HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING

 

SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES CONCLUSION OF U.S/RUSSIA TALKS ON STRATEGIC OFFENSIVE ARMS REDUCTION

I welcome the conclusion of negotiations between the Russian Federation and the United States of America on a successor agreement to the Treaty on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (START). 

It is an important milestone for the international efforts to advance nuclear disarmament and to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons.  I congratulate President Medvedev and President Obama on this accomplishment and commend their leadership. 

I believe that this achievement will add a significant impetus to the upcoming Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. I hope that this new treaty can be ratified without delay so as to allow its expeditious implementation. 

I further hope that the Russian Federation and the United States will continue their efforts in the pursuit of additional measures to reduce and eliminate all nuclear weapons.  I encourage other nuclear-weapon States to follow suit.

 

SECRETARY-GENERAL TO MEET KEY PLAYERS AT ARAB LEAGUE SUMMIT IN LIBYA THIS WEEKEND

The Secretary-General has arrived in Sirte, Libya, where he will participate in the summit of the League of Arab States.

As he told you earlier this week, while he is in Sirte, the Secretary-General will meet with Arab leaders to encourage and facilitate their support for proximity talks between the Israelis and Palestinians.

Tonight, he expects to meet with the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Amr Moussa, and with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

On Saturday, he will address the leaders gathered for the summit, and will discuss, among other things, his recent visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory and last week’s meeting of the Quartet in Moscow.

 

U.N. ENVOY TO IRAQ WELCOMES ELECTION RESULTS

The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, Ad Melkert, has welcomed the results of Iraq’s elections.

“Whether winning or losing, participation in the elections has been a collective victory,” Melkert said in a statement. “It is the UN’s considered opinion that these elections have been credible and we congratulate the people of Iraq with this success.”

He added that the conclusion is that the overall electoral process, including the adoption of the election law, the campaign, polling day and count has met reasonable demands and standards, with errors and doubts remaining within normal margins. He also called on all candidates and entities to accept the result and to assume responsibility to lead Iraq to the next stage of democracy, stability and prosperity for all. Whether winning or losing, participation in the elections has been a collective victory.

The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq has provided support and advice on an impartial basis throughout the electoral process.

 

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL ENDS 13th SESSION WITH ADOPTION OF 29 RESOLUTIONS

The 13th session of the Human Rights Council ended today in Geneva.

The Council's President, Mr. Alex Van Meeuwen, spoke to the press afterwards and highlighted the constructive spirit which led to the adoption of 29 resolutions during the session.

Of those 29 resolutions, a majority of them – 20 – were adopted by consensus.

A total of 18 special rapporteurs, independent experts and other mandate-holders presented their reports and engaged with the Council on a wide range of issues, either thematic – like torture, freedom of religion and belief, right to food – or related to a specific country.

More than 220 non-government organizations and national human rights institutions participated to the session with statements and side-events.

 

WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME PREPARES LONG-TERM AID PLAN FOR HAITIANS

According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), some 200 families have moved into the first transitional site, Santo 17, set up for the relocation of populations in sites prioritized for decongestion.

And to date, over 74 per cent of the 1.3 million people in need of shelter in Haiti have received emergency materials.

The World Food Programme is now working with the government and other partners to support a longer term food strategy which focuses on investing in Haiti’s human capital, boosting local agricultural production, supporting local markets and providing safety nets for the most vulnerable. WFP is also preparing for the hurricane season, by prepositioning food, trucks and other supplies in various regions.

Finally, concerning child protection and gender-based violence, six settlement sites are patrolled, evaluated and monitored to prevent incidents. The UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), together with the Haitian National Police, has also increased its patrols in camps.

Asked what is being done to provide shelter-less Haitians with protection from torrential rains and potential mudslides due to the hurricane season, the Spokesperson said that the United Nations is working with the Haitian government and others to try to ensure as much as possible is done, as quickly as possible, to help the people.

But, he added, nobody in the UN and broader aid community believes it is possible to have everyone in robust shelter on time.

“It is just not physically possible, however much all those people working on the ground and all those people who would like to receive that kind of assistance would like that to be the case,” Nesirky said. He added that within camps that will be moved and other locations, robust timber structures will be built in which people in nearby tents can seek refuge.

“No one is saying that that’s dieal – but it’s certainly the aim to try to do that as quickly as possible to have it in place in time for the hurricane season,” Nesirky said.

Asked how many people would benefit from these structures, the Spokesperson noted that the acting Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Haiti, Edmond Mulet, would be the guest at the Spokesperson’s Noon Briefing on Monday, along with UN Development Programme Administrator Helen Clark, and would have the latest information.

In relation to 200 families having already been moved to relocation camps, the Spokesperson was asked who decided on which people are moved and what criteria are used. He said that the prioritizing is being done by the housing cluster – the grouping of various aid agencies and relevant UN agencies dealing with housing issues – in consultation with the Haitian authorities.

He added that the UN and its agencies on the ground are always striving to be even-handed and strictly adhere to the guidelines, and if the priority was to help the most vulnerable, then that will be the focus.

 

SECRETARY-GENERAL HAS BEEN CLEAR ON ISRAELI SETTLEMENTS ISSUE

Asked if the United Nations would recommend the imposition of sanctions on Israel to the international community, in an effort to have it desist from building illegal settlements, the Spokesperson said the Secretary-General has been very clear in his remarks on the nature of settlements and how the international community regards those – but any further actions, such as the imposition of sanctions, would be a matter for the Security Council to decide on.

In reference to the Secretary-General encouraging Palestinian leaders to take part in proximity talks with Israel, the Spokesperson was asked if the Secretary-General would recommend any further reaction from the United Nations in order to have Israel change its position. In response, Nesirky said that the Secretary-General has repeatedly said that the talks come at a crucial time and are not an end in themselves.

