HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY MARIE OKABE
DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
U.N. HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Thursday,
February 15, 2007
SECURITY
COUNCIL EXTENDS MANDATES OF HAITI AND D.R. CONGO MISSIONS
The Security Council this morning unanimously adopted
resolutions extending the mandates of two UN peacekeeping missions.
The
UN Mission in
the Democratic Republic of the Congo was extended by two months, and
the mission in Haiti was extended by eight months.
The Security Council went back into consultations to
consider a letter they received on Tuesday from the Secretary-General,
concerning a request from Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora for technical
assistance from the International Independent Investigation Commission in the
effort to investigate the bombing that took place that day near the town of
Bikfaya.
Council members also intended to discuss a possible press
statement concerning the recent attack in Iran, on which we issued a statement
from the Secretary-General yesterday. [Security Council President Peter
Burian of Slovakia later read a
press
statement on Iran):
The Security Council later held their monthly luncheon
with the Secretary-General, who
spoke to reporters
afterwards.
HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL MISSION TRAVELS TO
CHAD TO
ASSESS HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN DARFUR
In response to a question
about the denial of visas to a team sent by the Human Rights Council to Sudan,
the Spokeswoman said that the
team had announced in Addis Ababa that they would continue their work on
Darfur outside Sudan.
The Secretary-General, Okabe
said, was disappointed that the team could not get into Sudan, and she added
that he had raised that issue with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir when they
had met on the sidelines of the African Union summit.
Now, she said, the mission
will continue its work, and it has gone to Chad, where it is interviewing
refugees who have fled from Darfur. The team intends to complete its work on
the ground by next week.
AGENCY CHIEF URGES FURTHER ADMISSION OF
IRAQI REFUGEES
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres
welcomed the
announcement by the United States that it will contribute $18 million dollars
to UNHCR’s $60 million appeal for its Iraq operations this year. The United
States also said it would expand its capacity to receive referrals for up to
7,000 of the most vulnerable Iraqi refugees this year.
Those pledges came following a meeting yesterday between
Guterres and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Washington.
In a press release today, Guterres also noted that Syria
and Jordan have been generous in welcoming Iraqi refugees, but that situation
is becoming difficult to bear. He said that it is important that the
international community help those countries in their efforts to protect and
assist Iraqi refugees.
Asked which countries from the Middle East may attend a
donors' conference on Iraqi refugees in Geneva this April, the Spokeswoman
later said that among the countries in the region expected to attend were
Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Other countries from
the region could also attend but had not yet confirmed.
U.N. OFFICIAL GATHERS THE VIEWS OF
IRAQ’S NEIGHBORS IN REGIONAL TOUR
Ashraf Qazi, the Secretary-General’s Special
Representative for Iraq, met today with Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul.
The two discussed recent developments in Iraq and the important role the
neighbouring states can play in reducing violence and promoting stability in
the country.
The meeting in Ankara is part of Qazi’s regional tour,
designed to learn the views of the governments of the region and explore the
different ways these governments can help enhance Iraq’s stability and
regional reintegration.
SECRETARY-GENERAL PROPOSES DRAFTING
OF CODE OF CONDUCT FOR D.R. CONGO MINING SECTOR
Available today is a
report of
the Secretary-General on the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In it, the
Secretary-General proposes that alternative measures be explored with a view
to reducing the influence of economic operators that use proceeds from
natural-resource exploitation to buy and import weapons.
He also recommends that the Congolese Government promote
a business climate that discourages extortion, fraud and other illegal
practices to strengthen the authorities’ ability to raise public funds. To
meet these goals, the Secretary-General proposes the drafting of a code of
conduct specifically designed for private actors in the DRC.
SECRETARY-GENERAL IS ENCOURAGED BY
FRENCH COMMITMENT
TO AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT
In a
message to the
France-Afrique Summit, delivered earlier today in Cannes by Assistant
Secretary-General for Political Affairs Tuliameni Kalomoh, Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon reaffirmed his pledge to support Africa’s efforts to end violent
conflict, to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, and to be a full and
effective partner in international affairs.
The Secretary-General said he is encouraged
by France’s continued commitment to African development, which largely
complements with the United Nations’ own efforts to assist Africa. “Let us
strengthen that spirit of partnership,” he vowed, “and of solidarity with
Africa’s people.”
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
RESIGNATION LETTERS OF SENIOR
OFFICIALS ARE INTERNAL U.N. DOCUMENTS:
Asked whether the United Nations would release the resignation offers that had
been turned in by more than 50 senior UN officials, the Spokeswoman said those
were not public documents. She noted that the Secretary-General, having received
the offers, had already announced the first tranche of new appointments and
would announce others as they arise.
BAN KI-MOON HAILS THE WORK OF
PARTIES IN NORTH KOREAN DENUCLEARIZATION DEAL:
Asked whether the Secretary-General appreciated China’s role regarding the
recent six-party talks on the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, the
Spokeswoman said that the Secretary-General had commended the role played by the
six parties at the talks, which included China.
FOOD AGENCY DELIVERS SUPPLIES TO MOZAMBIQUE
FLOOD VICTIMS: The World Food Programme (WFP)
reports that a
WFP-chartered helicopter has started rescue and food delivery missions in
flood-hit areas of central Mozambique. So far, some 10,000 flood survivors have
received WFP food, the agency says.
AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION AND HUMANITARIAN OFFICE LAUNCH
REVAMPED WEBSITES: The Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian
Affairs (OCHA) reports that its Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN)
have revamped and re-launched their web site.
IRIN is a multimedia humanitarian news and analysis service.The Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) has also announced the launch of an interactive
web site on the right to food,
providing practical information for policy-makers and the general public.
NUCLEAR WATCHDOG UNVEILS IMPROVED RADIATION WARNING
SYMBOL: The International Atomic Energy Agency and the International
Organization for Standardization today
launched
a new ionizing radiation warning
symbol to
supplement the traditional symbol for radiation -- the three cornered trefoil.
With radiating waves, a skull and crossbones and a running person, the new
symbol is expected to help reduce needless deaths and serious injuries from
accidental exposure to radiation. The adoption of new symbol was motivated by
that the average person had no intuitive understanding or recognition of the
trefoil.
Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055
