HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY MICHELE
MONTAS
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
U.N.
HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Thursday, May
31,
2007
BAN KI-MOON HOPES LEBANESE PARTIES CAN WORK OUT
CONSENSUS
ON SPECIAL TRIBUNAL BEFORE JUNE 10 DEADLINE
By a vote of 10 in favour
and 5 abstentions, the Security Council yesterday adopted a Chapter 7
resolution
on the establishment of a Special Tribunal for
Lebanon.
The resolution will enter
into force on June 10th unless the Lebanese government notifies the
Council of its entry into force prior to that date. It includes, among other
things, a set of provisions on the choice of the Tribunal’s location, its
funding mechanisms and a request for the Secretary-General to deliver a
progress report to the Council within 90 days.
Asked if the
Secretary-General would be sending his Legal Counsel, Nicholas Michel, to
Lebanon to follow up on measures to establish the Special Tribunal, the
Spokeswoman said that while it is undecided as of yet whether Michel will
visit Lebanon, Ban Ki-moon will ask the Office of Legal Affairs (OLA),
which is headed by Michel, to lead the Secretariat’s effort in helping to set
up the Tribunal .
The Secretary-General has
been requested by the Security Council, in coordination, when appropriate,
with the Government of Lebanon, to undertake the steps and measures necessary
to establish the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in a timely manner and to report
to the Council within 90 days. She noted that a number of steps will need to
be taken, including determining a location for the Tribunal, raising funds,
and selecting judges, a prosecutor and staff. "This process could take at
least a year," Montas said.
She said further that the
Secretary-General respects the decision of the Council in that the principle
of ending impunity is upheld. He will prepare a report about the
implementation of the resolution as requested by the Council, Montas said,
adding that he hopes that the Lebanese parties can work out a consensus before
10 June.
Asked if the
Secretary-General has had any conversation with the President of Syria since
the adoption of the resolution, Montas said that Ban Ki-moon was attending a
meeting of the Middle East Quartet yesterday and has not yet spoken with the
Syrian leader.
MIDDLE
EAST QUARTET EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER
FACTIONAL VIOLENCE IN GAZA
The Secretary-General has
returned to Headquarters after taking part yesterday in a meeting of the
Middle East Quartet in Germany. At the conclusion of that meeting, the
Secretary-General read out a
statement on
behalf of the Quartet, in which the Quartet principals expressed deep concern
over recent factional violence in Gaza.
The Quartet called on the
Palestinian Authority government, in cooperation with President Abbas and
regional actors, to do everything necessary to restore law and order,
including the release of kidnapped BBC journalist Alan Johnston.
It also urged Israel to
exercise restraint to ensure that its security operations avoid civilian
casualties or damage to civilian infrastructure. It also noted that the
detention of elected members of the Palestinian government and legislature
raises particular concerns and called for them to be released.
The Quartet principals
have agreed to meet again in June in the region with the Israelis and
Palestinians to review progress and discuss the way forward.
BAN KI-MOON EXPECTED TO BRIEF SECURITY
COUNCIL TOMORROW
Tomorrow morning at around
11:30, the Secretary-General is expected to brief the Security
Council in closed consultations on
his trip to the meeting of the Quartet.
Earlier today, in closed
consultations, Council members heard a briefing by Dimitri Titov, the Africa
director for the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO),
who reported on the latest assessment mission to Chad.
After that, still in
closed consultations, Louise Arbour, the High
Commissioner for Human Rights,
briefed the Council on her recent tour of the Great Lakes region of Africa,
including the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
and Burundi.
The Security Council
yesterday adopted a presidential
statement on
Burundi and a press
statement on
Haiti. On Burundi, the Council welcomed the recent political developments
and the government’s corrective measures towards national reconciliation. In
the statement on Haiti, Council members reiterated their strong support for
the UN Mission’s and the government’s efforts to maintain stability and
achieve progress in the country.
NGO COMPOUND AND STAFF COME UNDER ATTACK IN
DARFUR
The UN mission in Sudan
reports a number of incidents in Darfur, including a break-in robbery of a
compound occupied by an NGO, as well as the abduction of a driver and staff
member of an NGO whose vehicle was stopped on return from a camp housing
internally displaced persons. Both incidents took place in West Darfur.
Also on Darfur, the joint
African
Union–United Nations report on the hybrid peacekeeping operation for
Darfur, which the Secretary-General submitted to the Security Council last
week, is now out as an official Security Council document.
