HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY MICHELE MONTAS
SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
U.N. HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Monday,
February 20, 2007
BAN KI-MOON
TRAVELS TO BERLIN FOR MIDDLE EAST QUARTET MEETING
Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon travels to Berlin today for a meeting tomorrow of the diplomatic
Quartet on the
Middle East.
The other principal members at the meeting will be U.S.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov,
European Union High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy
Javier Solana, European Commissioner for External Relations Benita
Ferrero-Waldner and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier,
representing the Presidency of the European Union.
The Secretary General looks forward to another
opportunity to meet with his Quartet partners, and to discuss and review with
them the Mecca Agreement as well as the trilateral meeting yesterday of
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and
Rice. This is the second time in a month that the Quartet is meeting, which is
illustrative of the Secretary-General's desire to reenergize the process.
Asked about Monday’s
tripartite meeting that brought Rice together with the Israeli and Palestinian
leaders, the Spokeswoman said that the meeting was expected to be discussed at
the Quartet meeting, as was the earlier meeting among Palestinian leaders in
Mecca.
Asked about ways to
re-energize the Quartet, the Spokeswoman said that the meeting itself was a
signal of efforts to revitalize the Quartet’s work. She said that the
Secretary-General believes that having a structure for discussion to take
place multilaterally on Middle East issues is important and can help to move
issues on the ground.
As for other issues, including
the funding of the Palestinian Authority, she said that the Quartet’s
positions on those issues would be clarified following the Wednesday meeting.
Asked about the
Secretary-General’s further travels, Montas said that he would meet with UN
staff in Vienna after departing Berlin, and would then travel back to New
York.
SECRETARY-GENERAL CONDEMNS INDIA TRAIN BOMBING
The Secretary-General, in a
statement
issued yesterday, strongly condemned the brutal terrorist bombing of the
Delhi-Lahore "Friendship Express" in which 67 people were killed and nearly 20
injured. This heinous crime cannot be justified by any cause and its
perpetrators should be brought to justice.
The Secretary-General conveyed his deep condolences to
the families of the innocent victims and the Governments of India and
Pakistan.
The Secretary-General expressed his satisfaction that the
leaders of India and Pakistan have reaffirmed their determination to continue
on the path of dialogue. He is also encouraged by the strong reaction among
the various communities in the subcontinent and their common resolve to thwart
the motives of the terrorists.
SECURITY CRUCIAL FOR POST-CONFLICT
PEACEBUILDING
The Secretary-General this morning
addressed
the
Security Council’s open meeting on security sector reform, chaired by
Slovakian Foreign Minister Jan Kubis, and he said that the search for
sustainable security has long been a preoccupation for the United Nations.
For the United Nations, the Secretary-General said,
security sector reform aims to achieve effective, accountable and sustainable
security institutions that operate under a framework of the rule of law and
respect for human rights.
He said that security is a crucial and immediate
condition for peacebuilding after conflict, and warned that security cannot be
restored and maintained in a vacuum. And he outlined several steps to
strengthen the United Nations’ support for reforms in national security
sectors.
Council members expect to adopt a Presidential Statement
at the end of today’s debate.
The Security Council began its work this morning with a
briefing by the Ambassador of Peru on the work of the panel of experts dealing
with sanctions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Once the open debate on security sector reform ends, the
Security Council expects to vote on a resolution on Somalia.
IRAQ: U.N. ENVOY MEETS WITH IRANIAN
FOREIGN MINISTER
Ashraf Qazi, the Secretary-General’s Special
Representative for Iraq, met yesterday with
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouschehr Mottaki, and
discussed with him the important role the neighbouring states can play in
reducing violence and promoting stability in Iraq.
Today, Qazi also met with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister
Mehdi Araghchi for further talks on issues pertinent to Iraq.
The Iranian authorities raised their concern for the need
to identify constructive solutions to Iraq’s current difficulties. In this
context, they also raised the issue pertaining to the detention of Iranian
diplomats in Iraq.
The meeting in Tehran is part of Qazi’s regional tour,
intended to learn the views of the governments of the region and explore the
different options to enhance Iraq’s stability and regional reintegration.
Also, the UN Development Programme says that one third of
today’s Iraqi population lives in poverty, with more than five percent living
in extreme poverty.
UNITED NATIONS WELCOMES CONGOLESE
DECISION IN CASE
INVOLVING KILLING OF U.N. OBSERVERS
The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC)
has welcomed the life sentences handed down by a Congolese court to four men
convicted of murdering two UN military observers in the restive Ituri province
in 2003. Two other suspects were sentenced to 10 and 20 years in prison.
