HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
U.N. HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Tuesday, October 3, 2006
ANNAN PLEASED THAT GEORGIA
AND RUSSIA RESOLVE ARREST ISSUE
Secretary-General Kofi Annan is pleased that Georgia and the Russian
Federation have been able to resolve the issue of the recent arrest of Russian
officers in Georgia in a peaceful and constructive manner.
He appreciates the efforts undertaken by the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Chairman-in-Office, H.E. Mr.
Karel de Gucht, to help bring about this result.
The Secretary-General expresses the hope that all parties
concerned will refrain from statements or actions that could affect stability
in the region, and encourages them to engage constructively to address
existing problems.
U.N. FORCE IN
LEBANON ENHANCING ITS OPERATIONAL CAPABILITIES
The
UN Interim Force in
Lebanon (UNIFIL) is steadily enhancing its operational capabilities in
order to fulfill its responsibilities under Security Council resolution 1701.
More than 3,000 additional troops, for a current total of around 5,200, plus
an Interim Maritime Task Force, have been deployed so far.
UNIFIL
says
that, should the situation present any risk of resumption of hostile
activities, its rules of engagement allow UN forces to respond as required.
UNIFIL commanders have sufficient authority to act forcefully when confronted
with hostile activity of any kind.
UNIFIL has set up temporary checkpoints at key locations
within its
area of operations, while permanent checkpoints are being established by
the Lebanese Armed Forces to stop and search passing vehicles.
In case specific information is available regarding
movement of unauthorized weapons or equipment, the Lebanese Army will take the
required action, but if it is not in a position to do so, UNIFIL will do
everything necessary to fulfill its mandate.
FOOD DISTRIBUTION IN LEBANON TO REACH
655,000 PEOPLE
The World Food Programme
has started its third and final round of food distributions. This round, which
should wrap up by 15 October, is expected to reach 655,000 people in southern
Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley and the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Meanwhile, the Food and
Agriculture Organization is helping Lebanon speed up the recovery of its
agriculture sector. Among the agency’s current projects is one aimed at
strengthening veterinary services, in order to prevent and control bird flu
outbreaks.
UN-HABITAT plans
to establish an office in Beirut to coordinate with the Lebanese Government on
projects dealing with reconstruction and shelter issues.
SECURITY COUNCIL DISCUSSED GEORGIA,
NORTH KOREA
The Security Council
met in consultations this morning to discuss the programme of work for the
month of October.
Under “other matters,” members also discussed the
situations involving Georgia and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea as
well as the timing of the formal vote on the selection of the next
Secretary-General.
NEW TENSION BETWEEN GEORGIA AND
ABKHAZIA
The
Secretary-General’s latest
report on
the situation in Abkhazia, Georgia, which covers a period from 26 June 2006 to
28 September 2006, was issued today.
In it, he says a new and tense situation emerged between
the Georgian and Abkhaz sides, particularly as a result of the Georgian
special operation in the upper Kodori Valley.
He adds that a negotiated solution for the conflict is
undoubtedly difficult to reach today, as the positions of the two sides have
grown further apart over the years on the question of political status.
Nevertheless, there is no alternative to dialogue.
The threat of force can only deepen existing mistrust,
and a resumption of violence would be the worst possible outcome for the
communities concerned and for the stability of the region and beyond, he says.
Given recent developments, the Secretary-General
recommends an extension of the mandate of the
UN Observer Mission in Georgia for a further six months, until 15 April
2007.
SPECIAL PATROLS BEGIN IN KINSHASA AIMED
AT PREVENTING CLASHES
The UN
Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is taking part in patrols
called “Kinshasa, city without weapons” that have been launched with the aim
of preventing armed clashes in the
capital.
The patrols follow an agreement reached by
representatives of President Joseph Kabila and Vice-President Jean-Pierre
Bemba, the two candidates for the second round of the presidential poll.
The patrols started yesterday and they are made up of
elements of the Congolese National Police, the Military Police of the Congo’s
armed forces, formed UN Police units and the European Union police mission in
Kinshasa.
ENDURING TENSIONS HIGHLIGHT RISK OF
SETBACKS IN GUINEA-BISSAU
The
Secretary-General’s latest
report on
developments in Guinea-Bissau and on the activities of the UN Peace-building
Support Office in that country was issued today.
In it, the Secretary-General says a strong commitment to
improve the political climate continued to emerge over the past three months,
but enduring tensions and difficulties highlight the ever-present risk of
occasional setbacks.
He says the socio-economic situation remains dire, and
it’s important that the international community continue to support
Guinea-Bissau’s efforts to attain greater political stability.
He adds that he believes the United Nations should
continue to play a key role in Guinea-Bissau, and with that in mind, he plans
to slightly revise the mandate of the UN Peace-building Support Office and
request its extension until the end of 2007.
HOSTILITIES IN
SOUTHERN AFGHANISTAN
RESULT IN GROWING NUMBER OF DISPLACED PERSONS
The
Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says it is
concerned about
the increasing number of internally displaced people in southern
Afghanistan, following the recent hostilities between government forces,
NATO and insurgents.
