HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Friday, 11 August 2006
ANNAN: NOW IS THE TIME FOR DECISIONS ON LEBANON RESOLUTION
Earlier this morning, the
Secretary-General
spoke to the press to stress his desire to see a vote on a resolution
today.
“Each day the discussions go on, the
death, the killing and the destruction continues in the region and the
civilians on both sides continue to suffer,” he said.
He stressed this was now the time for
decisions.
Asked whether the Secretary-General has intensified
his involvement in recent efforts to have Member States reach an agreement,
the Spokesman said the Secretary-General’s efforts have remained consistent
over the past few weeks, and these have involved pushing Member States to
agree on a resolution that will lead to an immediate cessation of
hostilities.
The Spokesman added that speaking to press today,
the Secretary-General had reiterated his desire to see a resolution agreed
upon today.
Asked about the
Secretary-General’s meeting with the US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice,
the Spokesman noted that they had met earlier today, and that there may be
other high-level meetings today.
SECURITY COUNCIL DISCUSSES STATUS OF LEBANON RESOLUTION
Earlier this morning, the
Security Council members met in
closed consultations to discuss the status of a resolution regarding Lebanon.
The Council will meet later today, at 3:00 p.m., to consider a draft
resolution on that topic.
Today is also the monthly lunch given
by the President of the Security Council. The Secretary-General will be
attending.
U.N. FORCE ESCORTS BELEAGUERED LEBANESE CIVILIANS AND TROOPS
TO SAFETY AS FIGHTING CONTINUES
At the request of the Government of
Lebanon and with the consent of the Israeli Defense Forces, the
UN Interim
Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) this morning successfully escorted a convoy of
80 vehicles carrying some 350 Lebanese troops as well as some 100 vehicles
carrying civilians, from the town of Marjayoun. This comes after IDF yesterday
took over the Lebanese Joint Security Force Marjayoun headquarters. UNIFIL
says that the convoy, having received Israeli security clearance, is now
proceeding north without UNIFIL escort.
The peacekeeping force also reports
that one Katyusha rocket from the Hezbollah side impacted directly inside its
Naqoura headquarters yesterday evening, causing extensive material damage, and
lightly wounding one French soldier. Hezbollah is also responsible for a
series of small arms firing assaults on UNIFIL vehicles and staff, including
an attack this morning on a Chinese UN de-mining team, who suffered no
casualties.
Meanwhile, attempts continue to
re-supply nine UNIFIL forward positions of the Indian battalion in the eastern
sector, which are facing critical shortages of fuel. If UNIFIL is not able to
re-supply these positions today, it may face the situation where it would be
impossible to maintain these positions.
UNIFIL further reports that it sent a
medical and rescue team to the village of Haris in the central sector this
morning to provide medical assistance to 25 civilians wounded as a result of
intensive shelling. Seven of these, having sustained serious injuries, were
relocated to a UNIFIL position in the area of Tibnin for further transport to
the area hospital.
U.N. AIRLIFTS EMERGENCY RELIEF SUPPLIES INTO LEBANON
The UN began an airlift yesterday,
with the first Jordanian Air Force flight from Amman landing in Beirut with
blankets and mattresses, as well as medicines for the World Health
Organization.
Meanwhile in Syria, where an estimated
160,000 displaced Lebanese are sheltering, the Office of the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees is
starting to set up tented camps within summer youth camps in the city of
Homs, to help ease overcrowding.
Regarding the UN’s $154 million
humanitarian flash appeal, OCHA
says
that nearly $77 million – less than half – has been committed.
U.N. RIGHTS CHIEF
URGES ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH TO RESPECT LAW AND CIVILIAN LIFE
High Commissioner for Human Rights
Louise Arbour today
addressed the Human Rights Council in Geneva, as it held a special session
on the situation in Israel and Lebanon.
The High Commissioner said “it is
imperative to devote all efforts to an immediate cessation of hostilities, to
save lives, and ensure justice for the victims and accountability for
violations of human rights and international humanitarian law”. She reminded
the parties to the conflict of their legal obligations under international law
regarding the protection of civilians.
Arbour added that, almost daily,
information from the field indicated an alarming pattern in the scale and
choice of targets by all sides in the conflict. The deaths of hundreds of
civilians in documented and corroborated incidents, involving either random or
targeted attacks on civilian vehicles or buildings, strongly suggest the
indiscriminate use of force, she said.
IRAQ: U.N. ENVOY CONDEMNS NAJAF BOMBING, URGES DIALOGUE FOR
PEACE
The Special Representative of the
Secretary-General for Iraq, Ashraf Qazi,
has condemned in the strongest possible terms the heinous killings of Iraqi
civilians yesterday near the Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf. Qazi also condemned the
recent increase in sectarian violence, which has claimed hundreds of innocent
lives throughout Iraq.
