HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Tuesday, 13 June 2006
ANNAN CONCERNED ABOUT STUDENTS’ DEATHS IN
GUINEA
Secretary-General Kofi Annan is
deeply concerned
by the killings of approximately ten students during the demonstrations in
Guinea on 12 June 2006. He expresses sincere condolences to the families of
the victims.
He underlines the need for the
non-violent resolution of disputes and calls on the authorities to exercise
restraint.
The Secretary-General also
appeals to the various segments of Guinean society to continue to engage in
constructive dialogue to address the challenges confronting their country.
U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF ASKED TO LEAD
INQUIRY INTO EVENTS IN TIMOR-LESTE
The Secretary-General
told
the Security Council this morning
that he has been deeply concerned about the evolution of the situation in
Timor-Leste since the incidents in late April. The sad events of recent weeks
reveal shortcomings not only in the Timorese leadership, he said, but also on
the part of the international community in adequately sustaining the country’s
nation-building process.
The Secretary-General told the Council that he is asking
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Louise Arbour to
take the lead in establishing an inquiry commission dealing with the recent
events in Timor-Leste, following a request from the Government.
The Secretary-General just spoke to reporters and told
them that a larger UN presence would be needed on the ground in Timor-Leste,
and an assessment team would have to go there to determine needs. He said he
intends to send such an assessment mission shortly, led by his Special Envoy,
Ian Martin.
Ian Martin also briefed the Council on his recent visit
to the country and meetings with leaders there. He said that the Timorese he
had met with expressed a strong consensus that the United Nations should play
a major role in ensuring that elections in 2007 will be free and fair.
The Timorese, Martin said, also want the United Nations
to play a major role regarding support for the Timorese police and for the
United Nations to offer its good offices to foster political and community
reconciliation.
MEASLES
VACCINATION CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED FOR DISPLACED CHILDREN IN TIMOR-LESTE
The UN Children’s Fund
today launched a measles vaccination campaign targeting children living in
displacement camps in Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste. The aim is to
vaccinate an estimated 30,000 children living in more than 50 camps in Dili in
the first seven days of the two-week campaign.
And the
Office of the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says that the first phase
of its emergency air and sea operation to rush relief supplies to Timor-Leste
has been completed, with the arrival in Dili of a container ship carrying 150
tonnes of supplies. The agency has so far sent more than 200 metric tonnes of
supplies for more than 17,000 people.
And UNHCR says that the first phase of its emergency air
and sea operation to rush relief supplies to Timor-Leste has been completed
with the arrival in Dili of a container ship carrying 150 tonnes of supplies.
UNHCR has so far sent more than 200 metric tonnes of
supplies for more than 17,000 people.
ANNAN CONCERNED ABOUT ISRAELI MISSILE
ATTACK
In his
comments to reporters outside the
Security Council today, the
Secretary-General said he was "shocked and saddened" at an Israeli missile attack which
reportedly killed nine people and wounded about 40. He stressed that the use
of force must be proportionate, and that Governments have to be careful not to
take action in areas where civilians are likely to be put in harm’s way.
At the same time, the Secretary-General also condemned
the rocket attacks by the Palestinians and noted that he has consistently
asked for them to cease.
Asked about reports that Israel had not been responsible
for the Friday attack in Gaza, the Spokesman noted that the Secretary-General
had addressed that matter in his press encounter. He added that there was no
UN investigation into that attack.
SECURITY COUNCIL CLEARS WAY FOR ARMS
USED BY LIBERIAN AUTHORITIES
Prior to today’s meeting on Timor-Leste, the
Security Council unanimously adopted
three resolutions.
On Liberia, the Council
adopted a resolution deciding
that arms sanctions shall not apply to weapons and ammunition intended for use
by members of the Liberian Government’s police and security forces who have
been trained since the inception of the UN
Mission in Liberia.
The Council also
decided to extend the terms in office of
eleven judges sitting on the International
Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, until the end of 2008.
And the Council
extended the mandate of the
UN Disengagement
Observer Force in the Golan Heights until the end of this year, and also
adopted an accompanying Presidential Statement.
Council members this afternoon will have their monthly
luncheon with the Secretary-General.
SECURITY COUNCIL PLEASED WITH
PREPARATIONS FOR ELECTION IN D.R. CONGO
A delegation from the
Security Council yesterday wrapped up
a two-day visit in Kinshasa with a press encounter after meeting with
Congolese officials including President Joseph Kabila and his four
vice-presidents, as well as with members of civil society and the humanitarian
community.
