HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S NOON BRIEFING
BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Tuesday,
December 6, 2005
U.N. ELECTORAL
CHIEF RECEIVES LETTER OF DISMISSAL
Carina Perelli, Director of the Electoral Assistance
Division, received a letter this morning informing her of the
Secretary-General’s decision to summarily dismiss her for misconduct.
The decision was effective immediately.
Asked about the charges against Perelli, the Spokesman
confirmed that the complaints included allegations of harassment, including
sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. In response to further questions,
he declined to provide specific details, noting that the case will likely be
appealed.
He said, in response to a question, that the United
Nations felt strongly about the veracity of the charges, given the serious
action it took in response.
He said that the Office of Human Resources Management
(OHRM) had interviewed dozens of people. Asked whether Perelli was
interviewed, the Spokesman said that Carina Perelli was made aware of the
charges against her, and given several opportunities to comment on the
charges.
During this time, he noted, she was away on mission for
several weeks. The charge letter was sent to her on August 4. The standard
extension is two weeks, but in this case, following a number of extensions,
Perelli responded on November 17. Between August and December, the Spokesman
said, there had been an exchange of views with Perelli on administrative and
procedural matters.
Perelli was given written allegations of misconduct and
all relevant documentation, Dujarric said. All relevant procedures were
followed.
Asked about Perelli’s status at the United Nations, the
Spokesman said that her work at the United Nations ends today. Asked whether
the locks to Perelli’s office had been changed several days ago, the Spokesman
said he was assured the locks were changed only this morning. She cannot enter
the building except by appointment, he said, adding that he understood she
would be able to do so to conduct business regarding an appeal.
Asked whether today’s decision resulted from a review
conducted late last year by the Swiss firm Mannet, the Spokesman said that the
dismissal was not based on Mannet’s work but on OHRM’s own investigation.
During the course of that review, staff complaints came to light, and it was
recommended that an investigation should be undertaken.
The Mannet review had been studied by the then-head of
the
Department of Political Affairs, Kieran Prendergast, who asked the Office
of Human Resources Management to look into the allegations of harassment and
sexual harassment cited in the Mannet review. The Spokesman said that Mannet
flagged some issues, but OHRM interviewed a large number of people and did not
rely on Mannet’s information for its conclusions.
Asked how the dismissal would affect UN support for the
Iraqi elections, the Spokesman said it should not affect the UN’s electoral
work in Iraq or anywhere else.
In Iraq, he noted, Craig Jenness of Canada serves as
International Commissioner on the Independent Electoral Commission for Iraq
and leads the UN effort on the Iraqi elections. Jenness leads a team of 24
international electoral staff currently in Baghdad. Jenness has been in Iraq
since October 23, he added. Since that time, the Spokesman said, Jenness has
been the main UN electoral official for Iraq, not Perelli.
Asked whether the Secretary-General had made a mistake in
sending Perelli on crucial electoral work in places in Lebanon and Iraq while
her case was being reviewed, the Spokesman said that was a decision the United
Nations had to take, and it had to follow due process and wait for Perelli to
respond to the complaints.
Asked about the UN’s zero-tolerance policy on sexual
harassment, the Spokesman said that each case is analyzed and assessed on its
own merits. The United Nations has a duty to act when these matters arise, he
said. The Secretary-General, he said, had made a decision based on the merits
of the case.
ANNAN CONFERS WITH PHARMACEUTICAL
EXECUTIVE ON BIRD FLU
The Secretary-General has met with Franz Humer, Chairman
and CEO of the pharmaceutical Roche group and discussed preparations to deal
with a possible global avian flu pandemic.
In that meeting which took place yesterday, the
Secretary-General congratulated Roche and Dr. Humer for their responsiveness,
and reiterated the importance of ensuring access of preferentially priced
treatment for Avian Flu to the poorest and neediest countries.
He also expressed the hope that the donors would be
generous with funding to buy Tamiflu in bulk for poor countries.
The Secretary-General reiterated that the best way to
protect the intellectual property rights was to make sure that the poorest and
neediest countries get the medicines they need at a preferential price.
They agreed to keep their channels of communications
open.
SECRETARY-GENERAL CONDEMNS VIOLENCE IN SRI LANKA
Secretary-General
Kofi Annan strongly
condemns the recent violence in Jaffna and the northeast of Sri Lanka, in
which more than 20 soldiers and civilians have reportedly been killed over the
last three days.
The
Secretary-General is very concerned about the increasing tensions in the country
and appeals to all parties to uphold the 2003 ceasefire agreement.
He hopes that the
violence will not undermine the commitment of the new Government and the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to the peace process.
U.N. RELIEF COORDINATOR MEETS ZIMBABWEAN
PRESIDENT
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator
Jan Egeland, who is in Zimbabwe to assess the humanitarian situation in
that country, met with President Robert Mugabe this morning.
Speaking to reporters afterwards, Egeland said he had “a
long, good and frank exchange.” He said he explained to the President that the
United Nations can be more effective if there are better procedures for how to
help.
