary-General was asked about this incident by a
reporter today, and he
said he was extremely saddened by the loss of the peacekeepers. He added:
“They are good peacekeepers, and I am sorry it had to end like this.” He also
called on the DRC’s government to work with the United Nations in tracking
down the perpetrators of the attack.
PERPETRATORS OF PEACEKEEPER ATTACK STILL
UNKNOWN
The troops were part of a larger group of blue helmets,
which has been in the area protecting people fleeing harassment by local armed
militias, as well as fighting among those same militias.
The patrols had been on their way to local camps believed
to belong to a militia group, which has refused to take part in the
disarmament and reintegration process.
Two platoons were sent by helicopter to reinforce the
patrols’ survivors and secure the area.
At this stage, it is unknown who is responsible for the
attack, and the
UN Organization Mission in the DRC (MONUC) is investigating.
The Mission believes that the premeditated attack was in
response to efforts by peacekeepers to neutralize the militias which have been
terrorizing the local population, in addition to looting and carrying out
illegal tax collection.
Asked about the numbers of
survivors from the attack, the Spokesman later said that there had been a
total number of 21 soldiers involved in the patrols, and the United Nations
was checking to determine how many had been wounded.
Asked about the scale of the
attack, the Spokesman said that a death toll of nine in a hostile attack is
“an unusually large number.”
ANNAN
TO MEET WITH MIDDLE EAST QUARTET IN LONDON
The Secretary-General will leave for London on Monday
afternoon. On Tuesday morning he will address the London Meeting on Supporting
the Palestinian Authority hosted by UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.
In the afternoon, he will participate in a
ministerial-level meeting of the
Middle East “Quartet”, which also includes U.S. Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and European Union
foreign policy chief Javier Solana.
He is expected to have a number of bilateral meetings in
the margins of the all-day conference.
He will then return to New York on Tuesday morning.
SECRETARY-GENERAL SEEKS NEW U.N. REFUGEE
CHIEF
As part of a new approach in recruiting leaders of
international organizations, the Secretary-General is writing to member states
for suggestions of candidates to fill the post of High Commissioner for
Refugees.
These names would be in addition to those that may emerge
from the Secretary-General’s own consultations.
In the letter, the Secretary-General says that he can
only be sure of finding the best person for one of the most important jobs in
the UN system if the best qualified candidates come forward and are judged
against transparent selection criteria.
In outlining some of the necessary criteria, the
Secretary-General says he wants someone with a thorough knowledge of refugee
issues and of unimpeachable personal and professional
integrity.
He or she must have proven skills in
the management of a complex organization and, of course, be an unflinching
champion of the
cause of refugees, not only by providing for their relief but also by
firmly upholding the international principles which entitle them to
protection.
The Secretary-General’s Chef de Cabinet,
Mark Malloch Brown, will be sending a similar letter to major
non-governmental organizations involved in refugee issues, also soliciting
names for the post of High Commissioner for Refugees.
Asked about the previous
tradition of having the High Commissioner come from one of the nations that
contributes the most funding to the agency, the Spokesman said he did not
think a preference would be given based on national contributions to UNHCR.
This, he said, could be the first time that the Secretary-General has asked
all Member States for a candidate, and “it’s a wide-open search for the best
candidate.” He also noted that, in a new step, the United Nations was
requesting names from non-governmental organizations.
Asked how this would affect UN
policies concerning geographic rotation, the Spokesman said that the
geographic distribution of posts is a Charter requirement, but the Charter
also says to find the best qualified candidate.
Asked how this policy would
affect the search for a new UNDP Administrator, the Spokesman said later that
the Secretary-General had mentioned in his letter that the search for a UNDP
Administrator, like the one for a High Commissioner for Refugees, could serve
as an example of a new approach.
DEPUTY
SECRETARY-GENERAL TO ADDRESS SEXUAL ABUSE
AT PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS
Deputy Secretary-General Louise Frechette
is winding up her visit to the European Union
today.
Among European Commission
members she spoke with were Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the Commission,
and Louis Michel, Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid. She also
met with Javier Solana, Secretary General of the Council of the European Union
and High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy.
Issues discussed at meetings
with EU officials included the preparation for the 2005 General Assembly event
to review the implementation of the
Millennium Declaration, development and humanitarian issues, and the
situations in the
Middle East,
Iraq,
Darfur, and the
Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Next week, the Deputy
Secretary-General will visit UN
peacekeeping missions in
Liberia,
Sierra Leone and
Côte d'Ivoire and
Kosovo. The purpose of her visit is to meet with military and civilian
members in the missions and to reaffirm the zero-tolerance message of the
Secretary-General on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.
This will be the first in a
series of visits by the Deputy Secretary-General to peacekeeping operations
worldwide to reinforce that message. Her next mission will be to
Haiti.
