HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
U.N. HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Friday, December 15, 2006
ANNAN CONCERNED
AT PALESTINE’S WORSENING SECURITY SITUATION
Secretary-General Kofi Annan is
deeply concerned
over the recent deterioration in the security situation in the occupied
Palestinian territory and the increase of intra-Palestinian violence.
The Secretary-General calls for
respect by all parties for the rule of law, and for Palestinians to resume
dialogue in order to resolve differences peacefully and seek national unity.
ANNAN
URGES BANGLADESHI PARTIES TO ENSURE PEACEFUL ELECTIONS
The Secretary-General
continues to be
concerned about the situation in Bangladesh in the lead-up to next month’s
elections. He hopes that all parties will make the necessary compromises to
ensure a peaceful and transparent electoral environment.
He calls upon the non-party
Caretaker Government to ensure a level playing field for the elections,
particularly through the restoration of confidence in the Bangladesh Election
Commission. And he encourages the main political parties to work to overcome
their differences in the interest of democracy.
The Secretary-General
appreciates the efforts by political parties to refrain from the use of
violence in their programmes and he urges continued restraint. He also hopes
the Army will continue to play a neutral role, thereby creating an environment
conducive to peaceful elections.
ANNAN ATTENDS FAREWELL LUNCHEON IN HIS
HONOR
The Secretary-General traveled to Washington, D.C., this
morning, where he will shortly be attending a farewell luncheon held in his
honour, hosted by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
The Secretary-General is accompanied by his
Under-Secretaries-General for Peacekeeping and for Political Affairs, Jean
Marie Guéhenno and Ibrahim Gambari.
CHIEFS OF U.N. TRIBUNALS BRIEF THE
SECURITY COUNCIL
Carla Del Ponte, the Prosecutor for the International
Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY),
told the Security Council in an open meeting that the Council needs to send a
strong message to fugitive suspects Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, that
they can be tried in The Hague at any time until 2010, or a mechanism to try
them at The Hague will be set up after that date. She warned that victims
should not be given further reason to believe that the United Nations and the
Council did not do everything they could to ensure that the most responsible
accused are brought to justice.
Meanwhile, the Presidents of the tribunals for Rwanda and
the former Yugoslavia briefed the Council on their completion strategies, with
the Yugoslavia Tribunal set to finish all current trials no later than 2009
and the Rwanda Tribunal on schedule to
complete its current caseload by the end of 2008.
Earlier, the Security Council
extended the
mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission in Cote d’Ivoire by three weeks,
until 10 January 2007. It also
extended the
mandate of the group of experts dealing with sanctions in Cote d’Ivoire by
six months. And the mandate of the
UN
peacekeeping force in Cyprus was extended by six months, until the middle
of next June.
In the afternoon, the Security Council scheduled
consultations on Guinea Bissau.
ANNAN RECOMMENDS MANDATE EXTENSION
FOR GUINEA-BISSAU PEACEBUILDING
Available on the racks is a
letter from the
Secretary-General to the Security Council President on the UN Peacebuilding
Support Office in Guinea-Bissau.
The letter recommends extending that Office’s mandate
through the end of next year with a focus on promoting dialogue and
reconciliation in order to prevent a relapse into conflict.
INT'L CRIMINAL COURT ALMOST READY TO
FILE CHARGES IN DARFUR PROBE
Yesterday afternoon, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the Prosecutor
for the International Criminal Court,
(ICC) told the Security Council that he has nearly completed an investigation
into some of the worst crimes committed in Darfur. He is preparing to submit
evidence to the ICC judges no later than February 2007 and is putting measures
in place to protect victims and witnesses.
Moreno-Ocampo’s first case focuses on a series of
incidents in 2003 and 2004, when the most serious crimes occurred in large
numbers. Perhaps most significant, the evidence reveals an underlying
operational system that enabled the commission of massive crimes.
In November, the Sudanese Government had told
Moreno-Ocampo that 14 individuals had been arrested for violations of
international humanitarian law and human rights abuses. The Prosecutor
responded that he would request the cooperation of the Government of the Sudan
to facilitate a visit by his Office to Sudan next month, to interview the
individuals in custody.
ANNAN
DISCUSSES DARFUR WITH ACTOR-ACTIVISTS
GROUP HEADED BY GEORGE CLOONEY
Asked about the
Secretary-General’s meeting with a delegation headed by actor George Clooney
this morning, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General had listened
closely to what the delegation members had to say and encouraged them to
continue their efforts to raise consciousness about the need for a solution in
Darfur. Their work, Dujarric said, is in line with the Secretary-General’s
efforts to have non-governmental organizations and other groups reach out on
Darfur.
He noted that the
Secretary-General, at a recent human rights event, had also urged those
countries that have strong economic and political ties with Khartoum to use
their influence to bring about a solution in Darfur.
