HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY MARIE OKABE
DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Thursday, July 20, 2006
MIDDLE EAST: ANNAN
SAYS CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES URGENTLY NEEDED
The Secretary-General just now
briefed the Security
Council in an open meeting on the Middle East, telling the Council that almost
every day brings a new escalation to the bloody conflict that has engulfed
Lebanon and northern Israel.
He said that already, over 300
Lebanese have been killed and over 600 wounded, and the casualties are mainly
among the civilian population, about one third of them children. Meanwhile,
the Israeli people, who had hoped that Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon would
bring security along their northern border, find themselves under constant
Hezbollah rocket attacks, which every day reach further into Israeli
territory. To date, 28 Israelis have been killed and over 200 wounded.
The
Secretary-General said that is most urgently needed is an immediate
cessation of hostilities, to prevent further loss of innocent life and the
infliction of further suffering; to allow full humanitarian access to those in
need; and to give diplomacy a chance to work out a practical package of
actions that would provide a lasting solution to the current crisis. He added
that, while Hezbollah’s actions are deplorable, and Israel has a right to
defend itself, the excessive use of force is to be condemned.
He told the Council that the mission
he sent to the region, headed by his
Special
Adviser, Vijay Nambiar, has suggested elements which, in his opinion, must
form the political basis of any lasting ceasefire, and on which they have
conducted consultations with the leaders of Lebanon and Israel.
The elements include the following
elements, among others:
The captured Israeli soldiers would be
transferred to the legitimate Lebanese authorities, under the auspices of the
ICRC, with a view to their repatriation to Israel and a ceasefire.
On the Lebanese side of the Blue Line
an expanded peacekeeping force would help stabilize the situation, working
with the Lebanese government to help strengthen its army and deploy it fully
throughout the area. Meanwhile, the Lebanese government would fully implement
Security Council resolutions 1559 and
1680, to establish Lebanese sovereignty and control.
The Prime Minister of Lebanon
would unequivocally confirm to the Secretary-General and the Security Council
that the Government of Lebanon will respect the Blue Line in its entirety,
until agreement on Lebanon’s final international boundaries is reached.
The Secretary-General added that we
also need a peace track for Gaza – despite the different issues involved – as
much as we do for Lebanon. He noted that Palestinians in Gaza are suffering
deeply, with well over 100, many of them civilians, killed in the last month
alone.
The open meeting was followed by
consultations, also on the Middle East.
HEAVY
FIGHTING REPORTED ALONG BLUE LINE BETWEEN
ISRAEL, LEBANON
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon
reports
that heavy exchanges of fire have continued unabated along the length of the
Blue Line. There were 31 incidents of firing close to UN positions during the
past 24 hours, with three positions suffered direct hits from the Israeli
side.
UNIFIL Headquarters compound in Naqoura, causing
extensive damage to the UNIFIL hospital where doctors were operating at the
time.
The UN Mission says that some
re-supply convoys to its positions are planned for today, but the ability to
move will depend on the situation on the ground. All UN positions close to the
Blue Line are facing shortages of basic supplies, and the need to re-supply
them is vital.
NEPAL:
ANNAN SENDS TEAM TO ASSESS U.N. HELP TO PEACE PROCESS
Recent developments have provided an
unprecedented opportunity to achieve a negotiated political solution to
Nepal’s 10-year armed conflict. With that in mind, the Secretary-General has
decided to send a team to
Nepal to discuss the proposed U.N. assistance in the peace process.
Through consultations with all
concerned, the mission will seek a common understanding of the nature and
scope of responsibilities the United Nations could undertake in the peace
process. The assessment team will be led by Mr. Staffan De Mistura and is
scheduled to be in Nepal between 26 July and 3 August.
GUINEA-BISSAU’S
STABILITY IS THREATENED
The
Security Council began its work this
morning with consultations on Guinea-Bissau, with a briefing by the
Secretary-General’s Representative, João Honwana. Honwana discussed the
Secretary-General’s recent
report on that country, which says that the political climate there
remains fragile as deep antagonisms between political actors continue to
hamper a frank and open national dialogue.
The Council also heard a briefing on
sanctions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by the chairman of the
Council’s Sanctions Committee, Ambassador Oswaldo de Rivero of Peru.
