HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
U.N. HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Friday, November 17, 2006
SUDAN AGREES TO HYBRID UNITED NATIONS-AFRICAN UNION FORCE IN
DARFUR
The Secretary-General has arrived in
Geneva from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where around midnight yesterday he
announced the
conclusions of a meeting on Darfur, which had brought together the five
permanent members of the Security Council and a number of African countries,
including Sudan.
The group considered three areas: the
requirement to re-energize the peace process, the establishment of a
strengthened ceasefire and the way forward for peacekeeping in Darfur. On
peacekeeping, the final communiqué states that a UN-AU hybrid operation is
also agreed in principle, pending clarification of the size of the force.
The Sudanese delegation requested that
they be given time to consult on the appointment of the Secretary-General’s
Special Representative and Force Commander. The AU Peace and Security Council
will meet on 24 November for further consultations.
At a press conference, the
Secretary-General described the meeting as “very constructive” and that he
thought “we had come a long way.” All the participants came with the right
spirit, the right mood and a determination to find a solution, he said.
Tomorrow, the Secretary-General
travels to St. Gallen, Switzerland where he will deliver a speech on
biotechnology and human security and will accept the Max Schmidheiny
Foundation Freedom Prize.
Asked how serious a step forward was reached by the
agreement reached in Addis Ababa, the Spokesman called it a “constructive step
forward” while noting that more diplomacy needs to be done. He pointed out the
importance of the agreement in principle on a hybrid UN-AU force.
Asked whether the Sudanese Foreign Minister had
agreed on the key points reached in Addis, the Spokesman said that the final
communique was agreed to with all parties present, including Sudan.
Asked whether Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir was
trying to delay international action on Darfur, the Spokesman said that the
Secretary-General has been in touch with President Bashir. As for whether the
agreement was reliable, the Spokesman noted that the five permanent members of
the Security Council were present, and all parties grasped the need to move
forward decisively. The Spokesman added that China had been represented by its
Permanent Representative at the United Nations, Ambassador Wang Guangya.
When a journalist speculated
that the Government of Sudan had agreed to this only because the
Secretary-General was leaving office, the Spokesman said he could not speak to
the motives of that government but he stressed that Kofi Annan is committed to
seeing progress on Darfur and that he intends to work intensely until his
mandate ends.
U.N. HUMANITARIAN CHIEF FORCED TO CUT SHORT DARFUR TRIP
Under-Secretary-General for
Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland returned to Khartoum today, two days earlier
than scheduled, after he was denied permission to travel beyond Darfur’s state
capitals by the Government of Sudan, for unspecified security reasons.
Egeland had originally planned to
visit six locations in Darfur to meet with actors on the ground and review the
humanitarian situation in those critical areas. But when the Sudanese
Government said no to four of those locations, Egeland cut short his trip with
regret, saying that he refused to “go and just sit in the offices.”
He noted that his humanitarian
colleagues in the field, who do lifesaving work, face such types of
restrictions on their movement and operations every day.
Asked when Egeland’s access restrictions came up,
the Spokesman later clarified that Egeland had been told in Khartoum on
Wednesday by high-level Sudanese officials that his itinerary might have to be
changed. Egeland proceeded on to Darfur, hoping he would be able to gain
access to his desired destinations. This clearly did not happen, however.
Dujarric did not speculate on
why Egeland was denied access as it was a decision taken by the Sudanese
authorities, but he noted that the incident underscored the issue of
inadequate humanitarian access.
U.N. TEAM TO LOOK INTO SETTING UP MULTIDIMENSIONAL U.N.
PRESENCE HEAD IN CHAD & CENTRAL AFRICAN REP.
A team of UN experts will be traveling
to Chad and the Central African Republic over the weekend as part of a
technical assessment mission to both countries. Its goal is to gather
information and explore options for the possible establishment of a
multidimensional UN presence in those two countries, as directed by the
Security Council resolution 1706.
The team will be made up of political,
military, police, humanitarian and other civilian experts. They will meet with
key actors in several locations in Chad and the Central African Republic over
a two-week period before reporting back to the Secretary-General. The
Secretary-General will then present the team’s findings to the Security
Council.
