HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
[There
are no noon briefings planned until January 2, 2008.
Developments within the UN system will be posted on this website throughout
that period.]
Thursday, December
27, 2007
BAN KI-MOON VOICES OUTRAGE
AT ASSASSINATION OF BENAZIR BHUTTO
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in
statement issued in
his name, expressed shock and outrage at the assassination of Mrs. Benazir
Bhutto, the leader of the Pakistan People’s Party and former Prime Minister.
“This represents an assault on
stability in Pakistan and its democratic processes,” he said, adding: “I
strongly condemn this heinous crime and call for the perpetrators to be brought
to justice as soon as possible.
"I convey my heartfelt
condolences to Mrs. Bhutto’s family, her colleagues and to the people of
Pakistan.
"While strongly urging for calm
and restraint to be maintained at this difficult time, I call on all Pakistanis
to work together for peace and national unity.”
SECURITY COUNCIL, IN PRESIDENTIAL STATEMENT,
CONDEMNS BHUTTO ASSASSINATION IN STRONGEST TERMS’
The Security Council, after meeting in consultations, adopted a
President
Statement in a formal meeting read out by Council President,
Ambassador Marcello Spatafora of Italy.
The Council condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist
suicide attack by extremists that occurred in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on 27
December 2007, causing the death of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and
numerous other casualties, and expressed its deep sympathy and condolences to
the victims of this heinous act of terrorism and their families, and to the
people and the Government of Pakistan. The Security Council paid tribute to
former Prime Minister Bhutto.
The Security Council called on all Pakistanis to exercise
restraint and maintain stability in the country.
It also underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organizers,
financiers and sponsors of this reprehensible act of terrorism to justice, and
urges all States, in accordance with their obligations under international law
and resolution 1373 (2001) and consistent with resolution 1624 (2005), to
cooperate actively with the Pakistani authorities in this regard.
The Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms
and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international
peace and security, and that any acts of terrorism are criminal and
unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by
whomsoever committed.
And the Council further reaffirmed the need to combat by all
means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, threats to
international peace and security caused by terrorist acts. The Council reminded
States that they must ensure that any measures taken to combat terrorism comply
with all their obligations under international law, in particular international
human rights, refugee and humanitarian law.
The Security Council reiterated its determination to combat all
forms of terrorism, in accordance with its responsibilities under the Charter of
the United Nations.
Speaking to
reporters after the Security Council meeting, the Secretary-General welcomed
the Security Council's Presidential Statement, saying he thought "this is a very
appropriate measure by the Security Council."
HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF URGES
PAKISTANI AUTHORITIES TO DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO BRING THOSE TO JUSTICE
RAPIDLY
The High Commissioner for Human
Rights, Louise Arbour, today expressed shock over the death of the former Prime
Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto, and strongly condemned the reported
shooting and suicide bombing at an election rally in Riwalpindi.
"I trust that the Pakistani
authorities will do everything possible to bring those to justice rapidly, in
full observance of international human rights standards" she said.
The High Commissioner also
expressed concern about the impact of this event on the upcoming elections and
urged the Government of Pakistan to ensure that all necessary protective
mechanisms are in place to safeguard a free, fair and transparent electoral
process.
U.N. MISSION VOICES CONCERN OVER FIRING
INCIDENT
BETWEEN ETHIOPIA AND ERITREA
The UN Mission in
Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) has voiced concern at a 26 December firing
incident between Ethiopia and Eritrea and called on both parties to show
maximum restraint.
The Mission recalled that
the UN Secretary General, in a statement on 11 October, had urged the
parties to “exercise utmost restraint, maintain
their commitment to the
Algiers Agreements.”
The Mission is now
investigating the incident, which it reported occurred on 26 December, 2007 at
3:30 hours, when UN Peacekeepers posted at the Military Observer Team Site at
Tsorena on the Eritrean side of the Temporary Security Zone between the two
countries, heard firing sounds coming presumably from the area around Gergera,
southeast of Tsorena.
The peacekeepers,
however, could not go to the scene due to permanent restriction access to the
area, but they are in contact with both parties, which both acknowledged that
such an incident has occurred, according to a press release issued by UNMEE.
ACTS OF BANDITRY IN EASTERN CHAD
PROMPT REDUCTION IN DELIVERY OF RELIEF GOODS
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (OCHA) says that banditry attacks against humanitarian workers
continue to hamper delivery of relief goods.
OCHA says that two NGOs were attacked in
N’djamena and Bahaï in eastern Chad this week, and that pervasive insecurity
has caused a partial relocation of relief aid workers to areas deemed safer.
Relief workers from the World Food Programme,
UNICEF and others have also reduced usage of local roads to transport relief
goods, especially food items for refugees and the internally displaced.
Meanwhile, the UN and its
partners have updated their contingency plans for the Goz Beida and Koukou,
which currently hosts almost half of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP)
population. And consultations with local authorities to update contingency
plans for other IDP camps.
ASSESSMENT
MISSION FINDS SERIOUS HEALTH RISKS
IN SRI LANKA’S FLOOD-HIT REGION
The
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) conducted a rapid
assessment of the situation of people affected by the recent floods in
Batticaloa District in Sri Lanka, which affected and displaced numbers of
people.
The assessment mission found
that contaminated wells, loss of household goods and health concerns
associated with water-borne diseases and snakes were serious concerns,
especially now that most families had returned to their homes.
Meanwhile, the United Nations
Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has provided 1000 mats and bed sheets, while the UN
Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator has released some $20,000 from a UNDP
Disaster Management project to address the most immediate needs.
MORE
CASH NEEDED FOR STORM-AFFECTED DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
The United Nations is
seeking an additional $4.1 million to assist the Dominican Republic in
areas of the country hit earlier this month by tropical storm Olga.
At the same time, the original
request for relief and recovery funding, made in the aftermath of major
devastation caused by the tropical storm Noel which struck the country at the
end of October, has now been revised to $8.4 million, after some $6 million
had already been committed.
The new total requested for
relief in areas affected by the two natural disasters amounts to over $12.5
million.
PROSPECTS FOR REHABILITATION GOOD,
FOLLOWING KOREAN OIL SPILL
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