BAN KI-MOON
CONCERNED BY VIOLENCE IN S. OSSETIA, GEORGIA

• The Secretary-General
  
  expresses his serious concern about the mounting violence in South
  Ossetia, Georgia.

• He urges the parties to refrain from any action
  that could further escalate the situation and threaten the stability of
  the region.

 

NIGERIA-CAMEROON TRANSFER A MODEL FOR BORDER DISPUTE SETTLEMENTS ELSEWHERE

• The Secretary-General is
  
  following with interest and anticipation the preparations for the
  final transfer of authority in the Bakassi Peninsula from Nigeria to
  Cameroon, scheduled to take place on 14 August, in implementation of the
  2002 ruling of the International Court of Justice and the 2006 Greentree
  Agreement. In his capacity as Facilitator of that Agreement, the
  Secretary-General intends to send a senior official to lead his
  delegation at the transfer ceremony.

• For the United Nations, this will be a landmark
  event, culminating in the peaceful resolution of a potentially dangerous
  boundary dispute through respect for international law and good-neighbourly
  cooperation. It is an example that should serve as a model for the
  negotiated settlement of border disputes elsewhere.

• Asked about criticisms of
  the Greentree Agreement by senior Nigerian officials, the Spokeswoman
  noted that the Nigerian President had recently said that Nigeria would
  abide by that Agreement.

 

IRAQ: U.N.
MISSION REGRETS MISSED OPPORTUNITY ON PROVINCIAL ELECTIONS LAW

• At 3:00 this afternoon, the
  
  Security Council will hold a formal meeting, to vote on a draft
  resolution concerning a 12-month extension of the mandate of the UN
  Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).

• In response to questions about the UN’s reaction to
  the failure yesterday of the Iraqi parliament to pass an electoral law,
  the Spokesperson said that UNAMI has said it regrets that an opportunity
  was missed yesterday to come to agreement on the provincial elections
  law. It hopes that the Iraqi leaders will reach an agreement on
  outstanding issues through dialogue as soon as possible to enable
  elections, which the Mission says is the wish of the vast majority of
  the Iraqi people.

• The United Nations has been doing all it can to
  encourage the Iraqis to reach a compromise at the earliest, so that
  election preparations can move forward as soon as possible. As requested
  by the Iraqi parliament, UNAMI stands ready to continue to assist the
  parties in finding an agreement through the work of the parliamentary
  committee.

 

SUDAN: U.N.
ENVOY CONCERNED THAT JUDICIAL PROCESS LEADING TO DEATH SENTENCES MAY NOT
HAVE MET INTL. STANDARDS

• Ashraf Qazi, the head of the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS),
  today said in a statement that the Mission was concerned that the
  judicial process leading to the recent death sentences passed against 30
  members of the Justice and Equality Movement may not have met
  international standards.

• According to information available to UNMIS, it
  would appear that the accused were only given access to lawyers after
  the trials began, and confessions were obtained while the accused were
  held incommunicado and in the absence of legal counsel. The court did
  not investigate allegations of ill treatment, as requested by defence
  counsel, through proper medical examinations.

• UNMIS recognizes the right and the responsibility
  of the Government to prosecute and sentence those who committed criminal
  offences in the context of the Omdurman attacks last 10 May. But it
  calls on the Government to ensure compliance of proceedings with
  international legal standards. It also encourages Sudan to abolish
  capital punishment, and, in the meantime, to establish a moratorium on
  executions, as called for by the General Assembly in November 2007.

 

DEPUTY HEAD
OF U.N.-A.U. MISSION TO HEAD TO SOUTH DARFUR

• Henry Anyidoho, the Deputy Joint UN-African Union
  (AU) Special Representative for Darfur, will visit Nyala, South Darfur,
  on 10 August, and he will be accompanied by representatives of various
  substantive sections of the UN-AU Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID).
  The visit is planned to include, among other activities, a meeting with
  the UN country team, talks with the sheiks (traditional chiefs) in the
  Kalma camp for internally displaced persons, as well as with the Wali
  (Governor) and non-governmental organizations working in that camp.

• At Shangil Tobayi, the home-base of the troops
  which were recently attacked, Anyidoho expressed his sympathy with the
  peacekeepers about the ambush they faced on 8 July. He expressed his
  hopes for the quick recovery of the wounded and voiced his deep
  appreciation for the courage and commitment of the troops.

 

PEACEBUILDING SUPPORT OFFICE GETS NEW CHIEF

• The Secretary-General has appointed Ms. Jane Holl
  Lute of the United States as Assistant Secretary-General for
  Peacebuilding Support.  Ms. Holl Lute will replace Ms. Carolyn McAskie.

