HIGHLIGHTS OF
THE NOON BRIEFING
BY MICHELE MONTAS
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
Thursday,
January 10, 2008
W.H.O. REPORTS
MORE THAN 150,000 VIOLENT IRAQI DEATHS
According to a
new survey by the Iraqi Government and the World Health Organization,
151,000 Iraqis died as a result of violence between March 2003 and June 2006.
The results showed
that violence became a leading cause of death for Iraqi adults after March 2003
and the main cause for men between the ages of 15 and 59.
The survey also
found that, on average, 128 Iraqis died of violent causes per day in the first
year following the invasion.
That number sank to
115 per day in the second year but rose back to 126 in the third year. More than
half of the violent deaths occurred in Baghdad.
Another worrying finding of the study was that only 57%
of the women surveyed said they had heard of AIDS. That compares with 84% of
women in Turkey and Egypt, 91% in Morocco and 97% in Jordan.
Meanwhile, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is
set to take part
in tomorrow’s launch of a major fund-raising and public awareness campaign
aimed at helping displaced Iraqis who have sought refuge in neighboring
countries. Called “Arabs Hand-in-Hand with Iraqis”, the campaign is being
launched by the League of Arab States, in partnership with UNHCR and other
international organizations.
UNHCR has been providing education, health care, food and
direct financial support to the most vulnerable Iraqis families, but it says
that more needs to be done.
NUCLEAR
AGENCY CHIEF TO VISIT IRAN FOR HIGH-LEVEL TALKS
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Director General Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei will begin a
two-day
visit to Iran tomorrow for talks with high-level Iranian officials.
During the trip, Dr. ElBaradei hopes to
develop ways to accelerate implementation of safeguards in Iran, with an aim
of resolving remaining outstanding issues. He also welcomes the visit as a
chance to enable the IAEA to provide assurance about Iran’s past and present
nuclear activities.
DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD AID BEGINS IN
NAIROBI SLUMS
According to the UN Country Team in Kenya, the security
situation in that country is
calm but remains tense
and unpredictable. On the humanitarian front, the UN’s Central Emergency
Response Fund has allocated $7 million for relief work in Kenya.
Meanwhile, the distribution of World Food Programme (WFP)
aid started today for tens of thousands of people in the Nairobi slums.
Also today, a WFP-chartered helicopter flew from Nairobi
to the northern Rift
Valley town of Eldoret, helping WFP assessment teams to locate scattered
pockets of displaced people in need of humanitarian assistance. The
helicopter, which flew into Kenya from Sudan, will also fly UN aid to people
cut off by violence in the coming days.
BAN KI-MOON EXPRESSES STRONG SUPPORT FOR
ANNAN MISSION IN KENYA
Asked about the role of former
Secretary-General Kofi Annan in mediating between the Kenyan leaders, the
Spokeswoman added later that Secretary General Ban Ki-moon sees this as a
positive development.
He spoke to Mr. Annan earlier
today and expressed his strong support to his mission as announced earlier by
President John Kufuor of Ghana,
as
head of a panel of eminent Africans to mediate the crisis in Kenya.
SPOKESPERSON CLARIFIES U.N. ROLE IN
KENYAN ELECTIONS
The Spokesperson, in response to questions and news
reports about the UN’s role in the disputed Kenya parliamentary and
presidential elections read the following clarification:
“The UN did not observe the recent Kenyan elections or
the tallying of the votes. Thus, the UN could not have pronounced itself on a
matter of which it was not involved and has no facts.
UNDP only provided nonpartisan technical assistance to
the electoral process. We assisted with voter registration and education;
facilitated the capacity of the Kenya Domestic Observation Team to observe the
elections; supported the Kenya Human Rights Commission to ensure there were no
violations occurring during the campaign; and supported the local media in
order to promote balanced reporting and educate their readers or viewers on
the electoral process.
This was managed with funds (US$ 12 million) provided by
U.S. Agency for International Development; the Canadian International
Development Agency, the Swedish International Development Agency , the
European Union and the Governments of Norway, Finland and the Netherlands.
The UNDP programme was never intended to and it therefore
did not support the results transmission, tallying or counting processes. The
UN did not participate in election monitoring, and no UN staff observed the
elections.”
Asked why the United Nations
did not monitor the elections despite the possibility of election-related
violence, the Spokeswoman said that the United Nations had not been invited to
monitor the elections. She noted that decisions on monitoring must be made
well in advance of voting.
WESTERN SAHARA TALKS CONCLUDE, TO RESUME
IN MARCH
The third round of discussions on Western Sahara wrapped up yesterday
afternoon in Manhasset, New York.
In
a communiqué read out at the end of the talks, the Secretary-General’s
Personal Envoy, Peter van Walsum, noted that the parties had continued to
express strong differences. At the same time, they reiterated their
commitment to negotiate in good faith, and agreed on the need to move into a
more intensive and substantive phase of discussions.
