ARCHIVES
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESPERSON’S NOON BRIEFING
BY FARHAN HAQ, ACTING DEPUTY
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
THURSDAY, 7 JULY 2011
CYPRIOT LEADERS ACCEPT SECRETARY-GENERAL’S OFFER
OF ENHANCED U.N. INVOLVEMENT IN NEGOTIATIONS
- The Secretary-General held his third meeting with
the Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu today in Geneva. He said
afterward that the meeting was useful and productive. Some of the
difficulties standing in the way of reaching a comprehensive agreement
were identified, and both leaders made it clear that they are aiming to
reach a comprehensive solution as soon as possible.
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- The Secretary-General stated to Mr. Christofias and Mr. Eroglu
that, while he agrees that the negotiations must be Cypriot-led and
Cypriot-owned, he is prepared to offer an enhanced United Nations
involvement, without prejudice to this central principle. Both leaders
have accepted his offer.
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- The leaders have agreed to enter into an
intensive period of negotiations on the core issues when they return to
the island, the Secretary-General added. He said that he has every
expectation that by October, the leaders will be able to report that they
have reached convergence on all core issues, and they will meet the
Secretary-General that month in New
York.
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- The Secretary-General also launched the 2011
Millennium Development Goals Report today. He said the report
paints a mixed picture, warning that progress has been uneven, with the
poorest of the poor being left behind.
MOST KEY ELEMENTS OF SUDAN PEACE PACT IMPLEMENTED, SAYS
U.N. ENVOY
- Haile Menkerios, the head of
the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS),
spoke to the press on Thursday and said that, in two days’ time, the
Comprehensive Peace Agreement Interim Period will come to a close. Most of
the key benchmarks of that Agreement have been implemented, he said, while
noting the remaining problems in Abyei.
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- Mr. Menkerios added
that a new conflict has started in early June in Southern
Kordofan with extremely worrying
consequences for the civilian population. He once more urged the
Government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement North to
display the same leadership that allowed the end of the North-South war,
to rapidly end this new confrontation, cease hostilities and resolve all
pending disputes through dialogue.
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- As in the past, he said, the United Nations
stands ready to assist the parties in resolving their differences and
implementing new agreements.
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- In response to questions about the violence in Southern Kordofan, the
Spokesperson noted that the Secretary-General, in a recent statement, had expressed his
disappointment that the parties to the conflict in Southern Kordofan State, Sudan, have not yet agreed to a
cessation of hostilities.
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- The Secretary-General called on the parties to
immediately cease hostilities, ensure the protection of civilians and
provide all support necessary for the delivery of humanitarian assistance
to those in need.
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- The Secretary-General offered the continued
support of the United Nations to the Government of Sudan and all
stakeholders toward resolving the conflict, implementing a cease-fire, and
facilitating the provision of humanitarian assistance to those in need.
REPORT
OF PANEL OF INQUIRY ON FLOTILLA INCIDENT EXPECTED IN THE COMING DAYS
- Asked about the report of the Panel of
Inquiry on the 31 May 2010 Flotilla Incident, the Spokesperson said that
the Panel has indicated that it intends to submit the report to the
Secretary-General in the coming days.
He added that he was not in a position to confirm any specific date
at this stage.
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- Asked whether the report would be
transmitted or made public at that time, the Spokesperson said that the
Secretary-General will decide on his next steps after he receives the
report.
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- Asked about delays in the report’s
scheduled completion, Haq noted that the
Secretary-General hopes the Panel will continue its work in a constructive
manner until the completion of its activities.
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- Asked about the Secretary-General’s stance
on a recent proposed flotilla, the Spokesperson reiterated the
Secretary-General’s concerns about any actions that could raise tensions
in the region. He has emphasized the importance of using the established
land routes to get aid into Gaza, and the
Secretary-General has pushed to ensure that aid and normal commercial
traffic can get into Gaza.
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- Asked about comments attributed to UN
Special Rapporteur Olivier de Schutter about the report, the Spokesperson noted that
Mr. de Schutter’s office had clarified that,
contrary to an erroneous report by one media outlet, he has not made any
public statement on a draft of a report under preparation by the United
Nations Panel of Inquiry on the flotilla incident of 31 May 2010. Mr. de Schutter will make his views known in due course.