Asked about
Clooney’s statement that Egypt and China wanted Kofi Annan to work as an envoy
on Darfur after he leaves his post as Secretary-General, the Spokesman noted
that Annan intends to take some time off after his departure from his current
job, after which he would decide on his priorities.
Asked whether the
United Nations would continue to have Darfur as a priority, Dujarric said that
the main issues on the UN agenda wouldn’t disappear after the end of the year.
He noted that the Secretary-General had briefed his successor, Ban Ki-moon, on
key issues including Darfur.
UNITED NATIONS WILL HAVE ADVISORY ROLE
IN PROPOSED SOMALIA PEACEKEEPING MISSION
Asked whether the United
Nations is playing a role in advising the
Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) force that is to go to
Somalia, the Spokesman said that the Security Council, in resolution 1725,
made it clear that the UN Secretariat’s only responsibility is to report on
the IGAD deployment, without giving it any mandate to have a direct role in
that deployment.
Asked whether the resolution
could help to trigger further fighting in Somalia, Dujarric voiced the
Secretary-General’s hope that the resolution’s passage would help to
contribute to efforts to stabilise Somalia and to find peace.
The Secretary-General hopes
that the countries that contribute to the Somalia force make it clear that
they are not there to fight any faction and are there to help all Somalis.
Asked whether the United
Nations was worried about the current situation in Somalia, the Spokesman
called it “extremely worrisome” and added his hope that the new initiatives
would contribute to peace there.
NUMBER OF LEBANON PEACEKEEPERS HITS
ANOTHER MILESTONE
The strength of the
UN Interim Force in
Lebanon (UNIFIL) has surpassed the 11,000 mark with the full deployment of
an infantry battalion from Indonesia and an engineering unit from Portugal.
The current total, of more than 11,000 from 23 countries,
is made up of more than 9,000 ground troops and more than 1,700 naval
personnel.
UNIFIL peacekeepers continued to provide humanitarian
assistance to the local population, with 552 instances where UNIFIL
peacekeepers provided medical assistance over the past week. Meanwhile, in the
last week, UNIFIL de-miners from various national contingents destroyed a
total of 1,305 separate explosive devices, including rockets, grenades and
cluster bombs.
Asked about the reimbursement
of costs for the maritime deployment, the Spokesman said that the United
Nations was still trying to work out financial arrangements with the Member
States.
REMAINING CONGOLESE MILITIA GROUPS JOINS
DISARMAMENT PROGRAMME
The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
reports that the last three remaining militia groups in the eastern province
of Ituri have agreed to join the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration
process, which will affect some 8,000 combattants.
Following the example of the militia groups Cobra Matata
and the Mouvement Révolutionnaire Congolais, the Front des Nationalistes
Intégrationistes yesterday signed a general agreement with the Congolese army,
UNDP and the UN peacekeeping force to this
effect. Negotiations between Congolese authorities and the militia groups were
facilitated and witnessed by the UN peacekeeping force, an agreement now in
its implementation phase, the Mission says.
Meanwhile, the Independent Electoral Commission has
registered some 1100 candidates for the 108 seats in the Senate. The
Commission also adopted the procedure for the selection of an assembly of
traditional chiefs, which will take place from 19 to 20 December. This
Assembly will then designate the 58 traditional chiefs who will be appointed
as senators, during meetings held in the provincial capitals on 26 and 27
December.
ANNAN NOTES PROGRESS IN LIBERIA’S PEACE
CONSOLIDATION
The Secretary-General’s latest
report to
the Security Council on the UN Mission in Liberia is out as a document.
It notes that President Johnson-Sirleaf has continued to
make encouraging progress in consolidating peace, promoting national
reconciliation and stimulating economic recovery.
But there are still serious challenges that must be
addressed. First and foremost, the government needs to take steps that will
allow Liberian security agencies to sustain the stability currently ensured by
UNMIL. The Secretary-General says this is crucial to the drawdown of UN forces
in Liberia.
AGENCY BEGINS REFUGEES’ TRANSFER TO
SOUTHERN CHAD
The UN refugee agency has started
transferring some
6,000 refugees from the Central African Republic, who had been living
temporarily on the extension of an existing refugee camp in Chad, to a new
site, which is close to Goré, the main town in southern Chad.
So far, more than 1,500 refugees have been transferred,
and the rest are expected to move over the next few days. Any new arrivals
from the border will now be transferred directly to this new site, which can
host up to 10,000 people and has space for each family to cultivate land.
URGENT APPEAL LAUNCHED FOR PHILIPPINES
TYPHOON VICTIMS
Regarding the recent devastating typhoons in the
Philippines, the United Nations today
appealed for $46 million to meet the urgent relief and early recovery
needs of the most vulnerable survivors.