Asked what the policy the
Deputy Secretary-General will underscore entails, the Spokesman noted that no
UN peacekeeping mission allows the soliciting of prostitutes. Although the age
of consent varies from country to country, he added that the United Nations
follows the international standard that the age of consent should be 18 years.
He noted that the Mission in
the Democratic Republic of the Congo has a tougher regime than other
peacekeeping missions, which prohibits all fraternization, or social contacts
with the local population. It could not be excluded, Eckhard said, that such a
policy could be applied to other missions.
HAITI: U.N. POLICE OFFICERS SUSPENDED
OVER RAPE ALLEGATIONS
The preliminary inquiry into
the rape allegations made by a Haitian woman against UN civilian police
officers serving there has ended, and a board of inquiry is underway to
investigate the claim in-depth.
At this stage, two Pakistani police officers
have been suspended, and they will be repatriated if the board confirms the
initial findings.
The board is expected to make a
decision in two weeks.
LEBANON: U.N. INVESTIGATIVE TEAM STARTS
WORK TODAY
The
UN Mission of Inquiry that is examining the February 14 Beirut bombing
began its mission in Lebanon today. The head of the mission, Peter Fitzgerald,
held warm and constructive meetings with Lebanese Interior Minister Suleiman
Franjieh and Justice Minister Adnan Addoum, to discuss cooperation between his
team and the Lebanese authorities.
Fitzgerald also met with the sons of the late former
Prime Minister, Rafic Hariri, who was killed in the bombing, and expressed his
condolences and sympathy.
Prior to those meetings, Fitzgerald issued a statement to
the press, saying that his team understands the gravity of the task at hand
and that it would work with absolute impartiality and professionalism. He
promised that the team would carry out its mandate in a timely manner.
He said he looks forward to working closely with the
Lebanese authorities and to learning about their progress “in investigating
this terrible crime.”
Asked how many people were
involved in the UN team, the Spokesman said it comprised five principals, as
well as support staff. The team would start its work in Lebanon, he added, but
could go elsewhere if it felt the need to do so. He noted that the mission has
been welcomed by both Lebanon and Syria.
ANNAN WELCOMES STRONGER COOPERATION ON
SECURITY IN WEST AFRICA
The Security Council is holding an
open meeting on cross-border issues in West Africa.
The Secretary-General, in his
opening
remarks, welcomed the recent efforts of members of the Economic Community
of West African States to address the complex challenges facing the region.
He said there is growing cooperation among security agencies to crack down on
cross-border crime. Efforts are also under way to protect children, stem
small-arms flows and involve civil society groups more regularly in
peace-building and other initiatives.
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for West
Africa,
Ahmedou Ould Abdallah, noted that Togo, where a clumsy alternation to
power was followed by great confusion, is a clear illustration of the
fragility of peace and stability in parts of West Africa.
He went on to say that Togo should also remind us that
unless we address ‘small crises’ in a timely and coherent manner, these could
easily be transformed into bigger and more complicated issues, as happened in
Cote d’Ivoire.
He concluded by saying that the support of the Security
Council remains a precious asset in helping the West African people and states
overcome the challenges ahead.
MASS POLIO IMMUNIZATION CAMPAIGN
LAUNCHED TODAY IN AFRICA
In order to halt the resurgence of polio in Africa, a
mass immunization campaign spanning 22 countries and reaching 100 million
children is being
launched today.
The campaign, initiated in part by the World Health
Organization and UNICEF, gained even greater urgency
from reports that a child has contracted polio in Ethiopia, the first case
there in four years.
That makes Ethiopia the 14th
country to be re-infected with polio since last year’s outbreak.
Other countries being reached
by the campaign are Liberia, where almost one million children will be
immunized, as well as Nigeria and the Democratic republic of the Congo.
With the disease now in its
low-transmission season, the next few months are critical to stopping the
epidemic.
U.N. RELIEF WORK REMAINS UNDER-FUNDED TWO
MONTHS AFTER TSUNAMI
Two months have passed since last December’s
tsunami wreaked havoc throughout South Asia and East Africa. But whereas
some UN agencies – such as the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food
Programme (WFP) – have
received 100% of their
flash appeal requirements, others – like the UN Office of the High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) –
still remain under-funded.
Currently, in Indonesia’s Aceh province, WFP is
providing monthly rations of rice, fortified
noodles, biscuits, canned fish and vegetable oil to 455,000 people, most of
whom are living in camp-like settlements.
For its part, the UNHCR reports that its distribution of
some 10,000 tents to 11 locations along Aceh’s west coast is well underway.
And UNICEF is helping with teacher training,
since the province’s education department lost 10% of its staff to the
tsunami.
