MYANMAR POLLS INSUFFICIENTLY INCLUSIVE, PARTICIPATORY AND
TRANSPARENT, SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS

• The Secretary-General has been
  
  following with great attention the elections held in Myanmar
  yesterday. The voting was held in conditions that were insufficiently
  inclusive, participatory and transparent.
   

• The Secretary-General believes
  the Myanmar authorities now have a responsibility to turn the conclusion
  of the first election in twenty years into a new beginning for the
  country and its people. Consistent with their commitments, the
  authorities must demonstrate that the ballot is part of a credible
  transition towards democratic government, national reconciliation and
  respect for human rights.
   

• The Secretary-General therefore
  urges the Myanmar authorities to release all remaining political
  prisoners and lift restrictions on Daw Aung San Suu Kyi without further
  delay so that they can freely participate in the political life of their
  country. He also urges the Myanmar authorities to ensure that the
  process of forming new institutions of government is as broad-based and
  inclusive as possible, and calls for renewed dialogue among all
  stakeholders in this regard as part of any process of national
  reconciliation.
   

• The international community will
  look to the Myanmar authorities to provide greater assurances that the
  current process marks a genuine departure from the status quo. The
  Secretary-General reaffirms the United Nations’ commitment to work with
  the Government and people of Myanmar to help them achieve such a
  transformation.
   

• The Secretary-General is
  concerned, meanwhile, about reports of outbreaks of fighting in some
  areas and urges all sides to refrain from any action that could raise
  tensions further or create instability at this sensitive time.
   

• Asked about UN expectations
  following the elections, the Spokesperson said that the post-election
  process is important, including that of forming new institutions of
  government.
   

• The Secretary-General, he said,
  believes the Myanmar authorities now have a responsibility to
  demonstrate that the ballot is part of a credible transition towards
  democratic government, national reconciliation and respect for human
  rights, to which all parties and citizens can contribute.
   

• Asked whether a Commission of
  Inquiry is needed for Myanmar, Nesirky said that the idea came from a
  proposal by the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in
  Myanmar to the Human Rights Council. This is part of an independent
  process for Member States to consider.
   

• Asked whether the United Nations
  had participated in electoral observation on Sunday, the Spokesperson
  said it did not participate in the tour. The invitation was not
  understood as an observation exercise, which would require that certain
  conditions be in place.
   

• Asked about reported violence,
  Nesirky said that, although the United Nations is not in a position to
  verify reports of fighting, any acts of intimidation or violence or
  excessive security measures would naturally be a source of great concern
  to the UN. 

 

WESTERN SAHARA: U.N. REGRETS CASUALTIES AS LATEST ROUND
OF TALKS BEGINS

• This morning in
  
  Western Sahara, Moroccan security forces engaged in an operation to
  close the camp established by Saharaoui protesters outside the city of
  Laayoune a month ago.
   

• The information available to
  date as to the reasons for this operation, the level of force employed,
  the reaction of those in the camp, and the number of casualties among
  the protesters and security forces is sketchy and contradictory; but by
  all accounts, and to our profound regret, there are a number of dead and
  wounded. United Nations personnel in Western Sahara are attempting to
  gain a more complete picture of the facts.
   

• The third round of informal
  talks between Morocco and the Frente Polisario on the future status of
  Western Sahara opened this morning on Long Island. It is highly
  unfortunate that this operation and the events preceding and following
  it have affected the atmosphere in which these talks are being held.  We
  call on all parties involved to exercise the utmost restraint in the
  hours and days to come.

 

U.N. ENVOY WELCOMES PEACEFUL SECOND ROUND OF PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTIONS IN GUINEA

• Said
  Djinnit, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for
  
  West Africa, has welcomed the peaceful holding on Sunday of the
  second round of presidential election in Guinea.
   

• Djinnit
  said that, by voting in huge numbers, the people of Guinea have
  demonstrated their deep commitment to democracy and their willingness to
  restore constitutional order ion the country. He calls on them to remain
  calm before and after the results have been officially released.
   

• He also
  encourages the two candidates to remain committed to the Protocol that
  they signed in Ouagadougou in September and to their joint statement of
  last week.

 

U.N. OFFICIAL DISCUSSES LATEST REPORT ON RESOLUTION 1701
WITH LEBANESE MINISTER

• The
  
  UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Michael Williams, met today with
  Lebanon’s Minister of State for Administrative Reform, Mohammad Fneish,
  to discuss the latest report on resolution 1701. Williams welcomed the
  commitment of all parties to resolution 1701.
   

