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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S NOON BRIEFING

BY FRED ECKHARD

SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

ANNAN WELCOMES CONVENING OF IRAQ’S TRANSITIONAL NATIONAL
ASSEMBLY




Secretary-General

Kofi Annan
welcomes the convening today in Baghdad of the Transitional National
Assembly (TNA) of

Iraq

 

This marks an important step in Iraq’s political transition process.

 

Now that the TNA has been convened, the Secretary-General hopes that the
Transitional Government of Iraq will be formed quickly so that Iraq can move
forward to the next phase of its political transition, particularly the
drafting of a national constitution by the people of Iraq.

 

As stated by his Special Representative,


Ashraf Qazi,
in his address to the Assembly upon its inauguration, the Secretary-General
wishes to assure the Iraqi people and their elected representatives that the
United Nations will continue to support their efforts in the political and
economic reconstruction of their country, including by providing any needed
assistance to Iraq’s sovereign and independent constitution-making process.

 

To that end, his Special Representative will continue to consult with the
newly elected members of the TNA and other Iraqi representatives, with a
view to promoting dialogue and national reconciliation.

 

Qazi today told the Transitional National Assembly, "The opportunities
before the people of Iraq are unlimited. But the challenges facing them are
also significant."

 

He told the Assembly that they should keep their constituents regularly
informed about their deliberations, and will profit from transparency and
inclusiveness during the writing of the Constitution.

 ANNAN ENDS VISIT TO MIDDLE EAST VISIT AMID RENEWED HOPE
FOR PEACE


The


Secretary-General
has left Israel,
and is on his way back to New York.

 

Last night, the Secretary-General wrapped up his trip in Israel at a
dinner hosted by President Moshe Katsav, and


said
that the inauguration earlier that day of the Holocaust History Museum at
Yad Vashem had been well-timed, coming at a time of renewed hope for peace
in the Middle East.

 

The ceremony, he added, also occurs as Israel and the United Nations
continue to build a new relationship. "There is a sense that Israel and the
United Nations have rediscovered each other," he said.

 

Before dinner, the Secretary-General met with the Speaker of the Knesset,
Reuven Rivlin.  The Speaker shared with the Secretary-General his views
on the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians.

 U.N. TEAM ON HARIRI KILLING IS ON ITS WAY BACK TO NEW YORK


The team headed by


Peter Fitzgerald
that was to
examine the circumstances, causes and consequences of the killing of former
Prime Minister Rafic Hariri has finished its inquiry.

 

The team left Lebanon this morning, and members of the team are expected
to arrive in New York on Thursday. The team hopes to report to the


Secretary-General
sometime next week.

 

Asked when the report by the team would come out, the Spokesman said that
the results of their work will be conveyed to the


Security Council
by the Secretary-General, in a format that has not yet been decided.



EASTERN DR CONGO IS BIGGEST, MOST NEGLECTED HUMANITARIAN
EMERGENCY


The eastern


Democratic Republic of the Congo
(DRC)
is the location of the biggest and most neglected humanitarian emergency in
the world – even when compared to what’s happening in

Darfur, Sudan.

 

That is the view of


Jan Egeland
, the
Under-Secretary-General for

Humanitarian Affairs
and the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, who

briefed the press in Geneva
today on humanitarian relief
efforts.

 

Egeland said that a recent survey indicated that there were 1,000
preventable deaths in the eastern DRC each day. 

 NUMBER OF DISPLACED PEOPLE IN DARFUR COULD REACH THREE
MILLION


On Sudan, in that


same press briefing
, the Egeland
warned that unless an agreement was reached soon and humanitarian agencies
were given full access and freedom to operate, the number of internally
displaced people in

Darfur
could reach three million by
the end of the year. He also noted that attacks against civilians were
continuing and the abuse and rape of women was rampant. 

 

Also in Geneva, 15 UN human rights experts issued a joint statement,
saying that the violations in Darfur have been "staggering in scale and
harrowing in nature." If the statement "Never again" is to have any meaning,
they said, now must be the time for action.

 

The experts called on the


Security Council
to take concrete action immediately to stop further violence. They strongly
backed the recommendation of the International Commission of Inquiry that
the International Criminal Court deal with the case of atrocities in Darfur.

 

The

UN Mission in
Sudan
, meanwhile, reports that 37
cases of measles have been reported from West Darfur and eight cases have
been reported from South Darfur. A supplementary measles immunization
campaign targeting children has begun in two locations that have reported
the majority of cases.



U.N. PEACEKEEPERS HELP CLEAN UP CITE SOLEIL NEIGHBOURHOOD IN
HAITI


Peacekeepers from the


UN Stabilization Mission in
Haiti
yesterday
carried
out an operation in the Cite Soleil neighborhood of the capital
Port-au-Prince, with the double-aim of helping make it more secure as well
as cleaning it up.

 

The operation involved 200 blue helmets from the Jordanian military
contingent, as well as fourteen armored vehicles, and tractors, trucks and
water tankers.

