HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY FARHAN HAQ
ASSOCIATE SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
U.N.
HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Friday, March
30, 2007
LEBANON: SECRETARY-GENERAL STRESSES NEED FOR
NATIONAL RECONCILIATION
The Secretary-General met today in Lebanon with
many key leaders, including Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and Speaker of the
Assembly Nabih Berri, and
stressed to
all the leaders the need to engage in dialogue for the purpose of promoting
national reconciliation.
Following his meeting with Berri, the
Secretary-General
said they had discussed cooperation with the UN Force in Lebanon,
UNIFIL, as well as
the issue of the special
Tribunal of an international character. He emphasized his commitment to
the establishment of that tribunal as soon as possible, saying that he
welcomes Lebanese national consensus on the tribunal but stresses the
importance of moving forward on this issue.
Later, the Secretary-General held a meeting
with Prime Minister Siniora, which began with a political meeting, after which
he had the opportunity to confer with many ministers in the cabinet and then
held a meeting focused on security issues.
He
told reporters
afterward that he was disappointed that the political crisis that has now
lasted some four months has not been resolved, and he added that the path of
dialogue and compromise has to be the way forward out of this impasse. He also
noted the continued Israeli overflights of Lebanon, saying, “These violations
of Lebanese sovereignty must stop.”
The Secretary-General also met with other
Lebanese political leaders, including Saad Hariri and Walid Jumblatt.
Asked if the Secretary-General would be
visiting southern Lebanon and the border area with Syria and Israel, the
Spokesman confirmed that Ban Ki-moon would be in southern Lebanon on Saturday
for a planned helicopter tour of UNIFIL positions and the region in general.
Asked if the Secretary-General would be meeting
with members of Hezbollah, Haq said that the Secretary-General was meeting
with cabinet members across a wide spectrum of political parties.
Asked if the Secretary-General would seek novel
ways of addressing Israel's repeated violations of
Resolution 1701, the Spokesman said that the Secretariat regularly reports
such violations to the Security Council.
BAN KI-MOON TO SPEAK WITH SEVERAL LEADERS
ABOUT RECENT VIOLENCE IN SOMALIA
Asked if the Secretary-General had any further
comments on the deadly unrest in the Somali capital, the Spokesman said that
the Secretary-General
expressed his concern Thursday in a statement on the significant
escalation of violence in Mogadishu. He added that the Secretary-General's
Special Representative for Somalia has also deplored the fighting and is
continuing to monitor the situation. "Today, as yesterday," Haq said, "the
fighting is a cause for concern by the UN."
Asked if the Secretary-General was making phone
calls or speaking to the Organization of the Islamic Conference in a search
for a solution to the crisis, Haq said that Ban Ki-moon was expected to make
phone calls to a number of leaders in the coming days.
U.N. MISSION IN LIBERIA EXTENDED FOR SIX
MONTHS
The Security Council today
extended
the mandate of the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL)
by six months, until the end of September.
On Thursday, following the end of
consultations, the Council President, Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo of South
Africa, told the press that members of the Security Council
expressed
grave concern at the capture by the Revolutionary Guard, and the continuing
detention by the Government of Iran, of 15 UK naval personnel, and appealed to
the Government of Iran to allow consular access, in terms of the relevant
international law.
He added that Council members support calls,
including by the Secretary-General in his 29 March meeting with the Iranian
Foreign Minister, for an early resolution of this problem, including the
release of the 15 UK personnel.
The Council President also read out a press
statement
on Guinea-Bissau, saying that members of the Council express concern about the
continuing political and social tensions there and call on the parties to
resolve their differences through dialogue and strict respect for the
constitutional framework.
Today is the last day of scheduled meetings
under the Council Presidency of South Africa. The United Kingdom will assume
the rotating Presidency of the Council for the month of April, and the
Security Council is expected to hold its first consultations for that month on
Tuesday, to discuss the programme of work.
Asked if the United
Nations had any further comments on the case of the 15 UK sailors detained by
Iran, the Spokesman said that the United Nations continues to monitor the
situation.
DISABILITIES CONVENTION OPENED FOR SIGNATURE
The
Convention on the
Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol were formally
opened for signature earlier today at an event in the General Assembly Hall in
the presence of Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro.