• Williams said afterward that the
  talks today also touched on the domestic situation in Lebanon, in light
  of the recent tension.  He expressed to Minister Fneish the concerns of
  the United Nations about the possibility of escalation and stressed the
  importance of maintaining all channels of communication and dialogue
   

• Asked about the possibility of
  an agreement on Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, the Spokesperson noted
  that the Secretary-General would meet with Israeli Prime Minister
  Benjamin Netanyahu later today.
   

• Ghajar, he said, has been a
  long-standing issue. We have been actively engaged with both the parties
  on the basis of
  
  UNIFIL’s proposal to facilitate the Israel Defense Force’s
  withdrawal from the area. In an effort to advance the process of
  withdrawal, UNIFIL has recently suggested some ideas and modalities for
  consideration by the parties.

 

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL KICKS OFF THREE-NATION TRIP TO
ASIA, AFRICA

• The Deputy Secretary-General,
  Asha-Rose Migiro, begins a three nation visit today to Asia and Africa.
   

• The Deputy Secretary-General
  will first visit Vientiane, in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, on
  8 and 9 November 2010, to represent the Secretary-General at the First
  Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions. The
  gathering will discuss a number of important issues with respect to its
  operation and implementation. This new humanitarian and disarmament
  convention bans the production, storage, use, and transfers of cluster
  munitions.
   

• On 11-12 November, the Deputy
  Secretary-General will visit Beirut, Lebanon, where she will chair the
  14th Regional Coordination Mechanism for the Arab States. She will hold
  bilateral meetings with Government Officials, as well as with UN staff
  based in the region.
   

• And on 14-15 November, the
  Deputy Secretary-General will travel to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to chair
  the 11th Session of the Regional Coordination Mechanism of UN agencies
  and organizations working in Africa in support of the African Union and
  its New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). She will meet with
  Government Officials, representatives of the African Union, and United
  Nations staff based in Addis Ababa. The Deputy Secretary-General will
  return to New York on 16 November.

 

U.N. HUMANITARIAN CHIEF VISITS DARFUR

• On the fifth day of her six-day
  visit to Sudan, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and
  Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC)
  
  Valerie Amos continued her itinerary in Darfur and returned to
  Khartoum.
   

• Ms. Amos focused her field visit
  today on the issues of displacement and returns. In a transit center in
  Nyala, she held discussions with displaced families who chose to return
  to their villages of origin in neighbouring West Darfur.

 

CYPRIOT LEADERS DISCUSS PROPERTY, UPCOMING MEETING WITH
SECRETARY-GENERAL

• The Cypriot leaders met under UN
  auspices in Nicosia today on the ongoing issue of property. They also
  discussed their upcoming meeting with the Secretary-General on 18
  November in New York.
   

• Alexander Downer, the
  Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on
  
  Cyprus, voiced hope that the meeting will inject further momentum
  into the process.

 

NEW DONATION HELPS U.N. PROVIDE FOOD AID FOR PAKISTAN

• Currently, the UN Floods Relief
  and Early Recovery Response Plan for Pakistan, which amounts to $1.93
  billion, is only 40 per cent funded.
   

• However,
  the World Food Programme (WFP)
  welcomed a $90 million donation from the United States today, which is
  among the recent donations that can help to stave off ration cuts to an
  already debilitated population. It will be used to provide vital food
  assistance to more than 7 million Pakistanis affected by the recent
  devastating floods. WFP said that the cash segment of the donation will
  be used to purchase food locally inside Pakistan, supporting farmers and
  the Pakistani economy.
   

• WFP
  Executive Director Josette Sheeran said, “This donation comes at a
  critical time as WFP is transitioning from emergency food distributions,
  towards helping communities rebuild the lives they lost before the
  floods.”

 

U.N. MISSION IN HAITI WORKING TO CONTAIN CHOLERA OUTBREAK

• Asked about the cholera outbreak
  in Haiti, the Spokesperson said that the UN Stabilization Mission in
  Haiti (MINUSTAH)
  is working with the Haitian Government to contain and fight the disease.
   

• The UN Mission in Haiti
  continues to constantly test its installations in the interest of
  protecting Haitian people and its own personnel, he added. The United
  Nations is committed to acting quickly, with complete transparency, and
  in close coordination with the Government in all efforts to fight this
  epidemic and other issues in Haiti.
   

• Asked about recent cholera
  tests, he said that the tests that were done on samples of water from
  the Mirebalais camps proved negative.

 

***The guest at the noon briefing today was Radhika Coomaraswamy,
Special Representative of the
Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.