U.N. RELIEF CHIEF DISCUSSES HUMANITARIAN
COOPERATION WITH NIGERIAN OFFICIALS
- Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian
Affairs Valerie Amos discussed
how to enhance the cooperation between the Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and Nigeria in
the country’s capital on Wednesday.
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- She voiced hope that the partnership can be
strengthened to ensure that Nigeria is even better
prepared in case something unexpected happens.
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- Ms. Amos also held talks in Abuja with officials
from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on the
humanitarian situation in the region.
HEAD OF NEW U.N. OFFICE IN CENTRAL AFRICAN
REPUBLIC BRIEFS SECURITY
COUNCIL
- The Security
Council heard a briefing on Thursday morning on the situation in the Central African Republic
by the new head of the UN Integrated Peacebuilding
Office in that country, Margaret Vogt.
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- She noted the accomplishments of the past
two years, including the establishment of key institutions and enlargement
of freedom of the press, but added that the Central African Republic still
faces serious challenges, including extreme poverty, weak national
institutions, corruption, a high rate of violent
crimes, human rights violations and impunity.
HEAD OF U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY VISITS ETHIOPIA
- The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, arrived in
Ethiopia
this morning on a two-day visit. He is reviewing the emergency
humanitarian response to the massive displacement crisis caused by
conflict and drought inside Somalia.
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- According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), more than
54,000 people have fled into Ethiopia
and Kenya
in the month of June alone.
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- Mr. Guterres then
travels to Kenya
on Saturday, where he will visit the Dadaab
refugee complex, which hosts more than 380,000 Somali refugees. Malnutrition
rates are extremely high among Somali refugee children arriving in Ethiopia and Kenya.
SOMALIA:
MILITIA’S DECISION TO LIFT RESTRICTIONS ON RELIEF GROUPS WELCOMED BY U.N.
OFFICIAL
- The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia,
Mark Bowden, today welcomed
the lifting of restrictions on aid agencies by the Al Shabaab
militia group.
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- Last January, Al Shabaab
expelled some relief agencies working in southern Somalia,
affecting millions of people.
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- The current situation in the area is the
worst it has been in the past decade. The humanitarian community warns
that thousands of people will die if interventions do not occur
immediately.
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- In the first half of this year, the number
of people in urgent need of relief has surged by nearly 850,000 to nearly
3 million people, or one-third of Somalia’s population.
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- Mr Bowden said: “We stand ready to scale up
assistance in southern Somalia,
but need guarantees that humanitarian workers can
operate safely in the area and will not be targeted or agencies taxed.”
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
U.N.
FOOD AGENCY HAS GENERAL CONSENT OF LIBYAN GOVERNMENT TO HELP NEEDY: In answer to questions, the Spokesperson said
that the World Food Programme (WFP) has the general consent of the Libyan
Government to assist people in need in the country, but it did not liaise with
the Government for every movement of staff or assets within the country. For
the safety of its staff and assets, WFP liaises with authorities on the ground,
as appropriate, when organising deliveries and
distributions.
SECRETARY-GENERAL STANDS BY REPORT ON LEBANON: Asked about the report of the Secretary-General
concerning events on the Blue Line on 15 May 2011, the Spokesperson said the
report’s conclusions are based on the investigation carried out by the UN
Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)
and discussed with the Israeli Defence Force and the
Lebanese Armed Forces in recent tripartite meetings. The Secretary-General stands by his
conclusions and observations.
SRI LANKA REPORT
HAS BEEN MADE PUBLIC: Asked
about the report of the Panel of Experts on accountability in Sri Lanka, the Spokesperson said
that the Secretary-General made the report
public and is currently considering further steps. He added that the report was
among the topics discussed in the Secretary-General’s meeting on Tuesday with Ranil Wikremesinghe.
SECRETARY-GENERAL
SUPPORTS FREE EXPRESSION: Asked
about protests in Egypt,
the Spokesperson recalled the Secretary-General’s support for peaceful protest
and the right to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly.
Office of the
Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
United Nations, SA-1B15
New York, NY
10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055