In her remarks to the gathering, the Deputy
Secretary-General
said
that the Convention went from dream to reality in three short years. It is the
first human rights treaty of the 21st century, and the fastest negotiated
international human rights instrument in history, she said.
She also expressed confidence that the
Convention would relatively easily garner the 20 signatures that are required
for its entry into force, and she urged Member States to sign it, noting that
around the world today there are fewer than 50 countries with specific
legislation that protects persons with disabilities.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: U.N. PLANS TO
ESTABLISH COORDINATION OFFICES IN REMOTE AREAS
Emergency
Relief Coordinator John Holmes is in Bangui, the capital of the Central
African Republic, today after spending the morning visiting some of the areas
most affected by civil conflict in the northern part of the country.
Holmes said that the UN plans to establish
coordination offices in these remote areas since one of the greatest
challenges for humanitarian workers is reaching people in need. Tens of
thousands of people are hiding in the bush, the road system is degraded, and
there are few NGO partners on the ground, he added.
DISPLACED PERSONS ARE RUNNING OUT OF FOOD IN
EASTERN CHAD
In Chad, the World Food Programme (WFP) is
warning that
thousands of displaced Chadians in the eastern border region with Sudan are
running out of food.
WFP had planned to feed some 50,000 displaced
persons but, because of continuing conflict and instability in the region,
that number has almost tripled. WFP says it needs more than seven million
dollars to provide additional food for the next six months.
U.N. MISSION TRAINS MEMBERS OF HAITIAN
JUDICIARY
The UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH)
says that its Justice Section has so far helped train a total of 334 judges
and registrars working in 16 districts as part of an effort to strengthen the
rule of law and the Haitian judiciary.
The programme, which was begun in August 2006,
aims to deepen local judges’ and registrars’ understanding of the rules and
regulations of the Peace Tribunals with a view to improving and streamlining
the administration of the tribunals and reducing the backlog in pending cases,
among other goals. The programme is run jointly with the International
Organization of the Francophonie and the US National Center for State Courts.
HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL ADOPTS RESOLUTION ON
DARFUR
From Geneva, the Human Rights Council today
concluded its fourth session, adopting nine resolutions and decisions
including, by consensus, one on
Darfur, in which it expressed deep concern about the seriousness of the
ongoing violations of human rights and international humanitarian law there.
In addition, the Council decided to convene a
group, to be presided over by the Special Rapporteur on the human rights
situation in Sudan, to work with the Sudanese Government and African Union
mechanisms to monitor the situation on the ground and follow up existing
resolutions and recommendations.
Other human rights resolutions and decisions
adopted today addressed unilateral coercive measures, international
cooperation, globalization, intolerance and discrimination based on religion
or belief, and the right to development.
Asked if the Secretary-General had any comment
on the resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council on Darfur, Haq said that
Ban Ki-moon had previously advised the Council to broaden its scope of work
rather than focus narrowly on a limited number of issues or countries. "It is
a good sign that the Council is dealing with issues such as Darfur," Haq said.
"The members of the Human Rights Council have come to an agreement on how to
deal with this issue, and that is a step forward. We are hoping that they will
continue to work on this issue."
In response to a question concerning
allegations that remarks made by a representative of the group UN Watch had
been stricken from the records of the Human Rights Council, the Spokesperson
later obtained a clarification from the Human Rights Council that the remarks
had not been stricken from the record.
CAMPAIGN AGAINST MATERNAL AND INFANT DEATH
LAUNCHED IN MALAWI
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA)
says that the Malawi Government today launched the first African Road Map to
combat maternal and infant death.
Every day, 16 Malawian women die due to
complications during pregnancy or childbirth. The new Road Map provides
strategies that will reduce these numbers and ensure that women go through
pregnancy, childbirth and post-delivery safely, while also ensuring that their
babies are alive and healthy.
UNESCO TO GIVE AWARD TO MURDERED RUSSIAN
JOURNALIST
For the first time,
UNESCO is giving its annual press freedom
award posthumously, to Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya. She was killed
in front of her Moscow home last October.
The award jury for the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano
World Press Freedom Prize cites Ms. Politkovskaya’s “incredible courage and
stubbornness in chronicling events in Chechnya after the whole world had given
up on that conflict.”