Jean-Marc de la Sabliere, the French ambassador to the UN
who headed the delegation, told the press that the delegation was satisfied
with the state of preparations for the landmark July 30 elections.
Ambassador de la Sabliere congratulated the Congolese
people on the considerable amount of work completed so far and reaffirmed the
Security Council’s and the
international community’s commitment to assisting them in this task. He,
however, pleaded for respect of the electoral calendar and urged candidates
and their supporters to refrain from xenophobic rhetoric.
He also condemned violence against journalists in the
run-up to the elections, as well as slanderous media attacks on the
candidates.
Underlining the need for greater tolerance and an
appeased electoral playing field, the delegation regretted the lack of genuine
political debate in the country and expressed the wish that the next elected
government would move vigorously to restore public order and fight corruption
and impunity.
TECHNICAL
ASSESSMENT MISSION ARRIVES IN DARFUR
In
Sudan, the joint UN and African Union
technical assessment mission for a UN deployment in Darfur arrived in the
region today, where it will meet local regional leaders, representatives of
internally displaced people and the African Union mission in Darfur.
The delegation, which is being led by the
Under-Secretary-General for
Peacekeeping Operations,
Jean- Marie
Guehenno, is starting its meetings in El Fasher and will visit other
locations in Darfur.
Before arriving in Darfur, Guehenno held wide-ranging
consultations in Khartoum, and these included government ministers, members of
the diplomatic corps, and local and international non-government
organizations.
Meanwhile, the
Office of the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says it is concerned about
the security situation in Habila, which is in far western Darfur, after an
attack on its field office there by four armed men in military uniform. A
guard was shot in the leg during the attack and is now in a stable condition.
Noting that the Secretary-General had met with Lakhdar
Brahimi today, a journalist asked if the Secretary-General was satisfied with
the implemention of the agreement with Sudan. "So far, so good," the Spokesman
said, noting that Mr. Guéhenno’s mission has been going according to plan so
far.
PRESIDENTS OF CAMEROON AND NIGERIA
SETTLE BAKASSI PENINSULA DISPUTE
At the invitation of
Secretary-General, the
President of Cameroon and Nigeria met yesterday in Manhasset, New York, and
signed a definitive agreement settling the long-standing dispute between the
two countries over the
Bakassi peninsula.
Speaking after
the meeting, the Secretary-General called the agreement historic and said,
“The entire process has been creative, low-cost and efficient. Progress has
been achieved at a fraction of the cost of comparable undertakings elsewhere.
It has demonstrated that -- given political will and appropriate UN support --
countries can work together to settle disputes not only peacefully, but very
cost-effectively for themselves and for the international community.”
The two Heads of State and the Secretary-General agreed
on the modalities of Nigeria’s withdrawal from Bakassi in accordance with the
International Court of Justice ruling, which has confirmed the sovereignty of
Cameroon over the peninsula.
The Secretary-General told reporters, “Under the
agreement, the Nigerian troops will withdraw in sixty days. If it is
absolutely necessary, the parties have agreed to allow me to offer a brief
extension, but under no circumstances exceeding an additional thirty days.
And the transitional arrangements should end within two years.”
Asked who the witness states to the agreement were, the
Spokesman said they were France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United
States, all of whom were present at the signing ceremony.
FLEXIBILITY AND COMPROMISE NEEDED
FOR PROGRESS IN KOSOVO’S FUTURE STATUS
The
Secretary-General’s
latest report
on Kosovo was issue today. In it, he says he is pleased that the political
process to determine the future status of Kosovo is under way.
Much, however, remains to be done to ensure substantial
progress. There needs to be flexibility, generosity and a spirit of
compromise, he says.
Saying that it is essential that Kosovo Serbs rejoin the
Provisional Institutions, so they can help their own communities, he calls
upon Belgrade not to hamper their participation. At the same time, he says
that, regarding inter-communal reconciliation, the principal responsibility
rests with the majority.
The Secretary-General also says that, despite the stable
security situation, he remains concerned about incidents of violence, whatever
the source, directed against people and religious sites. Violence will affect
the future status process, and must not be tolerated by any part of Kosovo
society, he adds.
