HIGHLIGHTS OF
THE NOON BRIEFING
BY MICHELE MONTAS
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
Tuesday,
January 8, 2008
BAN KI-MOON CONDEMNS ATTACK ON DARFUR PEACEKEEPERS
At
10:00 pm local time on Monday, 7 January 2008, a clearly marked African
Union/United Nations Hybrid operation in Darfur (UNAMID)
supplies convoy was
attacked by elements of the Sudanese Armed Forces while on its way from Um
Baru to Tine in West Darfur.
The convoy was carrying rations for UNAMID personnel in West Darfur.
A
civilian Sudanese driver suffered seven gunshot wounds during the incident.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemns this attack in the strongest possible
terms and stresses that, for the joint African Union–United Nations
peacekeeping operation to be able to perform its mandated functions, the
Government of Sudan has to provide unequivocal guarantees that there will be
no recurrence of such activities by its forces.
In
this connection, the United Nations is lodging a protest with the Government
of Sudan.
This incident underscores
the importance of the Government reaffirming its commitment to the deployment
of UNAMID and the implementation of Security Council
resolution 1769.
Asked whom the Secretary-General would contact to lodge a protest, the
Spokeswoman said the issue would be raised with Sudan’s Permanent Mission to
the United Nations.
Asked about a sole-source contract that went to the
firm, PAE, regarding UN operations in Darfur, the Spokeswoman reiterated that
the Member States of the General Assembly had been consulted throughout the
process, in an open manner. She noted that the six-month contract had begun in
mid-October.
BAN KI-MOON TO HEAD TO SPAIN NEXT WEEK
FOR ALLIANCE OF CIVILIZATIONS MEETING
The Secretary-General will
attend the first
Alliance of Civilizations Forum next week in Madrid.
The Forum will be opened by: Spanish Prime Minister Jose
Rodriguez Zapatero; Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Recep Erdogan; President
Jorge Sampaio, High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations; and the
Secretary-General on 15 January.
The two-day meeting will be hosted by the Government of
Spain and will convene political leaders, the media, corporate and film
industry executives, and grassroots and civil society leaders.
LEBANON: U.N. MISSION LAUNCHES
INVESTIGATION
INTO ATTACK ON PEACEKEEPERS
One vehicle belonging to the UN
Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)
was damaged today in an explosion on the coastal highway at the northern
entrance to Saida, in southern Lebanon.
Two military members of UNIFIL
who were in the vehicle were lightly wounded and transported to a hospital in
Saida.
UNIFIL has launched an official
investigation and is working in close cooperation with the Lebanese
authorities.
The UNIFIL Acting Force
Commander, Brigadier General Jai Prakash Nehra, said what happened was
“despicable” and expressed his hope that the perpetrators will be identified
and brought to justice.
Asked about a reported rocket
attack from Lebanon into Israel today, the Spokeswoman said that UNIFIL is in
the process of ascertaining the facts and has a team on the ground. In the
meantime, she said, it cannot confirm or deny this report.
U.N.-BROKERED
WESTERN SAHARA TALKS START TODAY
A third round of UN-brokered
talks on Western Sahara got underway this morning in Manhasset, mediated by
the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General, Peter van Walsum.
Participating in the talks are
representatives of the parties, Morocco and Polisario, as well as the
neighboring states, Algeria and Mauritania.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Van
Walsum reminded the parties of the call by the Security Council in
resolution 1783 to show political will to assure the success of the
negotiations, to negotiate in good faith and to work in an atmosphere
conducive to dialogue.
He also emphasized that while
the United Nations is there to facilitate the discussions in any way possible,
it is the responsibility of the parties to forge a solution.
Today’s agenda includes plenary
discussions on the implementation of the relevant Security Council
resolutions.
The Personal Envoy was also
conducting bilateral discussions with the parties and the neighboring states.
Before concluding on Wednesday,
the talks are also expected to focus on defining the way forward in the
negotiating process.
In
statement issued
yesterday, the Secretary-General urged that the parties begin moving into a
more intensive and substantive phase of discussions, while recognizing that it
will take time and patience to resolve the longstanding dispute over Western
Sahara.
U.N.
CONTINUES TO HELP DISPLACED KENYANS
FOLLOWING POST-ELECTION VIOLENCE
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(OCHA)
reports that UN aid is continuing to reach vulnerable populations in
Kenya’s Northern Rift Valley, who were displaced and victimized when
post-electoral violence erupted.
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) today
shifted 24 tons of blankets and soap from its warehouses at a refugee camp
in northeastern Kenya to Nairobi, for onward delivery to displaced Kenyans.
Meanwhile, staff at UNHCR's warehouse in Nairobi are preparing family kits –
containing plastic sheeting, blankets, mats, mosquito nets and soap – that
will be distributed this week. UNHCR has also made tents available to Kenyans
who have fled into Uganda.
For its part, UN-HABITAT is working to establish the
extent of the destruction and loss of housing, land and property. In addition
to helping address the immediate shelter needs of the displaced, UN-HABITAT is
working to establish long term mechanisms for sustainable resettlement.
Meanwhile, UNAIDS is warning of an increased risk of HIV
transmission as a result of displacement and high mobility. UNAIDS is working
with partners to ensure that the affected population has sufficient
information on HIV prevention and counseling.
To date, the World Food Programme (WFP) has sent enough
food to the western town of Eldoret to feed 38,000 people for two weeks. Food
has also been stockpiled in Nairobi to feed the hungry in the slums.
Additional food aid has been dispatched to the town of Kisumu to help some
3,000 displaced Kenyans.
KOSOVO: U.N. MISSION GETS NEW DEPUTY CHIEF
The Secretary-General has
announced his intention to appoint Larry Rossin of the United States as his
Principal Deputy Special Representative for the United Nations Interim
Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).
