HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY MARIE OKABE
DEPUTY
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Wednesday, December
5, 2007
LEBANON: BAN
KI-MOON SPEAKS TO KEY POLITICAL LEADERS
TO URGE A SOLUTION
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
is extremely
concerned about the continuing delay in the election of a new president in
Lebanon, which has extended well past the constitutional timeframe.
Over the past few days he has
spoken to key political leaders in the country to urge a solution, including
Prime Minister Fuad Siniora, Speaker Nabih Berri and Majority Leader Saad
Hariri.
He believes it is now time for
this matter to be resolved without further delay.
The Secretary-General will
remain in close touch with Lebanese political leaders who bear, both to the
people of Lebanon and to the future of the country, the responsibility to find
a solution.
INT'L
CRIMINAL COURT PROSECUTOR SAYS SUDAN
IS NOT COMPLYING WITH LEGAL OBLIGATIONS
Today at Headquarters, Luis Moreno Ocampo, the Prosecutor
for the International Criminal Court (ICC), briefed the Security Council in an
open meeting
about the Court’s investigation into the violence in Darfur.
Moreno Ocampo told the Council that the Government of
Sudan has not complied with its legal obligations, and is not cooperating with
the Court. Two suspects, Ahmad Harun and Ali Kushayb, have not been arrested,
and the Sudanese Government has taken no steps to prosecute them domestically
or to transfer them to The Hague.
He added that he is preparing to open two new
investigations – one concerning the pattern of attacks against civilians,
particularly the 2.5 million people forcibly displaced into camps, and the
other into attacks on humanitarian personnel and peacekeepers, with rebel
involvement, as took place in Haskanita.
Asked whether the Secretary-General believes that the
suspects sought by the ICC should be arrested by Sudan, the Spokeswoman noted
that he made his position clear in his
statement
to the meeting of the State Parties to the Rome Statute of the International
Criminal Court on Monday, during which he said there are still a number of
outstanding arrest warrants that have to be executed and urged all Member
States to do everything within their powers to assist in enforcing these
warrants.
Asked about the Secretary-General’s views about the ICC’s
work, Okabe noted that he had also said on Monday that there can be no
sustainable peace without justice. Peace and justice, accountability and
reconciliation are not mutually exclusive. “To the contrary, they go hand in
hand,” the Secretary-General said. “And so the work of the ICC goes hand in
hand with that of the United Nations.”
SECURITY COUNCIL TO BE BRIEFED ON
INVESTIGATION
INTO HARIRI ASSASSINATION
This afternoon, the Security Council is scheduled to
receive a briefing, in an open meeting, from Serge Brammertz, the head of the
International Independent Investigation Commission dealing with Lebanon, in
his last appearance to the Council in that post. That will be followed by
consultations, also on Lebanon.
In its latest
report,
the Commission says that it is increasingly able to draw preliminary
conclusions on an important number of aspects of the investigation of the
assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. Also, it has continued to
support the Lebanese authorities in their investigations in 18 cases of
targeted assassinations and bombings.
DARFUR PEACE ENVOYS URGE MOVEMENTS
TO AGREE ON COMMON NEGOTIATING POSITIONS
The African Union and United Nations Special Envoys for
Darfur, Salim Ahmed Salim and Jan Eliasson, met yesterday with the Foreign
Ministers of Chad, Egypt and Libya and senior representatives of the Eritrean
President.
They took stock of the political and security situation
in the region, assessed the progress of the movements’ unification efforts in
Juba and Darfur and discussed possible options for the way forward.
They agreed that the Sudan People's Liberation Movement
(SPLM) should be commended on its facilitation efforts and that the movements
should be encouraged to continue and finalize their work on the nomination of
a negotiation team and the development of common negotiating positions.
They also discussed the worrying situation in Chad and
its impact on both the Darfur situation and Chad-Sudan relations.
Eliasson arrived in Khartoum today to begin a week-long
visit. During the visit, he will spend three days meeting with the movements
and members of civil society in Darfur, hopes to travel to Juba to meet with
the SPLM Task Force, and will meet with Government officials in Khartoum.
SECRETARY-GENERAL APPEALS FOR POLITICAL
STABILITY
IN THE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
In his latest
report on
the Central African Republic, the Secretary-General says that preparations
continue for an inclusive political dialogue to deal with the crisis brought
about by rebel activities in the northwestern and northeastern regions of the
country.
On the humanitarian situation, he says that conditions
have stabilized following the signing of a peace agreement between the
Government and the UFDR rebel group in April, and displaced persons are
returning to their villages. This has brought the number of internally
displaced persons to 45,000, down from 65,000, while another 45,000 remain in
refugee camps in neighboring Cameroon.