As you’ll recall, the
Security Council last week
noted
that the agreement between the African Union and the United Nations on this
joint report was an important development in the comprehensive approach to the
peace process in Darfur, which also includes re-energizing the political
process, strengthening the ceasefire and implementing the three-phase approach
to peacekeeping, culminating in the joint AU-UN hybrid operation.
Asked if the
Secretary-General had had any conversation with the President Bashir of Sudan
since the United States tightened its unilateral sanctions on Sudan, Montas
said that Ban Ki-moon had not done so yet. In response to a further question,
Montas said that Ban Ki-moon had been in contact with the US administration
prior to the US imposition of additional sanctions on Sudan earlier this week.
Asked if Ban Ki-moon was
in favor of creating a humanitarian corridor for Darfur as proposed by Bernard
Kouchner, the new foreign minister of France, Montas said that though the
Secretary-General had discussed this idea with Kouchner, he had not yet made
any decision as this is part of a whole package of new ideas put forward to
devise better ways to assist the civilian population in Darfur.
U.N.
AGENCIES PROVIDE HUMANITARIAN RELIEF TO DISPLACED SOMALIS
The Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
says UN agencies and humanitarian partners have provided aid to more than 90
per cent of the nearly 400,000 Somalis displaced by fighting in Mogadishu
between February and earlier this month.
OCHA stresses that
considerable needs remain, however. Of particular concern is the prevalence
of acute watery diarrhea, which has killed nearly a thousand people. The
agency also notes continued insecurity, particularly in Mogadishu, which is
preventing aid from reaching people who need it.
SECRETARY-GENERAL
TO TAKE PART IN AFRICA DAY CEREMONY
At an African
Union-sponsored ceremony this afternoon marking Africa Day, the
Secretary-General is expected to give an overview of the situation on the
continent.
He will reaffirm the
support of the United Nations for the work of the African Union.
And he will pledge
the strong commitment of the UN to serve as Africa’s partner in efforts to
“bring peace where there is war, prosperity where there is poverty, and hope
where there is despair.”
AFGHAN
DE-MINERS RECEIVE GIFT OF LAND
The Governor of the Afghan
province of Herat has donated land now free of mines to 87 deminers who were
wounded during mine-clearing activities.
The 87 de-miners had since
returned to their homes, but most are unemployed and face challenging living
conditions. The deminers and their families will be able to use the land to
build new homes and generate needed income through farming or raising
livestock.
Mohammad Sediq, the Chief
of Operations of the United Nations Mine Action Center for Afghanistan (UNMACA),
which oversees mine action on behalf of the Government of Afghanistan, said
“we hope this action will be followed by other government authorities as a
positive example throughout the country.”
HEALTH
AGENCY URGES PROMOTION OF SMOKE-FREE
INDOOR ENVIRONMENTS
Today is World No Tobacco
Day. According to the World Health Organization (WHO),
tobacco is the second leading cause of death worldwide. WHO says that half
the people who smoke regularly today – about 650 million people – will
eventually die from it.
In addition, 200,000
workers die each year from exposure to secondhand smoke, WHO says. And almost
half of the world's children breathe in tobacco smoke, especially at home.
The theme of this year's
World No Tobacco Day is the promotion of 100 per cent smoke-free indoor
environments – as the only effective way to protect people from second-hand
smoke.
Asked if the UN
Secretariat building was exempt from New York City's anti-smoking rules, the
Spokeswoman said that a resolution of the General Assembly had banned smoking
within the Secretariat building. She regretted that the General Assembly's
smoking ban was not being universally respected in the building.
OTHER
ANNOUNCEMENTS
PEACEKEEPER SEXUAL ABUSE ALLEGATIONS UNDER
INVESTIGATION: Asked for a reaction
on allegations of sexual abuse by UN peacekeepers along Liberia's border with
Sierra Leone, the Spokeswoman said that an investigation into the matter was
ongoing.
UNDP AUDIT REPORT
EXPECTED SOON: Asked when to expect a
report of UN auditors looking into allegations of improprieties in the UN
Development Programme (UNDP) operations in
the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Montas said that the auditing team
was expected to deliver its report to the Advisory Committee on Administrative
and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) very
soon.
BUDGET COMMITTEE EXPECTED
TO CONTINUE SESSION NEXT WEEK: Asked
if the Secretariat had requested the General Assembly's Fifth
Committee to extend its current
session in order to complete its consideration of funding proposal for the
reform of the peacekeeping department, Montas said that the Fifth Committee was
expected to continue its considerations next week.
Office of the Spokesman for the
Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055
