HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S NOON BRIEFING
BY MARIE OKABE
DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
SECRETARY-GENERAL
TO URGE INTERNET ‘OPENNESS’ AT SUMMIT
Secretary-General Kofi Annan met with his senior advisers
in Tunis this morning, and discussed the
World Summit of the Information Society, which opens there on Wednesday.
The Secretary-General will tell the Summit’s opening
plenary tomorrow that “the information society’s very lifeblood is freedom.”
Without openness, he is to say, “the information revolution will stall, and
the information society we hope to build will be stillborn.”
This afternoon, the Secretary-General met with the Mayors
of Bilbao and Tunis – respectively, Juan Jose Ibarretxe and Abbas Mohsen – who
presented him with the outcome document of the Second World Summit of Cities
and Local Authorities on the Information Society, which took place in Bilbao
earlier this year.
Later today, he is expected to meet with Israel’s Foreign
Minister, Silvan Shalom. He will also meet with the heads of UN agencies
attending the Summit, including
Yoshio Utsumi the Secretary-General of the
International Telecommunications Union.
In Tunis, Utsumi, with his
opening remarks to the press on the eve of the Summit, expressed his
satisfaction with the logistical arrangements of one of the biggest events in
the history of the United Nations. He announced that by the morning of 15
November, 23,000 participants had registered, with 12,000 arrivals recorded so
far. About 173 countries are represented at the Summit and over 50 Heads of
State and Government are expected to attend, he said.
Meanwhile,
Shashi Tharoor, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public
Information, gave a press conference on the stakes of the World Electronic
Media Forum, taking place in parallel with the Summit. He underscored the
importance of the safety of journalists in zones of conflict.
Asked whether the Secretary-General was concerned that
the Summit could be harmful to the United Nations because it may not help the
cause of the freedom of information, the Spokeswoman drew attention to the
Secretary-General’s comments underscoring the importance of freedom to the
information society. The Secretary-General, she noted, was using his speeches
and his bully pulpit to move the process forward.
ANNAN HAILS
GAZA-EGYPT BORDER AGREEMENT
The
Secretary-General
welcomes today’s agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority
on the Gaza-Egypt border crossing. He sees this development as a positive
step towards building confidence between the two parties.
The
Secretary-General believes that the opening of the Rafah crossing will
contribute to improving the Palestinians’ freedom of movement and economic
activity.
The
Secretary-General expresses his appreciation to the Quartet’s Middle East
Envoy James Wolfensohn and to the U.S. Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice,
for their efforts in brokering the deal, and he thanks the European Union for
its proposed technical assistance in its implementation.
SECURITY
COUNCIL WORKS ON AFRICA; BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
The
Security Council held an open meeting this morning on the Council’s recent
mission to Central Africa.
The mission’s delegation
leader, Ambassador Jean-Marc de la Sabliere, briefed the Council on the
trip which saw Council members visit five countries and meet
several leaders in the region.
That first Council meeting was
followed by another on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The European
Union’s High Representative for the Implementation of the Peace
Agreement on Bosnia and Herzegovina, Paddy Ashdown, briefed the Council on the
progress Bosnia and Herzegovina has made over the past ten years.
U.N. POLITICAL
CHIEF MEETS LEADERS IN LEBANON
Under-Secretary for Political Affairs
Ibrahim Gambari continued his visit to Lebanon, where he held separate
meetings today with some of the leaders of the country's religious
communities.
He also met with Lebanon’s Defense Minister and Deputy
Prime Minister, Elias Murr. Gambari told reporters afterward that they had
discussed cooperation by the Lebanese government with the United Nations on
both the Hariri investigation and the implementation of other U.N. resolutions
on Lebanon, particularly Resolution 1614, regarding the extension of
government control throughout the country.
Throughout his meetings today, Gambari emphasized the
U.N.'s desire and support for the sovereignty, independence, stability and
security of Lebanon. He is expected to meet with Lebanon’s Prime Minister,
Fuad Siniora on Wednesday.
Asked whether the Secretary-General is in talks with the
Syrian authorities concerning the investigation, the Spokeswoman noted that
the Secretary-General has been supporting Detlev Mehlis’s efforts on that
matter.
U.N. IRAQ ENVOY
IN AMMAN FOR TALKS WITH JORDANIAN OFFICIALS
In Amman today,
Ashraf Qazi, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, met
with Jordanian Prime Minister Adnan Badran and expressed his condolences for
the tragic loss of life during last week’s terrorist attack.
Qazi briefed the Prime Minister on recent developments in
Iraq, and discussed the upcoming preparatory meeting in Cairo, under the
auspices of the Arab League, to explore the means for national reconciliation
among Iraqis.
ANNAN TO SEND
MESSAGE TO PALESTINE DONORS' MEETING
On Wednesday morning in Jordan, Karen Koning AbuZayd,
Commissioner-General of the UN
Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA),
will deliver a message on the Secretary-General’s behalf to the Agency’s
donors about the “indispensable” work that it does.
