HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S NOON BRIEFING
BY STEPHANE
DUJARRIC
SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
ANNAN CONDEMNS TERROR ATTACK ON
MARKETPLACE IN ISRAEL
Secretary-General Kofi Annan was shocked to hear of the terror attack
today at the market in Hadera, Israel, which caused a number of casualties
among Israeli civilians.
The Secretary-General
condemns this act and extends his condolences to the families of the
victims. At the same time he calls for an immediate stop to the escalation of
all violent acts.
The Secretary-General believes that an opportunity exists
to address the longstanding conflict between Palestinians and Israelis; it
must not be allowed to fall victim to violence. The forces of moderation and
negotiation must prevail.
ANNAN WARNS OF ‘RACE AGAINST TIME’ IN QUAKE RELIEF
The Secretary-General today
told a ministerial-level conference in Geneva that the need to provide aid
and shelter to the earthquake-hit areas of South Asia before winter approaches
gives a new meaning to the concept of a race against time. “I believe it is a
race that can be won, and must be won,” he said.
But he told donors that what is required is a dramatic escalation on all
fronts, from helicopters to rescue the injured to shelter to save families
from the ravages of winter. One thing should already be clear, he added: that
with the world’s supply of winterized tents nearly exhausted, the need for
other forms of shelter is acute.
The
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator,
Jan Egeland, presented to the gathered donors a revised flash appeal to
respond to the earthquake, amounting to nearly $550 million for six months.
That is an increase from the original $312 million.
Prior to speaking to the conference, the Secretary-General met separately with
senior officials from India and Pakistan to discuss the relief effort.
At
a press encounter earlier today, he
said that the disaster showed the urgent need for a Global Emergency Fund,
saying that otherwise, the United Nations was in the position of having to put
out fires while only getting resources once the fire has begun.
He
also said, in response to another question, that funds are needed to respond
to the damage created by the hurricanes in Central America, where so far only
a fraction of the $22 million that was sought has been received.
QUAKE LARGER THAN ASSUMED: MORE FUNDS
NEEDED
The UN
flash appeal for
quake survivors was today
revised up to $550 million from the original $312 million. The increase
takes into account the latest data from the
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which says
that the disaster is much larger than first assumed.
Where earlier estimates indicated that some one million
people were in need of immediate assistance, that estimate has nearly
doubled.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva today, Jan Egeland said
that tens, if not hundreds of thousands of lives
were at risk, making today’s
event “one of the year’s most important conferences”.
On a positive note, Egeland
said the current relief effort was the best coordinated that he had ever seen,
with UN coordinators having reached Islamabad within 24 hours after the
earthquake hit. In addition, the effort was bolstered by more than 100
international relief organizations on the ground, 72 helicopters in operation,
and deliveries of 120,000 tents, with another 200,000 in the pipeline.
But while 700,000 people had
received food aid, another 1.6 million were still in need, and thousands of
tons of food would have to be prepositioned before the snow came.
Noting that Pakistan had hosted
three million refugees for nearly a generation, he said, “I can recall no
other nation shouldering such a humanitarian responsibility over such a period
of time. Now the world has to show equal generosity to the people of Northern
Pakistan.”
SECURITY COUNCIL
FOCUSES ON TERRORISM, ERITREA, MIDDLE EAST
The
Security Council is holding an open meeting this morning featuring
briefings by the Chairmen of following subsidiary bodies: the Security Council
Committee established pursuant to
resolution 1267 (1999) concerning Al-Qaida and the Taliban and associated
individuals and entities, the Security Council Committee established pursuant
to
resolution 1373 (2001) concerning counter-terrorism; and the Security
Council Committee established pursuant to
resolution 1540 (2004).
Then at 3:30 p.m., the Security Council has scheduled consultations on Eritrea and Ethiopia, and other matters.
At
5 p.m., consultations have now been scheduled on the Middle East.
Asked for updates on the Eritrea situation, the Spokesman
said that the
letter, which the Secretary-General sent to the Security Council
yesterday on Ethiopia and Eritrea, would be the focus of Security Council
consultations this afternoon.
SOME
SIGNS OF NUTRITION SUCCESSES REPORTED IN DARFUR
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Sudan,
Jan Pronk, gave a press briefing in Khartoum earlier today.
