HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Wednesday, 9 August 2006
ANNAN: EVENTS IN LEBANON SHOULD NOT DISTRACT FROM NEED FOR SOLUTION IN OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
Secretary-General Kofi Annan is greatly concerned that the tragic events in Lebanon and northern Israel should not distract from the urgent need to work towards a solution to the current crisis in the occupied Palestinian territory.
The continued killing and injuring of hundreds of civilians, including children, in Gaza, by Israeli forces is utterly unjustifiable.
Further, the arbitrary arrest of many senior Palestinians – including Dr. Aziz Dweik, the speaker of the Palestinian Council – is a cause of particular concern, since it further undermines the Palestinian institutions which must be preserved if a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is to be achieved.
He also reiterates his call for a cessation of the rocket attacks from Gaza, which have indiscriminately targeted Israeli civilians. He calls on the parties to resume dialogue without delay, and welcomes the continued efforts by the Government of Egypt to help bring this about.
Above all he believes these tragic events in the occupied Palestinian territory, Israel and Lebanon, show how urgent it is that a comprehensive peace process be revived as soon as possible.
ANNAN FOCUSSED ON GETTING COUNCIL RESOLUTION PASSED QUICKLY
Asked whether the Secretary-General was considering undertaking shuttle diplomacy in the Middle East given the problems in the diplomatic process at the United Nations, the Spokesman said that, contrary to the reporters’ question, extremely intensive diplomacy is taking place at the United Nations right now.
The Secretary-General’s focus, the said, is to get a resolution passed, and passed quickly, by the Security Council.
The Secretary-General has been in touch with all parties, both in New York and by phone with others, to push his message that the war must end and that all sides must stop all operations. There has been too much civilian suffering.
Asked whether the Secretary-General had spoken with US President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General has been in touch with Rice numerous times in recent days, as he has been with many senior officials. He last spoke by phone with President Bush on 4 August.
LACK OF SECURITY CLEARANCE INHIBITING FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT FOR U.N. FORCE IN LEBANON
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) says that its freedom of movement and ability to resupply its positions were denied because of the lack of security clearance from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and the intensification of hostilities on the ground. UNIFIL’s forward positions in the eastern sector are facing critical shortages of fuel, and it will be vital to resupply them in the next 48 hours.
UNIFIL also reports that the Israeli Defense Forces have not responded to its repeated request to reopen the road between Tyre and Beirut, by putting up another provisional bridge over the Litani River.
The IDF confirmed to UNIFIL that any movement of vehicles south of the Litani River is prohibited, with the exception of UNIFIL and Red Cross vehicles.
Meanwhile, UNIFIL provided a limited supply of fuel for water pumping in the village of Rmeich today.
Two artillery rounds from the Israeli side impacted inside a UNIFIL position but caused no casualties, while Hezbollah fired rockets from the vicinity of two other UN positions.
ACCESS PROBLEMS FOR HUMANITARIAN CONVOYS CONTINUE IN SOUTHERN LEBANON
UN humanitarian staff in Lebanon report that one aid convoy has moved south of Beirut heading to the Sidon area, and another convoy is to travel to Nabatiyeh. The United Nations continues to have access problems to southern Lebanon, and no convoys are headed there today.
The fuel situation is worsening but attempts by the Lebanese Government and the United Nations to bring shipments into the country continue. The United Nations is working to facilitate the passage of existing shipments, and the United Nations hopes to help provide some fuel to meet some of the needs of essential services, such as hospitals and bakeries, through the government of Lebanon.
The World Food Programme today has distributed 384 tonnes of food, delivered to displaced people in Beirut through local non-governmental organizations. The regular food distribution is continuing in Beirut and the surrounding area.
Meanwhile, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says that its existing stocks of emergency aid inside Lebanon have been largely exhausted. UNHCR is assessing the needs of hundreds of thousands of displaced people inside Lebanon but needs to be able to get supplies from outside faster, in order to meet those needs.
Asked about Israel’s announcement that vehicles traveling south of the Litani River might be fired upon, the Spokesman said that UN humanitarian convoys are not moving south of that river, because of the lack of bridges to cross the Litani. The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), he said, was seeking assurances from the Israeli Defense Forces that bridges the peacekeepers build would not be destroyed, but had not obtained those assurances.
The United Nations, Dujarric added, is in touch with all parties whenever it sends in humanitarian convoys, to ensure the safe travel of those convoys, although today it did not send any such convoys south. UNIFIL, he added, has been assisting the local population in the south as much as it can.
