HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S NOON BRIEFING
BY FRED ECKHARD
SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Monday, February 28, 2005
ANNAN STRONGLY
CONDEMNS “HORRENDOUS” BOMBING IN IRAQ
Secretary-General Kofi Annan
condemns in the strongest possible terms the horrendous suicide car
bombing that took place today in Hillah, in which over 110 civilians, police
and National Guard volunteers were reportedly killed and at least 130
injured. This terrorist attack constitutes a flagrant violation of
international humanitarian law.
These repeated acts of senseless violence, in which the
Iraqi people have become the main target, only seek to undermine the prospects
of a peaceful, democratic and prosperous
Iraq.
The Secretary-General appeals to all Iraqis to refrain
from all acts of violence, put aside their differences and work together in a
spirit of national reconciliation. Ultimately, the foundations of a new Iraq
can only be built through peaceful means, based on dialogue, mutual
understanding and compromise. The United Nations will continue to stand by the
Iraqi people in this process.
The Secretary-General extends his sincere condolences and
deepest sympathies to the families of all the victims of this reprehensible
attack and hopes for the speedy recovery of the wounded.
ANNAN NOMINATES
HEAD OF W.T.O. TO LEAD UNCTAD
The Secretary-General has nominated Supachai Panitchpakdi
of Thailand to head the
UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) for a term of four years
beginning on 1 September 2005. Dr. Supachai currently heads the World Trade
Organization.
This appointment will need to be confirmed by the General
Assembly.
In a
statement, the Secretary-General said he is absolutely delighted that
Supachai Panitchpakdi has agreed that he should propose his appointment as the
next Secretary-General of UNCTAD.
He added that Supachai has done an outstanding job as
Director-General of the World Trade Organization, particularly in pushing
forward the very difficult process of the Doha round, on which rest many of
the hopes for economic progress in developing countries and the achievement of
the Millennium Development Goals.
Supachai’s willingness to move to UNCTAD is eloquent
testimony to the important role of that body in ensuring that the interests of
development are taken into account in discussions on world trade, and that the
voice of developing countries is heard. In him, the United Nations, and the
developing world, will have an advocate of incomparable authority in the trade
arena.
Asked whether the new UN
recruitment policy applied to Supachai’s selection, the Spokesman said that
his appointment had already been in the pipeline. He added that it was “an
appointment that we are particularly proud of,” saying that the United Nations
expects that Member States will applaud the choice.
ANNAN SAYS PROGRESS FOR WOMEN MARRED BY
TRAFFICKING
AND “TERRIFYING” GROWTH OF HIV/AIDS
Ten years after the 1995 World Conference on Women in
Beijing, women are not only more aware of their rights, they are more able to
exercise them. That’s what the Secretary-General
said this morning at the opening of the Session
of the Commission on the Status of Women marking Beijing Plus Ten.
He added that, while we have seen tangible progress on
many fronts – including improving life expectancy for women and more girls
enrolled in primary education – new challenges, such as
the trafficking of women and children and the
terrifying growth of HIV/AIDS among young women, remain.
DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL STRESSES ANNAN’S
ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY
ON SEX ABUSE AT PEACEKEEPING MISSION IN LIBERIA
Deputy Secretary-General Louise Frechette arrived in Monrovia,
Liberia today, starting the first leg of her visit to UN
peacekeeping missions.
The purpose of the visit is to drive home with the
peacekeeping missions the Secretary-General's zero tolerance policy on sexual
exploitation and abuse.
She met with Special Representative Jacques Klein.
Tomorrow, she is scheduled to meet with the mission’s management team and hold
a Town Hall meeting with the entire staff.
In the course of the week she will also visit
peacekeeping missions in
Sierra Leone and
Côte d'Ivoire.
SUDAN: MORE VIOLENCE REPORTED IN DARFUR
The UN Advance Mission in Sudan continues to report on
violence in Darfur,
Sudan.
A number of weekend incidents were reported, including an
attack by tribal militia on a village in South Darfur, which the African Union
said resulted in the deaths of two villagers.
TIMOR-LESTE: U.N. SUPPORT STILL NEEDED
FOR PEACE & STABILITY
If the United Nations withdraws its military liaison
officers and police trainers from Timor-Leste as scheduled by May 20, the
country may face insurmountable challenges in its path towards peace and
stability.
That is what Sukehiro Hasegawa, the Secretary-General’s
Special Representative for Timor-Leste, told the Security Council today in its
open meeting on that country, where the
UN Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET) is scheduled to wrap up its
work in May.