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
SPECIAL ENVOY TO BRIEF SECURITY COUNCIL ON KOSOVO
IN COMING DAYS: Asked to describe the
nature of a report allegedly requested by the Security Council on Resolution
1244 on Kosovo, the Spokesman said that to the best of his knowledge the Council
had not made any such request. He noted that the next Security Council meeting
on Kosovo will concern the proposal by the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for
Kosovo's final status process, Martti Ahtisaari, who is expected to brief
Council members in the coming days.
COUNCIL TO DECIDE ON THREATS TO PEACE AND
SECURITY: Asked if the
Secretary-General considered the situation in Zimbabwe a threat to international
peace and security, the Spokesman said that the Secretariat has in the past
noted that certain problems brought about by the crisis in Zimbabwe could have
cross-border consequences. Ultimately though, he added, it is up to the Security
Council to decide what constitutes a threat to international peace and
security.
REFUGEE AGENCY CONCERNED ABOUT RUSSIA’S
DEPORTATION OF CHINESE ASYLUM SEEKER:
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
is expressing concern about a Chinese asylum seeker and her 8 year old daughter
deported from Russia to China. Both were registered by UNHCR as persons in need
of international protection and had submitted a legal claim for asylum. UNHCR
says it has credible information that the two were taken from their St.
Petersburg residence by Russian authorities on Wednesday and put on a plane to
China.
THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS
[This document is for planning purposes only
and is subject to change.]
Monday, April 2
At 9:30 a.m. in Conference
Room 1, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research begins a two-day
seminar on preventing genocide.
At 9:45 a.m., the Economic
and Social Council holds a half-day informal event entitled “Eradicating poverty
and hunger – joining forces to make it happen”. Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose
Migiro will deliver the opening address.
At 10 a.m. in Conference
Room 2, the Department for Disarmament Affairs holds a one-day workshop for
Member States and international, regional and subregional organizations to
exchange information on conventional arms control measures.
At 11 a.m. in Room 226,
there will be a press conference sponsored by the Ugandan Mission to the UN on
the International Summit of Grandparents and Kinship Caregivers. Among the guest
speakers will be 1950’s recording artist Patti Page.
The guest at the noon
briefing will be Eloho Otobo from the UN Economic Commission for Africa, who
will brief on the “Economic Report on Africa 2007”, to be launched in Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia, the following day.
In Singapore, political,
business and opinion leaders are gathering today for a high-level global debate,
hosted by the World Health Organization and the Government of Singapore, on the
urgent need to improve international health security.
Tuesday, April 3
This morning, the Security
Council holds consultations on its program of work for April. At 11 a.m. in
Room 226, Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry of the United Kingdom, which holds the
Security Council presidency for April, will brief the media.
The guest at the noon
briefing will be Under Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Mr.
Jean-Marie Guéhenno, who will brief on the International Day for Landmine
Awareness, which is tomorrow.
At 1:15 p.m., there will be
a press conference by Dr. Peter Boyle, Director of the International Agency for
Research on Cancer, on the “Globalization of Cancer, Making a Difference”.
Wednesday, April 4
Today is the International
Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action. Several events are
planned at Headquarters to mark the occasion. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the
North Lawn, there will be a mock minefield and free demining demonstrations by
the Humanitarian Demining Training Center.
At 1 p.m. in the Visitors
Lobby, the opening of Enduring Fear, a monthlong exhibition of photographs about
landmines, explosive remnants of war and the people affected by them, will take
place. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., next to the exhibition, UNICEF will host free
mine-risk education workshops.
In Geneva, there will be a
press briefing by Mahimbo Mdoe, UNICEF Representative in the Central African
Republic, on the situation in that country.
Thursday, April 5
The UN Development Programme
today launches a joint UN energy system publication entitled “Mainstreaming
energy considerations into MDG-based national development strategies”.
Friday, April 6
Today is an official UN Holiday. Headquarters in
New York will be closed.
In Brussels, Belgium, the UN
Environment Programme holds a press conference to release the Summary for
Policymakers of the report of Working Group II of the UNEP/World Meteorological
Organization Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on "Impacts, Adaptation
and Vulnerability".
Office of the Spokesman for the
Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055
