Noon briefing of 30 August 2011

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESPERSON’S NOON BRIEFING

BY FARHAN HAQ, ACTING DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

TUESDAY, 30 AUGUST 2011

SECRETARY-GENERAL TO BRIEF SECURITY COUNCIL ON LIBYA

• The Secretary-General is expected to speak to the Security Council on Tuesday afternoon, in an open briefing followed by consultations, about post-conflict planning in Libya. After the consultations have ended, Ian Martin, the Special Adviser dealing with that matter, and Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe are scheduled to speak to the press at the Security Council stakeout.
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• Meanwhile, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed its alarm at the emerging reports of atrocious human rights violations in Libya, including what appear to be mass summary executions, mostly apparently carried out by the forces of the Qadhafi Government during the last few days before they lost Tripoli.
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• The Office is also deeply concerned about reports that there are still thousands of people unaccounted for who were arrested or taken prisoner by Colonel Qadhafi’s security forces either earlier in the conflict, or before it even started.
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• Asked whether the Secretary-General had been notified of the arrival of members of Colonel Qadhafi’s family in Algeria, the Spokesperson said that the Secretary-General's Office was informed of this development by Algeria's Permanent Representative on Monday, before it was announced.
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• Asked about a report prepared by the UN Secretariat about post-conflict planning, the Spokesperson said that the report contained ideas for planning, which continue to be developed as dialogue proceeds with parties on the ground, Member States and regional and international organizations on the shape of post-conflict Libya.
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• Haq noted that the Secretary-General had discussed planning for Libya with different Member States and, last Friday, in a videoconference meeting with key regional organizations, and would deal with the matter further when he attends the 1 September meeting in Paris on Libya.
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• Asked about human rights violations in Libya, he said that the United Nations believes that there should be no impunity for such violations. Haq noted that the International Criminal Court has already indicted three senior officials on allegations of crimes against humanity.

U.N. FOOD AGENCY RAMPING UP AID TO LIBYA

• The World Food Programme (WFP) is scaling up its food assistance in Libya to help the most vulnerable among the uprooted in Tripoli, the coastal areas of the country and the Nafusa Mountains region.
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• It is sending some 600 metric tons of staple food items, such as wheat and vegetable oil, to the capital, enough supplies for 35,000 people for one month.
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• At the request of the National Transitional Council, the World Food Programme is looking to procure 250,000 metric tons of gasoline to cover immediate needs for one month.
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• The fighting has disrupted fuel supplies, with water and electricity supplies depending on fuel-run generators.
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• A World Food Programme vessel carrying 500,000 liters of water on behalf of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is en route to Tripoli, following a shipment of 23,000 bottles of water earlier this week.
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• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is concerned about the lack of water in Tripoli and other areas, with four million people at risk of potentially not having access to potable water.

NO JUSTIFICATION FOR TERRORISM, BAN KI-MOON TO TELL GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON ATTACK AGAINST U.N. IN NIGERIA

• On Tuesday afternoon, the Secretary-General will speak to the Member States at the General Assembly about last Friday’s bomb attack on the UN compound in Abuja, Nigeria. He will reiterate that there can be no justification for terrorism anywhere, by anyone, for any reason.
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• The Secretary-General will also discuss UN efforts to examine the security implications of the attack, which appears to be the first of this nature against an international or foreign institution in Nigeria. He will point out that this attack is cause for serious reassessment, not just in Nigeria and not just at high-threat locations, but worldwide.

KOSOVO SITUATION TENSE, UNPREDICTABLE – U.N. ENVOY

• The situation in Kosovo remains tense and unpredictable, the Secretary-General’s acting Special Representative, Farid Zarif, told the Security Council on Tuesday morning.
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• He said that last month’s events in northern Kosovo were the most serious security incidents since the violence in 2008, serving as a stark reminder that the issues underlying these incidents remain unresolved and constitute a serious threat to Kosovo’s peace and security.
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• It remains essential that all sides refrain from any unilateral action which could escalate existing tensions, he stressed, adding that we must all work together to avoid any further deterioration of the situation and allow progress to be made through dialogue.

BAHRAIN: U.N. RIGHTS OFFICE URGES TRIALS IN CIVILIAN COURTS

• The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) continues to hear reports of small protests in Bahrain.
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• It notes that more than 260 cases involving protestors are still pending before the courts, with many potentially being tried in the Court of National Safety, which is effectively a military court.
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• The Office stresses that civilians must be tried in civilian courts and that all people detained must be charged with a recognizable criminal offence, have adequate access to a lawyer and have enough time to prepare a defence.
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• It voiced concern that most of the defendants may have been detained only for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and association, and called for their release.

SECRETARY-GENERAL WECOMES ELECTION OF NEPAL’S NEW PRIME MINISTER

• In a statement, the Secretary-General welcomed the election on 28 August of Mr. Babu Ram Bhattarai as Prime Minister of Nepal and extended his congratulations to the Prime Minister. He hopes to see the early establishment of an inclusive government through consensus and compromise.
  
• The Secretary-General once again calls on the parties to regain the spirit of consensus and cooperation that has been the foundation of their collective effort to bring sustainable peace to Nepal and to carry out all outstanding commitments without delay. He reaffirms the continued support of the United Nations to these efforts.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

MEMBER STATES NEED TO PAY ASSESSED DUES: The Spokesperson declined to comment on legislation on UN dues payment being considered by the US House of Representatives, saying that this was a domestic legislative process. But he noted that, in order for the United Nations to carry out its mandated tasks, Member States must provide it with the funds it needs by paying their assessed dues.

U.N. REFUGEE CHIEF VISITS HORN OF AFRICA: High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres is on a three-day visit to the Horn of Africa to show solidarity with displaced Somalis during Eid il-Fitr. Over the Eid period, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is airlifting 240 metric tons of food aid from Saudi Arabia to Somalia.