The Court ruled that the killings amounted to war crimes,
a decision the Mission has hailed as an important step in the fight against
impunity and an affirmation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s
commitment to the implementation of the Rome Statute of the International
Criminal Court, to which the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a State
Party.
U.N. MISSION REPORTS MILITIA MOBILIZATION
IN WEST DARFUR
The UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS)
reports that armed militia have been mobilizing in large numbers over the last
five days in an area of West Darfur. The reason behind the massive militia
mobilization is so far not known, the Mission says.
The Mission also says it is
holding today a
one-day workshop on sexual exploitation and abuse in Southern Sudan. It is
being held jointly with the Government of Southern Sudan, UN agencies and
non-governmental organizations. The workshop’s objectives are to share
information about the UN zero-tolerance policy and code of conduct, assess
achievements, identify gaps and challenges in preventing sexual exploitation
and abuse, especially of children in Southern Sudan; and establish a joint
risk assessment, reporting and monitoring mechanism.
Asked about the
Secretary-General’s work following up on issues in Sudan, the Spokeswoman
noted that over the weekend, he had spoken with his Special Envoy for Darfur,
Jan Eliasson, and with Alpha Oumar Konaré, the African Union Chairman.
Asked about assaults and rapes
of humanitarian workers last month, the Spokeswoman said that the
Secretary-General had raised the issue with Sudanese officials, including at
the African Union summit.
Regarding a question on a
meeting hosted by Libya on Darfur, Montas later said that the UN’s envoy for
Darfur, Jan Eliasson, and his African Union counterpart were not in Tripoli.
The United Nations, however, welcomes and supports any efforts to work toward
peace in Darfur that are in line with the high-level consultation in Addis
Ababa that took place late last year.
NEW BURUNDI PEACEBUILDING OFFICE
LAUNCHED TODAY
The United Nations Integrated Office in Burundi is being
formally launched today in the capital Bujumbura. The creation of this
peacebuilding office was mandated by the Security Council to secure and expand
on the achievements of the UN peacekeeping operation in that country, whose
mandate expired on 31 December 2006.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony will see the participation of
Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza and members of the international
community and will be presided over by the newly-appointed Executive
Representative of the Secretary-General in Burundi, Youssef Mahmoud of
Tunisia.
UNITED NATIONS CONDEMNS ATTACKS ON U.N.
PROPERTY IN KOSOVO
The UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK)
yesterday announced that its Deputy Crime Commissioner, Trygve Kalleberg of
Sweden, has been appointed as Police Commissioner ad interim. That designation
will remain in effect until the formal appointment of the UN Mission’s Police
Commissioner by the Secretary-General following the usual procedures, which
are expected to take several months.
Asked about a bombing that
took place in Pristina, the Spokeswoman said that UNMIK confirms that, last
night in central Pristina, an unidentified explosive device went off under a
parked UNMIK vehicle. Two other UN vehicles and one civilian vehicle, as well
as windows in surrounding shops and houses, were also damaged. No injuries
were reported.
The police are investigating
the circumstances of the incident, Montas said. The United Nations, she added,
condemns any acts of violence directed at UN property or personnel.
HAITI: U.N. MISSION ARRESTS GANG LEADER
The UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti
reports the arrest this weekend of Johnny Pierre Louis, also known as “Ti
Bazil,” a presumed gang leader in Cite-Soleil, the poor neighborhood of the
capital Port-au-Prince where UN police have been conducting a robust anti-gang
operation in recent weeks.
The Mission says that Ti Bazil, an associate of main gang
leader Evens, is responsible for the killing of members of two families for
their participation in the U.N.-run disarmament program. Ti Bazil is also
accused of forcibly enlisting residents of Cite-Soleil in his illegal
pursuits.
U.N. & TIMORESE POLICE ENHANCE SECURITY
IN TIMOR-LESTE
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for
Timor-Leste, Atul Khare, said police
officers from the United Nations and Timor Leste are working to enhance
security arrangements across Dili in response to growing violence in the
capital.
UN and Timorese police officers today responded to a
fighting and arson incident related to inter-gang rivalry in the town of
Kampung Alor. Khare visited the area and expressed his condolences and
sympathy to the residents.
UN police, meanwhile, are also investigating an incident
in which 700 bags of rice were stolen from a World Food Programme (WFP)
warehouse in Dili. WFP has announced that no further distribution will take
place until further notice and after due security clearance.
