HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY YVES SOROKOBI
ASSOCIATE
SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
U.N. HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Thursday, September 21, 2006
ANNAN WELCOMES MANDATE EXTENSION OF AFRICAN UNION FORCE IN
DARFUR
Secretary-General Kofi Annan
welcomes the
extension, by the African Union Peace and Security Council (PSC), of the
mandate of the African Union Mission (AMIS) in Sudan until 31 December 2006.
The Secretary-General also welcomes
the support expressed by the PSC for United Nations efforts to strengthen AMIS
and notes that the United Nations will move forward urgently to assist the AU
Mission in the areas of logistical and material support, military staff
support and advisory support to civilian police, as well as civilian support
in the areas of mine action, public information and implementation of the
Darfur Peace Agreement.
The Secretary-General also stresses
that additional funding for AMIS is urgently required for it to function
effectively for the duration of its new mandate.
The Secretary-General emphasizes that
the continued presence of a strong AMIS in
Darfur has an important role to play in protecting civilians and improving
a deteriorating security situation.
He stresses once again that there can
be no military solution to the crisis in Darfur, and that a multi-dimensional
United Nations peacekeeping operation in Darfur can have a significant and
positive role in helping the Sudanese people to restore peace and stability to
that troubled region.
U.N.
ENVOY CALLS FOR “TRANQUILITY” IN DARFUR DURING RAMADAN
The Secretary-General’s Special
Representative for Sudan, Jan Pronk, speaking at a press conference today,
called for tranquility in
Darfur during the month of Ramadan.
Meanwhile, the
UN Mission in Sudan says that it’s
received reports from the African Union that one of its vehicles with four of
its monitors on board was ambushed in Um Barunga, near Tawilla in North Darfur
yesterday. No injuries were reported, and the vehicle was later found.
A UN humanitarian assessment team
visited Deribat, north of Nyala in North Darfur on Tuesday, following fighting
there earlier this month – they identified water and health supplies as the
items needed most urgently by residents.
ANNAN APPOINTS DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC
MILITARY CELL FOR LEBANON FORCE
The Secretary-General has appointed Lieutenant General
Giovanni Ridinó as Director of the newly established Strategic Military Cell
(SMC) for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). The SMC,
which will be located at UN Headquarters in New York, will provide military
guidance to UNIFIL at the strategic level, and will report to the
Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations.
General Ridinó has served in the Italian Army for over 30
years, most recently as a Corps Commander at the Italian Army Headquarters (1st,
Vittorio Veneto). Among numerous other posts, he has served as the Deputy
Commander of the Multinational Division (Southeast) of the Stabilization Force
for Bosnia and Herzegovina (SFOR) and the commander of the Territorial
Military Autonomous Command for Sicily. The Secretary-General is grateful to
the Government of Italy for making him available for this important mission.
U.N. PEACEKEEPERS,
LEBANESE TROOPS TO JOINTLY INSPECT BLUE LINE
Major-General Alain Pellegrini, the
Force Commander of the
UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) met today with General Michael
Sleiman, Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces.
The two generals agreed that, after
the full withdrawal of Israeli Defense Forces from South Lebanon, UNIFIL and
the Lebanese Army will jointly inspect the entire
Blue Line, to ensure that there are no violations of it. Pellegrini said
afterward, “We had a very productive meeting.”
Asked whether there would be a full
withdrawal by Israeli troops from southern Lebanon, the Spokesman said we
would have to wait and see what would happen. He noted the recent series of
coordination meetings taking place between UNIFIL, the Lebanese Armed Forces
and the Israeli Defence Forces.
Asked how many UNIFIL troops were on
the ground, the Spokesman said that the milestone of 5,000 troops had been
reached, which accounted for the increased activity by UNIFIL.
SURGE IN VIOLENCE
POSES SEVERE THREAT TO AFGHANISTAN
The
Secretary-General, in his latest
report on
Afghanistan, says that the most significant development there in recent
months has been the upsurge in violence, particularly in the south, south-east
and east of the country.
It is estimated that more than 2,000
people, at least a third of them civilians, have lost their lives in the
fighting since the start of this year.
The Secretary-General writes that the
recent violence represents a watershed, warning that at no time since the
Taliban fell in late 2001 has Afghanistan faced so severe a threat. The report
notes a broad insurgency, which relies heavily on cross-border fighters, many
of whom are Afghans drawn from refugee camps and radical seminaries in
Pakistan.
He says that the expansion of the
International Security Assistance Force to the south of Afghanistan is
particularly welcome and timely, and he strongly encourages all nations to
continue to support the Force. He also calls for the need to deal with
corruption and the narcotics industry in the country.
MIDDLE
EAST QUARTET WELCOMES
PALESTINIAN GOVERNMENT OF
NATIONAL UNITY
The
Secretary-General and the other
principal members of the Middle East Quartet – which brings together the
United Nations, the United States, Russia and the European Union – met
yesterday afternoon to discuss the latest developments in that
region, and issued a joint statement afterward.
In that statement, the Quartet
welcomed the efforts of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to form a
government of national unity, in the hope that the platform of such a
government would reflect Quartet principles and allow for early engagement.
The Quartet also stressed the need for
a credible political process in order to make progress towards a two-state
solution through dialogue and parallel implementation of obligations. In this
context, it welcomed the prospect of a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister
Ehud Olmert and President Abbas in the near future.
ANNAN
URGES HOLDING OF ELECTIONS AS QUICKLY AS
POSSIBLE IN THAILAND
In a
statement issued
yesterday on Thailand, the
Secretary-General appealed for a prompt return to civilian, democratic
rule and the holding of new elections as quickly as possible.