REFUGEE AGENCY MOVES DARFUR REFUGEES DEEPER INTO CHAD
The Office of the UN High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR)
reports continuing displacement along the volatile Chad-Sudan border, with
recent refugee arrivals from Darfur as well as thousands of Chadians being
forced to flee ongoing violence. This morning, UNHCR staff in eastern Chad
began moving the first of some 1,500 newly-arrived Darfur refugees away from
the Sudanese border to a UNHCR camp near the Chadian town of Guereda.
Meanwhile, in Kenya, UNHCR will
begin airlifting
emergency supplies this Sunday for thousands of refugees made homeless by
massive flooding in Kenya’s Dadaab region.
LEBANON: U.N. MISSION REPORTS ISRAELI AIR VIOLATIONS
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)
observed and reported 14 Israeli air violations this morning. Eleven of these
occurred in the area of operations of the French battalion with UNIFIL in the
central sector. In one instance, two Israeli F-15 jets flew over the area at
low altitude and high speed.
The anti-aircraft unit of the French
battalion took initial preparatory steps to respond to these actions, in
accordance with UNIFIL rules of engagement and UN Security Council
resolution 1701.
Maj. Gen. Alain Pellegrini, the UNIFIL
Force Commander, strongly protested to the Israeli authorities and asked them
to cease these actions, which are unacceptable and in violation of resolution
1701. He also informed the UN Headquarters about these incidents.
Asked about France’s response to the overflights,
the Spokesman said that thankfully, nothing happened and no one was hurt.
However, he underscored, the incident served as a
reminder, at a tense moment in Lebanon, of why such overflights must cease.
The overflights are dangerous because of the chance that events could spin out
of control. In this case, the action taken on the ground was simply a
precaution.
Asked whether the UN bases are marked with UN
flags, the Spokesman said that all UN outposts fly the UN flag and are clearly
marked. He added that all the relevant parties are also informed about the
location of UN installations.
Asked whether the overflights have continued
because Israel seeks UN action on other issues, the Spokesman declined to
speculate as to the motives, but noted that UNIFIL has worked diligently with
the Israeli and Lebanese forces to secure the implementation of resolution
1701 and the withdrawal of Israel from Lebanon. Dujarric said that the Israeli
withdrawal was complete, except for the northern part of the village of Ghajar.
Asked about the use of cluster bombs in Lebanon,
the Spokesman noted that the United Nations has made its concerns known about
that matter.
Asked about the next report to the Security Council
on resolution 1701, the Spokesman said it was due by the end of the month.
Asked about the Israeli prisoners in Lebanon, the
Spokesman said that the UN facilitator remains at work.
Asked about the tribunal for Lebanon, the Spokesman
said that the matter is in the hands of the Security Council. Once they have
given the green light for a tribunal, he added, the matter would go back to
the Lebanese authorities for them to reach an agreement, in accordance with
their constitutional procedures.
Asked whether the
Secretary-General is informed about events in Lebanon, the Spokesman said that
the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Geir Pedersen, is doing an
excellent job and reports regularly.
SECURITY COUNCIL WELCOMES PROVISIONAL CONGOLESE ELECTION
RESULTS
The Security Council this morning held
closed consultations on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Dimitry Titov, Director of the Africa
Division of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, briefed the Council on
the situation in that country following the runoff round of presidential
elections. Preliminary results were announced earlier this week, with final
results set to be announced on 26 November.
The Council President, Ambassador
Jorge Voto-Bernales of Peru, read out a statement to the press on the DRC
following the end of consultations. According to that statement, the Security
Council welcomed the announcement by the Independent Electoral Commissionof
the official provisional results of the second round of the presidential
election in the DRC.
U.N. ENVOY TO DISCUSS PEACE EFFORTS WITH SOMALI PRESIDENT
A mission led by the
Secretary-General’s Special Representative for
Somalia, François Lonseny Fall, will
travel to Baidoa on Monday to discuss the situation in the country and the way
to preserve peace, security and unity with President Abdullahi Yusuf.