• The Secretary-General is grateful for Ms. McAskie’s
  dedicated service in establishing the peacebuilding architecture since
  the creation of the Peacebuilding Support Office in 2006, and her
  leadership which contributed greatly to the achievement of its goals.

• Ms. Holl Lute currently serves as Assistant
  Secretary-General in the Department of Field Support.  She joined the UN
  in August 2003 as Assistant Secretary-General for Mission support in the
  Department of Peacekeeping Operations, and led her current department at
  its creation.  Her background within and outside the UN puts her in a
  unique position to ensure that the Peacebuilding Support Office will
  continue to grow in addressing its challenges.

 

HUMANITARIAN CHIEF ALARMED BY INCREASING CIVILIAN CASUALTIES AND TARGETING
OF AID WORKERS IN SOMALIA

• Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs
  and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes today
  
  expressed alarm at the growing number of civilian casualties in
  Somalia and the increasing targeting of humanitarian workers.

• “All parties to this conflict have an obligation
  under international law to protect civilians and to refrain from
  indiscriminate attacks,” Holmes said.

• He noted that far too many of those killed are
  women, children and aid workers, who have no part in the conflict. Bomb
  and mortar attacks in Mogadishu have claimed the lives of dozens of
  civilians in just the past week, including 20 women who were
  participating in a Food-For-Work supported street cleaning programme.

• At least 70,000 civilians have been displaced by
  fighting in Belet Weyne.  The manager of an orphanage in the Afgooye
  corridor became the 21st aid-related worker killed in Somalia since
  January.

 

EMERGENCY
GRANT TO BE USED TO REPLACE SUPPLIES FOLLOWING WARFARE IN EASTERN CHAD

• Round-table talks on Chad, initiated by the
  Secretary-General’s Special Representative in the Central African
  Republic and Chad, Victor Angelo, are taking place today and tomorrow in
  Stockholm, Sweden. The talks are intended to provide a forum for
  different partners to exchange ideas on possible ways of supporting
  Security Council Resolution 1778, which established last year the UN
  Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT).

• The two-day meeting will allow participants to
  discuss the ongoing multidimensional presence made up of MINURCAT and
  the European Force, or EUFOR. Participants will also look at key
  recommendations of the UN/EU Technical Assessment and Mid-term Mandate
  review, the Dakar Process, and regional initiatives.

• Also on Chad, the UN Central Emergency Response
  Fund has
  
  granted an amount of US$1.2 million, for the emergency replacement
  of basic supplies that were burnt or looted as a result of warfare in
  eastern Chad in mid-June.

• The grant will partly fund a project by the Office
  of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and will
  allow for the supply of emergency household items, like blankets, mats,
  mosquito nets, kitchen sets, plastic sheeting, tents, and soap, to
  refugees and internally displaced persons

• Since its launch in 2006, the Fund has made
  available over US$890 million for rapid disaster relief, helping the
  United Nations save tens of thousands of lives in 62 countries
  struggling with disasters, armed conflicts, or both.

• The Fund comprises voluntary contributions from
  Member States, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), local governments,
  the private sector, and individual donors. 

 

TIMOR-LESTE:
U.N. MISSION CALLS FOR FOLLOW-UP ON HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT

• The United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste
  (UNMIT) says it welcomes the recent report by the Truth and Friendship
  Commission on the serious human rights abuses of 1999 and urged both
  Governments to follow up on the recommendations.

• Adding that a Truth and Friendship Commission is
  only one mechanism for addressing past atrocities, UNMIT, in a
  
  press conference, said the UN will continue its support to the
  Prosecutor-General through the Serious Crimes Unit to support both
  mechanisms for the process of prosecutions and for addressing crimes
  committed in the past. 

• On the humanitarian front, internally displaced
  persons (IDPs) today began moving out of the Airport IDP camp to return
  to their homes. UNMIT expect that it will take 2 or 3 weeks for the
  entire camp of more than 900 families to move out. So far, a total of 20
  camps around the country have been closed.

• With the return of the IDPs from the Airport camp,
  more than 4,500 displaced families will have received a recovery package
  under the National Recovery Strategy.

• Meanwhile, a document called the “United Nations
  Development Assistance Framework” will be signed tomorrow by the
  Timorese Prime Minister, which sets forth on how the UN country team,
  which are the funds, agencies and programmes, will be spend $314 million
  dollars in Timor-Leste over the next five years.

