HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
U.N. HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
SECURITY COUNCIL TO DISCUSS COTE D'IVOIRE THIS
AFTERNOON
The Security Council this morning met
with the troop contributing countries for the UN Mission for the Referendum in
Western Sahara,
after which they held consultations on Western Sahara. Assistant
Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hédi Annabi briefed Council
members on recent developments there, and the Secretary-General’s Personal
Envoy, Peter van Walsum, presented the Secretary-General’s recent
report.
After that, the Security Council
discussed Burundi,
and adopted a
resolution on the mandate of a UN Mission in that country.
Then, starting at 3:00 this afternoon,
the Security Council will hold first a closed meeting, and then consultations,
on Cote d’Ivoire.
In the closed meeting, Security
Council members will hear from Said Djinnit of the African
Union’s Peace and Security Council. Then, in the consultations, they will
receive briefings from the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Cote
d’Ivoire, Pierre Schori, and the High Representative for elections in the
country, Gerard Stoudman.
LEBANON:
U.N. CONCERNED BY ISRAELI AIR VIOLATIONS
Maj. Gen.
Alain Pellegrini, the Force Commander of the UN Interim
Force in Lebanon,
has
voiced
serious concern over the increasing number of air violations over South
Lebanon by Israeli planes, with nine occurring between Monday and Tuesday.
Almost all the UNIFIL battalions have reported air violations taking place in
their area of operations.
“It is in the best interest of all the
parties on the ground to respect the terms of Security Council
Resolution 1701 in letter and spirit,” Pellegrini said.
Also, the Lebanese Navy and UNIFIL
carried out a command amphibious exercise between Beirut and Tyre yesterday
and today. The exercise gives an opportunity for the UN Mission to explore
various courses of action if the main supply roads in UNIFIL’s area of
operation are destroyed due to any security incidents.
Meanwhile, on the humanitarian front,
the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) closed its
office in Lebanon yesterday and UN agencies wrapped up their emergency relief
operations. The recovery and reconstruction phase, led by the UN Development
Programme (UNDP), is now underway.
SUDAN:
U.N. ENVOY TO MEET WITH ANNAN TOMORROW MORNING
Asked about the schedule of
the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Sudan, Jan Pronk, the
Spokesman said that Pronk was arriving late today in New York for
consultations at UN Headquarters, and his first scheduled meeting would be
with the Secretary-General, on Thursday morning.
Asked whether Pronk would
speak to the Security Council, the Spokesman said that was up to the Council
but added that nothing had been scheduled yet.
Asked whether Pronk had been
replaced, the Spokesman said, “Not at all.” He said that Pronk remains Special
Representative for Sudan and has the full confidence of the Secretary-General.
He said that the United
Nations deeply regrets Sudan’s decision to ask for Pronk’s removal. He noted
that Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Hédi Annabi had met with the
Sudanese Ambassador to the United Nations on Monday to protest Sudan’s
decision.
Dujarric added that the UN
Mission in Sudan continues to do its work both regarding the North-South peace
agreement and its support of the African Union Mission in Darfur.
U.N.
POLITICAL CHIEF ARRIVES IN CHINA
Undersecretary-General for Political
Affairs
Ibrahim Gambari arrived in China yesterday, on the first leg of a
three-nation trip that will also include stops in Japan and the Republic of
Korea.
He is consulting with the three
governments on strengthening their cooperation with the United Nations in
conflict prevention, peacemaking and peace-building.
In Beijing, he has had discussions
with senior officials, including the State Councillor
and the Foreign Minister, on issues including the Korean Peninsula, Myanmar,
the Middle East peace process, Lebanon, and Darfur.
Gambari also discussed China’s
important role in contributing to peace and development in Africa, ahead of a
Leadership Summit to be hosted by China in November with Heads of State and
Government from countries throughout Africa.
TIMOR-LESTE
CALM BUT TENSE FOLLOWING YESTERDAY’S VIOLENCE
The chief of the Police Unit of the UN
Integrated Mission in
Timor-Leste, Antero Lopes, said the situation in the capital Dili was now
calm but tense after yesterday’s violence, reportedly between youth gangs.
Lopes said that a group of youths had
attacked a camp for the internally displaced near the international airport
and that the internally displaced population in that camp retaliated with
stones and other weapons. He said the prompt intervention of the UN Police had
prevented greater and further violence.
The violence, he said, was contained
after several hours. No injuries amongst the UN police officers have been
reported, but two Timorese have been confirmed dead.
Lopes said that the United
Nations was in discussion with the Timorese Government to
reopen the international airport.
UNITED
NATIONS DAY IS CELEBRATED THROUGHOUT WORLD
Yesterday was
UN Day, which
marked the 61st anniversary of the entry into force of the UN Charter.
Since the UN happened to be closed
yesterday for Eid Al-Fitr, the traditional UN Day concert will be held
tonight. The National Symphony Orchestra of Greece will perform at 7:00 p.m.
in the General Assembly Hall, and the Secretary-General and Mrs. Annan will
attend.
Celebrations have also been taking
place this week around the world. In Ethiopia, for example, near the Eritrean
border, a local audience was entertained by Indian peacekeepers and an Indian
dance troupe.
The Secretary-General had
issued a
message to
mark UN Day.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
ERITREAN TROOPS REMAIN IN TEMPORARY SECURITY ZONE:
In response to a question about the build-up of Eritrean troops in the Temporary
Security Zone between that country and Ethiopia, the Spokesman later said that
the UN Mission in
Ethiopia and Eritrea says there have been no significant developments
regarding the recent incursion of the Eritrean troops into the Temporary
Security Zone. They remain inside the Temporary Security Zone. The Spokesman
noted that the UN Mission’s ability to see what was going on was greatly
hampered by Eritrea’s UN helicopter ban.
SOMALIA’S NEIGHBOURS SHOULD PLAY CONSTRUCTIVE ROLE:
Asked about comments by Ethiopia that it is “at war” in Somalia, the Spokesman
recalled that the UN Representative in Somalia, Francois Lonseny Fall, had
called for all of Somalia’s neighbours to play a constructive role in Somalia at
this time and had been in touch with them to that end.
APPOINTMENT FOR WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME AGENCY CHIEF TO
BE ANNOUNCED SOON: Asked about a shortlist
of candidates to head the World Food Programme, the Spokesman said that an
appointment was expected to be announced in the next few weeks. He noted that
the selection of that post was different from those for agency heads that must
be approved by the General Assembly, where shortlists were put out; in this
case, the appointment is made jointly by the Secretary-General and the Executive
Director of the Food and Agriculture Organization.
SPECIAL RAPPORTEURS ARE INDEPENDENT:
Asked about the presence of UN special rapporteurs for human rights in New York,
the Spokesman said they were here to brief the General Assembly’s Third
Committee. He noted that the rapporteurs are independent experts, serving in
their personal capacity, who were appointed by the old Human Rights Commission.
Those appointments will be reviewed by the new Human Rights Council.
NEW TUBERCULOSIS REPORT ISSUED:
The World Health Organization today
released a new report on tuberculosis. It says that most people in the world
who have the disease or live in high-risk areas do not have proper access to
rapid and accurate testing. Improved tests could bolster international
tuberculosis control efforts while, at the same time, responding to a
significant market demand, the report adds.
*** The guest at today’s noon
briefing was Rachel Mayanja, Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on Gender
Issues and Advancement of Women. She briefed on the eve of tomorrow's
Security Council open debate on women, peace and security.
Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055
