HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY MARIE OKABE
DEPUTY
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
U.N.
HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Tuesday, April
10, 2007
AFGHANISTAN: BAN KI-MOON STRONGLY CONDEMNS RECENT
VIOLENCE
Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon is deeply
concerned over the level of insecurity in Afghanistan, as witnessed by
events over the weekend in the South and South West of the country.
These included the
senseless murder, on Sunday, 8 April, of the Afghan journalist, Ajmal
Naqshbandi, who was abducted by the Taliban in Helmand province on 5 March; an
improvised explosive device attack which killed, on Sunday, six Canadian
troops serving with the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in
Kandahar province; the ambush and murder, on Saturday, of six Afghan deminers
in Farah province; and the murder of nine civilians, including five children,
by a suicide bomber in Laghman province on 1 April.
The Secretary-General
expresses his condolences to the bereaved families and the respective
governments.
The Secretary-General
strongly condemns such acts of violence and calls upon the Government of
Afghanistan and the international community, including the ISAF, to redouble
their efforts to ensure stability, combat impunity and ensure an environment
of respect for human rights.
MORE
THAN 3 MILLION AFGHAN REFUGEES RETURN HOME
The Office of the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
says the number of
Afghan refugees it has helped to return home voluntarily from Pakistan since
2002 has now passed the three-million mark, making it the largest such
operation in the refugee agency’s history.
UNHCR notes, however, that
more than two million Afghans remain in Pakistan, adding that the situation
can only be resolved with continued international support.
U.N.
REFUGEE AGENCY DESCRIBES DIRE SITUATION IN SOUTHEASTERN CHAD;
BAN KI-MOON IS SERIOUSLY CONCERNED ABOUT DETERIORATING SITUATION
UNHCR
says that the
situation following brutal attacks in south-eastern Chad in late March is far
worse than previously expected. More than 9,000 Chadians from 31 villages have
now arrived at the new Habile site for internally displaced persons (IDPs),
joining some 9,000 others who had fled earlier attacks in the region.
Estimates of the number of
dead have also increased substantially, and UNHCR says that the range is
between 200 and 400.
Because most of the dead
were buried where their bodies were found – often in common graves, owing to
their large numbers – we may never know their exact number, says UNHCR. Many
who survived the initial attack – particularly those most vulnerable, such as
the elderly and young children – died in subsequent days from exhaustion and
dehydration, often while fleeing.
The Secretary-General is
seriously concerned about this deteriorating situation.
AGREEMENT
FINALIZED ON U.N. SUPPORT PACKAGE
FOR AFRICAN UNION PEACEKEEPING FORCE IN DARFUR
Thee United Nations,
African Union and the Government of Sudan met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on the
UN’s Heavy Support Package to the African Union force in
Darfur (AMIS).
The meeting was held in
accordance with the decisions taken at last month’s meeting held on the
margins of the League of Arab States Summit in Riyadh, with the participation
of President Omar Al-Bashir, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, AU Chairperson
Alpha Konaré, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States Amr Moussa, under
the chairmanship of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.
A communiqué issued after
yesterday’s meeting says that the meeting finalized agreement on the UN heavy
support package for AMIS, with the exception of one element on which the
Sudanese delegation hoped to provide "a positive and expeditious response."
The meeting also agreed to
move forward expeditiously with the implementation of the package.
Continued international
engagement will be important to facilitate the implementation of the package
as well as preparations for the third phase of AU-UN plans to enhance
peacekeeping in Darfur, namely the hybrid operation.
The visit of AU Commission
Chairperson Konaré to New York on 16-17 April represents an important
opportunity to advance/finalize plans in this regard.
The communiqué in full is
available in today’s bulletin from the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS),
which contains an update on security and humanitarian developments in Darfur.
Asked what the issue was
that had not been agreed to in the Addis Ababa meeting, the Spokeswoman said
she understood that it involved tactical attack helicopters. She reiterated
that Sudan had promised an expeditious and positive response, which she hoped
would come before Konaré’s meeting with the Secretary-General next week.
U.N. SUDAN MISSION CONDEMNS ATTACK
ON AFRICAN UNION PEACEKEEPERS
The United Nations Mission
in Sudan (UNMIS) strongly condemns
the unprovoked attack carried out today by unidentified armed men on an AMIS
patrol team at Kube water point, near Sortony, 40 kilometres South East of
Kabkabiya, North Darfur, and the killing of an AMIS soldier from the
protection force who died shortly after his evacuation from the injuries he
sustained during the attack.
UNMIS looks forward to the
outcome of the investigation of the attack announced by AMIS in order to
identify the perpetrators and to hold them accountable.
BAN
KI-MOON CALLS ADVISORY BOARD’S WORK
VITAL TO DEMOCRACY FUND’S SUCCESS
The Secretary-General this
morning addressed the Advisory Board of the UN Democracy
Fund, telling the Board that,
although the Democracy Fund is a recent UN innovation, the United Nations’
democracy agenda is longstanding. In nearly every part of the world, the UN
assists Member States in how they conduct elections, improve governance,
promote human rights and strengthen civil society.
He told the Board that its
work is vital to the Fund’s success, and the Fund’s success is vital to the UN
mission.
To date, the Democracy
Fund has received a total of more than $61 million from 28 countries, with an
additional $4 million in firm pledges.
SECURITY
COUNCIL HOLDS CONSULTATIONS ON GEORGIA
The
Security Council today held a private
meeting on Georgia, which it is following with consultations on the same
subject. The Prime Minister of Georgia and the Secretary-General’s Special
Representative, Jean Arnault, spoke at that private meeting.