The Secretary-General says that the recent encouraging
prospects from the Brussels Donors’ Round Table can only be sustained in a
stable political environment. He welcomes the decision by the African Union
and the European Union to extend and strengthen the mandate of the regional
peacekeeping effort known as FOMUC, and preparation for the deployment
European force in northeastern CAR to protect civilians. He also appeals to
local political actors to overcome their differences and start a credible
dialogue.
U.N. CERTIFIES
KOSOVO ASSEMBLY ELECTION RESULTS
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for
Kosovo, Joachim Rücker, today
certified election results for the Assembly of Kosovo.
He said he was pleased that the electoral process is
moving forward in a peaceful atmosphere. That shows the maturity of the Kosovo
people and the political parties, he added.
The balloting for the Assembly of Kosovo was held on 17
November, when the electorate also chose Municipal Assembly Members and, for
the first time, directly voted for a mayor for each of Kosovo’s 30
municipalities.
Asked about the transmission of the Contact Group report
on Kosovo to the Security Council, the Spokeswoman said that it is expected
that the report would be transmitted to the Council on 10 December, after the
Secretary-General has received it.
DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL HAILS ADOPTION
OF PEACE-BUILDING MECHANISM IN BURUNDI
Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro today
addressed the
Burundi Configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission here at Headquarters.
She said today’s adoption of a Monitoring and Tracking
Mechanism for the Strategic Framework for Peacebuilding in Burundi is a
critical step, not only for Burundi and its people but also for the work of
the Peacebuilding Commission.
She said that the Mechanism, the first of its kind, paves
the way for a principled and active partnership between countries under
consideration by the Peacebuilding Commission, the entire UN system and the
larger international community.
It is a practical and powerful tool to ensure dialogue
and enhanced coordination between key stakeholders, she added.
CLIMATE CHANGE DISCUSSIONS FOCUS ON
ADAPTATION
After three days of
discussions, one of the main concerns that has emerged during the climate
change negotiations taking place in Bali, Indonesia, is adaptation.
Speaking at a press conference
today, the Executive Secretary of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate
Change, Yvo de Boer,
said that
failing to take action to address the impacts of climate change is effectively
“a direct attack on the poor”, since they have the fewest resources to adapt.
He added that one way to
address this is through the Kyoto Protocol’s self-financing Adaptation Fund,
which could be enhanced through a levy on the Protocol’s Clean Development
Mechanism. That mechanism allows industrialized countries to earn emission
reduction credits by investing in clean technology projects in developing
countries.
FIGHTING
IN CHAD PREVENTS FLOW OF HUMANITARIAN AID
The Office for the Coordination
of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
is expressing deep concern about the ongoing fighting in eastern Chad and how
it is preventing humanitarian workers from reaching refugees and displaced
persons.
The conflict is threatening the
delivery of aid to more than 230,000 Sudanese refugees and 180,000 internally
displaced persons, according to OCHA.
U.N. ENVOY
DISCUSSES F.Y.R.O.M. “NAME ISSUE” WITH GREEK LEADERS
The Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for the talks
between Greece and The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Matthew Nimetz,
was in Athens today, where he met with Greece’s Prime Minister, Foreign
Minister, opposition leader and other officials.
Nimetz found heightened concern in the region about the
possibility of deteriorating relations between Greece and The former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia, as a result of the “name issue.” But at the same time,
there was recognition of the positive developments that could ensue if a
solution is reached.
The next rounds of direct talks will take place in the
region for the first time, as opposed to in New York. The first round will
take place in Skopje in January and will be hosted by the Foreign Minister of
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. A further round will be hosted by
the Greek Foreign Minister in Athens.
OTHER
ANNOUNCEMENTS
DECISION ON A U.N. ENVOY IN AFGHANISTAN RESTS WITH THE
SECURITY COUNCIL: Asked whether Lord Paddy Ashdown would be named as a UN
envoy in Afghanistan, the Spokeswoman said she had no information to
substantiate that report. She added, in response to a question on how such a
post could be created, that it would be up to the Security Council to determine
if it is necessary.
NO DATE SET FOR BRIEFING ON MYANMAR IN SECURITY COUNCIL:
Asked whether Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Myanmar Ibrahim
Gambari would brief the Security Council, the Spokeswoman said that no date has
been set for such a meeting.
**The guests at noon were H.E. Mr. Baki Ýlkin, Permanent
Representative of Turkey; H.E. Mr. Elbio Rosselli, Permanent Representative of
Uruguay; and Mr. Robert Orr, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination
and Strategic Planning, who briefed on the outcome of the informal meeting of
the General Assembly on the implementation of the U.N. Global Counter-Terrorism
Strategy.
Office of the Spokesperson for the
Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055