Qazi renewed his call to all Iraqis to
refrain from resolving their differences through violence. He urged them to
engage in sustained dialogue based on mutual respect and tolerance. He
reiterated his call to Iraq’s authorities as well as community leaders to
preserve the sanctity of places of worship, to value cultural and educational
institutions and protect public services. Qazi also reaffirmed the UN’s
readiness to support efforts aimed at restoring peace and security in Iraq.
Asked if Qazi had made any
other comments about the escalation of violence in Iraq, the Spokesman noted
that Qazi’s statement addressed the issue, and a recent human rights report by
the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq also detailed developments on this topic.
ADVISORY BOARD REVIEWS PROGRESS IN AUDIT OF IRAQ DEVELOPMENT
FUND
The International Advisory and
Monitoring Board on the Development Fund for Iraq issued a statement yesterday
afternoon, in the wake of its meeting in New York in July.
The Board
said it reviewed the latest
audit reports, approved the reappointment of the auditor of the Development
Fund, and reviewed progress on the special audits of the single sourced
contracts using resources of the Development Fund.
It also said that it has been informed
by the Iraqi representative that steps are being taken to establish an
Iraqi oversight body to succeed the Board with a formal handover of
responsibilities in December 2006.
HUMANITARIAN SUPPLIES FOR GAZA CRITICALLY LOW, U.N. WARNS
The
UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) reports that its Gaza Field Office is
running critically low on food supplies, as a result of the Karni crossing
being closed for containers. The World Food Programme (WFP) currently only has
around 1 months supply for some 220,000 needy people in Gaza.
For its part, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA)
is providing drugs and medical equipment and rehabilitating maternity wards in
hospitals. It is also helping the Palestinian Ministry of Health manage its
ambulances and supporting NGOs that are handing out female hygiene kits.
Meanwhile, UNICEF is supporting 125
psychosocial counselors assisting children in distress.
AFRICAN UNION DARFUR PEACEKEEPING FORCE NEEDS FUNDS
The Secretary-General has written to
the Security Council, providing it with an update on major developments in
Darfur since his last report in late July.
In his letter, he says there has been
some progress in the implementation of the
Darfur Peace Agreement –
although some deadlines relating to the agreement’s key aspects have been
missed.
In regard to the African Union force
in Darfur, the Secretary-General notes that its ability to function is in
jeopardy – despite a relatively positive response at the Brussels Pledging
Conference in July, the African Union says there may not be enough money to
keep its Darfur operation going until the end of September, when its mandate
expires.
The Secretary-General also says that a
preliminary review of the Sudanese Government’s plan for restoring stability
to Darfur does not indicate a willingness to agree to a transition to a UN
operation in Darfur.
U.N. CHIEF IN D.R. CONGO URGES CANDIDATES TO ACCEPT POLL
RESULTS
The Special Representative of the
Secretary-General for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), William Lacy
Swing, this morning invited candidates in the presidential election to issue a
joint statement affirming their determination to accept the results of the
polls and not seek to undermine the credibility of the process.
Swing said that it is crucial that the
institutions of the Congolese state be allowed to function in the spirit of
the Global and Inclusive Accord signed by the Congolese parties in April 2003.
He urged the transitional Government to reunite and save itself from collapse
by all means.
Meanwhile, the
UN Mission in the DRC says that
compilation of election results continues, with nine percent of the votes
counted. The Mission says that results from the capital Kinshasa, which is
home to 12 per cent of registered voters, are expected to be published today.
Asked about Swing’s comments
in light of reported arrests of electoral workers over fraud allegations, the
Spokesman said that Swing’s message was clear: that all the candidates stand
together in support of the electoral process.
“Of course until the results [of the election] are
published it’s a very tense time on the ground and it is key that all the
major actors in the political scene support the process and not do anything to
undermine its credibility,” Dujarric said.
Pressed further, the Spokesman said there are legal
mechanisms in place through which people can appeal should they have any
concerns about the electoral procedures.
“What is important is that if
people have issues with the way the election is being run is that they use
those legal mechanisms and not the street to protest,” Dujarric said.
NIGERIA TO WITHDRAW TROOPS FROM COMEROON’S BAKASSI PENINSULA
With the withdrawal of the Nigerian
troops from the Bakassi Peninsula and the transfer of authority, Cameroon and
Nigeria will begin the third stage in the implementation of the International
Court of Justice (ICJ)
decision of 10 October 2002 relating to the boundary and sovereignty over
the peninsula.
