Secretary-General

Noon briefing of 11 October 2005


HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S NOON BRIEFING

BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Tuesday, 11 October 2005

KOFI ANNAN CALLS ON LIBERIANS TO VOTE IN TODAY’S ELECTIONS

  • In a radio message to the people of Liberia, Secretary-General Kofi Annan called upon all registered voters to cast their ballots in today’s general elections. He said as they vote for a new government, Liberians have “the opportunity to open the door to a new era.”

  • The UN Mission in Liberia reports that the voting is going according to plan. As of early afternoon Liberian time, there had been no reported incidents at the more than 3,000 polling stations.

  • The Secretary-General’s Special Representative there, Alan Doss, visited several polling places and reported that the turnout was large. Final results are expected on 26 October.

U.N. APPEALS FOR $272 MILLION TO HELP QUAKE VICTIMS

  • The United Nations today launched a flash appeal for approximately $272 million to help Pakistan cope with the recent earthquake there.

  • In the meantime, UN agencies are already on the ground, working to meet the needs of survivors. The World Health Organization, for example, has sent medical materials to cover the needs of 210,000 people for one month, as well as equipment for 1,000 surgical operations. It is still concerned, however, that many hospitals have been demolished and that many health workers have died.

  • For its part, the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees has begun distributing family and hospital tents, plastic sheeting, mattresses, kitchen sets and other items from its warehouse near the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

  • Meanwhile, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has sent convoys to northern Pakistan carrying blankets, children’s clothing, water containers and purification equipment, and soap, among other things.

  • And the World Food Programme reports that it is flying in an initial shipment of high-energy biscuits for 240,000 victims for five days.

  • Asked which UN body is coordinating the delivery of assistance to Pakistan, the Spokesman said it was the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which was working with UN agencies and with non-governmental organizations on the ground.

  • He said, in response to another question, that OCHA head Jan Egeland was likely to travel to Pakistan.

U.N. MISSION HINDERED BY ERITREA’S HELICOPTER RESTRICTIONS

  • Regarding the situation in Eritrea, nothing has changed. UN helicopters still can not fly in the country. The UN is continuing to monitor the situation.

  • The Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Legwaila Joseph Legaila, is seeking a meeting with Col. Zecarias Ogabagader, the Eritrean official who is the main point of contact for the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), to seek further clarification on the situation.

  • The UN Force Commander, Gen. Rajinder Singh, says that, without the helicopters, the UN is unable to observe and monitor 50 to 55 percent of the area on the Eritrean side within the Temporary Security Zone, which creates a serious situation for UNMEE.

  • The Mission is considering closing two outposts, Bada and Fawlina, as it would endanger the troops to be in these remote areas without helicopter support in the event of an emergency.

ANNAN MEETS PORTUGUESE FOREIGN MINISTER IN LISBON

  • The Secretary-General is in Lisbon, Portugal, today, where he met with Portuguese Foreign Minister Diogo Freitas do Amaral.

  • This evening, he will meet with President Jorge Sampaio, receive a medal – the Grande Colar da Ordem da Liberdade – and attend a dinner hosted in his honor.

  • Before leaving Geneva, the Secretary-General met with the Chairman of the World Summit of Information Society, Ambassador Janis Karklins of Latvia.

SECURITY COUNCIL CONDEMNS UPSURGE IN VIOLENCE IN DARFUR

  • The Security Council on Monday afternoon heard a briefing in closed consultations from Assistant Secretary-General Hédi Annabi on the increasing violence in Darfur, Sudan.

  • The Council President for October, Ambassador Mihnea Ioan Motoc of Romania, told reporters afterward that Council members “jointly condemned and expressed concern in the face of the recent upsurge in violence” in Darfur. He particularly noted attacks perpetrated against civilians and the killing of three peacekeepers and two contractors serving with the African Union Mission in Sudan.

  • Also on Monday afternoon, the Secretary-General transmitted to the Council a report by his Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Juan Mendez, on his visit to Darfur.

  • Juan Mendez later briefed the press about his visit. He said he found the situation in Darfur to be much more dangerous and worrisome than he had expected it to be.

  • He made very specific recommendations, among them that the Council urge Member States to provide the African Union with increased support for its efforts there, and that the Council should demand that the Government of the Sudan cooperate fully with the African Union.

