HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY MICHELE
MONTAS
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
UN
HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
BAN KI-MOON URGES CAMBODIA & THAILAND TO EXERCISE RESTRAINT IN WAKE OF BORDER
SHOOTOUT
The
Secretary-General is
deeply concerned about the exchange of gunfire today along the
Cambodian-Thailand border and the reported casualties.
He
calls on both parties to exercise utmost restraint and urges them to
expedite bilateral talks so that their differences can be resolved
peacefully.
BAN KI-MOON WELCOMES ESTABLISHMENT OF LEBANON/ SYRIA DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS
The Secretary-General
welcomes the historic steps taken by Lebanon and Syria to establish full
diplomatic relations. This joint effort between two nations reinforces the
sovereignty, stability and political independence of the Lebanese State in
accordance with the Taif Accord and relevant Security Council resolutions.
The Secretary-General hopes
that this landmark event will encourage Syria and Lebanon to engage in
further constructive dialogue that will bring mutual benefits to both
countries and help ensure stability and progress in their bilateral
relations.
The Secretary-General stands
ready to support Lebanon and Syria towards these goals.
Asked about UN assistance regarding the demarcation of borders between Syria
and Lebanon, the Spokeswoman said that the Secretary-General had discussed
the matter with officials of the two countries on the margins of the General
Debate.
U.N. ENVOY MEETS WITH LEBANESE LEADERS
Michael Williams, the UN Special Coordinator for
Lebanon, had his first meetings upon
arriving in Beirut with senior Lebanese officials today, including President
Michel Suleiman and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.
Williams said that he and President Suleiman had a
very good meeting in which they discussed the process of national dialogue
and reconciliation in Lebanon, regional efforts and the establishment of
diplomatic relations between Syria and Lebanon.
He said he was pleased to hear about the
announcement yesterday of the decree by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
about Lebanese-Syrian relations, which he called a “very important and
significant development” which had been called for by UN resolutions for
some time.
INTERNATIONAL TALKS ON GEORGIA WILL RESUME NEXT MONTH
The first session of the
international discussions on Georgia wrapped up in Geneva today with a
decision to hold the next meeting on 18 November.
In a press conference after
the session, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Georgia,
Johan Verbeke, said one should not dramatize the “procedural incident” that
happened today. In that regard, he noted that all participants had been
present, had expressed their views, and had acted in a responsible way.
Verbeke said it had been
decided to create some “breathing space” to address the few outstanding
procedural points. The current suspension of work was only temporary, he
added.
Meanwhile, last night in
Geneva, the Secretary-General had a working dinner with the European Union
and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. In the press
conference that followed, after French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner
read out a joint statement, and the Secretary-General answered reporters’
questions.
The Secretary-General said he
was encouraged by the general consensus among the parties to resolve this
issue through dialogue. But he cautioned against being too impatient or in a
hurry to have a so-called “quick fix” resolution.
Asked whether the Russian delegation had walked
out of the Geneva talks, the Spokeswoman said that was not the case.
Asked about arrangements for participation at the
meetings, she said that those were decided at the technical meetings; the
United Nations did not determine them.
Asked about a news blackout in Geneva, Montas said
that there was one in place temporarily, but she noted that a press
conference had taken place there today.
BAN KI-MOON TAKES NOTE OF SUDAN’S REPORTED
DETENTION OF SUSPECT IN DARFUR CRIMES
In response to questions about reports indicating
that the Government of Sudan has detained Ali Khushayb for crimes committed
in Darfur, the Spokeswoman said that the Secretary-General has taken note of
this reported development. If confirmed, this is a welcome step towards the
vital need to end impunity and bring to justice those responsible for crimes
in Darfur.
On the ground in Darfur, a team of UN-AU Police
Advisers, together with the Bangladeshi Formed Police Unit, have embarked on
confidence-building and security assessment patrols 24 hours a day, seven
days a week, at the Kalma camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs), in
accordance with UNAMID’s
Police mandate. The primary focus of these patrols is to create an
interactive and friendly environment conducive to peaceful co-existence
among IDPs as well as to demonstrate the commitment of UNAMID to achieving
lasting peace in the region.
MILITARY DISENGAGEMENT INITIATIVE LAUNCHED IN D.R. CONGO
The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic
of the Congo (MONUC) says that a
committee was launched yesterday to facilitate the implementation of the
military disengagement agreement in South Kivu. In addition to the UN,
European Union and government representatives, several regional armed groups
were present at the launching of the Provincial Committee for the
Coordination of Disengagement Operations in South Kivu.
The Committee is made up
of about 20 members representing political groups, the military and police,
as well as the international facilitation team including the UN and the
armed groups. Its mission will be to plan and direct disengagement
operations.
The creation of the South
Kivu committee follows a similar development in North Kivu a few days ago.
LAST U.N. PEACEKEEPERS TO LEAVE ETHIOPIA THIS WEEK
The UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE)
is now very close to completing its withdrawal from the region. Sixty of the
remaining peacekeepers returned to their country of origin this past
weekend, and another 15 are expected to leave by week’s end. A farewell
ceremony for the departing peacekeepers was held in northern Ethiopia near
the UN base at Adigrat.