He
reported on the findings of a
World Food Programme –
UN Children’s Fund nutrition survey in Darfur that noted that in many
areas which were reachable by the humanitarian community, the rate of
malnutrition and deaths of children under five due to malnutrition had dropped
sharply. Pronk, however, cautioned that the nutrition situation in Darfur
remains fragile and these improvements will only be sustained depending on the
security situation on the ground.
He
also noted the alarming security situation West Darfur and reported on recent
disturbances at the Kalma camp for displaced persons in South Darfur. He noted
the release of aid workers who had been taken hostage following the arrest by
the authorities of a sheikh who was popular in the camp.
Commenting on the recent round of the Abuja Peace talks on Darfur, which
concluded last week, Pronk noted that the parties were committed to reaching
agreement by the end of the year.
HUMAN RIGHTS
EXPERTS ‘CONCERNED’ WITH UZBEK TRIALS
UN
human rights experts are concerned about the trial of alleged organizers of
events that took place in the Uzbek city of Andijan last May.
The Special Rapporteurs on extra-judicial, summary or arbitrary executions;
on human rights and counter-terrorism; on the independence of judges and
lawyers, and on the question of torture.
They express their concern regarding the conduct of the executive and
prosecutorial authorities and the legislative framework in relation to the
ongoing trial of 15 men before the criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of
Uzbekistan in Tashkent in connection with Andijan events.
U.N.
ENVOY CONFERS WITH IRAQI PRESIDENT
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative in
Iraq,
Ashraf Qazi, met Iraqi President Jalal Talabani today.
The pair discussed the latest political developments in
Iraq including the results of the referendum on the constitution. They also
discussed the upcoming December elections, and Qazi reiterated the UN’s
commitment to helping with the electoral process.
Talabani expressed his appreciation for the UN’s role in
assisting and advising the International Electoral Commission for Iraq in
conducting the referendum and the forthcoming December elections.
U.N. REPORTS AID WORKER KILLED IN
UGANDA
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (OCHA) reports that today a humanitarian aid worker, from an NGO, was
killed in northern Uganda. The worker was shot dead in an ambush seemingly
perpetrated by members of the Lord’s Resistance Army. The murder follows
yesterday’s attack by the Lord’s Resistance Army on a humanitarian aid
vehicle.
Jan Egeland, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian
Affairs, said, “It is unconscionable that the Lord’s Resistance Army is
carrying out this spate of vicious attacks on unarmed humanitarian workers.
They are struggling to provide aid to Uganda’s desperately poor families in
northern areas of the country.”
FINAL
REPORT OF VOLCKER INQUIRY DUE ON THURSDAY
Asked if Volcker would take questions during the open
briefing at 3:00 p.m., the Spokesman clarified that he would, but only from
representatives of Member States, not the press.
Asked if the Secretary-General would return to New York
in time to see Volcker, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General would
indeed be back tomorrow for Volcker.
SECURITY COUNCIL TO DISCUSS
ROLE OF WOMEN IN CONFLICT PREVENTION
In an open meeting tomorrow,
the
Security Council will celebrate the fifth anniversary of its
Resolution 1325 which addressed the role of women in conflict prevention
and post-conflict reconstruction and called for increasing women’s
contribution to sustainable peace.
Council members will discuss how to speed up the resolution’s implementation
and women’s equal participation in all peace processes.
The Council will also hear first-hand from women from Afghanistan and Côte
d’Ivoire who’ll be sharing their experiences of using Resolution 1325 to stake
their claim at the peace table and lobby for their equal role in post-conflict
political life.
Other speakers at the meeting
include Jean-Marie Guéhenno, the
Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations; Rachel Mayanja, the
Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Gender Issues and Advancement of
Women and Noeleen Heyzer, the Executive Director of
UN Development Fund for Women.
NEW CODE FOR ELECTION OBSERVERS TO BE
ENDORSED
At U.N.
headquarters tomorrow, nearly two dozen organizations including the United
Nations will be endorsing a first ever Declaration of Principles and Code of
Conduct governing the work of election observers around the world.