UNHCR, together with
UNICEF, has distributed plastic sheeting, blankets and warm clothes for
children to approximately 3,200 families in the region. The World Food
Programme, for its part, is providing food aid.
U.N. ENVOY IN ETHIOPIA AS PART OF
MISSION TO PROMOTE PEACE
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for
Somalia,
Francois Lonseny Fall, visited Ethiopia today as part of a seven-nation
mission to promote peace and reconciliation in Somalia. He is scheduled to
travel to Eritrea tomorrow to continue his discussions.
Acting on recommendations contained in the
Security Council
Presidential Statement of 13 July 2006, Ambassador Fall also plans to
visit Djibouti, Egypt, Sudan, Uganda and Yemen for consultations with their
respective leaders.
Among the most critical issues on Ambassador Fall's
agenda is the third round of the Khartoum peace talks, scheduled for 30
October between the Transitional Federal Institutions based in Baidoa and the
Union of Islamic Courts established in Mogadishu.
U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY CONCERNED ABOUT
PALESTINIAN REFUGEES IN IRAQ
The
Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is deeply
concerned about
the well-being of Palestinian refugees inside Iraq, as well as those who fled
targeted harassment and violence in Baghdad and are now stuck at the border
between Iraq and Syria and in camps in Jordan and Syria.
UNHCR says that the security situation of Palestinian
refugees in Iraq has deteriorated -- particularly since the Samarra bombings
last February. Palestinians in Iraq lack protection, have serious problems
obtaining identity cards, and have been the target of continuing harassment,
death threats, kidnapping and killings.
Under the present circumstances, UNHCR says, return to
Iraq was not an option for the Palestinians who have fled, unless security was
restored.
HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL IS BRIEFED ON HUMAN
RIGHTS PROCEDURES REVIEW
Today in Geneva, the
Human Rights Council
heard a progress report from the working group dealing with the review of
mandates of special procedures of the UN’s human rights machinery.
Tomorrow, the Council will hear a presentation on last
month’s mission to Lebanon and Israel by: the Special Rapporteur on
extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; the Special Rapporteur on the
right to health; the Representative of the Secretary-General on human rights
of internally displaced persons; and the Special Rapporteur on adequate
housing.
The Council will also hear a separate presentation by the
Special Rapporteur on the right to food, on his separate mission to Lebanon
last month.
Asked whether the
Secretary-General shared the view that the Human Rights Council is biased
against Israel, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General made clear in
his press conference last month that he hoped that the Council would look at
human rights situations around the world, rather than focusing on one country
in the manner of the old Human Rights Commission.
Dujarric added that the
Secretary-General had hoped that the Council would help countries to build
better protection structures for human rights.
Asked whether it was
appropriate that the Human Rights Council was raising the issue of Uzbekistan
in a private meeting, the Spokesman said that the Council is the master of its
own operations, but added that it would be good if it could operate with the
greatest amount of transparency. He noted that one of the main accomplishments
of the new Human Rights Council was its peer review mechanism.
DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS NEW UNITED
NATIONS BEING CREATED
The Deputy
Secretary-General, Mark Malloch Brown, is in Brussels today, where this
morning he addressed the European Parliament’s Development and Foreign Affairs
Committees.
Yesterday, also in Brussels, he delivered a speech to the
Belgian Royal Institute of International Relations. In those remarks, he said
that, for those who believed in international organizations, there had been a
real sense of dismay at the fact that nearly all of those bodies were in a
profound crisis of legitimacy, mandate and purpose.
Nevertheless, he added, we really are creating a
genuinely new United Nations based around the three pillars of development and
security and human rights, backed by a reformed management structure and a
more coherent, committed system working on the ground around the world, that
we hope will reconnect us with the people.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
U.N. AGENCIES PROVIDING AID FOLLOWING FLOODS AND CHOLERA
IN WEST AFRICA: The UN Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that, following flooding
and cholera outbreaks throughout West Africa, UN agencies have been handing out
food, medicines, disinfectants and tents in Niger, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, and
Guinea.
HOLE IN OZONE LAYER OVER ANTARCTIC IS MOST SERIOUS ON
RECORD: The World Meteorological Organization
says the hole in the ozone layer
over the Antarctic was the most serious on record. It was the largest in
surface area and also suffered the most mass deficit, meaning that there was
less ozone over the Antarctic than ever before.
U.N. PEACEMAKER WEBSITE LAUNCHED TODAY: At 3:00 p.m.
today at UN Headquarters, the UN
Department of Political Affairs launched into the public domain a new
website, U.N. Peacemaker, which is
designed as a support tool for U.N. and non U.N. peace envoys, as well as the
general public. The site already contains the most comprehensive indexed
database of modern peace agreements available on the Internet.
Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs
Ibrahim Gambari will hosted
the event.
ANNAN CLOSELY FOLLOWING
SITUATION IN NORTH KOREA: Asked whether the
Secretary-General
would revive the position of a special envoy for the Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea, the Spokesman said he was not aware that anyone would be
appointed to that position, but said that the Secretary-General
was following the situation in that country closely through the
Department for Political Affairs.
Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055
