HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S NOON BRIEFING
BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
ASSOCIATE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Tuesday, 31 May 2005
ANNAN BACK FROM “HEART-WRENCHING” TRIP TO DARFUR
The Secretary-General returned to New York yesterday from a trip that began with a conference in Addis Ababa, which he co-chaired with the African Union (AU) to mobilize donor support for the AU mission in Darfur. Nearly $300 million was pledged. He then traveled to Darfur and southern Sudan over the Memorial Day weekend.
In Nyala, South Darfur, on Saturday, the Secretary-General toured a camp for those who had fled violence, as well as a town where people have begun to return months after it was flattened in an attack. Asked to describe what he saw in Darfur, he said it was “heart-wrenching.” He also said that the AU force in Darfur was making a difference.
He said, “What we need to do is to create an environment, a security environment, that will encourage the people to go back home. To go back and plant, to go back and pick up their lives and begin to recover. We don't want to see a situation where they are in camps for years and years and years as we have seen in other situations. And so it is very urgent that we take the right steps and ensure that we get them back to their villages.”
He also met with Sudanese Vice-President Ali Osman Taha and Foreign Minister Mustafa Ismael, and later said they had agreed on “the urgency to re-energize the peace negotiations in Darfur , accepting the fact that that is the real means of bringing long-term stability.”
On Sunday, the Secretary-General made a day trip from Khartoum via Juba to Rumbek in southern Sudan, making good on a promise to visit southern Sudan once the comprehensive peace agreement was concluded.
After hearing from Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) Chairman John Garang about the rising humanitarian needs of the region due to the return of thousands of refugees from abroad, the Secretary-General said he would redouble his efforts to press the international community to make good on its pledges.
A sandstorm in Khartoum late in the day on Sunday forced the Secretary-General to cancel his scheduled return to the Sudanese capital for a meeting with the Sudanese President.
The Secretary-General is expected to brief the Security Council on this trip on Thursday.
Regarding reports of the arrest of a person who interpreted for the Secretary-General during his visit to a camp in Darfur, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sudan, Jan Pronk, says that after talks with Sudanese government, the local authorities in South Darfur have dropped the request that the interpreter report to them.
The Sudanese national had been requested to report to the authorities in Nyala a couple of times.
SUDAN: ARRESTED HUMANITARIAN OFFICIALS RELEASED
Regarding the arrest of two senior officials from the Dutch branch of Medecins Sans Frontieres, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Sudan, Jan Pronk, has said that the pair has been released on bail.
Pronk intervened at the highest level with government officials. The UN is closely monitoring the situation and hope the charges will be dropped in the near future.
IRAQ : SECURITY COUNCIL BRIEFED ON MULTINATIONAL FORCE
The Security Council met this morning in an open session regarding the situation in Iraq.
Council members were briefed by the acting US Permanent Representative, Anne Patterson, on the activities of the Multinational Force in Iraq. Also speaking to the Council was the Foreign Minister of Iraq, Hoshyar Zubari.
Council members then moved into a private meeting to continue their discussion.
The Council will also be meeting this afternoon for consultations on Burundi and Haiti. Members are expected to adopt two draft resolutions extending the mandate of those two UN missions.
In a separate meeting this afternoon, the Secretary-General’s Special Advisor on sexual exploitation by peacekeepers, Prince Zeid, will present his report on the issue to Council members. After the meeting, Prince Zeid, along with the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Marie Guéhenno will be available at the Security Council stakeout.
U.N. ENVOY REVIEWS IRAQ’S PROGRESS WITH IRAQI PRIME MINISTER
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Iraq, Ashraf Qazi, met on Sunday with Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Al-Jaafari for a review of the current political and security situation and progress made by the government in its initial weeks in office.
Qazi welcomed efforts underway to promote dialogue and reduce sectarian tensions, as well as further outreach in support of the political process at this critical period in Iraq's history.
Qazi stressed that both the constitutional process and the transition itself would benefit from an inclusive approach, whereby all Iraqi constituencies were represented.
He also reiterated the UN’s readiness to support the Iraqi government and people through its good offices -- by promoting national dialogue, giving technical advice, coordinating international assistance, and carrying out its humanitarian projects and programmes.
