HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY MARIE
OKABE
DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
UN HEADQUARTERS,
NEW YORK
Friday,
February 15, 2008
SECRETARY-GENERAL IS DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT "UNACCEPTABLE" SITUATION INVOLVING
U.N. PERSONNEL IN ERITREA
The Secretary-General is deeply
concerned by the
situation with the relocation of personnel and equipment of the United Nations
Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE),
from Eritrea to designated relocation sites on the Ethiopian side.
Since the beginning of the movement of UNMEE’s advance
units on 11 February, not more than six vehicles have been allowed by the
Eritrean authorities to cross into Ethiopia.
A number of UNMEE vehicles were stopped by the Eritrean
Defense Forces and prevented from crossing the border. In one such case, on 14
February, UNMEE personnel were threatened and the equipment seized.
In a disturbing development, the Eritrean commercial
company that provides rations to UNMEE has informed the Mission today that it
will no longer be able to fulfill its contractual obligations. The Mission has
only a few days of emergency rations left.
The Secretary-General is in close contact with the
Security Council and the Troop Contributing Countries, and the Eritrean
authorities are being contacted at the highest level to seek an immediate
resolution of this unacceptable situation.
The Secretary-General calls on the Eritrean authorities
to cease their obstruction of the relocation of UNMEE, with their equipment.
The UN reiterates that this relocation is temporary and
that Eritrea must immediately meet its international obligations to cooperate
with the mission.
BAN KI-MOON IS
ENCOURAGED BY PROGRESS IN KENYA TALKS
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is
encouraged by the
progress toward resolving the political crisis in Kenya announced today in
Nairobi.
The understandings reached by the parties to the Kenya
National Dialogue and Reconciliation process – including the planned
establishment of an independent review of the electoral process – are
important steps toward addressing the most urgent issues that led to the
current situation.
The Secretary-General hopes these understandings will
contribute immediately to reduced levels of violence in that country. He
reiterates his deep concern for the protection of civilians and full respect
for human rights in Kenya. He applauds all those Kenyans who in these trying
times have reached out to their neighbors, irrespective of ethnic differences.
The Secretary-General calls on Kenya’s leadership to
continue to display the spirit of compromise and the vision of national
reconciliation that will be critical to healing the Kenyan nation.
The Secretary-General congratulates the Panel of Eminent
African Personalities for its critical role in this process and reiterates his
full and continuing support to the mediation efforts of the Panel led by
former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
SECRETARY-GENERAL MEETS WITH U.S. PRESIDENT BUSH
The Secretary-General today met with U.S. President
George W. Bush in Washington, DC. During the meeting, which lasted an hour and
a half, the two discussed UN
reform, with the
Secretary-General briefing President Bush on his efforts to promote
transparency and accountability at the UN.
In that context, the Secretary-General mentioned the
Ethics Office and the Procurement Task Force. They also spoke about climate
change, with the Secretary-General stressing the need for momentum for the
Bali roadmap.
As President Bush is leaving for Africa today, they also
discussed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
in an African context, as well as developments in Darfur and Kenya.
On Myanmar, the Secretary-General briefed President Bush
on the work of his Special Adviser, Ibrahim Gambari.
The two also touched on Kosovo, Iraq, Lebanon and
Afghanistan.
The Secretary-General was scheduled to return to New York
shortly.
SECURITY
COUNCIL TO HOLD CONSULTATIONS ON ERITREA/ETHIOPIA
The Security Council was holding consultations at 3 p.m.
today in connection with Eritrea/Ethiopia.
The Security Council this morning met to adopt a
resolution on sanctions on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The Council decided to extend certain sanctions, as well as the mandate of the
Group of Experts monitoring those sanctions, until March 31st.
Following adoption of that resolution, Council members
were briefed by the Permanent Observer of the African Union on the African
Union Mission in Somalia.
Council members then moved into consultations to further
discuss Somalia and take up other matters. Consultations began with another
briefing on Somalia – this time by Assistant Secretary-General for
Peacekeeping Operations Edmond Mulet.