 

Members of the Ecuadorian and Chilean military contingents later joined
the Jordanians.

 

As well as maintaining a visible presence to help deter violence there,
the UN peacekeepers also rid the neighbourhood of huge piles of rubbish
which had been cluttering roads and affecting the health of residents.

 

In addition, the peacekeepers distributed food and water to the
residents. 

 ERSKINE BOWLES APPOINTED DEPUTY SPECIAL ENVOY FOR TSUNAMI
RECOVERY


The


Secretary-General
today appointed
Erskine Bowles as the Deputy Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery.

 

At the request of the Special Envoy, former U.S. President


Bill Clinton,
Bowles will leave for the region today to assess how the global humanitarian
community has responded to the disaster.

 

Bowles will also attend an Asian Development Bank conference in Manila on
18 March. 

 

Following Bowles' visit to the region, President Clinton will convene a
meeting of UN agency heads in New York to discuss the status of their
tsunami recovery work.

  UNICEF IS APPALLED BY MASSACRE OF KENYAN CHILDREN


The

UN Children’s
Fund
, or UNICEF,
says
that it is appalled by the killing of at least 16 children in clashes
between rivalling clans in

Kenya.

 

UNICEF Representative Heimo Laakkonen expressed horror at the viciousness
of the attack on the Garre clan, which took place yesterday. "The shocking
reality is that children seem to have been the primary target," he said.

 

The attack took place in the Mandera District, where over twenty thousand
people have been displaced by violence in recent months.



U.N. ENVOY WELCOMES DIRECT TALKS BETWEEN SERBIA AND KOSOVO


The head of the

UN
Interim Administration in Kosovo
,
Soren Jessen-Petersen,
today welcomed the resumption of direct talks between Serbia and Kosovo.

 

The talks are to resolve the issue of more than 3,000 people still
missing five years after the North Atlantic Treaty Organization drove out
Yugoslav troops amid ethnic fighting between Albanians and Serbs.

 WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME TO ASSIST DROUGHT VICTIMS IN UGANDA


The

World Food
Programme
(WFP) has launched a
six-month food relief operation in Uganda to assist nearly 600,000 people
suffering from drought in the northeastern region of Karamoja.

 

Even before the poor harvest of 2004, the region’s malnutrition rate of
18.7% was the highest in the country. WFP says it is greatly concerned about
the situation, and has started distributing food and assisting health
centres across the region.

 

To maintain its full activities until December 2005, WFP currently
requires an additional $54 million.



OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

DAMAGE REPORTED IN SOUTHERN COOK ISLANDS FOLLOWING CYCLONE: Turning now
to Cyclone Percy, which struck the South Pacific last month, a UN emergency team
has completed assessments in the southern Cook Islands and confirmed that they
are not in a state of emergency. In Tokelau, however, significant damage has
been reported on three atolls, with extensive beach erosion, a massive loss of
staple crops, and destroyed fish habitats being areas of particular concern.


NO SECURITY COUNCIL MEETINGS TODAY:  There are no meetings or
consultations of the


Security Council
scheduled for today.

BENON SEVAN GRANTED AN EXTENSION TO RESPOND TO OIL-FOR-FOOD COMMITTEE:
Asked about the responses by Benon Sevan and Joseph Stephanides to the report by
the Independent Inquiry Committee examining the oil-for-food program, the
Spokesman said that Sevan had been granted an extension to give him time to
respond, and he still has some time left under that extension. Stephanides, he
added, replied within the two-week original deadline, and is awaiting a decision
on his case.


DILEEP NAIR CASE TO MEET MALLOCH-BROWN AT END OF WEEK: Asked when the
case of the Under-Secretary-General for


Internal Oversight,
Dileep Nair,
will be dealt with, the Spokesman said that Nair will meet with Chef de Cabinet
Mark Malloch Brown when he returns from Malaysia at the end of this week. After
that discussion, Malloch Brown will decide whether to re-open an investigation
based on complaints made by the UN Staff Council.

NO COMMENT ON U.S. NOMINATION OF CANDIFATE FOR WORLD BANK PRESIDENCY: The
Spokesman declined to comment on the announcement that the United States had
nominated Paul Wolfowitz to be World Bank President, saying that the selection
of a President is a process in which the


Secretary-General
is not involved. Asked about comments made by

Jeffrey Sachs
on Wolfowitz, the Spokesman said that any remarks that Sachs may have made would
be in his role as a Columbia University professor, not as a UN official.

CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM OF SPOKESMAN’S OFFICE ALWAYS WELCOME: Asked about
comments by former U.S. Ambassador to the UN Richard Holbrooke criticizing the
"UN press operation" as antiquated, the Spokesman said that, if Holbrooke were
referring to the Spokesman’s Office, he would welcome any constructive criticism
that the former Ambassador may have.

     Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

United Nations, S-378

New York, NY 10017

Tel. 212-963-7162 - press/media only

Fax. 212-963-7055



All other inquiries to be addressed to (212) 963-4475 or by
e-mail to: inquiries@un.org

 

 
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