As in the preceding instances, this
official ceremony is symbolic and representative of
the process of
withdrawal of troops and transfer of authority between the two countries.
It will take place in the presence of the two heads of the Cameroonian and
Nigerian delegations, and will be presided over by the Chairman of the
Follow-up Committee, Sir Kieran Prendergast.
Also attending will be the
representatives of the Witness States, France, Germany, the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America.
U.N. COMMISSION PROBES SHOOTING INCIDENTS IN TIMOR-LESTE
The three commissioners of the
UN
Independent Special Commission of Inquiry for Timor-Leste have completed
the first of two visits aimed at looking into the violent incidents of April
and May.
Speaking to the press earlier today in
Dili, the chairman of the commission, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, said the
commission’s aim was to “to provide an honest, truthful, narrative of the
establishment of the facts” of the shootings of April and May and their
causes.
Pinheiro said the three commissioners
would return in September and complete their report to the Secretary-General
by the first week in October.
He said the commission’s
recommendations will include some measure of accountability for individuals or
institutions for the crisis that erupted in April and May.
During its stay, the commission met
the Timorese President, the Prime Minister, the former Prime Minister, leaders
of political parties, military leaders, police authorities, church leaders,
the diplomatic community, the UN country representative and the UN country
team and leaders of other institutions.
Also Friday, the Special
Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General in Timor-Leste, Dr.
Sukehiro Hasegawa,
visited Becora Prison, east of Dili, to assess the conditions of the
detention facilities and the well-being of the prison inmates.
He said he found that the basic needs
of inmates were met but that prison facilities need improvement, and we have
more on that upstairs.
U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY CALLS URGENT ATTENTION TO SRI LANKA,
KENYA
The Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
says that in north-east Sri Lanka, it is helping a rapidly growing number
of people displaced by fighting over the past week in Muttur between
government forces and rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
Local authorities say more than 50,000
people are now displaced and sheltering in 51 sites in Trincomalee District –
a big jump from the 21,000 reported on Tuesday.
UNHCR also
says that an average of 100 Somali refugees are arriving every day at
Dadaab in north-east Kenya – and it is worried that the figure could rise much
higher if hostilities in neighbouring Somalia escalate.
ANNAN SADDENED BY LOSS OF LIFE AND DAMAGE IN INDIAN FLOOD
The Secretary-General is deeply
saddened over the
loss of life and damage caused by the recent flooding in the Andhra Pradesh,
Maharashtra and Gujarat States of India, where over 161 people have been
killed and over 6 million are affected.
The Secretary-General regrets
the loss of life due to this tragedy and extends his condolences to the
victims and their families. He commends the Government of India on its rapid
search and rescue operations and establishment of relief camps. The United
Nations stands ready to offer any assistance requested by the Indian
Government to support the national response to this disaster.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
U.N. TO HOST CONVENTION ON RIGHTS OF
PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES: At a two-week session
that starts on Monday at UN Headquarters, delegates and other international
leaders will work on finalizing the text of the first-ever draft convention on
the rights of persons with disabilities.
U.N. FOOD PROGRAMME TO ASSIST
ETHIOPIA FLOOD VICTIMS: The World Food Programme
is currently working
to determine the immediate food needs of some 10,000 people left homeless by
flash floods in the eastern part of Ethiopia.
U.N TO COMMEMORATE INTERNATIONAL
YOUTH DAY: International Youth Day will be
celebrated worldwide on 12 August. With almost one in five young people living
on less than US $ 1 per day (18 per cent of the 1,158 million 15 to 24 year olds
worldwide), this year’s theme is “Tackling Poverty Together: Young People and
the Eradication of Poverty.” At UN headquarters, the Day will be celebrated
tomorrow morning at 10 am in Conference room 3. The event is being organized by
DESA in partnership with the
International Branch of the New York City YMCAs and will include youth
testimonials and performances. Press materials and programme are available
upstairs.
THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS
12-18 August 2006
Monday, August 14
The eighth session
of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities is scheduled to open today. The session will take place between 14
and 25 August.
Tuesday, August
15
This morning the
Security Council is scheduled to hold an open debate on Timor-Leste.
At 1:15 in room 226,
Ambassador Don MacKay of New Zealand and the Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on
the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, will brief
journalists on the final phase of negotiations of the Convention.
Wednesday, August
16
The guest at the
noon briefing today will be Francois Lonseny Fall, the Special Representative of
the Secretary-General for Somalia.
Friday, August 18
This morning the Security Council is
scheduled to vote on a draft resolution on Timor-Leste.
Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055
