MARTIN
NESIRKY

SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

 UN
HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

 

Monday, February 22, 2009

 

UN
MISSION IN AFGHANISTAN URGES WARRING PARTIES TO AVOID CIVILIAN CASUALTIES

• Robert Watkins, the Secretary-General’s Deputy
  Special Representative for Afghanistan, said in a statement that he was
  deeply saddened at the report of the terrible loss of civilian life on
  Sunday in southern Afghanistan. According to Afghan Government reports,
  at least 27 civilians, including women and children, were killed and
  numerous others wounded during aerial operations of the international
  military forces, in which vehicles traveling in Uruzgan province were
  fired upon.
   

• Watkins reiterated the request by the
  
  UN Mission in Afghanistan for all parties to the conflict to do
  their utmost to avoid civilian casualties. And he appreciated the
  apology from the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)
  regarding the loss of life in Uruzgan, but he stressed that the measures
  that the Force has in place on the use of lethal force must be fully
  implemented at all times and under all circumstances.
   

• Asked about
  Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s position on the air strike, the
  Spokesperson said that the Secretary-General is aware of what had
  happened and shares Watkins’ concerns.
   

• Asked about a leaked
  internal UN memo concerning, among other things, problems in staffing
  the UN Mission in Afghanistan, the Spokesperson recalled that the
  Secretary-General has expressed his concerns about the slow pace of
  recruitment for UNAMA. He wants the UN posts in that country to be
  filled as soon as possible.

 

 CYPRIOT
LEADERS HAVE ASSURED SECRETARY-GENERAL OF COMMITMENT TO FINDING A SOLUTION

• Asked why the
  Secretary-General believes in prospects for settling the Cyprus dispute,
  the Spokesperson said that the Secretary-General recently met both
  leaders in Cyprus and has since called each of them by phone. The
  Cypriot leaders reiterated to him their commitment to finding a solution
  and to continuing negotiations. Nesirky said that the leaders don’t
  intend to place their foot off the accelerator.
   

• Asked about reported
  criticism of the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus,
  Alexander Downer, Nesirky said that Downer is doing a tough job
  extremely well and has earned the confidence of both the Turkish Cypriot
  and the Greek Cypriot leadership. Downer, he said, has the
  Secretary-General’s full confidence.

 

MIDDLE EAST
COORDINATOR IS CONCERNED AT ISRAELI PLANS TO REHABILITATE HOLY SITES

• Robert Serry, the
  
  UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said he is
  concerned at the announcement of the Israeli Government regarding holy
  sites in Hebron and Bethlehem and the heightened tensions that have
  resulted.
   

• Serry said that the sites
  are in occupied Palestinian territory and are of historical and
  religious significance not only to Judaism but also to Islam and
  Christianity.
   

• He urges Israel not to
  take any steps on the ground which undermine trust or could prejudice
  negotiations, the resumption of which should be the highest shared
  priority of all who seek peace. Serry also called for restraint and
  calm.

 

IRAQ ENVOY
WELCOMES SIGNING OF ELECTORAL CODE OF CONDUCT 

• Ad Melkert, the Secretary-General’s Special
  Representative for
  
  Iraq, yesterday welcomed the signature of an electoral Code of
  Conduct by representatives of the country’s main political blocs. He
  encourages all parties and candidates who have not done so to join the
  initiative.
   

• Melkert said that it is essential that all
  candidates and communities be given equal opportunities and treated with
  respect and dignity in every stage of the electoral process. He stressed
  the importance of allowing people to vote free from pressure,
  intimidation, violence or libel.

 

UNITED NATIONS, REGIONAL
BLOCS COMPLETE JOINT VISIT TO NIGER 

• On 21 February, the Special Representative of the
  Secretary-General for West Africa, Said Djinnit, participated in a joint
  ECOWAS, AU and United Nations mission to Niamey to assess the situation
  on the ground.
   

• The mission met with the junta leaders who
  reaffirmed their commitment to organize elections and return the country
  to constitutional order.
   

• The United Nations is working closely with its
  partners, including ECOWAS and the African Union, as part of our joint
  efforts to help resolve the crisis in that country.
   