As international election observation expands and plays a
central role in helping nations consolidate peace and strengthen democracy,
these standards should help ensure that observers are always making the best
possible contribution.
The Secretary-General is expected to attend the event and
endorse the standards on behalf of the United Nations.
Also in attendance will be former U.S. President Jimmy
Carter (on behalf of the Carter Center), former Secretary of State Madeleine
Albright (on behalf of the National Democratic Institute), and the Secretaries
General of the Organization of American States, the Inter-Parliamentary Union
and the Pacific Islands Forum, among others.
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY MEETS ON SEVERAL ISSUES
This morning, the General Assembly has been meeting in
plenary to continue discussion on integrated implementation of the outcomes of
the major UN conferences and summits in the economic, social and related
fields, and on the global road safety crisis, for which a draft resolution has
been tabled.
In the Third Committee, this morning an interactive
dialogue is taking place with, among others, the Special Rapporteur on torture
and the Special Rapporteur on protection of human rights while countering
terrorism. This afternoon, the participants will include the Special
Rapporteurs on freedom of religion and on violence against women. Tomorrow
morning’s participants include the Special Rapporteur on human rights in the
Sudan and the Independent Expert on human rights in Burundi, as well as the
Special Rapporteur on the right to food.
LEBANON
WITHDRAWAL REPORT MAY BE PRESENTED MONDAY
Asked when the
report by
Terje Roed-Larsen, Special Envoy for the Implementation of Security
Council
resolution 1559, which was given to Council members today, will be
formally presented to the Security Council, the Spokesman said that, although
there was no firm date, it was expected that Larsen would present it on
Monday.
Asked for highlights from the Larsen report, the
Spokesman said he could not comment, as the report had just gone to the
Security Council and had not been officially released.
Asked if this afternoon’s Security Council consultations
on the Middle East would focus on the Larsen report, the Spokesman said that
they would center on Lebanon and specifically on the investigation by Detlev
Mehlis into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
U.N. BOMB INVESTIGATOR TO RETURN TO
BEIRUT TO CONTINUE PROBE
Asked about media reports that
Detlev Mehlis, who was investigating the assassination of former Lebanese
Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, would meet with the Permanent Representative of
Syria to the United Nations today, the Spokesman said that, as of one hour
ago, no such meeting had been scheduled.
Responding to an inquiry about Mehlis’s travel plans, the
Spokesman said that Mehlis would leave New York by the end of today and would
be back in Beirut early next week.
Asked about a draft resolution in the Security Council,
circulated by the United States, France and the United Kingdom, which
allegedly proposed extending Mehlis’s investigation from Lebanon to Syria, the
Spokesman said he could not discuss a draft resolution. He added that, in the
coming weeks, Mehlis would focus on the cooperation he intended to get from
Syria and would work out the details of the cooperation.
Asked how the Secretary-General viewed Mehlis’s changing
mandate, the Spokesman said that the resolution in question was still in draft
form, and that as far as the Secretary-General was concerned, Mehlis’s mandate
had not changed.
Asked about the terms of the designation of suspects, and
whether Mehlis would report to the Security Council earlier than 15 December,
the Spokesman said Mehlis would report to the Security Council whenever he
felt that he had enough substantial information to share. The Spokesman did
not provide a firm date, however.
Asked if the Secretary-General had spoken to the leaders
of Syria and Lebanon following the issuance of the Mehlis report, the
Spokesman said that the Secretary-General had spoken to both the Syrian
President and the Lebanese Prime Minister the evening after the report came
out, to flag the report’s early release.
In response to a further question, the Spokesman said
that the Syrian Foreign Minister called the Secretary-General two days ago, to
give Syria’s views on the report. The Secretary-General encouraged Syria to
cooperate with the investigation, and the Foreign Minister said that he would
do so.
NORTH KOREA PAYS U.N. BUDGET ASSESSMENT
The number of Member States that have fully
paid their dues has climbed to 129 today, with the arrival of a check from the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
The DPRK paid $177,951
*** José Antonio
Ocampo, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs; and Mr. Guido
Bertucci, Director, Division for Public Administration and Development
Management, Department of Economic and Social Affairs were the guests at the
noon briefing to launch the World Public Sector Report 2005.
Office
of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General
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