Secretary-General

Noon briefing of 14 October 2005


HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S NOON BRIEFING

BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Friday, 14 October 2005

SECRETARY-GENERAL SADDENED BY DEATH OF JOKE WALLER-HUNTER

  • Secretary-General Kofi Annan was deeply saddened to learn of the death of his friend and colleague, Joke Waller-Hunter, the Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, who passed away today at the age of 58. He extends his condolences to Ms. Waller-Hunter’s family and colleagues.

  • Ms. Waller-Hunter led the UNFCCC at a crucial time. Appointed Executive Secretary in 2002, she oversaw the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol and played a leading role in preparations for its implementation, particularly on adaptation to the impact of climate change. She was a firm believer in the principles of sustainable development, and knew that global cooperation was essential to advancing that cause. She will be mourned with deep affection and respect by many friends and allies around the world.

ANNAN SPEAKS AT IBERO-AMERICAN SUMMIT IN SPAIN

  • The Secretary-General today addressed the 15th Ibero-American Summit, taking place in Salamanca, Spain, praising the gathered leaders for their “ground-breaking” efforts to promote development and strongly urged them to build on the outcomes of last month’s World Summit in New York.

  • He told the leaders that, with their engagement, “we can equip the United Nations with a truly accountable, efficient and effective Secretariat” and press ahead with a new Peace-building Commission and a new Human Rights Council. “Let us persevere,” he said, “and let us do it together.”

  • The Secretary-General also offered his deepest sympathy and condolences to the leaders whose countries have been hit by tragedy with the recent hurricanes. “I have appealed to the international community to give, and give generously, and to work with them for recovery and reconstruction,” he said. We have copies of his speech upstairs.

  • Earlier today, the Secretary-General addressed a group of business and civil society leaders in Salamanca, telling them that Ibero-American cooperation, including their participation, is essential in order to tackle global problems.

  • On the sidelines of the summit, he scheduled bilateral meetings with the President of Peru, as well as the Vice Presidents of Guatemala and El Salvador.

  • In the evening he will attend a dinner hosted by King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia. On Saturday morning, he has bilateral meetings scheduled with the Presidents of Bolivia, Brazil, Mexico and Venezuela.

  • Asked why the Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General are away from UN Headquarters as the United Nations deals with recent natural disasters, the Spokesman noted that the Secretary-General was busy at work, participating in a high-level summit with the leaders of Latin America, Portugal and Spain. He and the Deputy Secretary-General are constantly in touch with UN headquarters, Dujarric added.

  • He said that the Secretary-General is chief executive of a global organization, so it is only normal that he travels around the world.

  • Concerning UN response to natural disasters, the Spokesman noted that the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs was leading the relief effort, and its head, Jan Egeland, was in Pakistan to obtain a firsthand look at what is being done there.

SECURITY COUNCIL FOCUSES ON SOMALIA, LIBERIA

  • The Security Council today held consultations on Somalia and Liberia.

  • On Somalia, the Council discussed the latest report of the Monitoring Group for that country, which found a sustained and dramatic upswing in arms embargo violations in recent months. Ambassador Lauro Baja of the Philippines, chair of the Council’s Sanctions Committee on Somalia, briefed them on the report.

  • Then, Council members received an update – from Dmitry Titov, Director of the Africa Division of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, on the elections that took place in Liberia on Tuesday.

  • The Council then held a formal meeting, in which it voted unanimously on a resolution that extends by six months the mandate of the Somalia Monitoring Group.

  • The Council adopted a Presidential Statement on Cote d’Ivoire, calling for elections in that country no later than 30 October 2006.

  • The Security Council also issued a statement to the press on Liberia, welcoming the orderly and peaceful elections there, and calling on all participants to maintain their commitment to nonviolence and the democratic process throughout the second round of presidential elections, if one is necessary.

SECURITY COUNCIL BRIEFED ON COTE D’IVOIRE

  • On Thursday, Pierre Schori, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Cote d’Ivoire, told the Security Council in a public meeting that several major challenges stand in the way to sustainable peace and stability in that country.

  • He warned, “There is too much anxiety and fear in the air, and too many Kalashnikovs in the streets. Rampant insecurity seems to be the order of the day.”

  • Schori said that the Council may want to respond to the recent African Union Summit in Addis Ababa on Cote d’Ivoire by endorsing the Summit’s conclusions, to send a strong message about the international community’s unity of purpose and action.

  • Council members also heard briefings on the Summit from officials representing the African Union, and an update from High-Level Representative for Elections Antonio Monteiro about the preparations for elections.

COUNCIL CONDEMNS VIOLENCE IN DARFUR

  • The Security Council, in a formal meeting Thursday afternoon, adopted a Presidential Statement expressing its grave concern at reports of an upsurge of violence by all sides in Darfur.

