HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY MICHELE MONTAS
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
UN HEADQUARTERS,
NEW YORK
Tuesday,
March 18, 2008
BAN KI-MOON
STRONGLY CONDEMNS KARBALA BOMB ATTACK
The Secretary-General
condemns in the
strongest terms the bomb attack in Karbala, Iraq, near the Imam Hussein shrine
which has killed several dozen people and left many more injured. The
Secretary-General extends his heartfelt condolences to the families of those
killed in this heinous attack.
The Secretary-General appeals to all Iraqis to show
maximum restraint in the face of these provocative actions. He also urges all
Iraqi leaders to resolve their differences through political dialogue and in a
spirit of national reconciliation.
KOSOVO: U.N. POLICE OFFICER KILLED IN
RAID ON MITROVICA COURTHOUSE
The Secretary-General’s Principal Deputy Special
Representative in Kosovo, Larry Rossin, today said his condolences go to the
family of the Ukrainian police officer who was killed as a result of
yesterday’s operation to reassert control over an occupied UN courthouse. He
also expressed his condolences to the Government and people of Ukraine.
Turning to other matters, Rossin said the overall
situation in the north of Kosovo is calm for now.
Regarding yesterday’s operation, he
said that 42 international police officers were injured, and that 32 of
the court occupiers were temporarily detained, processed, and then released
back to north Mitrovica. Criminal investigations into all illegal acts
perpetrated on UN and KFOR personnel, including murder and attempted murder,
are ongoing, he said. He added that the UN Mission in Kosovo firmly intends to
bring to justice those responsible for the recent crimes.
Asked whether the Secretary-General had received a
letter from Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic about the violence, the
Spokeswoman confirmed that the letter has been received and is being studied.
Asked about the reasoning behind the actions taken
by the UN personnel on the ground on Monday, the Spokeswoman said that the
fact that UN police left the Mitrovica courthouse and KFOR stayed is part of
the standard procedures under the agreements for escalating violent
circumstances -- where police alone cannot maintain law and order. UNMIK and
KFOR will consult on when to end the temporary departure of UN police from
north Mitrovica, Montas added.
WESTERN SAHARA TALKS ENTER FINAL DAY
WITH SESSION ON CONFIDENCE-BUILDING MEASURES
Talks on Western Sahara under UN auspices continue for a
second day today in Manhasset, with the participation of Morocco, the Frente
Polisario and the neighboring states, Algeria and Mauritania.
Yesterday’s discussions focused on implementation of
Security Council resolutions 1754 and 1783. This morning’s discussions began
with a session on expanding confidence-building measures.
This fourth round of talks led by the Secretary-General's
Personal Envoy, Peter van Walsum, is scheduled to conclude this afternoon.
DARFUR ENVOY CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC ON
PEACE PROSPECTS AFTER GENEVA CONSULTATIONS
The UN and African Union special envoys for Darfur, Jan
Eliasson and Salim Ahmed Salim, are continuing their informal consultation
with regional partners and international observers in Geneva today.
Eliasson
told UN Radio that the talks in Geneva offered the opportunity for Sudan’s
neighbours, Security Council members and other concerned countries to discuss
how they all can move forward in dealing with Darfur.
He added his hopes that the Darfur factions could come up
with one negotiating team representing all of them, but cautioned that “we
still have a long way to go” before that can be achieved.
SOMALIA: U.N. SECRETARIAT NOTES 4
SCENARIOS FOR POSSIBLE PEACEKEEPER DEPLOYMENT
The Secretary-General’s latest
report on
the situation in Somalia is available today. In it, he says that an
inter-agency team led by the Department of Political Affairs has completed a
strategic assessment in order to craft a coherent UN strategy for Somalia.
That assessment is included in an annex.
Another fact-finding mission led by the Department of
Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) found the security situation volatile
throughout the country, despite significant regional variations, the north
being relatively more stable than southern and central Somalia.
The situation in Somalia is further complicated by
regional and international factors, including the proliferation of arms, the
potential use of Somalia as a stage for a proxy war among neighbours and the
continuing threat of piracy, which adversely affects the delivery of
humanitarian supplies. The DPKO mission notes four scenarios that could lead
to possible UN peacekeeping deployment, which are detailed in the report.
Meanwhile, the United Nations maintains a team of
military and civilian experts at the African Union headquarters to increase
planning and implementation capacity for the AU peace mission to Somalia,
AMISOM, which the Secretary-General commends for its attempts to stabilize
Somalia.