“They are a route, a path, to direct negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians on all the topics that those talks need to cover,” Nesirky said, adding that the Secretary-General has said that has appealed repeatedly calm.

 

 

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

NUCLEAR THREAT COMMENTS NOT HELPFUL FOR KOREAN TENSIONS: Asked if the Secretary-General had any response to reports that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea had threatened the use of nuclear weapons on South Korea and the United States, the Spokesperson noted that such comments are not new. “I think the key point is to look beyond the rhetoric and simply to re-state that increased rhetoric does not help in trying to solve the tensions that there are on the Korean peninsula,” Nesirky said.

 

POSTPONED ELECTIONS IN SUDAN NOT SEEN AS EASIER AT A LATER DATE: Asked about comments made by the Secretary-General, in a recently published interview, that he did not favour a postponement of the elections in Sudan, despite calls to the contrary by some opposition groups and others, the Spokesperson noted that there are considerable technical challenges to setting up the elections and the Secretary-General’s comments were to the effect that if there was a postponement, it would not mean it would be any easier to have the elections at a later date.

 

U.N. WOULD FOLLOW UP ON DENIAL OF VISA FOR STAFF MEMBER: Asked about a claim that a Lebanese security officer on the Secretary-General’s personal security detail was denied a visa to accompany him to Libya, the Spokesperson said that if it was true, the United Nations would raise the matter officially and put its disagreement on the record.

 

SERIOUS CONCERN OVER IRAN’S NUCLEAR PROGRAMME: Asked about the Secretary-General’s references to Iran’s nuclear programme and Israel’s nuclear programme, the Spokesperson noted that the Secretary-General has said that there are wider dynamics at work in the region, not only involving Israelis and Palestinians, and they include serious concern on the part of the Secretary-General and many others on the nature of Iran’s nuclear programme and the desire of the international community to have Iran satisfactorily explain to the international community and the International Atomic Energy Agency the peaceful nature of its nuclear programme.

 

WORK OF BHUTTO COMMISSION PROGRESSING ON TIME: Asked if the work of the Commission of Inquiry – the independent UN commission charged with examining the facts and circumstances behind the December 2007 assassination of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto – is progressing on time and whether the Commission’s head, Ambassador Heraldo Muñoz of Chile, could brief the press once the Commission’s report is released, the Spokesperson said its work is on time with the submission of its report on schedule, and that he was seeking Ambassador Munoz’s participation in a press briefing at the appropriate time.

 

U.N. UNIVERSITY PART OF U.N. SYSTEM; ENJOYS ACADEMIC FREEDOM:

Asked about the relationship between the UN University (UNU) and the United Nations and the holding of UNU events at UN Headquarters, the Spokesperson later responded that UNU is part of the UN system and enjoys academic freedom, with a goal of encouraging open conversation on issues.

 

WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME HAS SPOKEN OUT ON EAST AFRICA OPERATIONS: Asked about if the Secretary-General would take any action following a magazine report which was critical of the  World Food Programme’s (WFP) work in Ethiopia, claiming that only 12 per cent of the food aid to the Ogaden region reached the people it was intended for, the Spokesperson said that the WFP has its own management structure and has been clear and vocal on recent news reports about its work in eastern Africa. 

 

 

**Anthony Ohemeng-Boamah, the newly appointed Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Guinea, was the guest at the Spokesperson’s Noon Briefing today.**

 

 

 

 

WEEK AHEAD

 

Monday, 29 March

At 12:00 p.m., the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, Helen Clark, and Edmond Mulet, Acting Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, will brief correspondents on the situation in Haiti. This will take place at the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium at UN Headquarters.

 

Tuesday, 30 March

At 12:00 p.m., the Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Niger, Khardiata Lo N'diaye, will be the guest at the Spokesperson’s Noon Briefing. This will take place at the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium at UN Headquarters.

 

Wednesday, 31 March

The International Donor’s Conference on Building Haiti’s Future will take place at UN Headquarters in New York. The conference will start at 9:00 a.m. with opening remarks by the Secretary-General and the US Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton. 

 

At 10:00 a.m., there will be a press conference by the United Nations Office for Partnerships about a joint initiative in support of farmers in Haiti. This will take place at the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium at UN Headquarters.

 

At 11:30 a.m., there will be a press conference by Lady Catherine Ashton, High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy in the margins of the International Donor’s Conference on Building Haiti’s Future. Andris Piebalgs, EU Commissioner for Development, and Kristalina Georgieva, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, will also participate. This will take place at the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium at UN Headquarters.

 

At 12:30 p.m., Mr. Dominique Strauss-Khan, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, will give a press conference in the margins of the International Donor’s Conference on Building Haiti’s Future. This will take place at the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium at UN Headquarters.

 

At 2:00 p.m., Mr. Bernard Kouchner, Foreign Minister of France, will give a press conference in the margins of the International Donor’s Conference on Building Haiti’s Future. This will take place at the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium at UN Headquarters.

 

At 3:30 p.m., Mr. Kodama, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, will give a press conference in the margins of the International Donor’s Conference on Building Haiti’s Future. This will take place at the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium at UN Headquarters.

 

At 4:30 p.m., Mr. Lawrence Cannon, Foreign Minister of Canada, will give a press conference in the margins of the International Donor’s Conference on Building Haiti’s Future. This will take place at the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium at UN Headquarters.

 

At 5:00 p.m., the Secretary-General will hold a press conference in relation to the International Donor’s Conference on Building Haiti’s Future. This will take place at the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium at UN Headquarters.

 

Friday, 2 April

UN Headquarters in New York will be closed for Good Friday.