DR
CONGO: EXPERTS RECOMMEND TIGHTENING SANCTIONS REGIME
Available today is the latest report
of the Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In it, the experts document repeated violations of the Security Council’s arms
embargo on the DRC by both Congolese and foreign actors.
Internal trafficking in arms and
ammunition, the experts say, remains a genuine threat to the peace process.
Equally threatening is the financing of violations of the arms embargo through
the diversion of Congolese natural resources, including cross-border smuggling
of diamond and radioactive material such as uranium and radium.
The Group of Experts also reports that
despite repeated declarations by its leaders, Rwandan rebel groups based in
eastern DRC continue to resist a UN-backed disarmament program.
The experts recommend a natural
resources control system for the DRC, as well as financial and travel
sanctions on armed groups resisting the disarmament program. The illicit
transportation of arms by air should also be punished, the experts say.
SOMALIA:
U.N. OFFICIAL URGES RESTRAINT
The Special Representative of the
Secretary-General for Somalia, Francois Lonseny Fall, today
urged leaders of the Transitional Federal Government and the Supreme
Council of the Islamic Courts to restrain their forces.
He urged both sides to respect the
ceasefire and other provisions of the Khartoum agreement of 22 June, including
their commitment to refrain from any provocations that could lead to an
escalation of the situation.
A continuation of the Khartoum
process, he said, would give both parties an opportunity to flesh out their
expectations and move towards a peaceful solution.
COTE
D’IVOIRE : ANNAN’S LATEST REPORT URGES PARTIES TO PEACE
The Secretary-General’s latest
progress
report on Cote d’Ivoire was issued
today.
In it, the Secretary-General says that
while the steps taken so far to implement the peace process provide the
ingredients for further progress, sustained and focused efforts to expedite
country-wide identification and disarmament are needed to take the country out
of crisis.
He adds that the international
community needs to stay united in putting pressure on all the Ivorian parties
to deliver on their commitments.
INDONESIA:
EMERGENCY SUPPLIES SENT TO TSUNAMI VICTIMS
Turning now to the tsunami that hit
Java, Indonesia, on Monday, we issued a
statement
yesterday afternoon, expressing the Secretary-General’s sadness over the loss
of life. For his part, the UN Deputy Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery, Eric
Schwartz, traveled to Java this week, where he called for accelerated progress
on national disaster prevention efforts.
Meanwhile, on the ground, the
World Food Programme has sent twenty tons of
food to the hardest-hit areas, and UNICEF is sending emergency supplies,
including tents, jerry cans and hygiene kits. For its part, the World Health
Organization is assessing health needs and planning a measles vaccination
campaign.
U.N.
FOOD AGENCY COMMENDS NEW FOOD AID REPORT
The World Food Programme (WFP) today
drew attention
to a new report, which notes that, in the same year it stopped receiving food
aid from WFP, China emerged as the world’s third largest food aid donor.
The report also says that donations of
food aid, not just those handled by WFP, grew by 10 percent to 8.2 million
tons in 2005. WFP aid accounted for over half of that figure and reached 97
million people last year.
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY DEBATES SECURITY COUNCIL REFORM
The
General Assembly is holding a debate in
plenary all day today on the reform of the Security Council. No action is
expected to be taken during this debate on any of the existing resolutions on
Security Council expansion or reform of its working methods. Several
delegations are suggesting various ways of moving forward on this important
issue, in a constructive spirit.
Consultations are continuing
in the Assembly on the review of mandates, as well as work behind the scenes
on a counter-terrorism strategy,
ECOSOC reform, and other issues that are still to be acted upon during the
60th session.
Meanwhile, the first
provisional list of speakers has been issued for the General Debate of the 61st
session of the Assembly, starting on Tuesday, 19 September.
OTHER
ANNOUNCEMENTS
GEORGIA’S WINEMAKING INDUSTRY AT RISK: The
Food and Agriculture Organization
reports
that Georgia’s winemaking industry is at risk, threatened by counterfeiting and
the sector’s failure to diversity its markets. FAO is helping to protect the
wine market by setting up a public-private regulatory body and training
government officials to improve traceability of bulk wine. Wine is the country’s
third biggest export and generated more than $80 million last year.
Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055