In that message, the Secretary-General calls on donors to
not only continue their support to UNRWA, but to increase it.
U.N. COMPOUND IN SOUTHERN SUDAN LOOTED
AND BURNED
The United Nations has received reports about
inter-ethnic tensions in Yambio, the State capital
of Western Equatoria in Southern Sudan, which sparked fighting between the
Zande and Dinka tribes.
The
World Health Organization (WHO) compound has been looted and burnt.
Violence is still ongoing in Yambio.
BLUE
HELMETS HELPING CONGOLESE ARMY IN ATTACKS
The
UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
reports that UN peacekeepers provided support to Congolese government soldiers
during an operation in the Koga-Similiki area, in the country’s eastern
district of Ituri.
The decision to
provide support for the operation came in the wake of recent attacks against
the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) in the nearby Boga area.
The operation
involves three companies from MONUC’s Ituri Brigade – a total of approximately
300 soldiers – who provided transport and cordon support, while close air
support was provided by two Indian air force MI-25 helicopters.
On Monday, one
FARDC battalion was transported by road to the Boga area, where it attacked
militia elements. This morning, a MONUC riverine unit transported
approximately 100 FARDC soldiers by boat to Koga, where heavy fighting was
reported. The waterborne unit also evacuated three wounded FARDC soldiers.
The UN Mission
says the Congolese forces report one Congolese soldier killed, with heavy
casualties inflicted on the militia and the town of Similiki now reported to
be held by the FARDC.
U.N. TROOPS IN
CLASHES WITH GANG MEMBERS
The
UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH)
reports that UN peacekeepers carried out several search and security
operations this past weekend against gang members in various districts of the
capital, Port-au-Prince, and its surroundings.
During these operations, one suspect was killed, two
others were wounded, and nine people were arrested. Weapons were seized and
stolen vehicles recovered.
MINUSTAH says it will deploy additional UN peacekeepers
to reinforce an area known as Cité Militaire, in order to slow down the
activity of local armed gangs.
SNOW MAKING
LIFE ‘COLD AND MISERABLE’ FOR QUAKE VICTIMS
Snow has started to fall in the areas near the South Asia
quake in northern Pakistan, according to the UN
refugee agency (UNHCR) and the dropping snow line, as well as the rains at
lower elevations, is making life “cold and miserable.”
UN agencies are, nevertheless, still working hard to
attend to the survivors’ needs. The World Food Programme (WFP) today
said that, because of new donations from the United States, Norway, Canada
and Denmark, it would be able to extend its helicopter operation for at least
another two months.
The agency says this is the largest humanitarian
helicopter operation it has ever launched, and the entire airlift -- which
involves WFP, UNHCR, NATO and other actors -- is now transporting up to 100
tons of relief supplies every day.
Meanwhile, UNHCR
says that, since the earthquake struck, it has
brought more than 20,000 tents -- as well as hundreds of thousands of
blankets, jerry cans, kitchen sets, stoves and plastic sheets -- into
Pakistan.
U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY WARNS OF INTERNET
SCAMS
The UN
Refugee Agency (UNHCR) today issued a warning that scam artists are using
the internet to make fraudulent resettlement and employment offers to people
who are seeking to emigrate or to obtain refugee status.
The agency said the fake websites and chat groups are
offering -- for a fee -- jobs in industrialized countries, and they are
using the name of UNHCR.
UNHCR never charges any fees, the agency said, and it
does not join chat groups or other such websites.
U.N.
DEVELOPMENT CHIEF IN BANGKOK ; TO HEAD TO PAKISTAN
Kemal Dervis, the Administrator
of the UN
Development Programme is in Thailand today on the second leg of a three
country trip that includes India and Pakistan. In Bangkok, Dervis is meeting
with senior Thai officials to discuss the country’s status as an emerging
donor.
Dervis said the developing
world has much to learn from Thailand’s experience in sound fiscal management,
trade policy and regional economic cooperation.
Dervis also visited India where
he met with senior government officials to discuss financing mechanisms for
India’s human development, and other matters. From Thailand, he will go to
Pakistan, where he will join the Secretary-General in opening an international
conference in support of the earthquake victims.
SPOKESWOMAN: U.N. EMPLOYEE'S SUMMARY DISMISSAL
RESCINDED
Asked about the
Secretary-General’s response to a Joint Disciplinary Committee ruling on
Joseph Stephanides, the Spokeswoman said that Under-Secretary-General for
Management Christopher Burnham send that response, on the Secretary-General’s
behalf, in a letter that says that the decision to summarily dismiss
Stephanides was rescinded.
She declined to answer several
questions about that decision, noting that the United Nations was providing a
background briefing this afternoon to explain the decision.
In response to questions about whether Stephanides still
is believed to have violated staff rules, contrary to the decision of the
Joint Disciplinary Committee, the Spokeswoman said that the
Secretary-General’s decision was made in response to the Committee’s report,
and he had considered what their recommendations were.
[The officials said, in response to questions, that the Secretary-General
still maintained that Stephanides had violated procurement rules.]
