HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY MICHELE
MONTAS
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
U.N.
HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Wednesday, April
4, 2007
SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES ANNOUNCEMENT OF IRAN’S
RELEASE OF UK HOSTAGES
Asked about an
announcement on the release of 15 UK naval personnel by the Iranian
Government, the Spokeswoman said that the Secretary-General welcomes Iran's
announcement today. He reiterates his hope that the issue can be resolved as
soon as possible.
She declined to comment on
questions about any UN involvement.
U.N. IS STUDYING LETTER FROM LEBANESE
PARLIAMENTARIANS
In response to questions,
the Spokeswoman said that the Secretariat has received the memorandum
addressed to Secretary-General by 70 Lebanese parliamentarians and is studying
it. The Secretary-General continues to be concerned by the political impasse
in
Lebanon and hopes that the relevant Lebanese institutions will take the
steps necessary under their Constitution to conclude the Agreement.
During his visit to
Beirut, all of his interlocutors expressed to him their support for a process
that would bring to justice those responsible for the attack that killed
former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri and others. The Secretary-General remains
convinced that the preferred path toward justice is through the fulfilment of
the Lebanese constitutional process, but he notes the difficulties described
by the parliamentarians relating to the convening of the Parliament to
consider the matter.
U.N. HUMANITARIAN CHIEF BRIEFS SECURITY COUNCIL
ON AFRICA VISIT
The Security Council today
heard a briefing in an open
meeting on
the humanitarian situation in Africa from Under-Secretary-General for
Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes, who
has returned from his first mission to
Sudan, Chad and the Central African Republic.
He said that there is a
clear regional aspect to the conflicts in those countries, which drive the
deep humanitarian problems there. The spillover effect from Darfur is clear,
not least in eastern Chad, he said.
Yet Holmes added that
there is a clearly internal aspect to each conflict, too, and there have to be
national solutions in addition to the regional approach. The fundamental need,
he said, is for political solutions brought about through dialogue and
mediation.
This afternoon, the
Security Council intends to hold consultations on the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, with a briefing by the head of the UN
Mission, William Swing.
U.N. KOSOVO ENVOY SAYS STATUS DECISION SHOULD BE
MADE SOON
On Tuesday afternoon, the
Security Council heard a briefing by
the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the future status process in
Kosovo, Martti Ahtisaari, in a
private meeting, which was later followed by closed consultations.
Ahtisaari later spoke to
reporters, telling them that this was the start of a process and that he was
pleased by the discussions with the members of the Security Council. He said
that the process, if not a marathon, was “at least a 10,000 meter run.”
He said it is important
that the Security Council should recognize that the sooner a decision is made
on Kosovo, the better.
Asked whether the
Secretary-General would become more involved in resolving the situation in
Kosovo, the Spokeswoman said that the Secretary-General had expressed support
for Ahtisaari’s report. It is now up to the Security Council to discuss the
matter, she said, adding that the Secretary-General would not be involved in
the Council’s discussions.
U.N. SOMALIA ENVOY CALLS FOR SUPPORT FOR A.U.
FORCES
On Tuesday in Cairo, the
Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia, Francois Lonseny
Fall, took part in a meeting of the International Contact Group for Somalia,
along with officials from the League of Arab States, Egypt and other key
members of the international community.
In his remarks to the
gathering, Fall said that the surge in violence in Somalia brings into sharp
focus the differences between the proponents of forced disarmament to secure
Mogadishu and those staking out the position that reconciliation must precede
any disarmament. He also noted the establishment last month of a National
Governance and Reconciliation Committee and the expected holding of a
reconciliation congress, now scheduled for mid-May. Citing the ongoing
violence, Fall questioned the choice of Mogadishu as the venue for that
congress.
On the peacekeeping front,
he said that African Union member states should be encouraged to commit and
deploy more troops. Meanwhile, he noted, donors have pledged only $120 million
out of the required $377 million for the AU force, and he appealed for further
financial support.
U.N. PARTICIPATES IN MEETING ON SUDAN
The Tripartite Mechanism,
composed of representatives from the United Nations, the African Union and the
Government of Sudan, which oversees the implementation of the UN support to
the African Union Mission in Sudan, met today in Khartoum.
The United Nations
informed the meeting that 21 additional military staff officers and 10
civilian staff members have been recruited as part of the Light Support
Package staff, to be deployed in support of the African Union Mission. The
newly recruited military and civilian staff members are still in Khartoum and
will be deployed to Darfur once the arrangements for them are in place.
The UN
Mission in
Sudan also reports that more than 1,000 internally displaced persons
arrived at the Hamediya camp in West Darfur during the last week. They are
mainly women and children, who claim that they are fleeing violence
perpetrated by Abala tribesmen, and that many of their men were killed.
TIMOR-LESTE: U.N. MISSION SUPPORTS PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION
In Timor-Leste, the United
Nations continues efforts in giving support to candidates during the
campaigning period of the 2007 presidential and parliamentary electoral
process, including technical and logistical support, electoral policy advice
and verification or other means.
The assistance of the
United Nations Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT)
for the presidential election also includes a Candidate Resource Centre to
support all eight candidates. The Centre established in Dili on 28 February
provides candidates with the use of computer and office facilities.
Following the Presidential
Elections, the Centre will transform into the Political Party Resource Centre,
with three district branches established in other major cities.
