HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S NOON BRIEFING
BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
UN HEADQUARTERS,
NEW YORK
Thursday, 16 March, 2006
SECURITY
COUNCIL BRIEFED ON PROGRESS IN HARIRI INVESTIGATION
Today, in an open meeting of the
Security Council,
Serge Brammertz
introduced the third report of the
United Nations Independent International Investigation Commission, which
he chairs. He told the Council that, using a more systematic approach, the
Commission has made further progress in the investigation into the
assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 22 other
persons.
He said it has advanced its understanding of the crime,
its circumstances and modus operandi. Brammertz asserted, “I am optimistic
that this progress will provide critical links in identifying and holding
accountable those responsible for the crime, at all levels of the chain of
command.”
He added that improved and timely cooperation from Syria
will be a critical factor in continuing successfully the work of the
Commission. The coming weeks, he said, will prove whether the Commission’s
requirements will be fulfilled, and whether its cautious optimism was
justified.
Brammertz said, “We can not predict the outcome of this
investigation. We also cannot guarantee that the investigation will be
finalized in a few months.” But, he added, the Commission will work to ensure
that the best possible investigative result is achieved.
The Security Council followed the open briefing by
Brammertz with consultations, in which it is discussing the report further
with him.
ANNAN MET MADAGASCAR’S PRESIDENT AND
OTHER TOP OFFICIALS
On Thursday morning,
Secretary-General Kofi Annan met in Madagascar with President Marc
Ravalomanana at the Presidential Palace. After that, the Secretary-General and
Nane Annan separately addressed hundreds of women gathered there for a
workshop on development. They both emphasized the importance of empowering
women through education and economic opportunities as key to development.
They then visited the President's showcase development
project on the palace grounds, and then a primary health center in downtown
Antananarivo, where they met with people living with HIV/AIDS, including the
first person in Madagascar who was reported to have declared her HIV-positive
status.
In the afternoon, the Secretary-General had scheduled
back-to-back meetings with the President of the Senate, the President of the
National Assembly and Prime Minister Jacques Sylla. He will also meet with
representatives of the opposition parties.
This evening, he and Nane Annan will attend a state
dinner hosted by the President and First Lady.
Nane Annan also visited a feeding center for moderately
malnourished children. She encouraged the mothers to feed their children a
variety of healthy foods, in order for their children to grow up healthy and
to ensure a bright future for Madagascar. Malnutrition affects 47% of children
living in urban areas and rural areas affected by natural disasters.
U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY COMPOUND ATTACKED IN
SOUTH SUDAN
The
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
says that an international staff member and a local guard were shot and
wounded during an attack Wednesday night on its compound in Yei, in
South Sudan.
A local guard was killed during the attack, and the two
wounded are both in a critical condition in a Juba hospital, after being
airlifted from Yei early Thursday morning. An emergency medical evacuation to
Nairobi is being planned.
Details of the attack are still sketchy, but at 8.30pm
local time in Yei, the compound was attacked by unknown armed intruders. One
of them was killed during the attack and another was captured and is now in
detention.
UNHCR has suspended a planned repatriation movement for
South Sudanese refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the Yei
region, due to start next week, while it reviews the situation.
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Sudan,
Jan Pronk, has
expressed concern over an attack which took place on a convoy of former
South Sudan Defence Forces soldiers – unarmed and with families and other
people – last week on their way from Khartoum to the south. The ambush left 32
people dead and more than 30 wounded.
The
Secretary-General’s latest
report on Sudan was issued today. In it, he says that the crisis in Darfur
is having a direct and negative effect on the timely implementation of Sudan’s
Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
He adds that making unity attractive for the people of
Southern Sudan will be one the greatest challenges ahead, and urges all
parties to refocus on and accelerate the Agreement’s implantation process.
U.N. ENVOY ATTENDS MIDDLE EAST QAUARTET
MEETING IN BRUSSELS
Alvaro de Soto, the UN Special Coordinator for the
Middle East Peace Process, is in Brussels today, where he is leading a
delegation of UN officials to discuss the question of assistance to the
Palestinian Authority.
He is meeting at the working level with other officials
from the Middle East Quartet, which includes the United Nations, the European
Union, Russia and the United States.
U.N. ENVOY
COMPLETES FIRST ROUND OF MEETINGS ON RESOLUTION 1559
Terje Roed-Larsen, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the
implementation of
Security Council
resolution 1559, met with Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and other
senior Chinese officials in Beijing today. This was the last stop of his tour
to the capitals of all five permanent members of the Security Council.
Roed-Larsen said he had “exceedingly good talks” in
Beijing today. He added, following his visit to the five capitals, “I think we
have the unanimous support of the permanent five members of the Council. I am
now leaving for the Middle East, where I will hold talks with relevant
interlocutors."
He will start talks in Saudi Arabia this Saturday.
LACK OF
CONSTRUCTIVE DIALOGUE A PROBLEM IN GUINEA-BISSAU
The
Secretary-General’s latest
report on the UN Peace Building Office in Guinea-Bissau was issued today.
In it he says a lack of constructive dialogue among the
political actors in that country continues to undermine the authority of state
institutions. He said, however, that he is pleased to note that there appears
to be an emerging political will to move forward on reconciliation and
reintegration.
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative in
Guinea-Bissau, Joao Honwana, will be in New York next week to formerly present
this report to the
Security Council.
SITUATION REMAINS TENSE IN ETHIOPIA AND
ERITREA’S BORDER AREA
The
UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), in a press briefing today,
said that the military situation in the Temporary Security Zone and adjacent
areas remains tense. Routine troop movements have been noticed on both the
Ethiopian and Eritrean sides.