REPORT: HAITI REGISTRATIONS MAKES ELECTIONS MORE CREDIBLE

  • In the Secretary-General’s latest report on Haiti, which is available today, he says that the possibility of a credible electoral process has been helped there by the registration of a large number of voters. He said the voters will cast ballots for a list of candidates representing a broad range of political opinion.

  • However, the Secretary-General said, there are a number of problems still to be overcome, including a greater need for openness in the process. He also said technical and organizational challenges remain that need to be taken up as a matter of priority, in particular the strengthening of the Provisional Electoral Council.

  • He said the international community should stand ready to play a greater role in the organization of the electoral process.

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL DISCUSSES U.N. REFORM IN AUSTRALIA

  • Deputy-Secretary-General Louise Fréchette continued her visit to Australia today, holding meetings with the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, the Governor of Victoria and the State Minister for Environment and Water.

  • She also met with the CEO of World Vision Australia, to discuss, among other issues, climate change, regional trade, and UN reform.

  • UN reform and the World Summit were also topics of discussion at the end of the day, in talks with Australian academic leaders.

  • Fréchette flew to Canberra for two days of meetings with Australian government officials.

UNHCR SENDS TEAM TO MOROCCO FOLLOWING MIGRANT INCIDENTS

  • The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, has sent a team of his senior staff to Morocco, following missions over the past week by other UNHCR teams to the Spanish enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta and to the Canary Islands.

  • UNHCR says that, while it recognizes the legitimate right of governments to take measures to manage illegal migration, it strongly urges authorities to respect international protection principles, especially when it comes to forcibly returning people to countries where they face persecution.

  • Guterres, as well as the agency’s offices in Madrid and Rabat, have been in regular contact with the Spanish and Moroccan authorities over this issue.

U.N. ENVOY FOR WESTERN SAHARA TRAVELS TO BREAK DEADLOCK

  • Ambassador Peter van Walsum, the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, will begin his visit to the region tomorrow.

  • He will visit Rabat, Tindouf, Algiers and Nouakchott, for consultations with the Government of Morocco and the leadership of the Frente Polisario, and meetings with the Governments of the two neighboring countries, Algeria and Morocco.

  • Ambassador van Walsum will assess the situation and explore with the parties, the neighboring countries and other stakeholders how best to overcome the present political impasse. He will report to the Secretary-General on his findings.

U.N. LAUNCHES APPEALS FOR FLOOD VICTIMS IN CENTRAL AMERICA

  • The UN launched a flash appeal for Guatemala Monday evening, for just under $22 million. The country has been hit by flooding and landslides, which have swept away entire villages.

  • Presently, the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team in Guatemala is helping the Guatemalan Government to coordinate the work of international search and rescue teams. The UNDAC team is also collaborating with the UN Volunteers to improve information management on the ground.

  • An inter-agency mission, led by the World Food Programme, yesterday conducted a needs assessment mission in the hardest-hit areas of the country, to evaluate the food security situation.

  • Meanwhile, in El Salvador, a $7.9 million joint inter-agency appeal was launched last week. The country is suffering the impact of two simultaneous natural disasters – the heavy rainfall, flooding and landslides produced by hurricane Stan and the eruption of one of the country’s largest volcanoes. There have also been at least nine tremors in the country in the past week including a 6.2 magnitude earthquake on 7 October.

  • WHO/PAHO is helping the Ministry of Health to strengthen the epidemiological monitoring system and to prevent an outbreak of dengue fever, of which there is currently a high risk. It has also established a network to channel medical supplies.

  • UNICEF has provided psychosocial rehabilitation support for children affected by the disaster, as well as family hygiene and recreational kits, re-hydration salts, water purification tablets and clean water. UNICEF is also working with the Ministry of Education to prepare for the re-opening of schools in two days’ time – some 83 schools were destroyed or badly damaged in the affected areas.

  • WFP has transported more than 300 tons of food to more than 500 shelters, reaching more than 70,000 people. Preparations for an emergency food security assessment are now being finalized.

  • UNFPA has provided hygiene kits to displaced women currently residing in shelters, and UNDP is leading the coordination and monitoring of the joint inter-agency appeal.

U.N. REAFFIRMS ITS ACCOUNTABILITY TO GENERAL ASSEMBLY

  • Asked about a letter from the Group of 77 to the Secretary-General which criticized recent comments by UN Secretariat staff, the Spokesman said that the United Nations was in the process of replying to that letter.

  • It is clear, he said, that the Secretariat is accountable to the General Assembly. The Secretariat takes its guidance from decisions reached by the Member States, as it is doing with the Outcome Document, where the Secretary-General and his senior staff are working hard to implement the decisions on which the Member States reached agreement last month.

