HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S NOON BRIEFING
BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
UN HEADQUARTERS,
NEW YORK
Friday, 17 March, 2006
SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS NEW DISARMAMENT CHIEF
Secretary-General Kofi Annan is today appointing Mr. Nobuaki Tanaka of
Japan as the new Under-Secretary General for Disarmament Affairs, effective 6
April 2006. Mr. Tanaka has most recently been serving as Ambassador of Japan
to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
In his career in the Foreign Ministry of Japan,
particularly during his tenure as Deputy Director General in the Policy and
North American Bureau, he dealt with key security issues, including the Korean
Peninsula leading into Six Party Talks and the Banning of Anti-Personnel
Landmines.
Tanaka is a seasoned diplomat with a variety of
experience, not only dealing with bilateral political and economic issues, but
also working with the UN system in the past.
ANNAN LAUDS
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL PROGRESS IN MADAGASCAR
The
Secretary-General is continuing his visit to Madagascar. Today in the capital,
he
addressed and was made a member of the Academie Nationale des Arts,
Lettres et Sciences. In his remarks to the Academie, the Secretary-General
noted the progress he had seen in Madagascar, in terms of economic and social
development.
He said he was
particularly impressed by advances in literacy, efforts to prepare for natural
disasters, and the Government’s commitment to sustainable development. He also
said that the UN would continue to be a close partner to Madagascar, in
addressing such areas as governance, education, AIDS and disaster
prevention.
Also on his schedule today were meetings
with the UN country team in Madagascar – first with agency representatives and
then with the staff at large. The Secretary-General and Mrs. Annan,
accompanied by the President and First Lady, also toured the ruins of the
Queen's Palace, a hilltop temple overlooking the capital.
Currently visiting a rain forest in the
eastern part of the island, they are scheduled to leave Madagascar on Sunday
morning for the Republic of Congo.
SECURITY
COUNCIL TO DISCUSS IRAN THIS AFTERNOON
Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
addressed the Security Council this morning in an open meeting.
At 3:30 this afternoon, the Council will hold
consultations on the letters the Secretary-General has sent to the Security
Council President, dated
6 February and
8 March – both of which deal with the implementation of the safeguards
agreement between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency.
HUMAN RIGHTS
SITUATION IN COTE D’IVOIRE “WORRISOME”
The International Working Group for the Côte D’Ivoire
held its fifth ministerial-level meeting in Abidjan today, aimed at bringing
about reconciliation in that country and elections in the fall. The UN is
co-chair of the group.
Also in Cote d’Ivoire, the UN
Mission there has published its semi-annual report on human rights,
covering the second half of last year. The report labeled the situation
“worrisome” because of what it called political deterioration, especially at
the end of last year.
It said that during that period elements from the
government security forces and the rebel Forces Nouvelles had routinely
carried out unlawful killings, torture, beatings, rape, extortion, and other
abuses.
The Mission called on all relevant authorities to take
measures to ensure the normal operation of justice in the entire country and
to fight the persistence of impunity.
PRISTINA AND
BELGRADE DISCUSS KOSOVO’S FUTURE
In Vienna today, delegations from Pristina and Belgrade
held a second round of direct talks on decentralization, under the
auspices of the Secretary-General’s
Special Envoy for the future status process of Kosovo, Martti Ahtisaari.
Chaired by Ahtisaari’s Deputy, Albert Rohan, the talks
are focusing on local finance, inter-municipal cooperation and
cross-boundaries cooperation.
“These issues, compared to the ones that we discussed on 20-21 February, were
more difficult because the deeper you go into the discussions, the more
complicated the issues become”, Rohan said, adding: “Nevertheless we had very
constructive, issue-oriented discussions, without polemics. This is the way we
should proceed to resolve problems. There are, of course, profound differences
in the approaches from the two sides. However, we tried in a status-neutral
way to find common ground on some of the issues.”
AUTOPSY FINDS
MILOSEVIC DIED OF A HEART ATTACK
An autopsy by the International Criminal Tribunal for the
former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
has
shown that Slobodan Milosevic died of a heart attack. That finding was
supported by teams of Russian and Serbian pathologists.
The Tribunal has also released the provisional
results of an examination by the Dutch authorities, which show that there
were no indications of poisoning found.
INTERNATIONAL COURT GET CUSTODY OF CONGOLESE
MILITIAMAN
The International Criminal Court
says that Congolese authorities have transferred to it Thomas Lubanga
Dyilo, a Congolese national and alleged founder and leader of the group known
as Union des Patriotes Congolais.
Lubanga is alleged to have committed war crimes,
and he’s the first person to be arrested and transferred to the International
Criminal Court since the entry into force of the Rome Statute in July 2002.
The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo (MONUC)
has welcomed the development.
ASYLUM APPLICATIONS TO INDUSTRIAL
NATIONS DECREASE
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
today
reports that the numbers of asylum applications in industrialized
countries fell sharply in 2005 for the fourth year in a row.
In the last five years, the number of asylum seekers
arriving in all industrialized countries has fallen by half.
High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, said the figures show that
talk in the industrialized countries of a growing asylum problem does not
reflect reality.
He said industrialized countries should be asking
themselves whether by imposing ever tighter restrictions on asylum seekers
they are not closing their doors to men, women and children fleeing
persecution.
ANNAN URGES
IMAMS AND RABBIS TO SPREAD MESSAGE OF PEACE
Over the weekend, the Second World Congress of Imams and
Rabbis for Peace will meet in Seville, Spain, and the Secretary-General, in a
message, encourages that Congress to spread a message of dialogue and peaceful
coexistence among Muslims and Jews.