Mr. Rossin assumes his responsibilities today.
From 2004 to 2006, Mr. Rossin served as Assistant
Secretary-General and Principal Deputy Special Representative with both the
United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) and with UNMIK.
Before joining the United Nations, Mr. Rossin was a
career officer with the US Foreign Service, with assignments including
Ambassador to Croatia, Senior Director for Strategic Planning and Southwest
Asia on the National Security Council and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
for European and Eurasian Affairs.
SECURITY
COUNCIL IS CONCERNED BY ILLEGAL ACTIVITY IN DARFUR & CHAD
Following the
Security Council consultations yesterday on the preparations for the UN
Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad, the Council President,
Ambassador Giadalla Ettalhi of Libya, read out a
statement
welcoming the progress made in the deployment of that Mission.
The members of the Security Council expressed their
serious concern at the recent upsurge of activities of the illegal armed
groups in western Darfur and in eastern Chad, and at the resulting tension
between Sudan and Chad, the Council President said.
Council members called on Sudan and Chad to exercise
restraint and pursue dialogue and cooperation, and called on all parties in
Sudan and Chad to respect their commitments.
There are no meetings or consultations of the Council
scheduled for today.
HAITI: U.N. PEACEKEEPERS TO PATROL
SEAPORTS
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for
Haiti, Hedi Annabi, yesterday reviewed the past year at a press conference,
and laid out activities planned for 2008 by the UN Stabilization Mission in
Haiti (MINUSTAH).
These activities will include continued UN cooperation
with the Haitian police and assisting the Government in improving border
security.
Annabi noted that UN peacekeepers are already deploying
at the four main points of entry into Haiti and will soon patrol the seaports
and, at a later stage, also deploy a maritime unit. Assistance to the
Government will also continue in the improving of state administration and the
reforming of the judicial sector.
Annabi said that partnership and cooperation among
Haitians, and between Haitians and the international community, and
partnership within the international community itself would be critically
important in speeding up Haiti’s recovery.
Meanwhile, UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman has
completed a working visit to Haiti, during which she met with UN and Haitian
authorities to discuss conditions for children and possible areas of
strengthened cooperation.
REFUGEE AGENCY APPEALS FOR MORE THAN
$260 MILLION
TO HELP DISPLACED IRAQIS
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) is appealing
for more than $260 million for its efforts to help displaced Iraqis during
2008. Some four million people have been uprooted by the conflict; half of
them have sought refuge in other countries.
Besides providing direct assistance to the displaced,
UNHCR is helping those governments to cope with the influx of refugees and to
provide them with health and education services.
In addition, UNHCR also cares for more than 40,000
non-Iraqi refugees in Iraq. Among them are some 13,000 Palestinians, many of
whom have been targeted by armed groups and who have been unable to find
sanctuary in other countries.
LIBERIA: U.N. MISSION ASSISTING TRUTH &
RECONCILIATION BODY
The Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission today
resumed its work with the opening of public hearings on the human rights
violations that took place during the country’s civil war that ended in 2003.
The United Nations welcomes this development as the
Organization was part of the working group that established the Contact Group
on Liberia.
The Contact Group’s mandate includes providing the
Commission with advice on budget and human resources administration and policy
guidelines and developing a work plan.
The UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL)
has also assisted the Commission with technical and advocacy support in the
establishment of the Commission. The Mission also continues to provide
logistical support to the Commission officials in their working trips to
remote parts of Liberia.
BAN KI-MOON
WELCOMES PEACEFUL NATURE OF GEORGIA ELECTIONS
Asked about the
UN’s views on the legitimacy of the Georgian elections, the Spokeswoman said
that the Secretary-General takes note of the preliminary findings of the
International Election Observation Mission on the 5 January Presidential
elections, which was released on Monday. He welcomes the fact that Election
Day was generally peaceful and hopes that environment prevails.
The United
Nations, Montas said, is not in a position to comment further on the electoral
process because it did not have observers of its own. The Secretariat will
continue, however, to follow the situation and awaits the final
conclusions of the International Election Observation Mission.
UNITED NATIONS TAKES STEPS TO IMPROVE FIRE
SAFETY AT HEADQUARTERS
In
answer to questions concerning building codes and fire violations, the
Spokesperson announced that the United Nations is delivering this afternoon to
the New York City Commissioner for the United Nations a letter and report that
confirms the partnership and cooperation between the UN and New York City.
With assistance from New York City, the UN has achieved the following:
The compartmentalization and separation project to enhance the safety and
security of UN Headquarters has been contracted, and mobilization is underway
by the contractor.
The UN Fire Safety Plan has been approved by the New York City Fire
Department.
The UN Emergency Action Plan will be submitted today to the Commissioner and
the Fire Department.
Most importantly, in terms
of long term fire safety, the
Capital Master Plan
remains on track, and the construction activity on the Temporary North Lawn
Conference Building will begin this spring.
U.N.
TO STRENGTHEN SAFETY OF U.N. STAFF
Asked about how the UN handled the security of its
staff in
Algeria prior to last month’s attack, the Spokeswoman noted that the
Secretary-General, in his
comments to the press on Monday, made it clear that he will receive a
report this Friday from Under-Secretary-General for Security and Safety David
Veness concerning the Algiers attack.
On the basis of that report, he said, we are going
to strengthen the measures for the safety and security of UN staff and
premises, and she said further information would be provided once the report
is received
**The guest at noon was
Shamil Idriss, Acting Director of the Alliance of Civilizations, who briefed on
the first Alliance of
Civilizations Forum.
Office of the Spokesperson for the
Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055