The Secretary-General, in his latest
report to the Council, recommended that a scaled-down UN Mission be kept
in the country for another 12-month period. Hasegawa said that the period
could be shortened if bilateral and multilateral arrangements are found to
assume the responsibilities that the Mission currently performs. We have
copies of his speech upstairs.
Today is the last day of Benin’s
Presidency of the Security Council. Tomorrow, Brazil will take over the
rotating Council Presidency for the month of March.
Secretary-General
Condemns Tel Aviv Suicide Bomb Attack
In a
statement issued on Friday evening, the Secretary-General condemned in the
strongest possible terms the suicide bomb attack in Tel Aviv.
He expressed his hope that immediate action would be
taken to apprehend and bring to justice the perpetrators. This terrorist act
should not be allowed to undermine the recent positive steps taken by both
sides.
The Secretary-General offered his heartfelt condolences
to the families of the victims.
NEW PLAN AIMS TO PROMOTE SELF-RELIANCE
FOR PALESTINIAN REFUGEES
There are two announcements from the
UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
(UNRWA).
First, earlier today in Geneva, the Agency’s
Commissioner-General, Peter Hansen,
unveiled a 5-year medium term
plan. The plan is designed not only to enhance the quality of its
education, health and social services, but also to better promote
self-reliance among the refugees by extending the Agency’s micro-credit
programme, increasing its provision of vocational training and by upgrading
the conditions in the refugee camps.
The agency is requesting $1.1 billion over the next five
years to implement this plan, which was designed in consultations with major
donors.
Second, the Saudi Arabian government
said it will donate $20 million to UNRWA’s emergency relief fund. This
will go towards a major re-housing project in Rafah in southern Gaza for many
of the thousands of refugees who lost their homes during Israeli demolition
operations in the last four years.
UNITED NATIONS INVESTIGATES PRISON ESCAPE ATTEMPT IN
D.R. CONGO
The
UN Organization Mission in the DRC (MONUC)
reports that one of its peacekeepers shot and killed a prisoner as he
tried to escape from a jail in the country’s northeast.
About 15 prisoners kicked down
the door of a makeshift jail cell at the UN base near the town of Bunia, the
capital of the Ituri District.
The prisoners then attacked a
UN guard and tried to steal his weapon. The guard struggled with the
prisoners and managed to fire several warning shots as they tried to flee.
One prisoner was killed in the
shooting and another wounded. No prisoners escaped.
Several other prisoners were
injured while being apprehended and were taken to a UN hospital in Bunia.
The UN Mission is carrying out an investigation into the escape.
Asked about the circumstances
of the shooting that killed one prisoner, the Spokesman said that the matter
was under investigation, and the United Nations would wait for that
investigation to be completed.
HAITI: THREE U.N. PEACEKEEPERS SHOT AND
WOUNDED DURING PATROLS
The
UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) reports that three Brazilian
peacekeepers were shot and wounded during routine patrols over the weekend in
the Bel Air neighborhood of the Haitian capital, Port au Prince.
Two of the soldiers were shot at late Friday, and the
third on Saturday.
All three received prompt medical treatment and later
rejoined their contingent. All of them are reported in good condition today.
The armed elements who shot at the Brazilians have not
yet been identified.
The UN Mission is investigating the shootings.
COTE
D’IVOIRE: U.N. PEACEKEEPERS QUELL VIOLENCE IN WESTERN VILLAGE
The Secretary-General, in a letter to the Security
Council President, has informed members of his intention to appoint Sweden’s
former Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Pierre Schori, as his
Special Representative in Cote d’Ivoire. The Security Council is expected to
respond to the letter by midday Wednesday.
Meanwhile, peacekeepers of the
UN Operation in Cote d’Ivoire (UNOCI) stepped in to restore security in a
western village earlier today following an early morning attack launched by a
group of armed young men against a Forces Nouvelles checkpoint.
Following UN peacekeepers’ action, 87 armed men were
detained and will be handed over to the appropriate authorities. Their weapons
and ammunition were also seized. A Bangladeshi peacekeeper was seriously
injured, as well as two civilians, according to the Peacekeeping Department.
The UN mission says it regrets this attack and considers
that it could only serve as a setback to the peace process at a time when the
international community, in particular the South African mediation process, as
well as all the actors of the Cote d’Ivoire conflict, have made every effort
to find a political solution to the crisis.