Meanwhile, UNDP, which recruited 1,870 local workers
through its Cash for Work programme, was able to reopen Banda Aceh’s General
Hospital and Islamic University.
At Headquarters, the UN Staff’s relief committee for
tsunami victims is holding a fundraising event tonight, in the Visitors Lobby,
from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. The event will feature musical performances, and all
proceeds will be donated to tsunami victims. The
UN Foundation will match, dollar for dollar, all funds raised by the
Committee.
U.S.
CONGRESSIONAL STAFF VISITS U.N. HEADQUARTERS
For the fourteenth year, the United Nations is welcoming
a delegation of U.S. congressional staff members for a day of briefings at
Headquarters.
These staffers will hear from, among others,
Mark Malloch Brown on UN reform efforts,
Robert Orr on the progress of the Millennium Summit, and from
Margareta Wahlstrom on the UN’s relief effort in the tsunami-affected
areas.
This visit is organized by the Humpty-Dumpty Institute.
AFGHANS COPE WITH UNUSUALLY HARSH WINTER
The Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
says it is providing additional assistance to some 200,000 people in
Afghanistan, to help them cope with the unusually harsh winter. UNHCR has
been providing blankets, plastic sheets, sleeping mats, lanterns, soap and
disposable diapers to affected families.
Meanwhile, in
Iran, UNHCR is sending relief supplies, including family-size tents, to
thousands of people who have been left homeless in the town of Zarand
following the earthquake earlier this week. More than 5,000 Afghan refugees
are registered as living in and around Zarand.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
BIRD FLU CONFERENCE RECOMMENDS STRATEGIES FOR DISEASE
CONTROL: A three-day regional conference on bird flu, held in Ho Chi Minh
City,
recommended several strategies to minimize the risk of virus transmission
between species and to therefore protect humans. These include segregation in
farm settings of chickens, ducks, and other animals and a reduction in contact
between these animals and humans. The possibility of vaccinating ducks would
also be explored.
UNEP TO COMBAT MERCURY POLLUTION: At a council
meeting of the
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) today, steps were
taken to reduce the health and environmental risks from mercury, a heavy
metal linked with a wide range of medical problems. UNEP will conduct a study on
the amounts of mercury being traded around the world. The council also agreed to
develop partnerships between governments, non-governmental organizations and the
private sector to reduce mercury pollution.
COLIN FARRELL STARS IN W.F.P. TV SPOT:
The Irish film actor, Colin Farrell, is helping the World Food Programme (WFP)
raise awareness and concern about global hunger. Farrell agreed to appear in the
latest of WFP’s thirty-second public service announcements. It draws attention
to the plight of the hundreds of millions of people who suffer from hunger on a
daily basis – often far from the media spotlight.
THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS
Sunday, February 27
The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control will enter into
force.
Monday, February 28
The Security Council, on the last day of the Presidency of
Benin, has scheduled an open meeting on Timor-Leste.
The tenth-year Review and Appraisal of the Beijing Plan of
Action will start, as part of the 49th Session of the Commission on the Status
of Women, and will run until March 11. The Secretary-General will address
today’s opening session.
In Vienna, a three-day meeting of the International Atomic
Energy Agency’s Board of Governors will begin.
Tuesday, March 1
The Secretary-General will participate in a meeting in
London, at the principals’ level, of the Quartet dealing with the Middle East.
Ambassador Ronaldo Sardenberg of Brazil will take over the
Presidency of the Security Council for the month of March, and is expected to
hold bilateral consultations with other Council members on the program of work.
The UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development will
begin.
The guest at the noon briefing will be Ambassador Mel
Levitsky of the International Narcotics Control Board, who will launch the
Board’s annual report.
At 4:00, Nicole Ameline, French Minister for Parity and Equality in the
Workplace, will brief the press.
Wednesday, March 2
The Security Council is expected to hold consultations on
its program of work for March. Council President Ronaldo Sardenberg of Brazil is
expected to brief the press afterward.
At 11:00 a.m., actress Meryl Streep will moderate a press
briefing by Equality Now to highlight the impact of discriminatory laws on women
around the world.
Thursday, March 3
At 11:15 a.m., Under-Secretary-General for Economic and
Social Affairs Jose Antonio Ocampo and Carolyn Hannan, Director of the Division
for the Advancement of Women, will brief the press on the launch of the World
Survey on the role of women in development.
*** Today’s guests at the noon briefing were: Kyung-wha
Kang, Chairperson of the Commission on the Status of Women; Rachel Mayanja,
Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Gender Issues and Advancement of
Women; and Carolyn Hannan, Director of the Division for the Advancement of
Women. They spoke about the upcoming ten-year review of progress made vis-a-vis
gender equality, since the 1995 World Conference on Women in Beijing.
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