• Asked about the political
  situation in Nigeria, the Spokesperson said that the Secretary-General
  is aware that the country has an Acting President, which will help to
  provide greater clarity and stability, and that the Acting President is
  also the President of the Economic Community of West African States
  (ECOWAS), with which the United Nations interacts.

 

COTE
D’IVOIRE: U.N. ENVOY TO MEET WITH CRISIS MEDIATOR

 

• In
  
  Côte d’Ivoire, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Choi
  Young-Jin, will be meeting with the Facilitator of the Ivorian peace
  process, President Blaise Compaoré of Burkina Faso, later today. We will
  keep you updated on the details of that meeting as soon as they are
  available.
   

• The Facilitator traveled today to Abidjan, where he
  will chair a meeting of the Permanent Consultative Framework --
  comprising President Gbagbo, Prime Minister Soro, and the leaders of the
  Ivorian opposition. This meeting is a follow-up to the talks held in
  Ouagadougou on Sunday between the Facilitator and the leaders of the
  Ivorian opposition.

 

PHILANTHROPIC COMMUNITY IS URGED TO DO MORE TO
BOOST GENDER EQUALITY

• The Secretary-General will this afternoon be
  addressing a special event where he’ll call on the philanthropic
  community to do more to target women with its aid programmes.
   

• In his speech to the event – entitled
  “Engaging Philanthropy to Promote Gender Equality and Women’s
  Empowerment” – he’s expected to tell the audience that its engagement is
  already helping to transform the lives of women and societies – but full
  empowerment requires more progress in two key areas: expanding economic
  opportunity and ending violence against women.
   

• The special event, organized by the Department
  of Economic and Social Affairs and the United Nations Development Fund
  for Women, aims to raise awareness among the philanthropic community on
  the progress made and the challenges faced in the achievement of
  Millennium Development Goal 3 – to promote gender equality and empower
  women.

 

SECRETARY-GENERAL PROPOSES OPERATIONAL ADJUSTMENTS IN LEBANON PEACEKEEPING
MISSION 

• The Secretary-General, in a
  
  letter to the Security Council, noted the results of a review by the
  Department of Peacekeeping Operations to assess the operational
  effectiveness of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
   

• The review proposes certain adjustments to the
  force structure, assets and requirements of UNIFIL that are intended to
  strengthen its operational capacity and effectiveness within its area of
  operations. The intention is to create a more task-oriented and mobile
  posture for the Force, including through the provision of a Force
  reserve.
   

• The Secretary-General also emphasized in the letter
  that the UN Force cannot sustain its current deployment, assets and
  resources indefinitely.

 

MORE SOMALI
CIVILIANS FLEE VIOLENCE, INTO ETHIOPIA 

• The UN refugee agency, (UNHCR),
  
  reports that an influx of Somali asylum seekers, fleeing fighting
  from central and southern Somalia into neighbouring Ethiopia has led to
  the opening of a second refugee camp within Ethiopia’s Somali Region to
  accommodate them. 
   

• Relocation to the new camp, Melkadida, started on
  12 February 2010 with a group of 247 Somali refugees.
   

• The refugees were provided with food, tarpaulins,
  blankets, kitchen sets, jerry cans and mosquito nets on arrival at the
  new camp.  Already, an estimated 60,000 Somali refugees are currently
  hosted in four camps in Ethiopia’s Somali Region.
   

• UNHCR reports that on average, 200 Somali asylum
  seekers arrive in Ethiopia each day seeking humanitarian assistance from
  the government and humanitarian partners.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

SECRETARY-GENERAL TO MEET ARGENTINE FOREIGN
MINISTER TUESDAY: Asked when the
Secretary-General would meet the Foreign Minister of Argentina, the
Spokesperson later confirmed that a meeting has been scheduled for
Wednesday. He noted that a number of resolutions had been passed concerning
the dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom and the
Secretary-General based his stance on adherence to those resolutions.
 

U.N CAFETARIA REOPENS:
In response to questions, the Spokesperson said that the UN Headquarters
cafeteria was closed on Thursday afternoon and Friday after a suspicious
substance was found there. Since then, an on-site test found the substance
to be harmless. Following New York City Department of Health regulations,
the area has been cleaned to specifications. The Cafeteria re-opened this
morning, Nesirky noted.