In his
report to
the Security Council on the situation in Abkhazia, the Secretary-General
welcomed the recent progress between the two sides but noted with regret that
the situation along the ceasefire line has remained tense. He recommended the
extension of the UN Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG)
by another six months, until mid-October.
.
Also, out on the racks
today is a
letter from the British Ambassador to the Security Council, which will
serve as the agenda item for the Security Council’s open debate on 17 April.
The letter concerns the relationship between energy, security and climate.
Asked about an
investigation into March incidents that took place in the Upper Kodori Valley,
the Spokeswoman noted that the investigative team issued a press release last
week with an update of its work.
U.N.
POLITICAL OFFICE MEETS WITH SOMALI GOVERNMENT
ON PLANNED RECONCILIATION CONGRESS
The UN Political Office
for Somalia (UNPOS) and other members
of the International Advisory Committee today held their first meeting with
Somalia’s National Governance and Reconciliation Committee in Nairobi, Kenya,
to discuss the planned reconciliation congress.
Stressing the independent
nature of its mandate, the Reconciliation Committee said that it continues
efforts to bring on board all clans, each of which will be allocated quotas
for the representative members of Somali society, including women and Somalis
abroad.
The Reconciliation
Committee said it would be in a position to announce the final date and venue
for the congress by April 16th and has proposed that Saudi Arabia be made a
member of the International Advisory Committee.
U.N.
MISSION WILL ASSIST UPCOMING ELECTIONS IN HAITI
The UN Stabilization
Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) says it
will be providing security and logistical support to the Provisional Electoral
Commission in organizing the April 29th local elections there. Some 73 mayoral
and municipal delegate seats will be up for grabs in 10 districts during the
planned vote, and some 300,000 voters are expected to cast their ballots.
Meanwhile, UN peacekeepers
and the Haitian police have detained some 51 presumed gang members in the
ongoing security operations in the crime-ridden neighborhoods of the capital.
U.N.
REFUGEE AGENCY CONCERNED ABOUT
VIOLENCE IN SOUTHERN COLOMBIA
The UN High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR) is expressing concern
about the humanitarian situation in southern Colombia, where heavy fighting
between the Government and irregular armed groups have forced at least six
thousand people to flee their homes in the past two weeks.
Refugees have sought
refuge in two small towns, where there is a shortage of clean water and basic
health supplies, UNHCR says. The agency is sending a mission to the
hardest-hit areas later this week.
It is also calling on all
armed actors to respect the civilian population and for the Colombian
Government to provide long-term protection and emergency assistance.
CLIMATE
CHANGE THREATENS UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES
UNESCO is out with a new
report on the threat climate change poses to sites on its World Heritage
List. The report looks at 26 endangered sites, including the Tower of London,
which is threatened by rising sea levels and flooding.
Meanwhile, the Great
Barrier Reef and other coral reefs around the world are at risk from rising
sea temperatures. On land, the melting of glaciers is affecting the
appearance of sites known for their outstanding beauty, while warmer
temperatures may destroy the habitat of rare wildlife species.
NEW
HEAD OF WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME ASSUMES DUTIES
The World Food Programme
(WFP) announces that its new Executive Director, Josette Sheeran, officially
took up her
duties today in Rome.
Sheeran will divide her
first month in office between WFP headquarters in Rome and the field. Her
first mission will be to Africa, which she will visit at least twice in her
first 90 days.
NEW
DATE FOR RWANDAN GENOCIDE EXHIBIT TO BE ANNOUNCED
Asked whether
the exhibition at UN Headquarters on the Rwandan genocide had been postponed
or cancelled, the Spokeswoman said it had been postponed.
She
reiterated that the standard review process by the United Nations had not been
followed, and it would now take place. It would involve examining all the
language used for the exhibition.
Once that has
happened, she said, she would obtain information on when the exhibition would
be opened.
Asked whether
the United Nations should be neutral on issues concerning the treatment of
Armenians in Turkey, the Spokeswoman said that the focus of the exhibition was
to have been on the 13th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide. She said it was
unfortunate that other issues had clouded the exhibition and forced it to be
postponed.
Asked whether
the previous head of the Department for Public Information had approved the
exhibition and the current head revoked it, Okabe said that was not the case.
OTHER
ANNOUNCEMENTS
UN TEAM SURVEYING IMPACT
OF SEVERE WEATHER IN BOLIVIA: A team
of experts from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
(ECLAC) is in Bolivia to conduct socio-economic and environmental impact studies
on the damage caused by rains, flooding, freezing and drought in various parts
of the country since January.
BAN KI-MOON URGES IRAN TO
COMPLY WITH SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS:
Asked if the Secretary-General was concerned about the safety of Iran’s nuclear
enrichment efforts, the Spokeswoman said that Ban Ki-moon told reporters, in
response to questions yesterday, that he hoped that, even at this time when the
Iranian Government is undergoing Security Council sanctions, it should engage in
dialogue. He said it is very important for any member country to fully comply
with Security Council resolutions, and he urged the Iranian Government to do so.
KIM WON-SOO IS DEPUTY
CHEF DE CABINET: Asked about the
status of one of the Secretary-General's senior advisors, Kim Won-soo, the
Spokeswoman said he is the Deputy Chef de Cabinet.
ALLEGED ARMS SHIPMENTS TO
ETHIOPIA A SECURITY COUNCIL MATTER:
Asked about the reported shipment of small arms to Ethiopia, allegedly allowed
by the United States, the Spokeswoman said that the issue was a matter to be
dealt with by the Security Council and its relevant sanctions committees.
Office of the Spokesman for the
Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055