Asked about the oil spill off the Lebanese coast, the Spokesman noted that two experts had arrived in Syria to evaluate the consequences of the spill, but, given the fighting, it may be difficult for them to travel to Lebanon for now.
SECURITY COUNCIL MEETS ON PEACE CONSOLIDATION IN WEST AFRICA
The Security Council held an open meeting today on peace consolidation in West Africa.
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for West Africa, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, attended.
The Secretary-General was in the Chamber earlier this morning and said that it is extremely important that we focus on ending the conflicts in the region, in order to be able to tackle the essential task of economic and social development.
For peace to prevail and to last, he said, we are seeking to develop meaningful peace-building initiatives – including reconciliation and confidence-building processes, as well as mechanisms to strengthen the rule of law.
He added that this is essential to support fragile post-conflict countries such as Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea-Bissau.
SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN INSECURITY IN DARFUR OVER PAST SEVEN MONTHS
Jan Pronk, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Sudan, today gave a press conference in Khartoum, in which he said that, during the first seven months of this year, there has been a significant increase in insecurity in Darfur. Among other things, the number of armed clashes during that period is twice as high as the number of clashes from one year ago.
Pronk said that the first three months since the Darfur Peace Agreement was signed have not been positive. He pointed to ongoing incidents of insecurity, the non-signature of the agreement by quite a number of rebels and splits in the opposition, among other problems.
DETERIORATION IN HUMAN RIGHTS IN DARFUR SINCE PEACE DEAL SIGNED
A new report by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the human rights office of the UN Mission in Sudan, says that there has been no improvement – and in some areas there has been a deterioration – in the human rights situation in Darfur since the signing of the Darfur Peace Agreement.
The report says that although fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Sudan Liberation Army lessened following the signing of the peace agreement, attacks by militias and rebel factions continued unabated, mainly in South and North Darfur.
It adds that there’s also been an increase in rape and attempted rape cases.
UNITED NATIONS PROVIDING AID FOLLOWING FLOODS IN ETHIOPIA
The United Nations is responding to needs created by floods in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia, which have reportedly led to at least 200 deaths and displaced approximately 3,000 people.
The UN Children’s Fund has pre-positioned 2,000 family kits in the affected area, while the World Food Programme is releasing a one-month ration of food for 10,000 people affected by the floods.
U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY SHOCKED BY KYRGYZ DEPORTATION OF UZBEKIS
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says it is shocked by Kyrgyzstan’s extradition on Wednesday of four Uzbek refugees and one Uzbek asylum seeker.
The five have been sent back to Uzbekistan and the refugee agency believes the move places the deportees at grave risk.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, says the move is an extremely serious violation of the 1951 Refugee Convention - which Kyrgyzstan has ratified - under which no refugees should be forcibly returned to their country of origin.
UNHCR had secured resettlement places in different countries for the four months ago and had been asking the Kyrgyz authorities to allow them to be transferred.
Asked about UNHCR efforts to prevent expulsions from Uzbekistan, the Spokesman added that UNHCR is working on the ground to prevent people from being expelled, and would also speak out on that issue as its work proceeds.
INITIATIVE LAUNCHED TO DRAW ATTENTION TO WORLD WATER CRISIS
Earlier today, the Secretary-General announced the launch of an initiative with MTV and hip-hop artist Jay-Z to draw attention to the world’s water crisis.
The Secretary-General said that more than one billion people lack access to safe drinking water, while some 2.6 billion people have no access to proper sanitation. And nearly two million children die every year because of unclean water and poor sanitation, far more than the casualties caused by violent conflicts.
He said that the water crisis can only be fully addressed with the active participation of young people everywhere.
MUCH REMAINS TO BE DONE TO ALLEVIATE PLIGHT OF MANY INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
Today is the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People and the Secretary-General has issued a message to mark the occasion. In his message, the Secretary-General says that despite their achievements, much remains to be done to alleviate the poverty, discrimination and human rights abuses faced by many indigenous people.
The Secretary-General called on all to build a partnership for action and dignity on behalf of the world’s indigenous people.
GLOBAL FUND RECEIVES $500 MILLION CONTRIBUTION
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria announced today that it has received a contribution of $500 million over five years from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The announcement comes a week before more than 25,000 researchers, health workers, advocates, and policymakers meet in Toronto to discuss progress and prospects in the fight against AIDS.
“We are extremely grateful to the Gates Foundation for this show of confidence in the Global Fund,” said Richard Feachem, Executive Director of the Global Fund. “The Global Fund has proven itself to be an effective way to reach millions of people with urgently-needed medicines and other services. This new commitment by the Gates Foundation will enable us to reach millions more.”
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