SITUATION IN OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN
TERRITORIES REMAINS A CONCERN
Filippo Grandi, the Deputy Commissioner-General of the UN
Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
today briefed reporters in Geneva on the current situation in Gaza, Lebanon
and the West Bank.
Grandi said the director of a large public hospital in
Gaza had told him that he could no longer deal with people’s health problems
since he had to spend his whole day looking for fuel. Without fuel, generators
and vital equipment, such as incubators for infants, would shut down.
Meanwhile, in the West Bank, according to the Office for
the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA),
there are still over 560 blockages of various sorts, which are making people’s
lives increasingly difficult. OCHA is concerned that such constraints may lead
to increased political radicalization, particularly among the younger members
of society.
In Lebanon, regarding the Nahr El-Bared camp for
Palestinian refugees, which was destroyed last year in fighting, Grandi said
that Lebanon’s Prime Minister and UNRWA Commissioner-General Karen AbuZayd
have announced plans to rebuild the camp. The reconstruction of the camp
proper – essentially a small town for more than 30,000 people – is expected to
cost $174 million, which represents a scale that is unprecedented for the UN,
according to Grandi.
U.N. REFUGEE
AGENCY CHIEF URGES MORE SUPPORT FOR IRAQI REFUGEES
High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, has
appealed to the
international community for further support to Iraqi refugees in Syria, Jordan
and other host countries.
Stressing that the international response remains
disproportionate to the scope of the challenges they face, the High
Commissioner called for nations to increase the number of resettlement places
and provide more support to Iraqis themselves through the programmes that
assist the refugees.
He also asked the government of Iraq to be more active in
supporting its uprooted people.
Guterres is on a weeklong mission to the region, with an
overall objective to ensure that millions of Iraqis displaced by the conflict
receive as much protection and assistance as possible.
U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY CONCERNED ABOUT
ARMED ELEMENTS INTERFERING WITH DARFUR REFUGEES IN CHAD
The U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR)
says it is “very
disturbed” about an incident in eastern Chad on Tuesday. UNHCR says unknown
armed elements blocked its attempt to move 179 refugee families, newly arrived
from West Darfur, away from volatile border camps.
About 70 percent of the refugees are women and children.
The agency has a representative at the border, who is trying to broker a
solution to this issue.
Meanwhile, in Cameroon, UNHCR tomorrow plans to start its
first transfer of Chadian refugees from a transit center across the river from
N’Djamena to a better equipped site some 30 kilometers to the west.
U.N. TO HOLD A BIDDER’S CONFERENCE FOR
DARFUR MISSION
In response to a question on a bidder’s conference in
Darfur, the United Nations will hold a mandatory Bidder’s Conference in Sudan
for the multi-functional logistics contract, to support the UN/AU Mission in
Darfur (UNAMID), from
17 to 22 February 2008.
This contract is being tendered in support of the Hybrid
Package. It should be noted that the Secretariat has carried out a global
sourcing for this tender, in the course of which over 1,000 companies
worldwide and all Permanent Missions in New York were notified of this
business opportunity. Upon performing due diligence, the Procurement Division
selected 45 companies to participate in the Request for Proposal process.
Twenty-seven of these companies expressed the wish to
participate in the conference.
DEPUTY
SECRETARY-GENERAL TO VISIT BANGKOK
Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro will travel to
Bangkok, Thailand, over the weekend to chair the Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
Regional Coordination Meeting. This visit is part of her commitment to promote
the regional dimension of the UN’s development agenda.
While in Bangkok, the Deputy Secretary-General will meet
with the Foreign Minister of Thailand as well as with representatives of ESCAP
Member States. The Deputy Secretary-General will also meet with the UN staff.
She plans to be back in New York next Wednesday.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
SECRETARY-GENERAL REACTS TO LATEST TENSIONS IN MIDDLE EAST: Asked
about the Secretary-General’s reaction to the latest tensions between Israel and
Lebanon, the Deputy Spokesperson said the Secretary-General was disturbed by
cycle of violence and urged restraint by all. He felt that the killings and
counter-killings must stop. Regarding the activities of the UN Interim Force in
Lebanon (UNIFIL) in relation to the tensions, UNIFIL had said it was adequately
postured to implement its mandate under Security Council resolution 1701. UNIFIL
continued to work closely with all parties whose continued commitment to the
cessation of hostilities is key to the process, Okabe added.