U.N. AGENCIES HELP FLOOD SURVIVORS IN
SOUTHERN AFRICA
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(OCHA)
reports that, while the overall situation in Mozambique has stabilized for
the moment, it is concerned about the possible impact of tropical storm Favio,
which is expected to hit the country on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) is currently
providing food aid to 33,500 flood survivors. And UNICEF has provided water
and sanitation supplies – including plastic sheeting, chlorine, water tanks
and latrine slabs – for newly established accommodation centres. UNICEF is
also supplying high protein supplements to feeding sites.
OCHA also reports that Mozambique is not the only country
in southern Africa that has been hit by floods. In Angola, for example, UNICEF
and the World Health Organization are helping the Government to prevent
flood-related cholera outbreaks. And in Madagascar, WFP is working to
distribute some 450 tons of food to flood survivors.
REFUGEE AGENCY APPEALS FOR FUNDS TO HELP
DISPLACED COLOMBIANS
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) today said
that it needs over $14 million to help hundreds of thousands of people
displaced by the armed conflict in Colombia.
According to UNHCR, Colombia’s complex internal conflict
has resulted in the deaths of more than 40,000 people since 1990, most of them
civilians. Over three million people have been forced out of their homes by
violence, persecution or gross human rights violations.
In other news, UNHCR reports that, despite an
increasingly uncertain situation in Guinea, it is
scheduling two
voluntary repatriation movements there for some 500 Liberian refugees. Those
operations will take place this week.
U.N. RESTRUCTURING PROCESS IS MOVING
FORWARD
Asked about doubts that the
Group of 77’s concerns about the Secretary-General’s restructuring plan have
been resolved, the Spokeswoman said that the Secretary-General had met with
nearly all Member States last week, and had told them on Friday that he had
heard their concerns and changed some of his proposals in response to their
inputs.
She said that the Committee of
34 is now expected to discuss the proposals this week, and the Secretariat is
prepared to answer any further questions. The process, Montas said, is moving
forward. She said that the Secretary-General fully respects the legislative
process. She added that it was expected that a framework resolution would be
circulated in the General Assembly soon.
Asked whether the proposals being presented to
Member States are budget-neutral, Montas said that, for now, they are.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
BAN KI-MOON CONCERNED BY ANY
MIDDLE EAST VIOLENCE: Asked about press
reports concerning a possible U.S. attack on Iran, the Spokeswoman, while noting
that she does not comment on press reports, said that the Secretary-General was
following the situation concerning Iran closely. She said that he is concerned
about any violence in the region, which could cause further deterioration in the
Middle East.
AUDIT OF U.N. AGENCIES MOVING
FORWARD: Asked about the audit of UN
agencies, funds and programmes, the Spokeswoman said that audit was moving
forward, starting with an audit of UN Development Programme (UNDP) operations in
the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. She said that the Secretary-General
was following the issue and expected a report on it.
UNICEF CHIEF COMMENDS EGYPT’S DEVELOPMENT PROGRESS:
UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman today
ended a three-day
visit to Egypt which included discussions with government officials and other
partners on ways of advancing children’s issues in the country. Speaking at the
end of her visit, Veneman commended Egypt’s progress towards achieving the
Millennium Development Goals within the 2015 target date.
NIGERIA URGED TO INCREASE BIRD FLU CONTROL MEASURES:
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has
urged
Nigeria to increase control measures on poultry farms and markets to prevent the
spread of bird flu and reduce the risk of further human cases. A recent FAO
mission to Nigeria said that the virus is still circulating in poultry flocks in
the country with outbreaks reported in at least ten states over the past few
months.
U.N. HUMANITARIAN OFFICIAL VISITS AFGHANISTAN: Over
the weekend, Margareta Wahlström, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian
Affairs, began a five-day visit to
Afghanistan to see how the United Nations can better deliver humanitarian
aid in the coming year. During her fact-finding mission, Wahlström will be
looking at how to improve humanitarian coordination; how to ensure civilians are
better protected; and how to deliver support and aid to people in areas that are
affected by conflict.
BAN KI-MOON DISCUSSES WATER &
DEVELOPMENT WITH DUTCH PRINCE: Regarding a
question about the Secretary-General’s meeting with the Crown Prince of the
Netherlands, the Spokesperson later said they had discussed his work as Chairman
of the Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation and ways to
reach the Millennium Development Goals in that context. The Secretary-General
also thanked the Netherlands for its increasing contribution of Official
Development Assistance (ODA) to developing countries.
Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055
