Secretary-General

Noon briefing of 17 August 2006

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Thursday, 17 August 2006

LEBANON: U.N. MISSION CONFIRMS ISRAELI WITHDRAWAL & LEBANESE DEPLOYMENT

  • The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reports that the withdrawal of the Israeli Army from Lebanon has been underway since yesterday, while Lebanese forces this morning began their deployment south of the Litani River, including areas vacated by the IDF. Both sides are conducting these operations in close coordination and with the support of UNIFIL.

  • The UN force also says that significant numbers of Lebanese troops arrived this morning in Tyre, with around 500 already deployed in the area of Tibnin, and some 800 in the general area of Marjayoun. The Israeli withdrawal and Lebanese deployment are expected to continue in the coming days in accordance with the agreement forged at a trilateral meeting between the UNIFIL Force Commander and senior Israeli and Lebanese Army officers.

  • Meanwhile, the UNIFIL Chinese de-mining team continued to clear unexploded ordnance and yesterday provided assistance to two civilians injured by unexploded ordnance in the village of Hinniyah. UN troops also distributed food and water to residents in the villages of Ayta Ash Shab and Al Boustan earlier today, and provided fuel to the village of Rmeich to power the local water supply system.

POTENTIAL LEBANON FORCE CONTRIBUTORS TO MEET TODAY

  • There will be a meeting with potential troop contributing countries for the expanded UNIFIL at UN Headquarters at 3:30 p.m. today. The Deputy Secretary-General will be chairing the meeting.

  • Asked if the Secretary-General had been in contact with French President Jacques Chirac, the Spokesman said the Secretary was going to be in contact with him. The Spokesman said the contact was part of broader contacts between United Nations and French officials at various levels.

  • Asked if France had indicated its possible level of participation in an expanded UNIFIL, the Spokesman said no. “Our military people have spoken to their representatives, so the situation is obviously fluid but we do not yet have a final answer from the French,” Dujarric said.

  • The Spokesman added that the meeting today with up to 49 potential troop contributing Member States would see Member States briefed on the concept of operations and the rules of engagement for an expanded UNIFIL.

  • “This will be a chance for them to ask questions of us,” Dujarric said. “We are doing our best to answer all the questions troop contributors may have.”

  • Asked if there was an expectation that France would have the lead role in an expanded UNIFIL, the Spokesman said that this would be a UN operation, not one led by one Member States.

  • “You can very well have peacekeeping operations with a number of countries providing the main pillars – but I think we have to realize that these are ongoing discussions at this point,” Dujarric said.

  • Asked if France could have reservations about contributions to an expanded UNIFIL as it would prefer to operate under the guise of a multi-national force, the Spokesman said the mandate provided by the Security Council resolution clearly calls for a UN-led force.

  • Asked if any nations had yet committed troops to an expanded UNIFIL, the Spokesman said some countries had expressed interest but there have been no firm commitments so far.

  • In response to further questions, the Spokesman said today’s meeting was the first formal meeting on the issue and there could be more.

  • “We may very well likely have another meeting on this early next week on this to firm up offers,” Dujarric said. “It’s understandable these countries have a lot of questions to ask and we will be there to provide them with the answers.”

  • Asked if today’s meeting would deal with a vanguard force or the whole expanded UNFIL, the Spokesman said it would deal with the whole expanded UNIFIL.

  • Asked about comments made by Israel’s foreign minister, where she reportedly said Israel would like countries which have diplomatic ties to Israel to make up the expanded UNIFIL, the Spokesman said the force would broadly represent the world we live and include Muslim and non-Muslim troops. “But let’s form that force first,” Dujarric said.

  • Asked if Lebanon and Israel would be consulted on the make-up of the expanded UNIFIL, the Spokesman said the deployment of forces would occur with an awareness of the realities on the ground.

  • “But it is up to the UN to put the force together,” Dujarric said. “We would ant to put a force together that both countries can obviously work with.”

FOOD, WATER, MEDICINE URGENTLY NEEDED IN SOUTH BEIRUT

  • The UN’s preliminary assessment of the southern suburbs of Beirut shows that there is an urgent need for clean drinking water, food, medicine, mattresses and blankets for the hundreds of thousands of people who have returned there.

  • Regarding the UN’s humanitarian convoys, three were dispatched today. They are headed to Marjayoun, Sidon and Tyre. In addition, a World Health Organization (WHO) fuel tanker left Tyre for Bint Jbeil.

  • WHO also reports that it is sending more than 120 trauma kits and six doctor’s kits with equipment for some 12,000 operations to the hospital in Marjayoun.