CHANGES IN MANDATE OF UN MISSION IN TIMOR-LESTE WOULD HAVE TO BE DECIDED
BY SECURITY COUNCIL: Asked about changes to the mandate of the UN Mission in
Timor-Leste (UNMIT), the Deputy Spokesperson said such changes would have to be
decided by the Security Council. Asked about reports that UN Police (UNPOL) had
failed to help the Timorese President when he was recently attacked, the Deputy
Spokesperson, citing the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, said that,
contrary to press reports, UNPOL, along with Timor-Leste’s National Police, had
responded immediately to a call that there was shooting near the President's
residence at 7:00. Two UNPOL units arrived at the scene at 7:18. She noted that
the President's residence was at least 15 minutes away from the police station
and that international close protection had been removed at the President's
direct request. Asked what the UN had done to protect the city of Dili itself,
Okabe said UNMIT had been performing its functions in line within its mandate.
WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME LAUNCHES FOOD SECURITY MAP OF
CAMBODIA: The World Food Programme (WFP) has
launched an
updated online food security map of Cambodia. The atlas identifies areas of
vulnerability, as well as places where improvement has taken place or more
intervention is needed. Meanwhile, in Colombia, WFP has
teamed up with
the Government on a $157 million project to provide food and other humanitarian
aid to more than half a million displaced people over the next three years. It
is the largest such programme ever developed by a UN agency in Colombia,
according to WFP.
THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS
Monday, February 18
U.N. Headquarters in New York is closed for an official
holiday (President’s Day).
Today and tomorrow, the Deputy
Secretary-General is in Bangkok, where she will chair the Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) Regional Coordination Meeting and
meet with Thailand’s Foreign Minister, representatives of ESCAP Member States
and UN staff.
Through 7 March in Geneva, the Committee on the Elimination
of Racial Discrimination holds its 72nd session.
Today and tomorrow in Manama, Bahrain, UN Country Teams in
Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar meet, in coordination with
national authorities, to review their contingency plans regarding avian and
pandemic influenza interventions.
Tuesday, February 19
This morning, the Security Council is scheduled to adopt a
resolution on the African Union Mission in Somalia, as well as hold a briefing
and consultations on the U.N. Mission in Sudan.
At 3 p.m. in the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
Chamber, the ECOSOC President holds informal consultations on the special
high-level 24 April meeting with the Bretton Woods institutions, the World Trade
Organization and the UN Conference on Trade and Development.
The Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Greece and The
former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Matthew Nimetz, will meet with the
parties in Athens today for follow-up talks on the “name issue” and related
themes.
Wednesday, February 20
General Assembly President Srgjan
Kerim today begins a visit to Latin America, including Argentina, Uruguay, Chile
and Peru. His meetings with government officials and UN country team members
will focus on the priority topics of the 62nd session, including climate change,
financing for development, the Millennium Development Goals, and UN reform.
Today through Friday in Monaco,
the 10th Special Session of the UN Environment Programme’s Governing
Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum meets on “Mobilizing Finance for
the Climate Challenge”.
Thursday, February 21
This morning, the Security
Council is scheduled to hold a debate and consultations on Timor-Leste.
From 12 to 1 p.m. in Conference
Room D, there will be a briefing on the 2008 Secretary-General's Report to the
Substantive Session of the Economic and Social Council.
Today is International Mother Language Day, as well as the start of the
International Year of Languages. At UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, a special
seminar, organized jointly with the Council of Europe, will examine legal
instruments and linguistic policies.
Friday, February 22
From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in
Conference Room C, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development briefs
on its Information Economy Report 2007-2008.
From 1.15 to 2.30 p.m. in
Conference Room 1, there will be an interactive panel on “Just and favourable:
Decent work as a human right in the age of globalization”.
Office of the Spokesperson for the
Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055