In another incident, on Sunday night, fighting broke out
at another village. The UN mission managed to send troops to quell the
fighting in which nine villagers were injured.
TOGO:
ANNAN WELCOMES DESIGNATION OF INTERIM HEAD OF STATE
The Secretary-General, in a
statement issued Friday evening, welcomed the decision by Faure Gnassingbé
to step down as Head of State of Togo and the subsequent designation by the
National Assembly of an Interim Head of State who will oversee the
organization of the forthcoming elections in accordance with the Constitution.
The Secretary-General notes that as a result of those
positive developments, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
has lifted the sanctions imposed on Togo.
He reaffirms the commitment of the United Nations to
support current efforts towards facilitating a smooth transition in Togo.
U.N.
NUCLEAR WATCHDOG WORKING ON FINDING SOURCES
OF CONTAMINATION ON IRANIAN EQUIPMENT
The Board of
Governors for the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA)
is meeting
today in Vienna, and Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei
told the
Board that the Agency has made progress in following up on information
provided by Iran on its centrifuge programs.
He encouraged Iran
to provide full transparency on its nuclear activities and to work closely
with the Agency to build the necessary confidence.
ElBaradei, in
response to a question from a reporter today, said he could not put any time
frame on when the Iran issue would be resolved. However, he told reporters,
the Agency is making progress on the substance of the important issues,
including determining the sources of contamination found on Iranian equipment.
ElBaradei also
discussed with the Board the failures by Egypt to report nuclear material and
facilities to the Agency in a timely manner, which he said was a matter of
concern. The IAEA notes that only small amounts of nuclear material were
involved in Egypt’s activities.
OTHER
ANNOUNCEMENTS
SIERRA LEONE COURT PROSECUTOR RESIGNS:
David M. Crane, Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra
Leone, notified the Secretary General by letter that he would not seek
reappointment and will leave his position effective 15 July 2005.
Appointed in April 2002, Crane assumed his duties as
Prosecutor on 15 July 2002, with the mandate of prosecuting those who bore the
greatest responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity during the
civil war in Sierra Leone in the 1990’s.
ANNAN TELLS CIVIL SERVICE BODY TO HELP CREATE GOOD
WORKING CONDITIONS FOR U.N. STAFF: The Secretary-General today called on the
International Civil Service Commission to do its utmost to create for the staff
of the UN system the conditions they need to succeed, at the more than 500 duty
stations at which they serve the world’s people. His remark was part of a
message to the Commission’s 16th session, being held today in Bangkok.
AFGHANS ASSISTED IN EFFORTS TO COPE WITH UNUSUALLY HARSH
WINTER: The
UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has an
update on the UN system’s efforts to deal with the severe winter weather in
that country. The World Food Programme
says it has so far distributed 515 metric tons of food to the most affected
province, Zabul. Meanwhile, the
UN Office for Project Services, which has helped to coordinate snow
clearance activities, says that of 25 major passes throughout Afghanistan, only
four remain closed.
U.N. DECADE ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN EDUCATION TO
BE LAUNCHED: Koïchiro Matsuura, Director General
of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) will
launch the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development tomorrow at
5.30 p.m., here at Headquarters. The main goal of the Decade is to encourage
Member States to integrate the concept of sustainable development into their
education policies.
TOO EARLY TO RESPOND TO
LEBANESE GOVERNMENT’S RESIGNATION: Asked
about the resignation of the Lebanese government, the Spokesman said that it was
too early to comment on the event, which had taken place just before the
briefing.
ALMOST 40 COUNTRIES FACE SERIOUS FOOD SHORTAGES:
Worldwide, 36 countries need food aid, while 11 countries face unfavourable
prospects for their current crops, according to a Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO)
report released today. The report, called Foodcrops and Shortages,
adds that the highest number of countries facing food emergencies continues to
be in Africa, and says that whereas the causes are varied, civil strife and
adverse weather predominate.
PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP KEY TO AGRICULTURAL
DEVELOPMENT: An integrated
approach to agricultural investment, emphasizing greater public-private
partnership, is key to agricultural development in Central and Eastern Europe
and the Commonwealth of Independent States, according to the
Food and Agriculture Organization. A two-day
forum opens today at the agency's Rome headquarters, where participants will
discuss investment projects in the region.
**Immediately after the noon briefng, Carol Bellamy,
Executive Director of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), briefed on the
tenth-year review and appraisal of the Beijing Plan of Action and on the sexual
exploitation of women.
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