HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY MARIE OKABE
DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
MIDDLE EAST:
ANNAN URGES ALL CONCERNED TO EXERCISE MAXIMUM
RESTRAINT
Secretary-General Kofi Annan met
in Rome today with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, and he
told reporters
afterward that they both felt extremely concerned about what is happening in
the Middle East.
The Secretary-General condemned
without reservation the attack that took place in the
southern Lebanon [region] and
demanded that the captured Israeli troops be released immediately. He added
that leaders in the region should do whatever they can to press all parties to
exercise restraint.
The Secretary-General warned that the
region was a very dangerous part of the world where we would not want to see
an escalation. He stressed that all concerned should exercise maximum
restraint, adding that every effort must be taken not to harm civilians.
The Secretary-General and the Prime
Minister also discussed other issues, including Darfur, Afghanistan, Iran and
North Korea.
In the afternoon, he went on to meet
with the Foreign Relations Committees of the Italian Senate and Chamber of
Deputies. This evening, he will be the guest at a dinner hosted by Foreign
Minister Massimo D’Alema.
Asked how the
Secretary-General would respond to the violence in the
Middle East and whether he was in touch with the Quartet, the Spokeswoman
said that the Secretary-General was constantly in touch with the members of
the Quartet, and was also in contact with concerned leaders today.
She said that he had spoken
today with Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora and with U.S. Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice, and also intended to make calls to the leaders of
Israel and Syria, to appeal for the release of the soldiers and for all
parties to exercise maximum restraint.
Asked whether he would send
any envoys, the Spokeswoman noted that he already has envoys on the ground and
is also personally involved in efforts to calm the situation.
Asked whether the
Secretary-General has any comment on the killing of a Palestinian family in
Gaza, the Spokeswoman said that the Secretary-General was distressed by the
news of that killing. The Secretary-General, Okabe said, deplores this action.
He reminds Israel of its obligation under international law to protect
civilians from the effects of the conflict, and calls on all sides to exercise
maximum restraint.
U.N. REPRESENTATIVE IN LEBANON CONDEMNS HEZBOLLAH ATTACK
Geir Pedersen,
the Secretary-General’s Personal Representative for Lebanon, condemned today’s
Hizbollah attack in the strongest possible terms.
He said he was deeply disturbed by
this violent breach of the Blue Line, which contradicts the stated intent of
the Lebanese side to maintain calm and stability along the Line.
Pedersen called on Hizbollah to
release the soldiers and urge all parties to exercise maximum restraint and
avoid any further escalation.
UNITED NATIONS
CONDEMNS INDIA BOMBINGS
In a
presidential
statement read following the noon briefing by Security Council President
Jean-Marc de la Sablière of France, the Security Council underlined the need
to bring the perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of those
“reprehensible” acts of terrorism to justice, and urged all States to
cooperate actively with the Indian authorities in that regard.
The Council reaffirmed the need to combat by
all means threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist
acts, and reminded States that any measures they take to combat terrorism
should comply with their obligations under international law, in particular
international human rights, refugee and humanitarian law.
In a
statement
issued Tuesday afternoon, the Secretary-General said "such acts cannot
possibly be excused by any grievance."
SECURITY COUNCIL BRIEFED IN SUDAN AND COTE D’IVOIRE
The
Security Council this morning is
hearing from Under-Secretary-General for
Peacekeeping Operations,
Jean-Marie Guéhenno,
about the recent developments at the African Union Summit in Banjul, the
Gambia, concerning
Sudan and Cote d’Ivoire.
Speaking in the Council’s closed
consultations, Guéhenno informed the Council of the Secretary-General’s
meetings in Banjul with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and Ivoirian
President Laurent Gbagbo, as well as with other leaders.
He also discussed the mini-summit in
Cote d’Ivoire that followed the meetings in Banjul.
UNITED
NATIONS HELPING LIBERIA IMPLEMENT TREATY OBLIGATIONS
Responding to an initiative of the
Liberian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the United Nations
and the World Bank are helping the
Liberian Government with its implementation of the wide range of treaty
obligations resulting from the record number of treaty actions undertaken by
Liberia in September 2005.
Along with other UN officials, UN
legal officers are currently in Monrovia enhancing awareness of the
international rule of law through training seminars and workshops in treaty
law and practice.
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY HOLDS INTERACTIVE HEARINGS ON MIGRATION
Deputy Secretary-General
Mark Malloch Brown this morning addressed the
General Assembly’s informal interactive
hearings on migration.
The aim of the hearings is to provide
an opportunity for civil society to interact with Member States and offer
input for the September
High-Level Dialogue
on International Migration and Development.
In his remarks, the Deputy
Secretary-General flagged the Secretary-General’s recent report on migration,
which highlights the benefits of international migration and will be the basis
for the High-Level Dialogue.
Referring to the Dialogue, the Deputy
Secretary-General said it had three goals: to raise awareness; examine the
relationship between migration and development; and to see how migration could
best work to promote development.
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