  • The Council strongly condemned the 8 October attack that killed four Nigerian peacekeepers and two civilian contractors and wounded three others, which was reportedly carried out by the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army. It also condemned the 25 September attack in Modaina, Chad, by armed groups coming from the Sudan, which killed 75 people.

U.N. ASSISTS IN IRAQI CONSTITUTION EFFORT

  • Ashraf Qazi, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, on Thursday met with Iraqi Vice President Ghazi el-Yawer, and briefed him on the UN’s effort in making the draft constitution, including the latest changes to the text, available to as many Iraqis as possible.

  • Qazi also met Thursday with the Chairman of the Constitutional Committee, Sheikh Humam Hamoudi. He told Hamoudi about the steps taken by the UN Mission to ensure that the Iraqi electorate was informed about the latest changes to the text of the constitution, so they can make an informed choice during the 15 October referendum.

AIR RESTRICTIONS CUTTING U.N. WORK IN ERITREA

  • The helicopter restrictions imposed on us by the Eritrean authorities remain in place. There have also been sporadic restrictions on the freedom of movement of some foot patrols, also on the Eritrean side.

  • The UNMEE Force Commander, General Rajinder Singh, continues to be particularly concerned about the safety of staff and the situation on the ground in general because of our limited ability to monitor the situation.

  • The air restrictions cut, by 50-55%, our monitoring capability on the Eritrean side.

  • These restrictions hinder our ability to sustain operationally the isolated posts. The Force Commander has begun to thin out troops in three remote posts.

  • The Force Commander traveled by road to Senafe from Asmara. A trip which in total would normally have taken 90 minutes took nine hours.

DEPUTY-SECRETARY-GENERAL WINDS UP AUSTRALIAN VISIT

  • The Deputy-Secretary-General, Louise Fréchette, in the last working day of her visit to Australia, met today with foreign ministry officials, UN personnel and leaders of local NGOs.

  • The discussions with Foreign Minister Alexander Downer focused on Australia’s work at the UN and the summit outcome document.

  • The Deputy-Secretary-General met with UNIFEM Australia and participated in a roundtable discussion with a large number of Australian NGOs. Again the main topics were the implementation of the summit decisions and UN reform.

  • Fréchette will leave Australia for New York on Sunday.

SOUTH ASIA QUAKE PLEDGES LAG BEHIND NEEDS

  • According to the Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), of the $272 million that the UN requested in its flash appeal for Pakistan, only $50 million has been pledged. That does not, however, include bilateral and other aid that has not been channelled through the UN.

  • OCHA has set up an online mechanism for accepting donations to its relief efforts worldwide. It can be accessed at http://ochaonline.un.org/donations.

  • Meanwhile, UN agencies are continuing to help earthquake survivors on the ground.

  • The Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says that a major UNHCR airlift of tons of emergency relief supplies was scheduled to get underway later today, with the first flight of plastic sheeting for shelter due to arrive in Pakistan early Saturday morning.

  • At least 12 flights are planned over the coming days from Jordan and Dubai, bringing relief supplies – such as tents, blankets, plastic sheeting and jerry cans from the UN’s global and regional stockpiles. More flights are currently being scheduled.

  • Also, today a UNHCR team is travelling to the Pakistan’s North-West Frontier Province to assess the situation of 45,000 Afghan refugees there.

  • In addition, on Saturday, World Food Programme (WFP) and UNHCR trucks will leave Kabul for Pakistan with much-needed supplies. WFP also says that food distribution resumed this morning, with two-day rations being given to 37,000 people.

  • For its part, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) will over the next few days begin to vaccinate children under five against measles, especially in those zones where there had been the least vaccinations.

  • UNICEF is also moving to deliver Vitamin A to the relief effort, which helps boost children’s immune systems. Additional UNICEF supplies include blankets, children’s boots and sweaters, water containers, plastic tarpaulins, tents, medical supplies, and blankets.

  • The World Health Organisation says the main problem is the lack of drinking water in the affected regions.

U.N. WESTERN SAHARA ENVOY ARRIVES IN TINDOUF

  • The Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, Peter van Walsum, arrived in Tindouf today from Rabat.

  • During his visit to the camps in the Tindouf region, van Walsum met with the leadership of the Frente Polisario and local elders.

  • The Polisario officials gave him a warm welcome and reiterated their confidence in the UN to enable the Saharawi people to exercise their right to self determination without further delay.

  • The Personal Envoy said there was consensus within the international community on the need to reach a solution to the Western Sahara issue as soon as possible.

