HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Tuesday, 22 May 2006
ANNAN ASKS CHINA, JAPAN AND REPUBLIC OF KOREA TO WORK TOGETHER
Secretary-General Kofi Annan has now arrived in Vietnam.
Before leaving China, the Secretary-General spoke about his visits to Republic of Korea and Japan as well as China, and encouraged all three countries to work together in areas of common interest. He said he was encouraged by the desire of leaders in the three countries to have better relations.
Noting that working together on common challenges can help accelerate this process, the Secretary-General said that during this trip he suggested that the three countries pool their efforts together on issues of common concern.
The Secretary-General made the comments after addressing students at Peking University and taking part in a question-and-answer session with them.
In his remarks he summed up his official visit to China, saying that he’d discussed a range of issues with the Chinese leadership which shows the breadth of the China’s role in the world and the importance of China's engagement with the United Nations.
He and Mrs. Annan then visited the Olympic National Stadium, which is currently under construction, and received a briefing of the preparations underway for the 2008 Beijing Games.
SECURITY COUNCIL BRIEFED ON DEVELOPMENTS IN CÔTE D’IVOIRE
The Security Council held consultations this morning on Cote d’Ivoire and other matters.
Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guéhenno briefed on the situation in Cote d’Ivoire.
SPECIAL U.N. ENVOY HELD PRELIMINARY MEETINGS IN KHARTOUM
Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi and the Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hedi Annabi have arrived in Khartoum and have held preliminary meetings today.
They met the Deputy Foreign Minister, the Speaker of the National Assembly and some parliamentarians, and the Head of the African Union in Sudan. Brahimi and Annabi will be meeting other senior government officials on Wednesday and Thursday.
Asked if the Secretary-General had any reaction to the passing of the Security Council’s one-week deadline for the Government of Sudan to allow the UN technical assessment mission in to Darfur, the Spokesman said the United Nations is working with the Sudanese authorities to get that permission.
“That’s the aim of Mr. Brahimi and Mr. Annabi’s work in Khartoum,” Dujarric said, adding that the Secretary-General had spoken to Sudan’s President Omar Bashir by telephone yesterday.
Dujarric said that the Secretary-General indicated to Bashir that he hoped to see the assessment mission dispatched as soon as possible and that he sought the cooperation and support of the Government of Sudan for this. President Bashir told the Secretary-General that after his discussions with Brahimi, he would discuss the matter with his government and the government would then decide on the matter soon.
The Secretary-General also reiterated to the President the importance of the Darfur Peace Agreement and the need for all parties to respect it, the Spokesman said.
Asked if the OHCHR report on human rights was brought up in the exchange between the Secretary-General and the President, the Spokesman said their phone conversation preceded the release of the report.
“The focus of the phone call was the… (Darfur) Peace Agreement and the Secretary-General’s call for the assessment mission to be able to do its work as quickly as possible,” Dujarric said.
Asked if Brahimi was to be employed by the United Nations on a regular basis, the spokesman said Brahimi’s trip to Sudan was a one-off mission. “But Mr. Brahimi, when he left full-time service, did tell the Secretary-General he would be available to trouble shoot and that’s exactly what he’s doing,” Dujarric said.
SUDAN FAILING TO UPHOLD HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITMENTS
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, in cooperation with the UN Mission in Sudan, today issued a report on Sudan’s human rights situation.
The report says that Sudanese authorities are failing to uphold many of the commitments made last year under the accord that ended the country’s civil war.
Covering the period between December 2005 and April of this year, the report draws special attention to: the ill-treatment, detention and harassment of people who voice their concerns about human rights throughout Sudan; the failure to reform laws guarding state officials from criminal prosecution; and the obstruction of UN human rights workers.
Regarding Darfur, the report says the conflict there has reached a new level of violence, both in intensity and frequency.
HUMAN RIGHTS IN IRAQ UNDERMINED BY GROWING INSECURITY
The UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) says that in the months of March and April, human rights have been severely undermined by growing insecurity, high levels of violence and a break down in law and order resulting from the action of militias and criminal gangs.