Meanwhile, U.N. police
responded to campaigning in Dili today by increasing its number of patrols.
One hundred patrols were conducted between approximately 6a.m. and 3p.m.
Under phase two of
electoral security operations, U.N. and Timorese police are providing close
protection to all candidates as well as conducting risk assessments across the
country’s 13 districts for political events.
U.N. AGENCIES HELP SOLOMON ISLANDS RECOVER FROM
TSUNAMI
UN emergency responders
are on the ground in the Solomon Islands, helping in the recovery from the
recent earthquake and tsunami. The death toll is currently at 34, with dozens
still missing and more than five thousand displaced, according to Government
statistics.
A temporary hospital has
been established in Gizo to replace one that is reportedly damaged beyond use.
Eight emergency field hospitals are also being set up.
UNICEF will support four of them, while
the World Health Organization (WHO) and its
partners will support the others. Those agencies are also sending eight
additional emergency medical kits.
Meanwhile,
UNESCO is also offering support in tsunami recovery efforts. The agency's
director, Koïchiro Matsuuma, expressed sorrow over the loss of life and
extensive damage. He also stressed that while the Pacific Tsunami Warning
System had functioned well across the region, there was a clear need to
reinforce emergency response systems in vulnerable island States.
UNICEF CALLS CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC A
“HUMANITARIAN DISASTER”
UNICEF is calling for urgent action to
tackle what it calls a “humanitarian disaster” in the Central African
Republic.
UNICEF’s country
representative, Mahimbo Mdoe, told journalists in Geneva today that escalating
conflict between the Government and rebel groups has forced more than 200,000
people to flee their homes in recent years and left 40 per cent of children
malnourished.
UNICEF launched an appeal
for nearly $12 million in January but has received less than a quarter of that
amount so far.
SOUTHERN AFRICA STRUGGLES TO RECOVER FROM HEAVY
RAINS
An unusually long and
intense rainy season in southern Africa has once again
highlighted the region’s vulnerability to natural disasters and food
insecurity, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (OCHA). An unprecedented series of cyclones and storms has stretched
local authorities and humanitarian partners to the limit, threatening the
lives of more than a million people.
A flash
appeal for almost $9 million for Zambia remains less than five per cent
funded, OCHA says, while a similar
appeal for Madagascar has yet to receive half the funds sought. Angola,
Mozambique, and Namibia are struggling to recover from the months of
relentless rain.
NEPAL: U.N. AGENCIES CALL ON POLITICAL LEADERS TO
PROTECT CHILDREN
Representatives of the
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
and UNICEF in
Nepal jointly spoke out to prevent the use and abuse of children by political
actors in that country.
Urging political leaders
to protect children’s rights, UNICEF and OHCHR released a 10-point statement
which guides the Nepalese government in protecting their children from being
used in political activities.
An electoral code of
conduct and legislation is also being drawn up to be endorsed by the political
parties, aimed at preventing children from being exploited and manipulated,
and to protect them from violence and arrest.
The code of conduct also
commits political parties to keep schools free of political activities and not
to encourage or force children to participate in any political gathering or
demonstrations.
UNDP INVESTIGATION TO CONTINUE IN DPRK
In response to questions
about the work being done in auditing UN activities in the Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea (DPRK),
the Spokeswoman recalled that the Audit Operations Committee of the UN Board
of Auditors said that last week, the Committee completed the preparatory
portion of the DPRK assignment, which was being done at UN Headquarters. She
said that the Board would proceed to work in the DPRK.
Asked about counterfeit
money that had reportedly been in the possession of the UN Development
Programme (UNDP), Montas said that UNDP has
cooperated with any investigations, and she noted that the work of auditors
was continuing. She noted that UNDP was open to talk to the press about this
issue.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
BAN KI-MOON MEETS WITH
I.C.C. PROSECUTOR: During a meeting
Tuesday with the Prosecutor of the International Criminal
Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo, the
Secretary-General underscored that the establishment of the International
Criminal Court constituted a unique opportunity to hold accountable those
responsible for the most serious crimes of international concern, namely
genocide, crimes against humanity and war crime, and to bring an end to
impunity. He also stressed the deterring effect that the work of the Court
already had on potential perpetrators of such crimes. The Secretary-General
thanked the Prosecutor for his work and affirmed that the United Nations would
continue to assist and support the International Criminal Court in its
endeavours.
NO U.N. RESPONSE TO U.S.
SENATOR’S REMARKS ABOUT IRAQ’S SAFETY:
Asked about the Secretary-General’s response to comments from a US senator about
whether
Iraq is safe, the Spokeswoman said that the Secretary-General would not
respond to the comments, but she noted that the Secretary-General had recently
acknowledged the security risks in Iraq while saying that he wanted to study
ways for the United Nations to become more involved there.
SECRETARY-GENERAL
CONTINUES TO ENCOURAGE MIDEAST DIALOGUE:
Asked whether the Secretary-General would encourage dialogue between Israel and
Syria, the Spokeswoman said that the Secretary-General had met with Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad in Saudi Arabia last week and discussed a range of
matters. She said that the Secretary-General had always encouraged the parties
in the region to consult with each other.
BAN KI-MOON PLANS TO
TRAVEL TO SYRIA: Asked whether the
Secretary-General intended to travel to Syria in the near future, the
Spokeswoman confirmed that he did.
Office of the Spokesman for the
Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055
