Secretary-General

Noon briefing of 17 March 2006


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.