In response to a question, Egeland said that he did not
think they disagreed on the need to help the people to help themselves. “There
is disagreement around the eviction campaign,” he said. “There is disagreement
on how to help those who were evicted. There has been some concern on how to
reach food security. But this is not the time to list all the points of
disagreement.”
He went on to say that there is agreement to work to
redouble our efforts to be more effective to meet the challenges of millions
of people who are infected with HIV and the more than a million children who
are AIDS orphans.
SECURITY COUNCIL FOCUSES ON GREAT LAKES,
CENTRAL AFRICA
The
Security Council held a public meeting today, to discuss the recent
Council mission to the Great Lakes area and Central Africa.
Ambassador Jean Marc de la Sabliere, who led the mission,
briefed the Council on its work, and on the written report that followed it.
The ambassadors of Burundi, Rwanda and the Democratic
Republic of the Congo also contributed to the discussion.
DARFUR PLAGUED
BY BANDITRY, LOOTING, FIGHTING
Meanwhile, the Office of the
UN High Commissioner for Refugees reports that as South Sudanese refugees
start to go back to their homeland after more than two decades of exile, a
group of refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is getting
ready to leave South Sudan to return to their home country after 40 years in
exile.
ANNAN WELCOMES
NEW IVORIAN MINISTER; ASKS COOPERATION
The Secretary-General urges the parties to cooperate fully with Mr. Charles
Konan Banny and encourages his Government to move without delay, working with
the International Working Group to implement the roadmap for the transition
period and interacting with the High Representative for the elections to
resolve the stalemate in the Independent Electoral Commission.
The Secretary-General commends the outgoing Prime Minister, Mr. Seydou
Diarra, for his tireless efforts in the cause of peace for his country.
U.N. REFUGEE
AGENCY READY TO EVACUATE QUAKE VICTIMS
The UN refugee agency, or
UNHCR,
says that it is standing by for a possible exodus of up to 230,000
earthquake survivors from higher elevations in Pakistan where snow has begun
to fall.
In the coming weeks, UNHCR –
together with NATO – plans to bring in 30,000 stoves. And the agency is
consulting Afghan refugees on how to safely use those stoves to winterize
tents.
UNHCR says that it is crucial
that every tent has a minimum of two plastic sheets, four mattresses, a stove
and fuel, and that each person has three blankets.
ANNAN
FORWARDS REQUEST FOR EXTENSION OF HARIRI BOMB PROBE
Asked whether the
investigation headed by Detlev Mehlis will be extended, the Spokesman said
that the Secretary-General was shown a letter from the Prime Minister of
Lebanon, asking for an extension of the Mehlis Commission by a further six
months. The Secretary-General will forward that letter to the Security
Council.
Asked who paid for the recent
travel by Syrian suspects to Vienna to meet with the investigators, the
Spokesman later informed correspondents that the Syrians paid for their
expenses.
TERRORISTS NOW SUBJECT TO U.N. SANCTIONS
Interpol has published its first notices for suspected
terrorists that are subject to UN sanctions, based on the consolidated list of
the Security Council’s
1267 Committee on sanctions against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
The creation of the Interpol–UN Special Notices is a
result of ongoing close cooperation between the two organizations, and is in
direct response to Security Council
Resolution 1617, which called on the Secretary-General to work with
Interpol.
According to César Mayoral, Chairman of the Security
Council’s 1267 Sanctions Committee, “the Interpol-UN Special Notices send an
important message to the international community of the common commitment of
the United Nations and Interpol to fight terrorism.”
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
UNESCO CONDEMNS MURDER OF PHILIPPINE
JOURNALIST: The UN
Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) today condemned
the murder of Philippine journalist George Banaojan last Thursday on the island
of Cebu. UNESCO also expressed deep concern over the violence to which
journalists are exposed in that country.
MIDDLE EAST PEACE ENVOY CONFERS WITH LEBANESE LEADERS:
Alvaro de Soto, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace
Process, returned to Jerusalem today from Lebanon. While in Beirut, de Soto met
Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, Speaker of the House Nabih Berri, and Foreign
Minister Fawzi Shalloukh. He also paid a courtesy call on President Emile
Lahoud. De Soto was accompanied by the Personal Representative of the
Secretary-General for Lebanon, Geir Pedersen.
CROATIAN GENERAL NAMED TO INDIA/PAKISTAN OBSERVER GROUP:
The Secretary-General has informed the Security Council of his intention to
appoint Major-General Dragutin Repinc of Croatia as Chief Military Observer in
the UN
Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP). Repinc will
replace Maj. Gen. Guido Dante Palmieri of Italy who left the mission in
September.
CASE OF FORMER OVERSIGHT UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL STILL
UNDER REVIEW: Asked about the case of former Under-Secretary-General for
Internal Oversight Dileep Nair, the Spokesman said that Jerome Ackerman, the
official reviewing that case, was continuing with his work and had not yet
provided an end date for it.
*** The guest for the noon briefing was Christopher
Burnham, Under-Secretary-General for Management, who briefed on the outcome of a
survey on the UN’s procurement office.
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