At that event, the Acting Special Representative
of the Secretary-General, Azouz Ennifar, thanked the peacekeepers for their
service under the UN flag. The Secretary-General’s good offices, he said,
remain available to Ethiopia and Eritrea in their search for a lasting
solution to their border dispute.
WORLD COURT ISSUES ORDER IN GEORGIA vs. RUSSIA OVER ALLEGATIONS OF RACIAL
BIAS
Regarding the case by Georgia
against the Russian Federation, concerning the International Convention on
the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Court has
issued an Order on a number of provisional measures.
Among other things, the Court
has indicated that both Parties shall refrain from any act of racial
discrimination and from sponsoring, defending or supporting such acts; that
they shall facilitate humanitarian assistance; and that they shall refrain
from any action which might prejudice the respective rights of the Parties
or might aggravate or extend the dispute.
RURAL WOMEN PRODUCE MORE THAN HALF THE WORLD’S FOOD
Today is the first-ever International Day of Rural Women. In a
message to mark the occasion, the Secretary-General says that rural
women produce more than half of the world’s food and provide immeasurable
support to local communities. But despite the life-saving role they play,
they are seldom appreciated or compensated.
He also adds that it’s important to foster a world where the woman who farms
is also a woman with educational opportunities, political access, and a
voice at the negotiating table.
PROTECTIONISM COULD ENDANGER AGRICULTURAL SECTORS IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD
The Director-General of the
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Jacques Diouf
said today that Governments should avoid reducing aid to developing
countries’ agricultural sectors and not introduce protectionist trade
measures in response to the unfolding global financial crisis.
In a statement to FAO’s
Committee on World Food Security, Diouf warned that such steps could
increase the risk of another food crisis occurring next year. That could
happen despite the record 2008 cereal harvest that is now expected.
Meanwhile, the European
Professional Football Leagues and FAO today launched a campaign to raise
funds and awareness about the critical problem of world hunger. There’s more
information in press releases upstairs.
TODAY IS GLOBAL HANDWASHING DAY
Today marks the first ever
Global Handwashing Day. It is being celebrated in over 70 countries
across five continents in an effort to get millions around the world to wash
their hands with soap.
The inaugural Global
Handwashing Day focuses on children and schools. After learning about
improved hygiene behaviour in schools, children can act as agents of change
by taking these messages home to their families and communities. According
to UNICEF, handwashing with soap is one of the most effective and
inexpensive ways to prevent diarrheal disease and pneumonia, which together
are responsible for some 3.5 million child deaths every year.
And today, right outside the
UN cafeteria, UNICEF staff have set up a booth with water and soap. I
encourage you to go down and give them a hand.
Meanwhile, the Day is being celebrated around the
world.
For example, in India, the popular cricketer
Sachin Tendulkar will promote Global Handwashing Day by washing his hands
with soap. In the Philippines, over 100 schoolchildren will meet in Makati
Park, in the heart of the Manila, to advocate for handwashing with soap as
an important habit for their peers to adopt.
In Ghana, Global Handwashing Day will start with a
launching event at a children’s park. Children will be in charge of the
handwashing stations and parades in Accra and Tamele to sensitize the public
to wash their hands. And in Pakistan, newscasters endorsing the need of
washing hands before meal times have been aired on the 7 pm news bulletin of
the local Samaa TV for several weeks.
A handwashing-with-soap exhibition in the capital
of Tajikistan, Dushanbe, will display schoolchildren’s drawings, essays and
photos dedicated to handwashing with soap.
The President of Madagascar will join the
country’s 3.5 million schoolchildren in handwashing with soap at noon. In
South Africa, about 900,000 people will receive text messages reminding them
to take out the soap. And the King of Cambodia will honour a high-level
handwashing event, and schoolchildren in every classroom in the country will
wash their hands with soap.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
SECURITY COUNCIL TO TAKE UP GUINEA-BISSAU AND SUDAN
SANCTIONS: At 4:00 this afternoon, the
Security Council
intends to hold two formal meetings. The Council will consider adoption of a
Presidential Statement on Guinea-Bissau, and it will also vote on a draft
resolution concerning a one-year extension of the Panel of Experts dealing with
sanctions on Sudan.
RICH COUNTRIES MUST KEEP COMMITMENTS MADE TO
DEVELOPING WORLD: Asked about the
Secretary-General’s concerns that commitments made to Africa may not be
implemented, the Spokeswoman said that he had made his concerns clear in his
recent statement,
in which he urged countries to stand by the commitments that they had made to
the developing world.
HUMANITARIAN NEEDS FOR DROUGHT-HIT
ETHIOPIA REVISED UPWARD: The United Nations, in conjunction with the
Government of Ethiopia, has
revised upward the financial requirements for humanitarian aid to Ethiopia.
Some $266 million is now required over the next three months for urgent
assistance to 6.4 million people in drought-stricken regions of Ethiopia.
***The guest at today’s noon briefing was Joel
Boutroue, the UN’s Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Haiti.
Office of the
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