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO PROVIDE AID
TO SOMALIA THROUGH TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT
After meeting local authorities in Hargeisa in Somaliland
on 9 June to assess UN assistance to the region, the Special Representative of
the Secretary-General for Somalia,
Francois
Lonseny Fall, yesterday chaired a meeting in Nairobi, during which the
mayor of Mogadishu and the Governor of the Somali region of Banadir briefed
members of the international community on the political, humanitarian and
security situation in their respective localities.
The Somali officials sought emergency assistance for
their crisis-affected populations, and members of the international community
indicated their support for assistance to be delivered through the Somali
Transitional Federal Government.
Today, Fall is meeting Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf
Ahmed and Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Gedi in Nairobi. Prior to his trip to
New York to meet the Security Council
next Monday, Fall is scheduled to hold a consultative meeting on Somalia with
African Union representatives in Addis Ababa this Thursday.
U.N. POLITICAL AFFAIRS CHIEF BEGINS
CENTRAL ASIA VISIT
Under-Secretary-General for
Political Affairs
Ibrahim Gambari arrived in
Tajikistan today at the start of a four-day visit to Central Asia.
The visit will focus on reviewing UN cooperation with the
Central Asian countries, as they work together to address challenges such as
extremism, organized crime, terrorism and drug trafficking.
In Tajikistan, Gambari will meet with senior officials to
discuss ongoing efforts to consolidate peace in that country, including the
work of the UN Peacebuilding Office in
Tajikistan. He will then travel to Kazakhstan to attend the Conference on
Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, a forum for
regional cooperation.
U.N. SYSTEM OF INTERNAL
JUSTICE NEEDS TO BE MODERNIZED
Asked about the UN’s response to complaints from the
Staff Council, alleging that the United Nations was in breach of its own human
rights standards with its administrative justice system, the Spokesman said
that, while he had not yet seen the Staff Council report, it was clear to the
Secretary-General that the current system of internal justice has
its shortcomings, and needs to be modernized and made more professional.
To that end, Dujarric said, the Secretary-General had, at
the request of the General Assembly,
appointed a panel to look at how to make the UN’s administrative justice
system more accountable, efficient and professional. He said that effort,
along with the establishment of an Ethics Office and a new whistle-blower
policy, helped improve the UN’s management practices.
Asked about complaints that the Secretary-General isn’t
following his own message regarding the way the system is used, the Spokesman
said that the Secretary-General follows the internal judicial system as it is
set up and exercises his rights under that system. The point, he said, is that
no one is happy with the existing system and the Secretary-General intends to
make it better.
Asked about complaints that the system is not
transparent, the Spokesman referred journalists to the press release that had
been issued when the panel was appointed a few months ago, which clearly
stated that the panel’s guidelines was to establish a system that is
independent, transparent, effective and adequately resourced.
The Spokesman said that the panel was appointed in
February and would present its recommendations to the General Assembly, which
would need to then act on it.
OTHER
ANNOUNCEMENTS
EFFORTS TO SECURE RELEASE OF PEACEKEEPERS IN DR CONGO
CONTINUE: Asked about the situation of UN
peacekeepers detained in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ituri Province,
the Spokesman said that efforts to secure their release are continuing.
FUNDS APPROVED FOR WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME IN AZERBAIJAN:
The head of the World Food Programme (WFP),
James Morris, has
approved a two-year operation in Azerbaijan, which will provide food to
143,500 people displaced by the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The new operation will cost nearly $16 million and is
likely to be the last phase of WFP’s work in Azerbaijan.
BASIC EDUCATION FOR RURAL PEOPLE REQUIRES $1.64
BILLION A YEAR: At a two-day conference on
education held in Rome, Assistant Director-General of the
UN Food and Agriculture Organization,
Alexander Müller,
announced
that donors would have to give $1.64 billion each year to meet basic education
for rural people in low-income countries. External assistance is badly needed to
support more than 94 million rural children who are currently out of school, he
said.
MOST
COUNTRIES FALL SHORT OF ENSURING SAFE BLOOD SUPPLY:
On World Blood Donor Day, 14 June, the World
Health Organization will
publish findings from its most recent global survey on blood collection and
testing. According to the report, most countries are falling short of the goal
of 100% unpaid, voluntary blood donation.
EUROPEAN ECONOMIC GROWTH
REVIEWED: The
Secretary-General sent a
message today to
the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg. The message outlined the
opportunities and challenges countries are likely to face when sustaining
economic progress. He calls for the active participation of both public and
private sectors, as well as greater attention to environmental protection
initiatives.
Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055
