HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S NOON BRIEFING
BY FARHAN HAQ
ASSOCIATE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
UN HEADQUARTERS,
NEW YORK
Monday, April 3, 2006
U.N. ‘REGRETS’
SUDAN’S DECISION NOT TO WELCOME ENVOY
The
UN Mission in Sudan today expressed its
regret at the decision of the Government of Sudan not to welcome the visit
of Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland.
Egeland’s flight into Sudan was not given authorization
to land in Sudan yesterday. Egeland had been scheduled to visit Sudan this
week and had notified the Sudanese authorities well in advance.
Egeland had planned to visit Sudan in order to assess the
humanitarian relief operation in South Sudan, as well as in Darfur, which
amounts to approximately $1.5 billion annually.
Asked if the Secretary-General was trying to contact the Sudanese authorities
about their decision to block Egeland’s visit to Sudan or planning to make any
sort of statement on that decision, the Spokesman said that Secretary-General
Kofi Annan was currently monitoring developments, and that a statement might
be issued after the Secretary-General had an opportunity to speak to Egeland
directly.
Asked for the reasoning behind the Sudanese decision, the Spokesman said the
UN had not received any clear reason for why he was denied entry.
Asked where Egeland was at the moment, the Spokesman later added that he was
in Rumbek, in southern Sudan. After his UN flight had been unauthorized to
land in the area, the Spokesman said, Egeland ended end up flying yesterday
from Uganda into southern Sudan on a commercial flight.
Asked if it was normal for Egeland to be barred from visiting any areas, the
Spokesman said it was not.
U.N. ENVOY TO
SUDAN MEETS PEACE MEDIATOR
Jan Pronk, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for
Sudan, visited Abuja, Nigeria, over the weekend, where he met with Special
Envoy and chief mediator Salim Ahmed Salim about the peace talks. He also met
the main stakeholders of the different parties.
Pronk welcomed the progress
made recently on security arrangements and encouraged the parties to finalize
discussions on power and wealth sharing.
TAYLOR PLEADS
NOT GUILTY AT SPECIAL COURT FOR SIERRA LEONE
The
Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) reported that Charles Taylor, the
former Liberian President, has had his first appearance at the Court today.
Taylor was formally presented with the charges against
him, and pleaded “not guilty” to those charges.
Asked for information concerning the possible transfer of former Liberian
President Charles Taylor to The Hague, the Spokesman said that the Special
Court for Sierra Leone had written to the Dutch authorities and the
International Criminal Court (ICC) last week to see if the ICC’s facilities
could be used by the Special Court for that trial. The Special Court was
awaiting a response.
The Spokesman added that a
draft resolution had been circulated on Friday afternoon in the Security
Council concerning the possible transfer of Charles Taylor to The Hague. For
now, however, Taylor was in Freetown, and that is where his
appearance today took place.
CHINA TAKES
OVER PRESIDENCY OF SECURITY COUNCIL
China has assumed the rotating Presidency of the
Security Council for the month of April, and Chinese Ambassador Wang
Guangya is conducting bilateral discussions with other Council members today
on the Council’s work over the coming month.
The Security Council expects to hold consultations on its
program of work for April on Tuesday, and once those consultations are done,
the Council President intends to brief the press.
DEPUTY
SECRETARY-GENERAL HOLDS TOWN HALL MEETING
As part of the continuing dialogue between staff and
management on the Secretary-General’s recent
report on management reform,
Mark Malloch Brown met today with UN Secretariat staff in a town hall
meeting.
This was an opportunity for staff to ask questions and to
express their concerns directly to Malloch Brown, and it also provided an
opportunity for senior management to clarify some of the misperceptions that
may exist about the report and its goals.
This is just one event which is part of a broader effort
by management to consult with staff on the implementation of the report’s
recommendations.
U.N. HELPING
VICTIMS OF EARTHQUAKE IN IRAN
In response to the earthquakes that recently struck
western Iran, the
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and UN agencies
sent relief supplies – including water storage containers and purification
units, generators, kitchen sets, tents and blankets – to hard-hit areas over
the weekend. In addition, several emergency cash grants have been mobilized.
For their part, the
World Health Organization has established a temporary field office in the
area to help local authorities deal with medical needs, and
UNICEF is assessing educational and psychological needs of the children
involved.
Meanwhile, the joint UN Rapid Assessment Team, reports
that 50 percent of the population in and around the city of Boroujerd has been
displaced and approximately 10,000 homes have been damaged.
KOSOVO STATUS
TALKS FOCUS ON DECENTRALIZATION
The third round of direct Kosovo status talks just ended
in Vienna today.
The discussions, which took place under the auspices of
Special Envoy
Martti Ahtisaari, focused on decentralization.
The parties agreed to meet again in Vienna on 4 May.
ANNAN SAYS
SPORT SHOULD HELP DEVELOPMENT
The Secretary-General and the President of the General
Assembly this afternoon will accept the report on the achievements of the
International Year of Sport and Physical Education, which took place last
year.
Making the presentation at 4:00 p.m. in the ECOSOC
Chamber will be
Adolf Ogi, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Development
and Peace. Also on hand will be tennis player Roger Federer, who recently
became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, and New York marathon winner Tegla
Loroupe of Kenya.
The Secretary-General is expected to say that our task
now is to make sport an essential component of efforts to reach the world’s
development goals.
U.N. SAYS
MIGRATION SHOWS DIVIDE BETWEEN EXCESS AND NEED
Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive Director of the
UN Population Fund, today addressed the UN Commission on Population and
Development.
In her remarks, Obaid said that, perhaps more than any
other issue, international migration puts into stark relief the enormous
social, political, economic and cultural transformations now occurring in a
world divided between excess and need.
PROCEDURES FOR
RIGHTS COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP LISTED
This morning, an Information Note on procedures for
election of members of the Human Rights Council was issued by the Secretariat.
Member States that have chosen to announce their candidacies in writing are
being listed on the General Assembly website, at
www.un.org/ga/60/elect/hrc/.
Sixteen Member States have thus
far submitted their names. Pledges and commitments submitted by Member States
in support of their candidacy are also posted on that website. The elections
are scheduled to take place in the General Assembly on 9 May.
The Fifth Committee this
morning began its consideration of management reform issues. The Deputy
Secretary-General, Mark Malloch Brown, introduced the Secretary-General’s
report, “Investing in the United Nations: for a stronger Organization
worldwide.” The Fifth Committee has been requested to conclude its
consideration on the item as soon as possible, at the latest by 18 April. The
matter will then be sent for consideration in the plenary consultations.
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