Secretary-General

Noon briefing of 5 August 2005


HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S NOON BRIEFING

BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Thursday, August 4, 2005

KOFI ANNAN CONDEMNS MAURITANIA COUP

  • Secretary-General Kofi Annan condemns the coup d’etat in Mauritania on 3 August.

  • He calls for the restoration of constitutional order and underlines the need for the full respect for human rights and the rule of law.

  • Asked what the United Nations is doing regarding Mauritania, the Spokesman said that the United Nations is in contact with its staff on the ground in that country and is monitoring the situation.

KHARTOUM AND SOUTHERN SUDAN ARE REPORTED CALM TODAY

  • The UN Mission in Sudan says that Khartoum and the south are reported to be calm today.

  • The Secretary-General’s Special Representative Jan Pronk will be traveling to Juba tomorrow to attend the funeral for John Garang who is scheduled to be buried in that southern city on Saturday.

  • The UN mission is providing the organizers of the funeral with logistical assistance including the transport of Mr. Garang’s body.

  • The UN mission has offered its assistance in the expected investigation into the helicopter crash that killed Garang.

  • Meanwhile, harassment of aid delivery vehicles in Darfur continues, according to the UN mission. In one incident, a World Food Programme truck was stopped by armed men and the contents of the truck including significant quantities of wheat and sugar was looted.

IRAQI PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN CONSTITUTION PROCESS HIGH

  • With only two weeks to go before the deadline for drafting Iraq’s Constitution, public participation is happening in the country with an intensity rarely seen in constitutional processes. That’s according to a preliminary report on public participation in Iraq’s constitutional process that was issued today by the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Ashraf Qazi.

  • The report estimates that at least 220,000 Iraqis have enthusiastically taken part in approximately 5,500 constitutional meetings. It is anticipated that another 50,000 Iraqis will be involved in further meetings before the August 15 deadline. Women’s groups, the report notes, have been particularly active.

  • Qazi, in comments today, applauded the efforts of local civil society organizations and the Constitutional Drafting Committee to make the process more transparent.

  • Asked whether the United Nations would accept the Iraqi Constitution, the Spokesman noted that it was not up to the United Nations to accept the Constitution, but it was a decision taken by the Iraqi people. The United Nations, he added, was working with the Iraqis to achieve that goal. He added that the United Nations expects that the Constitution would be in line with international norms, including those for human rights.

SECURITY COUNCIL CONDEMNS TERRORISM IN IRAQ

  • The Security Council, following brief consultations, today unanimously adopted a resolution that condemns the terrorist attacks that have taken place in Iraq.

  • The Council particularly takes note of the shameless and horrific attacks in recent weeks that have resulted in more than 100 deaths and notes with great concern the increase in attacks on foreign diplomats in Iraq.

U.N. TO LAUNCH AN APPEAL FOR ZIMBABWE EVICTION VICTIMS

  • A five-month initial humanitarian appeal for Zimbabwe targeting some 300,000 people most affected by the evictions is expected to be launched early next week. The priority sector is shelter, followed by food and sanitation.

  • The appeal will be revised and extended as necessary, after the initial period expires in December 2005.

U.N. BLUE HELMETS IN HAITI FREE ANOTHER KIDNAP VICTIM

  • The UN Mission in Haiti reports that its troops have freed another kidnap victim.

  • The freed person, a Dominican, was liberated after a confrontation with armed kidnappers in Port au Prince Tuesday. There were no injuries.

  • This is the fifth such rescue by blue helmets in the last six weeks.

LACK OF FUNDS THREATENS TOGO REFUGEE WORK

  • The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that a lack of funds is threatening its efforts to care for Togolese refugees.

  • The agency says it is caring for some 40,000 refugees in Ghana and Benin, but its calls for assistance have gone unheeded, and its resources are over-stretched.

PREVENTABLE CHILD DEATHS PLAGUE AFGHANISTAN

  • The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says an Afghan child today has a one in seven chance of dying before the end of her first year.

  • And, even if she survives to be one year old, she has a one in five chance of dying before her fifth birthday, largely because of common childhood diseases that can be prevented through immunization or improved hygiene.

EUROPEAN WATER TREATY ENTERS INTO FORCE TODAY

  • A treaty to prevent water-related diseases in Europe entered into force today, following ratification by sixteen European countries.

  • The Protocol on Water and Health to the 1992 Convention on Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes aims to improve health across Europe by improving the quality of water supply and sanitation services and ensuring safe recreational water environments.

  • The treaty’s overseers are the World Health Organization’s Regional Office for Europe and the UN Economic Commission for Europe.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

U.N. WORLD HERITAGE-EGYPT STAMPS ARE OUT TODAY: Today is the first day of issue of the UN Postal Administration’s “World Heritage-Egypt” commemorative stamp.

ANNAN HOPES FOR AGREEMENT ON REFORM: Asked about recent developments in the reform of the Security Council, the Spokesman, while observing that this is a membership-led process, reiterated the Secretary-General’s hope that there will be an agreement on this and on other aspects of UN reform. The clock is still ticking, he said, and the negotiating process is still going on.

U.N. MANAGEMENT CHIEF TO BRIEF NEXT MONTH: In response to questions, the Spokesman said that Under-Secretary-General for Management Christopher Burnham would brief the press in early September.

FORMER TOP UNICEF OFFICIAL DIES: UNICEF in a statement out today says it is sadden to report the death of Dick Heyward, a former senior official with the fund. Heyward, a Deputy Executive director from 1949 to 1981, died Wednesday in New York, the agency said. He was 90.