Noon briefing of 17 February 2011

BAN KI-MOON: PEOPLE IN MIDDLE EAST, NORTH AFRICA ARE VOICING LEGITIMATE ASPIRATIONS

• The Secretary-General spoke this morning about the latest developments in North Africa and the Middle East, in which, he said, people are standing up to voice their legitimate aspirations.
  

• He said that the reports from Bahrain overnight are deeply troubling. Here as elsewhere, violence should not be used against peaceful demonstrators and against journalists. It must stop. Those responsible must be brought to justice. He added that there should be no violence from any quarter and urged all parties to exercise restraint.
  

• Speaking about Egypt, the Secretary-General welcomed the public commitments that have been made to the holding of free and transparent elections and the enactment of measures to enable them - all as part of a transition to democratic, civilian rule. Those commitments must be fulfilled, with no turning back, he said.
  

• The United Nations not only stands ready to help, but we are actively preparing to provide any assistance that may be requested.
  

• Asked about UN assistance, the Spokesperson noted that the Secretary-General said that the United Nations is actively prepared to provide assistance, including technical support for elections, if it is requested to do so.
  

• Asked about specific UN activities, the Spokesperson cited, most recently, the visit by a human rights team to look at the situation in Tunisia.
  

• Nesirky noted that the Secretary-General had provided an assessment of the situation in Egypt and elsewhere when he briefed the Security Council upon his return from his recent travels.
  

• Asked about the role of UN agencies, funds and programmes, Nesirky said that they are already on the ground and their role as matters develop in the region will be closely coordinated.

BAN KI-MOON URGES FULL COOPERATION WITH AFRICAN UNION HIGH LEVEL PANEL ON COTE D’IVOIRE

• The Secretary-General attaches great importance to the forthcoming mission to Côte d'Ivoire by the five-member High Level Panel established by the African Union's Peace and Security Council to facilitate a peaceful solution to the post-elections crisis in Côte d'Ivoire. The Secretary-General urges all Ivorian parties to extend their full cooperation to the High Level Panel and to create a political and security environment conducive to the success of the Panel's efforts.
  

• The Secretary-General is concerned about the continuing violence and the planned demonstrations which could increase tensions and undermine the prospects for an early and peaceful end to the crisis. He calls for an immediate end to the acts of violence against the civilian population and for restraint in the planned demonstrations. He also calls for an end to the obstruction of the operations of the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI), and the removal of the siege on the Golf Hotel.
  

• He urges all Ivorians to exercise patience and restraint and to give the ongoing efforts a chance to find a solution that is peaceful and respects their will, as expressed through the run-off presidential election of 28 November 2010.

COTE D’IVOIRE: WEST AFRICAN NATIONS OFFER NEW TROOPS TO PEACEKEEPING MISSION

• The UN Mission in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI) says that three countries, two of which are in West Africa, have offered to send troops to reinforce the Mission.
  

• UNOCI says that negotiations with the concerned countries are well advanced. Discussions with other countries are also ongoing.
  

• Regarding the three helicopters to be deployed in UNOCI, which are currently in Liberia, they should be deployed once a logistics package has been put in place to sustain them.
  

• And concerning the human rights situation in Côte d’Ivoire, the Mission says that it has recorded four new cases of summary killings in Ndotré, Yopougon Niangon and Adjamé Gare Ran. To date, UNOCI confirms at least 300 deaths in connection with the violence since mid-December 2010.

CYPRIOT LEADERS HAVE ADVANCED IN TALKS ON ECONOMY AND EUROPEAN UNION MATTERS

• The Cypriot leaders met in the UN Protected Area in Nicosia for about two hours today.
  

• Speaking to reporters afterward, Lisa Buttenheim, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Cyprus, said that the progress achieved in the last two meetings of the Representatives on economy and European Union matters has been confirmed by the leaders.
  

• She added that the next meeting between the leaders will take place on Friday, 25 February. Before that, the Representatives will meet tomorrow, and then on 21 and 23 February. The Representatives will continue discussions on the economy, EU matters, and governance and power sharing.

KOSOVO: U.N MISSION TOOK ALL PROPER STEPS HANDLING ORGAN TRAFFICKING ALLEGATIONS

• The Spokesperson said, in response to an earlier question, that the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) has made clear that, when it first heard about allegations of human organ trafficking, it referred the matter to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia. In late 2008 and early 2009, UNMIK transferred all pertinent files to the incoming European Union Rule of Law Mission to Kosovo (EULEX).
  

• The United Nations Mission in Kosovo remains ready to provide its full support to any further eventual investigations into the allegations that may be conducted in the future.

ON VISIT TO RUSSIA, U.N. RIGHTS CHIEF HOLDS TALKS WITH PRESIDENT, OTHER OFFICIALS

MIGRANTS’ REMITTANCES A GROWING SOURCE OF INCOME FOR POOR NATIONS

• Money sent home by economic migrants working in foreign countries exceeded $300 billion in 2010, the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said in a press release today. UNCTAD calls for better management of this growing income, so as to do the most good for recipient families and the economies of poor nations.
  

• The UNCTAD Deputy Secretary-General, Petko Draganov, made these recommendations at a Geneva meeting of member states, international organizations and various UN agencies. Participants at the meeting also agreed that remittances are now a major economic force, and must be better understood and harnessed for development.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

SECURITY COUNCIL HOLDS CONSULTATIONS ON PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS: The Security Council this morning heard briefings from Alain Le Roy and Susana Malcorra, the Under-Secretaries-General for Peacekeeping Operations and for Field Support, in closed consultations. They are focusing on the issue of national consent in host countries that have peacekeeping missions.

FLOTILLA PANEL TO DECIDE ON REPORT RELEASE IN CONSULTATION WITH SECRETARY-GENERAL: Asked what will be released by the high-level panel looking into the 31 May 2010 flotilla incident, the Spokesperson said that the panel, in consultation with the Secretary-General, would decide what information is put out once they have completed their work.

*Valerie Amos, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, was the guest at the Noon Briefing.