  • In terms of comments made by the Secretary-General and his senior staff, the Spokesman said that they speak out when appropriate, and their comments do not favor any individual Member States over others. All Member States at some point or another might complain about what the United Nations says, he noted.

U.N. SUPPORTS NATIONAL INVESTIGATIONS REGARDING OIL-FOR-FOOD

  • Asked about Jean-Bernard Merimee, who was recently indicted in France, the Spokesman said that Merimee had worked for the Secretary-General, on a when-actually-employed basis, roughly from 1999 to 2002.

  • Merimee had helped to draft a Memorandum of Understanding between the European Commission and the United Nations, which governed how European Commission aid and funding was transferred to UN agencies.

  • The Spokesman declined to comment on an ongoing police investigation in which the UN is not involved, adding that the United Nations does not want to prejudice the case.

  • However, in general terms, he said, the United Nations supports the efforts of national authorities who wish to pursue proceedings into activities of their nationals regarding possible involvement in the oil-for-food program.

U.N. REVIEWING FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE RULES FOR EMPLOYEES

  • Asked whether the United Nations was aware of a potential conflict of interest that had involved Giandomenico Picco, who had earlier worked as an envoy dealing with the Dialogue among Civilizations, the Spokesman noted that, at the time that Picco was employed, people who had when-actually-employed contracts were not required to file financial disclosure forms. The United Nations, he said, is reviewing its rules so that, in the future, financial disclosure forms will have to be filed by such employees.

  • Asked about Picco’s case, the Spokesman said the United Nations is concerned about anything that would indicate a serious violation of procurement rules.

  • Asked whether Picco is still an envoy, the Spokesman said that he is a Special Adviser, when actually employed. He has no dealings with the current Alliance of Civilizations initiative, he added.

  • He noted that DeloitteTouche began on 4 October a review of the UN procurement office, to determine the effectiveness of procurement rules and whether the office has enough resources to perform its tasks. Meanwhile, the Office of Internal Oversight Services is continuing its investigation into all the dealing of former procurement officer Alexander Yakovlev.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

HUMANITARIAN CHIEF HEADS TO SRI LANKA: Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland arrived in Colombo, Sri Lanka this morning for a two-day mission to review the coordination of post-tsunami aid. The mission’s focus is on facilitating the smooth transition from relief to recovery activities. Egeland met today with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and representatives from UN agencies, international financial institutions and non-governmental organizations, among others.

FOOD AGENCY EXTENDS OPERATION IN COTE D’IVOIRE: The World Food Programme (WFP) today said that it would extend its relief operation for victims of recent turmoil in Cote d’Ivoire until the end of 2006. Appealing to the international community to maintain its support, the agency said it would need a further $13.8 million to ensure the delivery of food to some 900,000 people.

ZIMBABWE H.I.V. RATES GO DOWN: A review of epidemiological and behavioral data commissioned by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and other international partners has found preliminary indications of declining trends in HIV prevalence and incidence in Zimbabwe over the last five years. UNAIDS sees the evidence of decline as encouraging, but underlines that the challenge now is to ensure that the downward trend in Zimbabwe is sustained.

U.N. STUDIES REQUEST FOR EXTENSION OF LEBANON INVESTIGATION: Asked about a letter from the Committee to Protect Journalists that requested an extension of Detlev Mehlis’s investigation in Lebanon, the Spokesman said he had not seen the letter, but was aware of a request for an extension made by Lebanon’s Prime Minister, in a phone conversation with the Secretary-General last week. The United Nations is studying that request, he said.

DISCUSSIONS ON ELECTORAL CHIEF STILL CONTINUING: Asked about the head of the Electoral Assistance Division, Carina Perelli, the Spokesman said that discussions continue between Perelli and the Office of Human Resources Management on her case.

IRAQ CORRECTION: In correction of something said at yesterday’s noon briefing, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, Ashraf Qazi, did not meet with members of Kirkuk’s communities while visiting Kirkuk. In fact, he met them in Baghdad, where the groups from Kirkuk had traveled so they could meet Qazi.

* Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs José Antonio Ocampo was the guest at the noon briefing. He briefed on the UN’s World Economic and Social Survey 2005. Following that, Hansjoerg Strohmeyer, Chief of Staff to the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, briefed on the UN’s efforts in Pakistan following the earthquake there.