UNAMI’s latest bi-monthly human rights report notes that women, children and professionals, including academics and judges, have been increasingly targeted by the on-going violence.
ANNAN CALLS FOR ASSISTANCE TO MANO RIVER BASIN COUNTRIES
The Secretary-General today called for continuing international assistance for Liberia, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, and Guinea.
In a message to a meeting in Vienna of the International Contact Group on the Mano River Basin -- read by Alan Doss, his Special Representative for Liberia -- he took note of progress made in all four countries.
But, he said, all four continue to need help from the international community. He urged the Contact Group to continue to exchange ideas and coordinate approaches to what he called some of the most challenging problems in the region.
U.N. CENTRAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE FUND HOLDS FIRST SESSION
The Advisory Group on the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund today held its inaugural session here at Headquarters.
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland briefed the Group on how the Fund has been used since its launch last March. He drew special attention to the allocations that had been made or were being considered for emergencies throughout Africa, as well as in Suriname and Haiti.
The Group’s twelve members were welcomed by the Deputy Secretary-General, Mark Malloch Brown. The Advisory Group’s role is to provide periodic policy guidance and expert advice on the Fund’s use and impact to the Secretary-General.
MORE MYANMAR REFUGEES FLEE TO THAILAND
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that some 2,000 refugees have crossed the border from Myanmar to Thailand in the last three months. The refugees say they are fleeing renewed conflict and human rights abuses in Kayin state.
UNHCR is working with the Thai government and non-governmental organisations to ensure that the new arrivals are provided with adequate shelter and protection.
There are currently 140,000 Myanmar refugees living in nine border camps in Thailand, many of them have been there for up to 20 years.
The agency also reports that it is working -- so far unsuccessfully -- to assist some 186 Palestinian refugees stuck at the border between Iraq and Syria, to cross into Syria.
NEW FISHERIES MONITORING SYSTEM LAUNCHED
At the sidelines of a worldwide fisheries meeting being held at U.N. headquarters this week, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today will help in the official launch of a new monitoring system aimed at better management of fisheries for the billions of consumers worldwide.
The FAO said that more than 500 regions around the globe have already been studied so far.
Today’s initiative calls on all states to join in the effort to exchange very precise information on fish stock sizes, fleet activities, fish mortality and other environmental factors. The new system has already begun posting its findings on its website.
NEW MECHANISM FOR PALESTINE AWAITED
Asked if the United Nations had a view on calls for Israel to help alleviate the financial problems currently underway in Palestine, the Spokesman said that the UN’s position was that of the Middle East Quartet which recently expressed its concern over the humanitarian situation in Palestine.
“And we are looking forward to hearing back from the European Community on the mechanism they are working on to try to alleviate the humanitarian situation,” Dujarric added.
Asked about a time-frame for the establishment of the mechanism, the Spokesman noted they the European Community had indicated it would be done as quickly as possible.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
UNITED NATIONS’ BUDGET: Asked about when the UN’s financial controller would bring forward a budget, the Spokesman said the budget discussions are ongoing among Member States. Asked if it was possible the United Nations could shut down if a budget is not approved by June, the Spokesman said it is hoped that Member States “will come together in a spirit of unity and compromise and deal with the budget in a positive manner.”
PANEL STILL INVESTIGATING ANTI-SEMITIC BEHAVIOUR: Asked for an update on an investigation into anti-Semitic acts reportedly committed by staff from the UN Department of Security and Safety at UN Headquarters, the Spokesman said that an investigation panel had been formed at the end of February to look into those incidents. “By 1 March, all staff were informed of the panel’s work and were asked to cooperate with it. They are currently doing their work, the investigation is ongoing and they’re in the process of interviewing staff within that department,” Dujarric said.
MONTENEGRO REFERENDUM: Asked if the United Nations had any comment to make on the results of Montenegro’s recent independence referendum, given that Russian and Serbian authorities have recognized the result, the Spokesman said that the United Nations was still waiting for the official results to be promulgated.
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