Secretary-General

Noon briefing of 31 January 2006


HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S NOON BRIEFING

BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Tuesday, 31 January 2006

SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS WE MUST AVOID COMPLACENCY ON AFGHANISTAN

  • Secretary-General Kofi Annan opened the London Conference on Afghanistan this morning, which he co-chaired with British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

  • In his opening statement, the Secretary-General said that we can be justifiably proud of Afghanistan's progress in recent years. But we cannot be complacent. He warned that “recent violence has served as a sad reminder of the fragile state of peace in the country. Afghanistan today remains an insecure environment.”

  • The Secretary-General also noted the launching today of the Afghanistan Compact, which he called “a result-oriented action plan for Afghanistan's future.”

  • At a joint press conference afterward, the Secretary-General was asked about human rights in Iran, and he said it is clear that the United Nations’ policy is to promote human rights and rights of individuals to live in dignity and to have freedom to go about their activities. He noted he has taken up the question of Iran’s human rights and intervened personally in some cases, such as that of Akbar Ganji.

  • On the sidelines of the conference, he had bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Blair and President Karzai. He also met with the Foreign Ministers of China, Denmark, Germany, Iran and Norway, in addition to the deputy Foreign Minister of Japan.

QUARTET CONGRATULATES PALESTINIANS ON ELECTIONS

  • Following their meeting in London on Monday, the Quartet on the Middle East – bringing together the United Nations, the European Union, Russia and the United States – issued a communiqué, read out by the Secretary-General, in which it congratulated the Palestinian people on an electoral process that was free, fair and secure.

  • The Quartet, in that communiqué, concluded that it was inevitable that future assistance to any new government would be reviewed by donors against that government’s commitment to the principles of nonviolence, recognition of Israel, and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, including the Roadmap.

  • Speaking to reporters afterward, the Secretary-General said that, if Hamas accepts those principles and transforms itself from an armed movement into a political party respecting the rules of the game and representing its people, “The international community should be able to work with them”.

SECURITY COUNCIL FOCUSES ON MIDDLE EAST

  • The Security Council was briefed, in an open meeting on the Middle East this morning, about Monday night’s Quartet meeting in London, as well as on the recent Palestinian elections. Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Angela Kane noted that a new Palestinian government has yet to be formed.

  • She also informed the Council that a visit to Lebanon by Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs Nicolas Michel last Thursday and Friday had been constructive and fruitful, with Michel reporting a broad basis of support in Lebanon for the establishment of a tribunal of an international character.

  • The Council followed the open briefing with consultations on the Middle East. In their consultations, Council members approved renewal of the mandates for the UN Missions in Lebanon and in Georgia and the extension of the mandate of the expert panel on the Democratic Republic of the Congo until the end of July.

ANNAN ‘CONCERNED’ WITH DELAYS IN STATUS PROCESS FOR KOSOVO

  • Despite welcoming the preparations for the future status process for Kosovo, the Secretary-General is seriously concerned about delays or setbacks in most areas of standards implementation in the province.

  • The standards are a set of eight targets that include building democratic institutions, enforcing minority rights, and establishing an impartial legal system.

  • In his latest report on the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo, the Secretary-General also says that the Serbian authorities need to encourage – and not discourage – Kosovo Serb leaders to take part in Kosovo’s institutions, such as local government.

  • The Secretary-General also expresses concern about the increase in serious security incidents.

U.N. REPORTS ACHIEVEMENTS IN PAKISTAN RELIEF

  • Larry Hollingworth, the Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator for Pakistan, told reporters in Geneva today that a lot has been achieved for the victims of the earthquake in Pakistan. He said that 800,000 tents, 240,000 shelters, 5 million blankets, and 5 million sheets of corrugated iron have been provided to people displaced by the earthquake.

  • There has been no major health crisis, he added.

  • At the same time, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that it is still short of $200 million for its initial appeal.

CONSULTANTS EXAMINING OUTSOURCING OF CONFERENCE SERVICES

  • In answer to previous questions about a study on outsourcing that is being done for the United Nations, the Spokesman said that a study on the outsourcing of conference services was undertaken by external consultants from Epstein and Fass Associates and Faulkner and Associates.

  • It was conducted in the larger context of management reform, but specifically to address budgetary and space concerns and the need to put the United Nations in the forefront of technological innovation, he said.

  • The study focused on translation and printing. It should be noted, Dujarric said, that currently, under the reform process, 20 to 25 percent of the translation workload is already being outsourced.