Asked when the decision was made, Okabe said the letter
was dated November 14, and had since been conveyed to Stephanides. She was
unaware of when the Secretary-General had made any decision on the case,
noting that he was traveling.
UNITED NATIONS, VOLCKER COMMITTEE IN TALKS ON DOCUMENT DECISIONS
Asked about Transparency International’s concerns that
the documents possessed by Paul Volcker’s
Independent Inquiry Committee should all go to the United Nations, the
Spokeswoman said that discussions were continuing between the United Nations
and the Committee on the handling of those documents. She reiterated that the
United Nations wants to provide as much access to the documents as possible.
While those talks continue, she said, the United Nations
was considering an effort to extend the life of the Committee beyond its
expiry at the end of this month. Instead, she said, it may go on at least
until the end of this year.
Asked whether that means that the Committee may carry out
further investigations, she said it did not; it would simply be extended to
deal with follow-up issues.
U.N. AFRICA ENVOY SELECTED THROUGH
REGULAR PROCEDURES
Asked how
Economic Commission for Africa Executive Secretary
Abdoulie Janneh was selected, the Spokeswoman said he was appointed
following a regular procedure in which a long list of candidates had been
compiled. A short list was developed on June 24, and a list of interviewees
was then drawn up, with interviews taking place in July. The appointment was
announced in September.
She said that, when senior appointments require General
Assembly approval, such as for the heads of UN agencies, the short lists are
made public; that is not the case for Secretariat appointees, as in this case.
She said Janneh was appointed on the basis of his
exemplary record.
Asked whether there would be any disciplinary action
taken against him concerning the case of the Mercedes, referred to in a
September Independent Inquiry Committee report, the Spokeswoman said that
would not happen. She declined to answer further questions on the case, which
she said was not considered to be a UN matter.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY CONTINUES HUMANITARIAN WORK
At
the Monday plenary meeting of the General Assembly, three resolutions were
adopted on the strengthening of the coordination of humanitarian and disaster
relief assistance, on the Indian Ocean tsunami, the South Asian earthquake,
and the Chernobyl disaster. Additional resolutions on this subject, including
the question of improving the current Central Emergency Revolving Fund, are
still in consultations, and are expected to be acted on in plenary sometime in
December.
On
the implementation of the
World Summit Outcome, Assembly President Jan Eliasson has sent a follow-up
letter to all Member States announcing that the co-chairs for the
consultations on development and ECOSOC reform will be Ambassador Cheick Sidi
Diarra of Mali and Ambassador Johan C. Verbeke of Belgium. Also, the
co-chairs for the consultations on management reform will be Ambassador Munir
Akram of Pakistan and Ambassador Allan Rock of Canada. Initial consultations
are expected to be held in the next two weeks.
The President will give a press briefing on these new steps in the Summit
follow-up process, as well as a status report on the progress thus far, this
Thursday at 11:00 a.m. in Room 226.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
MEETING HELD ON FOOD INSECURITY IN SAHEL: For the
first time, the UN today
convened a joint dialogue between humanitarian and development actors on the
issue of food security in Africa’s Sahel subregion. To be held from November 15
to 16 in Dakar, Senegal, the meeting will focus on both the immediate and the
structural causes of the subregion’s recurring food crises as part of efforts to
mitigate and prevent future crises.
U.N FOOD AGENCY SAYS THE
DIGITAL DIVIDE HINDERS DEVELOPMENT: The
rural digital divide is isolating almost one billion of the poorest people who
are unable to participate in the global information society, according to the UN
Food and Agriculture Organization. The agency said it would highlight the
problems of the digital divide and its efforts aimed at enhancing knowledge
exchange and access to information in combating hunger and poverty at the World
Summit on the Information Society starting tomorrow.
ALLIANCE FOR CIVILIZATION CHIEF TO SPEAK FOR ANNAN IN
SPAIN: Asked about the status of Iqbal Riza, the Spokeswoman noted that he
had been serving since earlier this year as the Secretary-General’s Special
Adviser on the
Alliance for Civilizations. Riza, she had said on Monday, will represent the
Secretary-General in a meeting of the High-Level Group for that Alliance in
Spain, starting on November 27. He had established the High-Level Group, and
also recruited people to head the Alliance’s secretariat, whose appointment was
also announced on Monday. Asked whether Riza was paid a dollar-a-year salary,
the Spokeswoman later said he was.
REPORTERS TO BE KEPT INFORMED ON ANNAN’S TRAVEL PLANS:
Asked whether the United Nations can confirm that the Secretary-General will
soon be traveling to Asia, the Spokeswoman said she had nothing to announce, but
added that reporters are informed for their planning purposes about the
Secretary-General’s travels seven to ten days before they begin.
HIGHLIGHTS ARE SUMMARIES; VERBATIM RECORD COMES LATER:
The Spokeswoman responded to complaints about the contents of the Highlights
of the Noon Briefing, noting that the Highlights are a summary and not an
official record of the briefing. There is also a verbatim transcript of the
briefing, which comes out later and contains the full text of everything that is
said.
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