The Parties have agreed to meet again in Manhasset from March 11th
to 13th. The Personal Envoy is also expected to travel to the
region shortly for in-depth consultations.
BAN
KI-MOON RECOMMENDS MANDATE EXTENSION FOR NEPAL MISSION
In his
report to the Security Council on Nepal’s request for the UN assistance in
support of its peace process, the Secretary-General recommended that the
mandate of the U.N. Mission in Nepal be extended for a further six months.
The Secretary-General
recommended that the extension maintain the currently existing configuration
and staffing of the Mission, and reduce electoral staffing as well as other
minor adjustments.
He said it is encouraging that
the Seven-Party Alliance has moved in the direction of a peace agreement and
that there is a common recognition of the critical need to maintain the
cohesion of the Seven-Party Alliance.
The Secretary-General also said
his Special Representative has reiterated to the Government and the parties
the readiness of UNMIN to be of greater
support to the peace process within its existing mandate, adding that it is up
to seven parties to decide how to utilize the capacities of UNMIN in the most
effective way.
Meanwhile, Assistant
Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Angela Kane continues her visit to
Nepal.
NEW
SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE TAKES UP HIS DUTIES IN DR CONGO
Alan Doss, the new Special Representative of the
Secretary-General in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), arrived in
Kinshasa yesterday to take up his functions. That’s according to the
UN Mission in that country. Doss, a UK
national, was appointed to the post by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in
October, to replace William Lacy Swing of the United States.
Doss was until now the Secretary-General’s Special
Representative in Liberia, where he served for 2 years. Doss has served the UN
in Thailand, China, Kenya and Niger, among other postings.
The Kivu Conference on Peace, Security and Development
continues in Goma, in the northeastern DRC, with thematic talks and seminars.
The closing plenary session is expected to take place on January 17th.
LEBANON FORCE CARRIES OUT FIRE TRAINING
EXERCISE
The Field Artillery Group, part of the Quick Reaction
Force of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL),
today carried out a live fire training exercise near UNIFIL Headquarters at
Naqoura in southern Lebanon.
Addressing the media during the exercise, UNIFIL Force
Commander Major General Claudio Graziano said: “The exercise is the second of
this nature and is directed at honing the skills and expertise of the battle
group.”
Asked about a reported rocket
incident in northern Israel, the Spokeswoman reiterated that on Tuesday, the
Israeli authorities informed the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) that two
Katyusha rockets launched from southern Lebanon hit the northern Israeli town
of Shelomi early on the morning of 8 January, causing minor damage to a house
but no injuries. However, the firing of the rockets was not observed or
detected by UNIFIL.
Montas said that a UNIFIL
investigation team, including forensics and explosives experts, inspected the
impact site in Shelomi and UNIFIL patrols combed locations for potential
launching sites. The investigation continues. She added that, if it is
determined that there was firing from within Lebanon, the incident would be a
serious violation of resolution 1701.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
SECRETARY-GENERAL ATTENDS MONTHLY SECURITY COUNCIL
LUNCHEON: Although there are no Security Council meetings or consultations
scheduled today, the members of the Council had their monthly luncheon with the
Secretary-General this afternoon.
U.N. COMMITMENT TO MIDDLE EAST
RESOLUTIONS IS UNCHANGED: Asked about
comments attributed to U.S. President George W. Bush regarding the validity of
UN resolutions on the Middle East, the Spokeswoman said that the United Nations
stands by its resolutions and its efforts on the Middle East peace process
continue.
MYANMAR SPECIAL ADVISOR TO
VISIT CHINA, INDIA: Asked about the travels
of the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser, Ibrahim Gambari, the Spokeswoman
said that he plans to travel this month to China and India to continue his
discussions with major actors on Myanmar. Gambari, she added, has a standing
invitation to return to Myanmar, but there are no dates set for such a visit.
BAN KI-MOON TO RECEIVE
INTERNAL REPORT ON ALGIERS ATTACK FRIDAY:
Asked about the report on the Algiers attack, the Spokeswoman confirmed that the
Secretary-General would receive the report on Friday and would first study its
conclusions. She stressed that the report was of the highest importance to the
Secretary General who considers the security of UN staff as a major priority.
BAN KI-MOON RECEIVED NO FORMAL
COMMUNICATION FROM WOULD-BE SEPARATIST NEPALESE REGION:
Asked whether the Secretary-General was aware of a
demand for independence from Nepal’s Terai region, the Spokeswoman said that he
had not received any formal communication on the matter.
U.N. STAFF MUST ACCEPT NO
PAYMENTS, SERVICES FROM GOVERNMENTS: Asked
whether the Secretary-General is opposed to UN officials receiving payment or
services from their national governments, the Spokeswoman affirmed that was the
case.
Office of the Spokesperson for the
Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055