Some initial emergency relief has already been made
possible through a grant of $2.6 million from the Central Emergency Response
Fund.
DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL TO JOIN YALE
UNIVERSITY NEXT YEAR
The Deputy Secretary-General, whose contract with the
United Nations ends at the end of this month, will be joining the
Yale Center for the Study of Globalization
as Distinguished Visiting Fellow for the spring of 2007.
The Fellowship will provide him an opportunity to focus
on research and writing in addition to interacting with the faculty and
students of Yale University. He plans to concentrate on writing a book that
will focus on changing leadership in a globalized world where old models of
organization no longer prevail.
The Yale Center for the Study of Globalization awards
Fellowships to distinguished individuals who influence policy making and
generate ideas for seizing globalization’s opportunities and overcoming its
challenges.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
ANNAN WARNS
AGAINST ABUSE OF PRESIDENTIAL POWER: Asked
whether the Secretary-General has given up on Zimbabwe, following reports that
President Robert Mugabe may seek to extend his term, the Spokesman said that the
Secretary-General has been clear that leaders in power should not use
constitutional or extra-constitutional means to extend their time in office.
U.N.
WHISTLEBLOWER POLICIES DEFY “CULTURE OF SILENCE”:
Asked about a European Parliament statement concerning a “culture of silence” in
UN peacekeeping missions, the Spokesman said that the United Nations has taken a
considerable number of preventive efforts to change that culture, including by
providing protections to whistle-blowers, so as to put an end to some practices
by a small number of peacekeepers.
COMMISSIONER
BRAMMERTZ TO BRIEF SECURITY COUNCIL: Asked
when Serge Brammertz, the head of the Hariri investigation, would brief the
Security Council, the Spokesman said it would be on Monday afternoon.
*** The guest
today was Ad Melkert, Associate Administrator of the UN Development Programme
(UNDP). He briefed on UNDP’s work in early crisis prevention and recovery.
***
THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS
Monday, December 18
The Prime Ministers of Spain and Turkey will be in New York
to join the Secretary-General in presenting the report of the High-Level Group
of the Alliance of Civilizations to the General Assembly. The presentation will
take place in the Trusteeship Council Chamber at 3:40 p.m. There will also be a
concert in the General Assembly Hall at 7:00 p.m., featuring the West Eastern
Divan Orchestra and musician Daniel Barenboim, in honor of the Secretary-General
and in support of the Alliance.
Also in connection with the Alliance of Civilizations, the
Prime Minister of Turkey will hold a press conference at 10:00 a.m., and the
Prime Minister of Spain will hold one at 5:15 p.m.
The Security Council is scheduled to hold an open debate
this morning on Burundi. In the afternoon, there will be a briefing followed by
consultations on the UN International Independent Investigation Commission
(UNIIIC). Commission head Serge Brammertz will brief the press at the Security
Council stakeout.
The new UN Standards for Disarmament, Demobilization and
Reintegration of Former Combatants will be launched in the Dag Hammarskjold
Library Auditorium at 10:00 a.m.. The Deputy Secretary-General as well as senior
officials from the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the UN Development
Programme will attend.
Today is International Migrants Day. An event co-sponsored
by UNIFEM and the NGO Committee on Migration, on the protection of migrants’
rights, will take place from 1:00-3:00 p.m. in Conference Room B.
Tuesday, December 19
The Secretary-General will hold his final press conference
at 10:30 a.m..
The Security Council is scheduled to hold consultations
this morning on Liberia. In the afternoon, it will hold a debate on the Great
Lakes Conference.
Today is the UN Day for South-South Cooperation.
Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs José Antonio Ocampo will
speak at a high-level panel discussion from 3:00-6:00 p.m. in Conference Room 4.
The staff farewell to the Secretary-General will take place
in the staff cafeteria at 4:45 p.m.
The Secretary-General is scheduled to receive an award from
the Inter Press Service at 6:15 p.m. in the Delegates’ Dining Room.
Wednesday, December 20
The Security Council is scheduled to hold consultations
this morning on the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate. It will then have a
briefing on the Security Council’s subsidiary bodies. It is also slated to adopt
a resolution on Liberia and sanctions.
At 2:00, Jeffrey Sachs, the Special Advisor to the
Secretary-General on the Millennium Development Goals, will hold a press
conference to take stock of progress in the fight against poverty and what
urgent action needs to be taken to achieve the Goals.
Thursday, December 21
At 11:00, General Assembly President Sheikha Haya Rashed Al
Khalifa will hold a press conference.
At 1:00, Kemal Dervis, Administrator of the UN Development
Programme, will hold a press conference on the UN Role in Development: Progress
and Next Steps for 2007.
Friday, December 22
The Security Council is scheduled to meet to adopt a
resolution on the UN Integrated Office in Sierra Leone
Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General
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