  • The World Food Programme (WFP) says that, since the beginning of the current crisis, it has distributed more than 1,300 tons of food to over 262,000 Lebanese.

COUNTRIES AGREE ON PLAN TO CLEAN UP LEBANON OIL SPILL

  • An action plan to help the Lebanese authorities clean up the oil spill off Lebanon’s coast and prevent any damage to neighbouring countries was agreed on today at an international meeting in Athens, Greece.

  • The meeting was convened by the International Maritime Organization and the UN Environment Programme, and it saw UN officials and experts, along with countries in the region and the European Commission, back the plan.

  • The Action Plan covers short-, medium- and long-term responses to the spill. It includes a recommendation that immediate, helicopter-based aerial surveys with a trained independent observer, be conducted as well as the establishment of a “permanent on-site advisory force” of up to three pollution response specialists, who would help with site surveys and act as an advisory team to the Lebanese Ministry of the Environment.

  • There are an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 tonnes of fuel oil that seeped into the Mediterranean Sea after a bomb hit a power station south of Beirut last month. It is believed to have affected 150 kilometres of coastline with some oil reaching as far north as Syria. Several countries have offered clean up and oil containment equipment.

INSECURITY RISES IN DARFUR, SECURITY COUNCIL TOLD

  • The Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Hedi Annabi, briefed the Security Council this morning on the Secretary-General’s latest report on Darfur, and also provided an update on the situation on the ground there.

  • Annabi said the security situation in Darfur has worsened since the last briefing on Darfur in late June, with violence between signatories and non-signatories to the Darfur Peace Agreement as well as an unprecedented level of attacks against humanitarian workers – so much so, that some NGOs have indicated they may be forced to withdraw completely from North Darfur.

  • Annabi said the Peace Agreement’s implementation is not going well, with both signatories and non-signatories violating it.

  • He also voiced concern about the build-up of Sudanese Armed Forces in Darfur, noting that the plan of the Sudanese Government to bring stability to Darfur appears to show a determination to pursue a major military offensive in the region.

  • Annabi also pointed out that Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir has reiterated his rejection of a UN operation in Darfur and warned that the Sudanese army would fight any UN forces sent to Darfur.

  • Given the urgency of the situation on the ground, Annabi urged the Council to consider re-engaging the Government of Sudan directly for a final discussion on this matter.

  • Also on Sudan, the UN Mission there is demanding the Sudanese government stop the forced eviction of 12,000 long-term internally displaced people in a community south of Khartoum.

  • The UN is calling for immediate access to the area in order to assess the humanitarian situation and the assistance needed by those affected.

  • Asked about Bashir’s comments, the Spokesman said it is clear that the Government of Sudan is not ready to accept a UN force and that’s why the Secretary-General, through his briefing today, has asked that members of the Council re-engage with the Government of Sudan on this issue.

U.N. ENVOY CONCERNED BY HATE MESSAGES IN CONGOLESE MEDIA

  • The Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), William Lacy Swing, this morning said that he is deeply concerned about hate messages in the local media, which are inciting Congolese to target and take revenge on “white people and foreigners.”

  • In response to the hate messages, the Congolese High Authority on Media yesterday suspended for 24 hours the local RTAE and CCTV television stations, the latter of which is owned by presidential candidate and current Vice-President Jean-Pierre Bemba. The official Congolese Broadcasting Corporation television station was also suspended for 24 hours on similar grounds.

  • The UN Mission, meanwhile, reports that some 97% of the votes cast in the presidential election, and some 50% of those cast in the parliamentary poll, have been compiled, so far. The Mission says election organizers are confident that official provisional results for the presidential poll will be available this Saturday, one day ahead of schedule, despite logistical difficulties reported from 4 compilation centers in the Equator, Western Kasai and Bandundu provinces. The Mission is actively working on helping the transport of these ballots to the capital Kinshasa.

D.R. CONGO: U.N. MISSION APPALLED BY CHILD PROSTITUTION ALLEGATIONS

  • The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) says it is shocked and appalled by allegations of the existence of a vast child prostitution ring involving UN and Congolese troops in the northeastern province of South-Kivu.

  • The Mission says that, while most reported patrons are reported to be Congolese soldiers, early victim testimonies suggest that the suspected ring leaders cited the presence of UN troops in the region and their perceived financial resources to incite impressionable young girls to engage in prostitution.