Ambassador Fall will be accompanied by
representatives of the Somalia Advisory Contact Group that was established
earlier this year to support the peace process.
Asked about comments by Israel’s Ambassador to the
United Nations about whether 700 Somalis had fought recently in Lebanon, the
Spokesman said that information was based on a report by three independent
experts who form the Monitoring Group on Somalia, which reports to the
Security Council Sanctions Committee for Somalia. That Sanctions Committee
will discuss the report this afternoon.
The Spokesman said that only
the Monitoring Group members could speak about the methodology of the report,
which is theirs, and is not prepared by or for the UN Secretariat or
Secretary-General. He noted that the Security Council has a number of
sanctions committees, and the Somalia report was prepared at the request of
the committee dealing with that country.
HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF STARTS FIRST TRIP TO ISRAEL & PALESTINIAN
TERRITORIES THIS WEEKEND
Louise Arbour will pay her first
visit as High
Commissioner for Human Rights to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory
from this Sunday, the 19th of November, to next Friday, the 24th.
The mission will give Arbour an
opportunity to examine developments on the ground first-hand and discuss the
situation with people affected by the violence, as well as authorities, UN
partners, and representatives of civil society and non-governmental
organizations.
NEW INVESTMENT FUND LAUNCHED FOR U.N. GLOBAL COMPACT
Today, the Guilé European Engagement
Fund for signatories of the UN
Global Compact was launched in Zurich, Switzerland.
It is the first investment fund
dedicated to the Global Compact and its mission of advancing ten universal
principles for responsible business in the areas of human rights, labour
standards, environment and anti-corruption.
The Fund is based on the notion of
helping companies within its portfolio – all of which are Global Compact
participants – to achieve real impact on their corporate responsibility
strategies, while at the same time adding shareholder value.
Operational support for the Fund will
be provided by the Guilé Foundation, a non-profit organization addressing
globalization challenges, and its team of corporate responsibility experts.
INTERNAL WATCHDOG FINALIZING AUDIT
ON DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC & SOCIAL AFFAIRS
Asked about an audit of the Department of Economic
and Social Affairs (DESA), the Spokesman said that the Office of Internal
Oversight Services (OIOS) is performing an audit which is in the process of
being finalized.
In accordance with standard procedure, he said,
that report would then be made available to Member States on their request.
Asked about follow-up, Dujarric said that, as a
lesson following the Volcker committee reports, there is now a committee in
place to ensure that audits are followed up. He said that was part of a new
culture of following up on audits at the United Nations.
Asked about Greece’s funding for a DESA office
there, the Spokesman noted that the Centre in question was to be used for
countries in the Balkans. The United Nations, he added, relies on funding from
states to implement its programmes.
The Spokesman declined to comment on any internal
justice procedures in this matter, but noted the Secretary-General’s view that
the internal justice system at the United Nations needs to be overhauled so
that both managers and staff had full confidence in the system.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
ELECTORAL SUPPORT VOLUNTEERS ARRIVE
IN TIMOR-LESTE: Forty-five UN Volunteers have
arrived in Timor-Leste
to begin electoral support work, as the country rapidly moves towards its first
post-independence national elections in 2007. Next year, more than 200 UN
Volunteers will join this original group, to further bolster the electoral
sector of the UN Mission in Timor-Leste.
COUNTER-TERRORISM COMMITTEE BEGINS
PAKISTAN VISIT: The United Nations Security
Council Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC)
began a week-long visit to Pakistan today with a team lead by the head of the
Committee’s Executive Directorate, Assistant Secretary-General Javier Rupérez.
The delegation also includes representatives from the World Bank, Interpol, the
World Customs Organization and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.
U.N. HONORS NOBEL LAUREATES:
This afternoon Deputy Secretary-General Mark Malloch Brown and other senior
officials are paying tribute to this year’s winners of the Nobel Peace Prize,
Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh. Yunus will deliver the
keynote address, and the ceremony will be presided over by Sheikha Haya Rashed
al-Khalifa, the President of the General Assembly.