Even as Eritrea’s helicopter ban on UNMEE remains in
place, along with restrictions on its movements in certain areas, the Mission
conducted 717 ground patrols throughout its area or responsibility last week.
It also provided medical assistance to the local population, and supplied more
than 32,000 liters of water to civilian communities over the past week.
UNITED NATIONS
ADVISING AFGHAN GOVERNMENT ON BIRD FLU
The
UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, the
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the
World Health Organization and the
UN Children’s Fund are
advising the Afghan Government on how to best control the
bird flu virus in that country.
The virus’s presence in Afghanistan was confirmed today
following tests at FAO labs in Italy. The samples that were tested were
collected from birds in various locations, including Kabul and Jalalabad.
The UN is currently helping the Afghan Government to cull
birds in affected areas, disinfect poultry markets, compensate poultry
farmers, and increase public awareness of the disease. So far, no human cases
have been reported.
ANNAN NOTES IMPORTANCE OF INTERNATIONAL
TRIALS
The Spokesman declined to comment on a report that the
Russian Duma had requested the closure of the
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) following
the death in detention of Slobodan Milosevic, noting the policy of not
commenting on bills that are being discussed by national legislatures.
He noted that the
Secretary-General has made it clear that the lifespan of the International
Tribunals is a matter for the Security Council, which has been discussing the
completion strategies of the tribunals for both the former Yugoslavia and
Rwanda.
The Secretary-General, Dujarric said, has emphasized that
people such as Milosevic, who have been accused of crimes against humanity and
other serious crimes, should face trial. In that regard, he noted that some
key suspects charged by the ICTY, including Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic,
remain at large and should be transferred to stand trial.
SHORT-LIST MADE
FOR TOP POST AT U.N. FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE
The post of Executive Secretary of the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) became
vacant following the untimely death of Ms. Joke Waller-Hunter.
The
Secretary-General on 16 November 2005 solicited nominations from Member
States which were considered together with other nominations. A thorough
review of the nominations was undertaken by the Secretary-General and his
senior advisers.
The following short-listed candidates have been invited
for interview: Mr. John W. Ashe (Antigua and Barbuda) – Permanent
Representative to the UN; Mr. Yvo de Boer (The Netherlands) – Director for
International Affairs, Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and Environment;
Mr. Luis Gomez Echeverri (Colombia) – Deputy Assistant Administrator, Deputy
Director of the Bureau for Development Policy, UNDP; Mr. Miklós Persányi
(Hungary ) – Minister for the Environment and Water; and Mr. Simon Upton (New
Zealand) – Chair, OECD Round Table on Sustainable Development and Former
Minister for the Environment
As announced previously in connection with the post of
Executive Director of
UN Environment Programme, the Secretary-General might consider candidates
from the short-list drawn up in connection with the search for UNEP Executive
Director.
At the conclusion of the process, the Secretary-General
will select the candidate and will consult the Bureau of the Conference of
Parties to the UNFCC Convention and the appointment of the Executive Secretary
will be made subsequently.
U.N. OFFICIALS
ATTEND WORLD WATER FORUM IN MEXICO
The UN Under-Secretary-General for
Economic and Social Affairs,
Jose Antonio Ocampo, today is leading a delegation of UN officials to the
fourth World Water Forum in Mexico City.
In his speech today he outlined the major efforts the UN
is making to meet the water challenges of the future, particularly in view of
the Millennium Development Goals.
He said water-related activities are part of the work of
24 separate UN agencies, each involved in different ways to tackle the
problems, and each coordinated through a newly created inter- agency
mechanism.
OTHER
ANNOUNCEMENTS
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ELECTS NEW HEAD OF U.N. ENVIRONMENT
PROGRAMME: The
General Assembly, acting on the recommendation of the Secretary-General,
today elected
Achim Steiner of Germany as head of the
UN Environment Programme.
UNITED NATIONS NOT INVOLVED IN TRIAL OF SADDAM HUSSEIN:
Asked about the UN’s views concerning the trial of Saddam Hussein, the Spokesman
declined to comment, noting that the United Nations is not involved in that
trial. Asked about oil metering in
Iraq, the Spokesman noted that the
International Advisory and Monitoring Board dealing with Iraq had made a
request to the Iraqi authorities on that matter. He noted that the country’s oil
wealth belongs to the Iraqi people.
U.N. ENVOY CALLS FOR HUMANITARIAN FUNDING FOR HORN OF
AFRICA: “The drought crisis in the Horn of Africa is very serious, and we
must address immediate needs,” said
Kjell Magne Bondevik, UN Special Humanitarian Envoy for the Horn of Africa,
as he spoke
at a press conference in Oslo today. In Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea
and Djibouti, more than 7.5 million people are affected by the current drought,
the worst in decades, which is also decimating herds belonging to pastoralists.
Overall, close to 18 million people are food-insecure in the five-affected
countries.
U.N. LABOUR GROUP TO TACKLE ISSUES SUCH AS YOUTH
EMPLOYMENT AND GLOBALIZATION: The Governing Body of the
International Labour Office Thursday
opened a two-week session to discuss a wide range of subjects including
forced labour in Myanmar, the global jobs crisis, youth employment and
globalization issues. The meeting will also consider ILO activities in the
fields of employment promotion and social protection, adopt the latest report of
its Committee on Freedom of Association and discuss the recently adopted
Maritime Labour Convention, 2006.
TWO U.N. AGENCIES TO HELP IN BANGLADESH POLIO CAMPAIGN:
The
World Health Organization and the
UN Children’s Fund today
report that Bangladesh will immunize 18 million children under the age of
five years three times in the next three months due to the re-emergence of the
poliovirus after an absence of the disease for more than five years. The
response comes after a nine year-old girl became paralyzed by poliovirus on 23rd
January. The agency said it, and the World Health Organization will support the
immunization campaign.
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