HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S NOON BRIEFING
UN
HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Thursday,
29 December, 2005
[Please note: There will be no Noon Briefings between December 26-30, 2005.
News
developments within the UN system will be posted on this website throughout that
time period, and the Noon Briefings will resume on Tuesday, January 3, 2006.]
ANNAN WELCOMES
ESTABLISHMENT OF ASSESSMENT TEAM FOR IRAQI ELECTIONS
Secretary-General
Kofi Annan welcomes today’s decision by the International Mission for Iraqi
Elections (IMIE) to establish a team of assessors, including two
representatives from the League of Arab States, to conduct a follow-up
assessment to its interim report released on 15 December.
The Secretary-General strongly supports the ongoing
efforts by the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq (IECI) to investigate
and audit all complaints received before certifying the results of the 15
December
elections.
This is why the United Nations has encouraged the IECI to
invite additional international observers to support this process. It is
critical that those Iraqi groups who have complained about the conduct of the
election are given a hearing. This team of assessors, which was not involved
in the conduct of the elections, offers an independent evaluation of these
complaints.
The Secretary-General notes that the IECI has welcomed
the IMIE’s decision. He hopes that these efforts will assist in successfully
completing the certification process.
CIVILIANS PAY INTOLERABLY HIGH PRICE IN DARFUR, SUDAN
In the
latest
monthly report to the Security Council on Darfur, Sudan, the Secretary-General notes that reports from the ground confirm the marked
deterioration in the situation since September, including the proliferation of
actors to the conflict, an increase in the number of inter-tribal clashes, the
entry of destabilizing elements from Chad, and more instances of banditry.
Civilians continue to pay an intolerably high price as a
result of recurrent fighting by warring parties, the renewal of the "scorched
earth" tactics by militia and massive military action by the Government, he
reports.
"This is a deeply disturbing trend which has devastating
effects on the civilian population," the report says. "Large-scale attacks
against civilians continue, women and girls are being raped by armed groups,
yet more villages are being burned, and thousands more are being driven from
their homes.
"As we approach the end of 2005, the second full year of
conflict in Darfur, regrettably we have to acknowledge that the most urgent
needs of millions affected by the war remain largely unmet, including their
protection and safety," it says.
The Secretary-General strongly urges the Government of the
Sudan once again to take decisive steps to address these manifest failures.
All atrocities committed in Darfur must be condemned in the strongest possible
terms.
And, everything possible should be done to sustain and
strengthen the AU Mission and to further enhance protection efforts throughout
the region, he urges.
UNITED NATIONS IS COMMITTED TO
HELPING DR CONGO AUTHORITIES RESTORE PEACE
TROOP MOVEMENTS NOTED ON BOTH SIDES OF ERITREAN AND
ETHIOPIAN BORDER
The
UN mission in Ethiopia
and Eritrea (UNMEE) reports the military situation in
the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) and Adjacent Areas remains tense and
potentially volatile.
Troop movements have been noticed on
both the Ethiopian and Eritrean sides, according to the mission.
It went on to report that the ban
imposed by the Eritrean Government on UNMEE helicopters is still in place.
Restrictions are continuing on the movement of UNMEE patrols inside the TSZ in
Sector Centre and Sector West, where movements in certain areas and movements
at night have been curtailed.
Monitoring of the TSZ and Adjacent
Areas within the limitations imposed continued from existing posts. UNMEE
conducted 765 ground patrols throughout the Area of Responsibility (AOR) in
the past week.
In
all sectors, UNMEE peacekeepers continued to provide medical assistance to the
local population, along with supplies of bulk water to civilian communities in
the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) and the Adjacent Areas. Approximately 56,600
litres of water was supplied to the civilian communities during the past week
AUDITING BODY
CONCERNED BY INADEQUATE CONTROLS OVER IRAQI OIL
The International Advisory and Monitoring Board (IAMB)
on the Development Fund for Iraq (DFI)
met yesterday at UN Headquarters on 28 December 2005. The IAMB comprises
representatives of the United Nations, the Executive Heads of the Arab Fund
for Economic and Social Development, the International Monetary Fund, and the
World Bank.
Board members noted that
they had consistently raised concerns about inadequate controls over Iraqi oil
and other aspects of the DFI's operations.
They also noted that they
had repeatedly raised four issues with the Coalition Provision Authority and
more recently with the Government of Iraq: the absence of oil metering; the
use of barter transactions for certain oil sales; persistent weak controls in
the spending ministries; and the use of non-competitive bidding procedures for
some contracts funded from the DFI.
The IAMB has also asked the
Iraqi Government keep it informed of the steps taken to implement the
recommendations of earlier audits.
THREE SENIOR
APPOINTMENTS ANNOUNCED AT UN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
The
Secretary-General has confirmed the following three appointments at the
Assistant Secretary-General level in the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP):
Amat Al Aleem Ali Alsoswa of Yemen as Assistant
Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Arab States. Ms.
Alsoswa, currently Minister for Human Rights in Yemen, will succeed Dr. Rima
Khalaf Hunaidi of Jordan;
Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica as Assistant Administrator
and Director of the Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean. Ms.
Grynspan, currently Director of the Sub-regional Headquarters in Mexico of the
UN’s Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLAC), will succeed Elena
Martinez of Cuba;
Gilbert Houngbo of Togo as Assistant Administrator and
Director of the Regional Bureau for Africa. Mr. Houngbo, currently Chief of
Staff in UNDP, will succeed Abdoulie Janneh of The Gambia.
All three will assume their posts at UNDP in the first
quarter of 2006.
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