WORK CONTINUES ON BURUNDI TRUTH COMMISSION

  • In a letter to the Security Council, the Secretary-General provides an update on the progress towards setting up a mixed Truth Commission and Special Chamber within the court system of Burundi. In the coming weeks, he said, the UN Operation in Burundi will initiate preparatory discussions with members of the Government of Burundi on the nature of those bodies.

  • On the basis of the preliminary results of the process of consultations, a UN Mission would be dispatched to Burundi to negotiate the practical implementation of the legal framework involved, he added.

HIJACKERS RELEASE U.N. FOOD SHIP OFF THE SOMALIA COAST

  • A World Food Programme-chartered ship that had been hijacked off the coast of Somalia has now been released, after 32 hours in limbo, with its crew unharmed and its food aid intact.

  • WFP has welcomed the release and is now quickly working to get the rations to 78,000 drought-stricken people in southern Somalia.

U.N. COURT LIMITS KOSOVO POLITICIAN’S PUBLIC ACTIVITY

  • Days after the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) had decided to allow former Kosovo Prime Minister and war crimes suspect Ramush Haradinaj to engage in politics and travel throughout Kosovo during his provisional release, the chief prosecutor, Carla Del Ponte, has appealed that decision, so the decision has been stayed. Haradinaj cannot engage in politics until his defense team responds to the stay.

  • Del Ponte’s team says they appealed because they were concerned about double standards.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY FOCUSES ON AFRICA DEVELOPMENT

  • This morning the General Assembly plenary concluded its review of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and the Decade to Roll Back Malaria. In his concluding remarks, Assembly President Jan Eliasson said that there is widespread recognition that NEPAD has changed the nature of discussions on development. There is now a spirit of genuine partnership and African ownership, and the African Peer Review Mechanism is regarded as an illustration of the way things are changing.

  • On Monday morning, the plenary will meet to hold elections for 18 seats on the Economic and Social Council.

  • Informal consultations of the plenary on the Peacebuilding Commission will be held next on Monday afternoon, when Member States will have a dialogue with senior officials from several field missions, including those in Haiti and Afghanistan, about their experiences in peacebuilding.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

U.N. REPORTS ECONOMIC PROBLEMS FOR PALESTINIAN REFUGEES: The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, known as UNRWA, has provided a special report with details about its emergency appeal for 2005. The report notes that, in the face of positive developments such as the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, no improvement has been noted, or is forecast in the short term, in the macroeconomic indicators in the occupied Palestinian territory

U.N. TO HELP REPATRIATE CONGOLESE REFUGEES: The UN refugee agency says that it is preparing to start a major new repatriation operation that could help up to 150,000 Congolese refugees return from Tanzania to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A trial run has already returned 282 refugees to their homes in South Kivu.

WORLD FOOD DAY TO EMPHASIZE SHARED TECHNOLOGY: The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports that more than 150 countries around the world will observe World Food Day this coming Sunday. The theme this year is, "Agriculture and Intercultural Dialogue," which will encourage an international sharing of technologies and expertise. The Secretary-General has issued a statement, asking states to redouble their efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals of reducing hunger.

LEBANON INVESTIGATION RESULTS DUE 25 OCTOBER: Asked about the report by Detlev Mehlis on the assassination of Rafik Hariri, the Spokesman said that Mehlis was scheduled to brief the Security Council on that report on 25 October; reporters will be informed when the report goes to the Council. In response to a further question about Lebanon’s request for an extension of Mehlis’s mandate, the Spokesman added that the Secretary-General is considering that request.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY ROOF LEAK TO BE REPAIRED: Asked about the cause for the flooding in the General Assembly hall, the Spokesman said the leak was due to the excessive water running off the dome area into the drains adjacent to the dome. The dome work was done approximately 10 years ago and the roof was repaired approximately five years ago. Both the contractor and the manufacturer were contacted yesterday and surveyed the situation to come up with a solution. The recent work done in the Assembly was internal, on the ceiling tiles, not external, on the roof.

U.N. CHILDREN’S FUND WARNS ON MALAWI: Severe malnutrition is alarmingly on the increase among under-five children in Malawi but many could yet be pulled back from the brink if needed funds arrived to support the efforts of government and UN relief agencies, the UN Children’s Fund reported today.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Sunday, October 16

Today is World Food Day.

Monday, October 17

There will be a public Security Council meeting this morning on the UN and regional organizations.

At 10:30 a.m. Andrew Mack, Director of the Human Security Centre at the University of British Columbia, will be launching the Human Security Report in room S-226.

At 11:15 a.m., there will be a press conference for the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Briefers will include French Permanent Representative Jean-Marc de la Sabliere and a representative of the UN’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

The Secretary-General will speak about UN reform at Columbia University at 11:30 a.m.

Also for the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, there will be a ceremony on the North Lawn from 1:15 to 2:45.

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