He says the Imams and Rabbis can be powerful agents of
change.
He encourages them to help bridge the chasms of
ignorance, fear and misunderstanding, and to set an example of interfaith
dialogue and cooperation.
The meeting draws together some 150 imams, rabbis and
other religious leaders from the Middle East Europe, and North America to
promote dialogue and understanding between those religious communities.
OTHER
ANNOUNCEMENTS
POLAND CONTRIBUTES TO EMERGENCY FUND: According to
the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Poland yesterday
announced a pledge of $250,000 to the new Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF),
which was launched last week by the Secretary-General. The Polish pledge brings
the total number of Member States supporting the Fund to 37 and increases the
total pledges and contributions to more than $254 million.
NEW TUBERCULOSIS STRATEGY LAUNCHED: The World Health
Organization (WHO) today
launched a new strategy to fight tuberculosis (TB), a disease that it calls
“one of the world’s leading killers.” The strategy addresses the current
challenges facing countries in responding to TB, such as the spread of TB and
HIV co-infection. According to WHO, TB kills 1.7 million people every year.
U.N. AND SPAIN AGREE ON ELECTION ASSISTANCE: The UN
Secretariat and the Government of Spain agreed today to work more closely
together in the increasingly important field of electoral assistance. The
agreement, signed this morning by Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs,
Ibrahim Gambari, establishes potential cooperation in many areas, including
support to election observer groups, exchanges of electoral experts between the
signatories, and technical assistance for strengthening electoral systems within
Member States.
U.N. CONCERNED WITH CONFLICT IN UGANDA: The Office
for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has
expressed serious concern at the regional impact of the ongoing conflict in
northern Uganda. Following a recent donor mission to Uganda, OCHA has confirmed
that the situation of almost two million civilians displaced during the 20-year
conflict with the Lord’s Resistance Army remains one of the world’s most serious
humanitarian crises, with crude mortality rates among displaced children in
northern Uganda higher than those in Darfur.
U.N. AND JAPAN TO HELP AFRICAN UNION DISARMAMENT
EFFORTS: The Government of Japan and the UN Development Programme today
signed a $2 million agreement to support an African Union plan to
demobilize, disarm, rehabilitate and reintegrate young ex-combatants in the
war-torn Great Lakes region of Africa. The new programme will target Burundi,
Rwanda and Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. With a special
focus on girls, it will include providing strategic, financial and technical
assistance to government and non-governmental organizations offering education;
as well as support for former child soldiers.
U.N. ENVOY TO DISCUSS LEBANON WITH SAUDI OFFICIALS:
Asked about the upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia by
Terje Roed-Larsen, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the
implementation of Security Council
resolution 1559, the Spokesman said Roed-Larsen will be discussing the
situation in Lebanon with Saudi officials. The Spokesman added that Roed-Larsen
is preparing a report on resolution 559 for the coming month, and as part of his
preparation he is discussing the situation with regional players as he feels
that they have a contribution to make.
ANNAN’S POSITIONS ON SHEBAA FARMS UNCHANGED: Asked
about the Secretary-General’s stance on the issue of the Shebaa Farms, the
Spokesman said that the position of the Secretary-General is unchanged as
outlined in numerous reports to the Security Council.
ANNAN HAS THE RIGHT TO DELEGATE AS HE SEES FIT:
Asked about the transfer of certain powers and duties from the Secretary-General
to the Deputy Secretary-General, and the authority involved in such a transfer,
the Spokesman said the Secretary-General has the right to delegate authority as
he see fits. “It’s the way any manager would manage,” Dujarric noted. “But
obviously the ultimate responsibility of running the Secretariat remains solely
in the hands of the Secretary-General and that responsibility does not change.”
INDEPENDENT INQUIRY COMMITTEE CONTINUES HELPING NATIONAL
AUTHORITIES: Asked about the termination of the
Independent Inquiry Committee (IIC), due to end in March, and whether the
IIC had yet handed over its documentation to the UN Secretariat, the Spokesman
said the month of March was not over yet and thus, the IIC continues as a
repository of archives to help national authorities with their own
investigations in the
Oil-for-Food programme. He added that he expects to make an announcement on
the documentation and the IIC’s lifespan in the coming days.
*** The guest at today’s noon briefing was the
Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, Stephen Lewis. He
spoke about his recent visit to Lesotho and Swaziland.
THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS
Sunday, March 19
The Secretary-General is scheduled to leave Madagascar for
the Republic of Congo, the next leg of his trip to Africa.
Monday, March 20
General Assembly President Jan Eliasson will be in
Washington DC, to brief the National Press Club.
High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres begins a
3-day visit to Beijing.
The Security Council will hold an open debate on small arms
in the morning.
Tuesday, March 21
Today is International for the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination.
The Secretary-General will head to the Democratic Republic
of the Congo.
The Security Council will hold a private meeting with
troop-contributing countries of the UN Mission in Sudan, followed by an open
briefing on Sudan this morning.
Wednesday, March 22
Today is World Water Day.
Carolyn McAskie, Special Representative of the
Secretary-General for Burundi, will be the guest at the noon briefing.
Thursday, March 23
There will be formal meetings of the Security Council on
the UN Mission in Afghanistan and the UN Mission in Sudan in the morning,
followed by consultations on Burundi and Guinea-Bissau.
Friday, March 24
The Security Council will hold a private meeting in the
morning for troop-contributing countries of the UN Mission in Liberia, followed
by consultations on Liberia.
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