UP TO SECURITY COUNCIL TO CONSIDER IRAQ FORCE:
Asked about the extension of the multinational force for Iraq, the Spokesman
said that Iraq has sent a letter on the matter and it is up to the Security
Council to consider it.
U.N. CONTINUING WORK IN IRAQ:
Asked about UN efforts in Iraq, the Spokesman said that the United Nations
continues its work on the political level, on human rights, and, through the
International Compact for Iraq, in bringing Iraq’s neighbours to support its
stabilization and to bolster its economic development. He added later that more
than 300 UN staff are in Iraq.
HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL SHOULD LOOK AT ITS OWN MEMBERS’
RECORDS: The Spokesman declined to comment
on a General Assembly resolution on human rights as the third committee of the
Assembly continues its work, but added that the Secretary-General has made clear
that he expects that the Human Rights Council should focus on looking at the
records of its own members as well.
THE WEEK AHEAD AT
THE UNITED NATIONS
18-24 November
2006
Saturday, November 18
The Secretary-General will be in St.
Gallen, Switzerland, to deliver a statement on biotechnology and human security
and to accept the Max Schmidheiny Freedom Prize.
A team of UN experts will be traveling to
Chad and the Central African Republic as part of a technical assessment mission
to both countries. The goal is to get information and explore options for the
possible establishment of a multidimensional UN presence in Chad and the Central
African Republic, as directed by Security Council resolution 1706.
Sunday, November 19
High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise
Arbour will visit Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory from 19 to 24
November.
Monday, November 20
Today is Africa Industrialization Day. It
is also Universal Children’s Day.
The Secretary-General will be in Geneva
to for the inauguration of the UNAIDS/World Health Organization building and the
opening of the Sixth Review Conference of the Biological and Toxic Weapons
Convention.
The Security Council is scheduled to hold
consultations this afternoon on the Secretary-General’s report on an
international tribunal for Lebanon.
The guest at the noon briefing will be
Ibrahima Fall, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Great
Lakes Region, who will brief on his recent mission to the Central African
Republic.
The General Assembly is expected to adopt
a resolution on strengthening the Economic and Social Council, after a year of
negotiations.
The World Health Organization will hold
a seminar entitled "Enhancing capacity-building in global public health" from
1:15-2:45 p.m. in Conference Room 8.
Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs José Antonio Ocampo will
speak at the Annual Conference on Development and Change in Sao Paolo, Brazil.
The Department of
Economic and Social Affairs will hold the Fifth Coordination Meeting on
International Migration today and
tomorrow from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. in Conference Room 2.
Tuesday, November
21
Today is World
Television Day.
The Secretary-General will give a press
conference in Geneva to say goodbye to the Geneva press at 10 a.m., Geneva time.
The Deputy
Secretary-General, Mark Malloch Brown, will be in Barbados for an
African-Caribbean-Pacific-European Union Joint Parliamentary Assembly meeting.
The Security Council
is scheduled to hold its periodic debate this morning on the Middle East. It is
also scheduled to hold a formal meeting to adopt a resolution on Bosnia and
Herzegovina.
The Office of the
General Assembly President and the UN Foundation are co-hosting a
first-of-its-kind forum on NGO participation within the UN.
UNAIDS will launch
the 2006 AIDS Epidemic Update in Geneva. The Director of UNAIDS’ New York
office, Bunmi Makinwa, will be at the noon briefing to answer questions about
the report.
Wednesday,
November 22
The Security Council
is scheduled to hold a briefing this morning on the recent Security Council
mission to Afghanistan. It will also hold consultations this morning on the
humanitarian situation in Africa, with Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian
Affairs Jan Egeland briefing.
The guest at the
noon briefing will be Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Director of the UN Development
Fund for Women, who will announce this year’s grantees of the UN Trust Fund to
End Violence against Women in advance of the International Day to End Violence
Against Women (25 November).
Thursday,
November 23
The UN will be closed for Thanksgiving.
Friday, November 24
The UN Security
Council Counter-Terrorism Committee today wraps up its week-long visit to
Pakistan.
Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055