The Secretary-General expressed his
profound hope that efforts to establish and strengthen democratic institutions
in Thailand will resume very soon.
U.N. REFORM IS
INCOMPLETE WITHOUT SECURITY COUNCIL REFORM
Last night,
the Secretary-General briefly
attended a dinner jointly hosted by the President of Pakistan and the Prime
Minister of Italy to speak about Security
Council reform.
In prepared
remarks, he said
that no reform of the United
Nations will be complete without Security Council reform.
Such reform is needed he stressed so
that the council can be accepted as fully legitimate as it addresses the major
challenges of the Middle East peace process, Afghanistan, Sudan and Iraq – to
name just a few.
For the good of the world’s people, he
said, we can not allow the current stalemate on reform to persist. He
encouraged member states which are entrenched for a specific option to think
anew and find a compromise.
MINI-SUMMIT
ON COTE D’IVOIRE “FAR FROM A FAILURE”
Asked whether the Wednesday
mini-summit on Cote d’Ivoire had failed because Ivorian President Laurent
Gbagbo had not attended, the Spokesman said that, although the
Secretary-General was
disappointed that Gbagbo did not attend, the meeting was far from a failure.
He said that the non-attendance placed
some serious limitations on what the meeting could achieve. However, Sorokobi
said, as a result of the meeting, the Economic Community of West African
States (ECOWAS) and other regional actors will hold a series of meetings over
the next few weeks to study the situation in the country, with a view to
holding a Security Council meeting on
Cote d’Ivoire by the end of October.
Asked about comments from Gbagbo that
UN forces could leave the country, the Spokesman said that the United Nations
has received no formal notification of such a request from Cote d’Ivoire.
Asked whether Gbagbo had arrived in
New York, the Spokesman replied that, to the best of his knowledge, the
President had not come.
UNITED
NATIONS MARKS INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE
Today is the
International Day of Peace,
and the Secretary-General marked
the occasion this morning by delivering a peace
message,
observing a minute of silence in the name of peace, and ringing the Japanese
Peace Bell.
He was accompanied by: his wife Nane;
Ambassador Adamantios Vassilakis of Greece, who is President of the Security
Council; and Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, President of the
General Assembly.
Also present were the following
Messengers of Peace:
Michael Douglas; Vijay Amritraj; Anna Cataldi; and Jane Goodall. Renowned
cellist Yo-Yo Ma, the newest Messenger of Peace, was at the ceremony and
performed a short piece. Nearly 200 children were also there, dressed in their
national costumes and holding flags.
In his
message, the Secretary-General said that for far too many people in the
world today, the precious gifts of peace are only an elusive dream. Those
people live in chains: a climate of fear and insecurity. It is mainly for
them that this day exists, he said.
He added that, 25
years ago, the General Assembly proclaimed the International Day of Peace as a
day of global ceasefire and non-violence, and that the UN has observed it ever
since. It is meant to get people not just thinking of peace, but doing
something about it, he said.
The Secretary-General also sent a
message to
today’s High-level Conference on Interfaith Cooperation for Peace. He said
that relations between adherents of major world religions have been
particularly affected by sharply increasing intolerance, extremism and
violence. If unaddressed, these may even threaten stability in many places, he
added. We have those remarks upstairs as well.
Meanwhile, worldwide, UN offices, as
well as governments, schools, non-governmental organizations and communities
of faith are also engaging in activities to mark International Peace Day. For
example, the UN Political Office for
Somalia
said that communities in major population centers throughout the country
are celebrating the Day with special activities ranging from peace marches and
sporting events to music and dance. In Burundi,
UNICEF and the
UN Operation there have
organized similar activities.
HUMAN
RIGHTS COUNCIL BRIEFED ON FREEDOM OF RELIGION AND EXPRESSION
Earlier today the
Human Rights Council
in Geneva heard presentations on reports by the Special Rapporteurs on freedom
of religion and freedom of expression, and concluded its discussion with the
Special Rapporteurs on torture, the Rapporteur on the independence of judges
and lawyers, and the Chairperson-Rapporteur of the Working Group on arbitrary
detention.
The Council also just ended its
consideration of a joint report on the situation of detainees at Guantanamo
Bay submitted by five UN-appointed rapporteurs. In that report, the
Rapporteurs call on the U.S.
Government to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay without delay and
to ensure that all detainees are not returned where they might be tortured.
At present the Council is taking up a
joint report on the incitement to racial and religious hatred and the
promotion of tolerance.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
I.C.C. PROSECUTOR HOLDS SECOND PUBLIC
HEARINGS WITH STATES AND NGOS: In September and
October 2006 Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo of the
International Criminal Court
will hold a second public hearing in The Hague and New York with States and
NGOs. The first public hearing in June 2003 was devoted to discussing the
regulations, policies and plans of the
Office of the Prosecutor.
With more operational experience, the Prosecutor has decided to organize a
second set of public hearings this year in order to provide information and
increase awareness about the work of the Office.
F.A.O. OPENS A SUB-REGIONAL OFFICE
FOR WEST AFRICA IN ACCRA: The
UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
today announced the opening of a new Sub-regional Office for West Africa in
Accra following an agreement with the Government of Ghana. The Office will host
a multidisciplinary team of international FAO technical experts complemented by
junior Ghanaian professionals in the fields of animal health/production, plant
production/protection, fisheries, land and water, forestry, policy and
investment by the end of November.
NO REQUEST FOR INVESTIGATING REPORTED
ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT IN SOMALIA: Asked about any
possible UN involvement in investigating a reported assassination attempt
against the President of Somalia, the Spokesman said that no formal request for
such involvement had been received from the Somali authorities. He noted that
the United Nations is in regular contact with the Somali authorities and has an
office in Nairobi that deals with Somalia.
Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055