Qazi also met with Iraq’s Finance Minister, Ali Allawi.
U.N. POLITICAL CHIEF TRAVELS TO CYPRUS, MEETS WITH LEADERS
Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Kieran Prendergast arrived in Cyprus yesterday.
He said the objective of his trip was to take the pulse on the island and in the region after a period of reflection by all sides, following the results of last year’s referenda.
Today he met with His Excellency Tassos Papadopoulos, and tomorrow he is scheduled to meet with His Excellency Memet Ali Talat.
Prendergast will also be traveling to Athens and Ankara as part of this trip before heading back to New York to report to the Secretary-General.
GUINEA-BISSAU: WORLD WON’T TOLERATE PROVOCATIONS OF VIOLENCE DURING ELECTION CAMPAIGNS
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for West Africa, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, noted with satisfaction the decision by the authorities of Guinea-Bissau to proceed with presidential elections, as scheduled, on 19 June.
At the same time, however, he also warned the political leaders of Guinea-Bissau that the international community would not tolerate any attempts to increase tension or provoke violence during the election campaign.
ANNAN REGRETS THAT NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION CONFERENCE ENDS WITHOUT AGREEMENT
Going back to Friday afternoon, the Secretary-General said that he very much regretted that the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference closed without substantive agreement. The Secretary-General said the Member States had missed a vital opportunity to strengthen collective security against the many nuclear threats.
He added the September summit which will bring to New York more than 170 heads of states will present them with a unique opportunity to make bold commitments and address the pressing challenges which the Review Conference did not answer.
Still on the subject of the NPT Review Conference, the Secretary-General had an op-ed published in the International Herald Tribune yesterday. In it, among other things, he said that the International Atomic Energy Agency's Additional Protocol must become the new standard for verifying compliance with nonproliferation commitments.
BURUNDI: U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY CONCERNED BY PLIGHT OF RWANDAN REFUGEES
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says it is very concerned that Burundian authorities are now consolidating all Rwandan refugees into one ill-equipped transit centre at Songore, in northern Burundi.
Over the weekend, thousands of Rwandans were forced to leave three sites along the Burundi/Rwanda border after they were dismantled by armed forces. UNHCR was not informed of this action in advance.
Songore, which has the capacity to shelter 800 refugees and was already over populated, will now be severely overburdened by the new influx.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
ANNAN ENCOURAGED BY FIRST ROUND OF LEBANESE ELECTIONS: On Sunday afternoon, the Secretary-General said he was very encouraged by the democratic conduct of the first round of elections in Lebanon. He commended the Government of Lebanon for its efforts to ensure that the elections take place on schedule and in a free and credible manner.
THOUSANDS OF CONGOLESE FLEE ATTACK: The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has condemned an attack on Nindja, 75 kilometers northwest of Bukavu, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The attack happened on Monday; an armed group killed 19 people and wounded many others. OCHA says such attacks must cease immediately. An estimated 1,280 families, or 6,000 people, have now fled towards the village of Ihembe, fearing further attacks.
FUND-RAISING HUNGER WALK TO BE HELD: The World Food Programme has issued a press release on an event called “Walk to End Child Hunger.” The event will take place in a number of cities and involve more than 200,000 people, who will walk five kilometers to raise money for hunger projects.
U.N. AGENCY RESTORES VETERINARY SERVICES IN IRAQ: Veterinary services in Iraq have been severely damaged after years of neglect and post conflict upheavals, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said today. Under a $10 million project, FAO is closely working with veterinary staff to upgrade the animal health infrastructure and to protect farm animals from epidemic and endemic diseases and reduce public health risks. The project will benefit more than 4.5 million people.
ANTI-TOBACCO DAY MARKED TODAY: The World Health Organization (WHO) is encouraging health professionals to be proactive in minimizing the problems caused by tobacco addiction, consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke. As a result, this year's World No Tobacco Day on May 31st is dedicated to the important role of health professionals in tobacco control under the banner of 'Health Professionals against tobacco, action and answers'.
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