CONSIDERABLE PROGESS ACHIEVED IN
CREATING SPECIAL TRIBUNAL FOR LEBANON
In a
report to
the Security Council that is available as a document today, the
Secretary-General details the considerable progress made in recent months in
setting up the Special Tribunal for
Lebanon.
He says that all actions relating to the Tribunal’s
preparatory phase have been undertaken, including the signing of a
Headquarters Agreement with the Netherlands and the identification of Tribunal
premises; the selection of judges, the prosecutor and the registrar; and the
development of a draft budget that will be submitted soon to the Tribunal’s
Management Committee.
The start-up phase for the Tribunal has now commenced,
the Secretary-General says.
Asked about comments by Lebanese leader Samir Geagea
that the Secretary-General was “bewildered” at the continuing impasse on
selecting a Lebanese President, the Spokeswoman noted that the
Secretary-General had often expressed his dismay that no agreement had been
reached on a President.
Asked whether Special Envoy Terje Roed-Larsen had
discussed holding a conference on Lebanon with Geagea, Montas denied that Roed-Larsen
was working to set up such a conference.
SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS NEW SPECIAL
ADVISOR ON SPORT FOR DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE
The Secretary-General has appointed Wilfried Lemke of
Germany as his Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace. Mr. Lemke
will serve at the Under-Secretary-General level on a $1 a year salary. He
replaces Adolf Ogi of Switzerland who completed his work at the end of
December last year.
The Special Adviser leads and coordinates the efforts of
the UN system to promote understanding and support for sport as an instrument
for development and peace. Mr. Lemke has over 25 years of professional
experience in both sport and politics and he has been a dedicated advocate for
the importance of sport in education and society.
NEPAL: UNITED NATIONS HONORS COLLEAGUES
KILLED IN HELICOPTER CRASH
A
memorial
ceremony at the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) was held today, to
honour UN staff members who lost their lives in the tragic helicopter accident
two weeks ago.
The Secretary-General, in a
message,
expressed profound sorrow and sent his condolences to the families and loved
ones of those who perished, and to UNMIN staff who have lost irreplaceable
colleagues and friends.
Stressing that the loss of these courageous and dedicated
individuals was a terrible blow to the entire United Nations family, the
Secretary-General said their commitment and professionalism will never be
forgotten.
The Secretary-General asked for the UN’s rededication to
realizing lasting peace in Nepal, adding that this will be the best tribute to
their memory.
MOST ORPHANS IN CHAD KIDNAPPING ATTEMPT
REUNITED WITH THEIR FAMILIES
The following is an update on the more than one hundred
children at the center of last year’s controversy involving French charity
Arche de Zoé and its attempt to remove them to France for adoption.
The first 83 children have now been
reunited with their
families. UNICEF has provided each family with a small amount of money; it is
also establishing programmes to support those children and thousands of others
with food, water, sanitation, education and protection, as well as
income-generating activities for their families.
Thirteen more children are expected to be reunited with
their families on Friday.
HUMANITARIAN AGENCIES RESPOND TO CRISES
IN COLOMBIA, MOZAMBIQUE AND CENTRAL AFRICA
In Bolivia, devastating floods continue; up to 90 percent
of crops have been destroyed in some areas. The Office for the Coordination
of Humanitarian Affairs has provided more than two million dollars through the
Central Emergency Response Fund, but an US$ 18 million appeal launched last
month remains only about one-quarter funded.
The Government of Mozambique has asked the World Food
Programme to provide a month’s worth of emergency assistance to 60,000 people
affected by Cyclone Jokwe. WFP plans to begin distributing aid from existing
stocks early next week, but needs more than US$ 500,000 dollars to replenish
the stocks as soon as possible.
In the Central African Republic’s Nana-Gribizi province,
nearly 65,000 people – or three quarters of the population – have been
vaccinated against meningococcal meningitis, following an outbreak last
month. The campaign was carried out with help from the World Health
Organization and UNICEF.
Those two agencies also helped with a measles vaccination
campaign in Ethiopia’s Somali region that reached nearly 800,000 children.
WFP has also distributed nearly 17,000 tons of food there, amid an extended
dry spell that has left more than one million people facing food insecurity.
DISPLACED IRAQIS FUEL RISE IN GLOBAL
ASYLUM APPLICATIONS
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
says that a
five-year downward trend in asylum applications in industrialized countries
was reversed last year, largely because of an increase in the number of Iraqi
asylum seekers.