  • The consultants, he added, are examining possible options or scenarios to further outsource, against the four goals of conference services: timeliness, quality, quantity and cost effectiveness. They will submit their report by 10 February.

SPOKESMAN: U.N. VALUES FREE SPEECH, RESPECT FOR RELIGIONS

  • Asked about cartoons in a Danish newspaper that Muslim groups found offensive, the Spokesman noted that no action had been requested of the Secretary-General, although the Organization of the Islamic Conference brought the matter to the attention of High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour.

  • Arbour, he said, would bring the matter to the special human rights rapporteurs dealing with racism and the freedom of religion.

  • Asked about the Secretary-General’s views, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General would want to see all religions treated with respect. Freedom of expression and respect for religions, he said, is not an either-or proposition.

U.N. TO SEND TEAM TO CHECK ON BIRD FLU IN IRAQ

  • The World Health Organization today said that the Iraqi Ministry of Health had confirmed that the fifteen-year-old girl who had died on 17 January in Iraq had been diagnosed with bird flu.

  • A WHO team will leave tomorrow for Suliamaniya in northern Iraq where the girl, her uncle and a third suspected case have been found.

  • As for the situation in Turkey, the WHO collaborating laboratory in the United Kingdom has confirmed that 12 of the 21 cases that were suspected from Turkey were indeed bird flu. Four have died.

U.N. SAYS AFGHANISTAN STILL NEEDS FOOD AID.

  • The UN World Food Programme today said that although the number of persons suffering from hunger in Afghanistan had dropped by some 2.5 million in the past few years, outside assistance is still needed to feed some 6.5 million people daily in that country.

  • The agency launched a hunger appeal for $360 million at the beginning of this month, but has received only about 11 percent of that sum.

  • The agency also says that about 50 percent of Afghan children suffer from some form of malnutrition.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

UNICEF REPORTS CONDITIONS IN MALAWI ‘VERY SERIOUS’: A new report out from the UN Children’s Fund says that the humanitarian situation in Malawi remains very serious. A deadly combination of chronic poverty, bad weather, a bad harvest, a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS and an outbreak of cholera have left almost 5 million people in need of food aid until the end of March. Of these, an estimated one million are children under the age of five and pregnant women.

U.N. FOOD CHIEF TO VISIT SOUTHERN AFRICA: The U.N. World Food Programme today reported that Executive Director, James T. Morris has begun a visit to southern Africa to review the region’s humanitarian crisis and the international community’s response to it. The agency said southern Africa is in an acute phase of a long-term emergency due to a deadly combination of HIV/AIDS, food insecurity and a weakened capacity for governments to deliver basic social services.

MUKHTAR MAI TO SPEAK AT UNHQ: In response to questions about when Mukhtar Mai of Pakistan will be invited to speak at the United Nations, the Spokesman said that the Department of Economic and Social Affairs is in touch with the non-governmental Virtue Foundation, discussing an appropriate date for an event with Mukhtar Mai at the UN in the near future.

U.N. ATOMIC ENERGY GROUP TO MEET LATER THIS WEEK: Asked about a meeting that took place in London among the five permanent members of the Security Council and Germany on Iran, the Spokesman noted that the Secretary-General did not participate in that meeting. Asked about action by the International Atomic Energy Agency on Iran, the Spokesman said that the Agency’s Board will meet later this week on that issue and he encouraged journalists to contact the Agency directly.

REPORTS SHOW DIFFICULTIES OF WORKING IN IRAQ: Asked about reports concerning funds for Iraq being wasted, the Spokesman noted that the United Nations is part of the International Advisory and Monitoring Board for Iraq, which monitors the management of funds for that country. The recent reports, he said, underscore the difficulties of working in that type of environment.

OVERSIGHT BOARD TO SEND REPORTS TO MEMBER STATES TODAY: Asked about comments from Singapore’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, alleging that the UN Secretariat was leaking reports on UN procurement, the Spokesman said that the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services is making the reports available to Member States that request it, starting today. Dujarric said he was aware that the report had leaked to certain Member States and a few journalists. He added that leaks are unfortunate, and that the United Nations tries to guard against leaks, although that is difficult to do.

U.N. SIGNS REFUGEE ACCORDS WITH DR CONGO, SUDAN: The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees today reports that it has signed agreements with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Sudan to set up the legal framework for the voluntary return of 13,300 Sudanese refugees in the DRC, as well as for 6,800 Congolese refugees in Sudan. The agency said it is planning to begin refugee return operations under these agreements in March.