  • The Mission says it is taking these allegations extremely seriously and that the UN Office of Internal Oversight has launched an investigation. The Mission will uphold its staff policy of zero tolerance for sexual misconduct and, should the allegations against UN peacekeepers prove well-founded, it will take all necessary disciplinary measures without delay.

  • Asked why the UN Office for Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) was not involved in investigating claims that MONUC peacekeepers participated in a recent attack on the locality of Kazana in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Spokesman said OIOS investigates claims of sexual misconduct while the Kazana incident involved military operations and was thus investigated by MONUC itself.

  • Asked if the UN’s zero tolerance policy against sexual exploitation and abuse was still in place, the Spokesman said that it is and that it manifests itself via the investigation and prosecution of any such incident which is uncovered. He added that it also includes putting preventive measures in place to help educated UN staff about this issue.

  • In response to a further question, there are a total of 256 open allegations of misconduct by MONUC staff currently under investigation. Of these, 144 are allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA). The UN has 201 completed investigations of SEA resulting in the repatriation from DRC of 102 military and 11 police personnel, as well as the summary dismissal of 7 civilian personnel, the reprimand of 3 civilians and the suspension of 6 civilians to date.

U.N. HELPS COORDINATE FLOOD RELIEF EFFORT IN ETHIOPIA

  • Regarding Ethiopia, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that it is helping to coordinate the flood relief effort and working with the Ethiopian Government to strengthen its early warning mechanisms. UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP) are also working with the Government to respond to the immediate needs of flood survivors.

  • OCHA is also concerned about a diarrhoea outbreak, which has hit Addis Ababa and an area of Ethiopia near the Kenyan border. That outbreak has already claimed more than 130 lives. OCHA is planning to release $400,000 to help with the response efforts.

COMMUNITY GROUPS GET A.I.D.S. AWARDS IN TORONTO

  • Last evening in Toronto, five local community organizations from around the world received the newly created Red Ribbon Awards for their outstanding contributions to the frontline response to HIV and AIDS.

  • The recipients include the Girl Child Network of Zimbabwe, the Thai Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS of Thailand, the Durjoy Nari Shongo of Bangladesh, the Mboole Rural Development of Zambia and the All Ukrainian Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS.

  • The awards were given out on the recommendation of an international jury including Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit, actress Naomi Watts, and former Irish President Mary Robinson.

TIMORESE POLITICAL PARTIES GATHER AT U.N. COMPOUND TO DISCUSS ELECTION LAW

  • Sukehiro Hasegawa, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Timor-Leste, today chaired a meeting of all major political parties in the country to discuss two competing drafts of a new law governing national parliamentary elections scheduled for next year.

  • Politicians representing 17 political parties met in the compound of the UN Office in Timor-Leste and discussed details of the drafts, one proposed by the ruling Fretilin party, and the other by members of opposition parties.

  • “This was an extremely important exercise in preparation for free, fair and credible elections next year,” Hasegawa said. “This is just the first step in a solid UN commitment to assist the Timorese to hold election with equal opportunity for all parties,” he said.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

U.N. SOMALIA OFFICE GETS NEW WEB SITE: The UN Political Office for Somalia today launched its official website. The address is: www.un-somalia.org.

Bird flu viruS source of RECENT DISEASE outbreaks in Southeast Asia: Laboratory confirmation points to both old and new isolates of the bird flu virus as sources of recent Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza outbreaks in Southeast Asia, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said today. FAO recognizes that the poultry trade across borders is continuing in Southeast and East Asia despite well-known risks to the governments and people in the region. Indonesia requires greater vigilance and poorer countries are most vulnerable in the endemic presence.

FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA SEEKS AID AFTER FLOODS: The government of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has requested international support to assist people affected by the floods and mudflows in early August in Skopje. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is prepared to accept cash contributions to be used for immediate relief assistance, in support of the United Nations Resident Coordinator in the country.

ANNAN AWAITS POSITIVE RESPONSE FROM IRAN ON PROPOSAL: Asked about the Secretary-General’s views on a report which says that Iran’s foreign minister said Iran would resume negotiations with the European Union and China, the Spokesman said the Secretary-General continues to urge all the parties to maintain diplomatic talks and he hopes to get a positive response from Iran later this month on the offer provided.

ALPHA CODES NOT ASSIGNED BY U.N.: In response to questions about the UN assigning three-letter codes to Member States, the UN only assigns numerical codes to countries, in order to facilitate the gathering and organizing of international statistics. Regarding letter codes, or alpha codes as they are called, the UN does not assign those. They are assigned by the International Organization for Standardization, which is an NGO.