For the second year in a row, Iraqis topped the list of
asylum seekers in industrialized countries, with the number of Iraqis applying
for asylum almost doubling in one year, from 22,900 in 2006 to 45,200 in 2007.
There were some 338,000 new applications for refugee status submitted last
year in 43 industrialized countries.
STATES MUST PROTECT THEIR CITIZENS FROM
GENOCIDE
This morning in Geneva, the Human Rights Council wrapped
up a general debate with Francis Deng, the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser
on the prevention of genocide.
Deng said that, as his mandate was still in an initial
stage, a large part of his current efforts was devoted to developing a
strategy for his work, in consultation with a wide range of actors.
He stressed that it was up to States to ensure that
genocide did not happen on their territory and to protect their own citizens.
He also underlined that it was important for the international community to
help countries in that regard.
HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF URGES STATES TO SIGN
UP TO CONVENTION AGAINST RACISM
High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour today
called for
all States to sign up to the International Convention on the Elimination of
All Forms of Racial Discrimination. She said that racism lies at the roots of
many conflicts and therefore poses risks to international peace and security.
She added that no country can claim to be free of racism’s destructive
influence.
So far, 173 countries have ratified the International
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which was
the first human rights treaty to be adopted by the General Assembly and came
into force in 1969. The International Day for the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination will be observed this Friday.
“SECOND WAVE OF GLOBALIZATION” AMONG
TOPICS OF UPCOMING CONFERENCE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT
Earlier this morning in Geneva, UN Conference on Trade
and Development (UNCTAD) Secretary-General Supachai Panitchpadki briefed the
media on issues to be discussed at the upcoming UNCTAD conference, to be held
next month in Accra, Ghana.
Some of the big themes at the 20-25 April Accra meeting,
Mr. Supachai said, will include containing the global economic slowdown and
adapting development thinking to “the second wave of globalization”, which is
underway as developing countries become major players in the world economy.
Delegates will also address the trade and development
implications of emerging challenges such as high energy prices and climate
change, he said, and the special development challenges of Africa.
U.N. APPEALS FOR INCREASED SUPPORT FOR
BANGLADESH
The international community, including oil-rich
countries, should increase support to Bangladesh as the country struggles to
cope with global price shocks and simultaneously try to strengthen its
democratic systems.
That is according to Kemal Dervis, Administrator of the
UN Development Programme, who just wrapped up a three-day visit to Bangladesh.
During his trip, Dervis met with high-level officials,
including leading economists. They discussed international commodity price
shocks and their consequences for the poorer, food-importing countries of the
world.
U.N. LEGAL
CHIEF LEAVING FOR FAMILY REASONS
In response to questions, the Spokeswoman confirmed
that Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs Nicolas Michel intends to leave
the United Nations when his current contract expires, saying that it was for
family reasons.
Asked about housing subsidies that Michel had
earlier received, Montas said that the contributions have been fully disclosed
in all his Financial Disclosure statements and cleared by competent organs. He
had fully disclosed the housing subsidies in 2006. Michel is not receiving any
contribution, in any form, under his current contract, which started on 1
March 2007.
She added that the contributions he received were
explicitly authorized by the United Nations, before he accepted the position
as Legal Counsel, in an arrangement between the Swiss authorities and the
Organization, on the ground of exceptional family circumstances. The practice
of exceptional authorizations was well established, and supported by relevant
administrative issuances, over a long period of time, she said.
Asked about the process by which the financial
disclosures of UN officials are made public, the Spokeswoman said that was the
responsibility of the new Ethics Office.
Asked whether any other officials were receiving
exemptions for housing subsidies, Montas said that they were not.
OTHER
ANNOUNCEMENTS
MYANMAR ENVOY TO BRIEF SECURITY COUNCIL THIS AFTERNOON: The
Secretary-General’s Special Adviser, Ibrahim Gambari, will brief the
Security Council on his recent visit to
Myanmar this afternoon at 5:00 p.m. The Security Council has scheduled a
closed meeting, followed by consultations. Yesterday, Gambari briefed the
General Assembly President on his travels, and he is also to meet with the Group
of Friends on Myanmar at 3:00 this afternoon.
NO INVESTIGATION REQUESTS RECEIVED ON TIBET:
Asked whether any requests for the Secretary-General to investigate the violence
in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China had been received, the Spokeswoman said
nothing has been received.
Office of the Spokesperson for the
Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055
