HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S NOON
BRIEFING
BY MARIE OKABE
DEPUTY
SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Thursday, September 1, 2005
IRAQ: U.N. PROVIDES ASSISTANCE TO BAGHDAD STAMPEDE VICTIMS
The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) reports that it has begun
delivering help to Iraqi groups working on the aftermath of the
bridge collapse in Baghdad, which reportedly killed about 1,000 people.
According to Deputy Special Representative
Steffan De Mistura, UNAMI has delivered emergency oxygen units to nine
hospitals in Baghdad plus enough health kits to treat 1,000 people.
De Mistura said the United Nationsis also supplying large
amounts of emergency drugs and is organizing special financial support for the
families of all the victims.
UNITED NATIONS OFFERS TO HELP HURRICANE VICTIMS IN ANY WAY POSSIBLE
Regarding
Hurricane Katrina, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(OCHA) reports that it has been in contact with the United States Government.
Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland, in a letter to
Ambassador John Bolton of the United States, has offered to help in “any way
possible.”
Egeland has also been encouraging donors to contribute to
non-governmental organizations active in helping the hurricane victims.
In addition, the UN Staff Union, in both New York and
Geneva, is working to raise money for hurricane survivors.
Asked if there were any other
plans to help the United States, the Spokeswoman said
that the United Nations would like to help in any way possible, but has not
been asked to do so by the U.S. Government. If the United States asks for
help, she said, the United Nations could dispatch a Disaster Assessment and
Coordination Team to the area, as part of its standard response to determine
needs.
ANNAN HOLDS
MORE TALKS WITH AMBASSADORS ABOUT UN REFORM
Asked about the
Secretary-General’s schedule, the Spokeswoman noted that the Secretary-General
had interrupted his vacation to to take
stock of progress towards the
2005 World Summit, and to support the President of the General Assembly in
his efforts to ensure a successful Summit.
He met and
addressed
on Wednesday with the Core Group on
UN reform, and has been meeting yesterday and today with a broad range of
ambassadors about reform and the September
summit.
She added that, on
Friday, there may be an announcement of further travel by the
Secretary-General.
PROBE INTO KILLING OF LEBANESE
EX-PRIME MINISTER NEEDS MORE TIME
Detlev Mehlis, the head of the International Independent Investigation
Commission for Lebanon, today spoke to the press in Beirut to say that the
investigation has made progress on several fronts.
Mehlis said that the Commission has identified and
interviewed five suspects, whose statements are now being reviewed. However,
he added, the case is not closed, and the rights of the suspects are being
fully preserved.
Mehlis also confirmed that he intends to ask for an
extension for the Commission to complete its work.
PHILIPPINES ASSUMES SECURITY COUNCIL
PRESIDENCY
The Philippines takes over the rotating Presidency of the
Security Council for the month of September.
Today, the new Council President, Ambassador Lauro Baja,
is holding bilateral meetings with the other Council members to determine the
program of work for the coming month.
The Security Council is expected to hold consultations on
the program of work tomorrow. After that, Ambassador Baja intends to hold a
press conference at UN Headquarters in New York to brief on the Council’s work
during September.
CHOLERA OUTBREAKS CONTINUE TO THREATEN
WEST AFRICA
A West African regional meeting on
cholera, convened by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs, ended yesterday in Dakar, Senegal.
The meeting agreed that the current West
Africa cholera outbreaks are serious, with nearly 500 deaths so far out of
over 31,000 reported cases, and figures still rising in many countries.
According to the World Health Organization
(WHO), response and control efforts are progressing, but are seriously
constrained by the lack of resources. WHO is also strengthening surveillance
activities, and reports that supplies for case management and water
chlorination have been dispatched to some of the countries.
ASIAN TSUNAMI HAD NEGATIVE EFFECT ON
APES’ HABITAT
Fewer than 250 wild Sumatran
orangutans may exist in 50 years, their habitat is disappearing, and the
devastation of the Asian tsunami has accelerated the rate of destruction.
Those are among the findings
announced today at the launch of the first World Atlas of Great Apes and
their Conservation, published by the
UN Environment Programme.
The Atlas provides a
country-by-country assessment of the 23 states hosting the wild great apes.
ANNAN MEETS
WITH OIL-FOR-FOOD INVESTIGATOR
Asked whether the
Secretary-General had met with Paul Volcker, the Spokeswoman said that, as
with all individuals about whom statements may be made in the
Independent Inquiry Committee’s report, the Secretary-General has been
given the opportunity to respond to the Committee.
As he has done
previously, she said, the Secretary-General has exercised that right, and he
met with Volcker this morning.
The Spokeswoman
added, in response to a question on when the next report may come out, that
the United Nations was expecting it next week.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
NO ANNOUNCEMENT YET ON
ZIMBABWE VISIT: Asked whether
Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Ibrahim Gambari may travel to
Zimbabwe, the Spokeswoman said such a trip had been discussed with that
country’s Government, but added that she had nothing to announce yet. She said,
in response to a question, that she had no new information about a joint appeal
being worked on by the UN country team in Zimbabwe and the Government.
AFGHAN CHILDREN TO GET POLIO VACCINATIONS: Some
seven million Afghan children under the age of five will be
vaccinated against polio in a three-day campaign, starting on 5 September.
Forty thousand people will be involved in the vaccinations and monitoring, which
is being supported by the UN Children’s Fund and the World Health Organization.
U.N. AGENCY WORKS TO CURB FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE:
The Food and Agriculture Organization today reports that it has signed an
agreement with the European Commission for a €4 million program to prevent the
entry of foot and mouth disease into European cattle and sheep herds. The
program will focus on working with agricultural authorities in Turkey, Iran,
Iraq, and the Caucasus region.
PEACEKEEPING MISSION WARNS OF UNEXPLODED DEVICES IN COTE
D’IVOIRE: The UN Operation in Cote d’Ivoire (UNOCI)
has
launched a campaign to make children aware of the dangers of unexploded
ordinance left over from the country’s recent war. The program, which involves
posters and a two-hour traveling presentation, was begun after an accident
killed two children in July in a village in central Cote d’Ivoire, UNOCI said.
*** Following today's noon
briefing, there was a press briefing on World Summit security arrangements by
Inspector Phyllis Moore of the Headquarters Security and Safety Service and Gary
Fowlie, Chief of the Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit.
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