 

NEW GUIDE
TO HELP PREVENT H.I.V. AMONG GIRLS AND YOUNG WOMEN

• At the International AIDS Conference in Mexico
  City, which the Secretary-General helped open last Sunday, the UN
  Population Fund (UNFPA) and its partners have
  
  launched a new guide to help prevent HIV among girls and young
  women. The guide, called “Make it Matter,” focuses on improving access
  to sexual and reproductive health services, expanding socio-economic
  opportunities, and ending child marriage.

• Meanwhile, the UN Development Programme (UNDP)
  
  reports that five community organizations – from Ghana, India, Iran,
  Malawi and Mexico – have been presented with Red Ribbon Awards for their
  extraordinary creativity, courage and leadership in the fight against
  AIDS and for achieving tangible results with limited resources.

 

U.N. ENVOY
WELCOMES WORLD BANK INITIATIVE TO FIGHT MALARIA IN INDIA

• The Secretary-General's Special Envoy on Malaria,
  Ray Chambers, today warmly welcomed the recent announcement from the
  World Bank of more than US$520 million to assist India's efforts to
  fight malaria and other diseases.

• The financing package is the largest single project
  the World Bank has ever financed for malaria control in one country. The
  project will bolster malaria prevention efforts, through bed nets and
  spraying, as well as provide effective treatment to over 100 million
  people in India. 

• Malaria infects millions of people every year in
  India and causes the country to lose the equivalent of 79 million days
  worth of productivity each year. Chambers congratulates both the
  Government of India and the World Bank for their tremendous commitment
  to fighting the disease.

 

PALESTINIAN
AUTHORITY TO EXCHANGE MAIL DIRECTLY WITH UNIVERSAL POSTAL UNION MEMBER
COUNTRIES

• Israeli and Palestinian postal authorities have
  
  pledged to start facilitating direct mail exchanges between the
  Palestinian Authority and the Universal Postal Union (UPU)’s 191 member
  countries.

• According to a joint declaration read out by UPU
  Director General Edouard Dayan yesterday, the exchanges will begin
  immediately, with mail transiting via Amman, Jordan. 

• Dayan noted this development will improve the
  operations and quality of the Palestinian Authority’s postal service and
  help it become better integrated into the world postal community.

• It will also establish the rights and duties
  associated with terminal dues, which are compensation for international
  mail arriving from other countries.

 

IRAN
SANCTIONS A MATTER FOR THE SECURITY COUNCIL

• Asked about reported threats made by Israel
  against Iran, the Spokeswoman said that the Secretary-General had no
  specific comment on the issue, although he was concerned and, as always,
  believes in the importance of a negotiated resolution of outstanding
  problems.

• She added, in response to a further question
  about the need for sanctions regarding Iran, that the matter was one for
  the Security Council to consider, and the Secretary-General would have
  no comment.

 

U.N. COMMITTED TO FINDING SOLUTION FOR
CORRUPTION ALLEGATIONS AT CAMBODIA COURT

• Asked about reported allegations of corruption
  in the
  
  Extraordinary Chambers in Cambodia, the Spokeswoman said that the
  United Nations and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) are aware of the
  issue and committed to finding a solution as soon as possible.

• Montas said that funding for July was
  initially held up pending a work plan from the Cambodian side to the
  Project Board, which is a standard procedure to preserve the integrity
  of the funds.

• Since then, and in light
  of the allegations of kickbacks, UNDP is reviewing the implications with
  its donors in order to come to a decision as to what to do about the
  allegations. We are all aware and concerned about the impact of the
  delay and are committed to finding a solution as soon as possible,
  Montas said.

 

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

FOREIGN EXCHANGE RATES STILL A PROBLEM IN MYANMAR:
The Spokeswoman, in response to a question about the problems that the
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has had in dealing with
the foreign exchange rates in Myanmar, said that the problem continues to
exist.

 

U.N. NOT THE MEDIATOR FOR ZIMBABWE:
Asked about a reported draft agreement between the political leaders in
Zimbabwe, the Spokeswoman said that the United Nations did not have that
agreement, and noted that South African President Thabo Mbeki is the
mediator for Zimbabwe, not the United Nations. The United Nations is a
member of the reference group on Zimbabwe, she said, and Assistant
Secretary-General for Political Affairs Haile Menkerios is discussing the
Zimbabwe issue in Pretoria.

 

SECRETARY-GENERAL NORMALLY
ASKS MEMBER STATES TO SUBMIT CANDIDATES FOR SENIOR U.N. POSTS:
Asked whether the Secretary-General, in a meeting with Spain’s Vice
President in Mexico this week, had requested that Spain submit a candidate
for Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security, the Spokeswoman said
that the Secretary-General, as normal practice, asks a range of Member
States to submit candidates to senior UN posts.