Secretary-General

Noon briefing of 21 January 2008

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY MICHELE MONTAS
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

Monday, January 21, 2008

BAN KI-MOON IS TO BEGIN FIVE-NATION TRIP

  • Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is scheduled to leave later today for Switzerland. Tomorrow, he is scheduled to visit the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva.

  • On Wednesday, he is scheduled to address the Conference on Disarmament, and take part in a memorial service for the victims of the Algiers bombing. He then heads to Davos to attend the World Economic Forum.

  • The Secretary-General plans to travel to four more countries during the following week.

  • In his first official visit to Eastern Europe, he’ll be in Slovenia, which currently holds the European Union presidency, starting Friday night.

  • After that, he makes a one-day visit to Slovakia, and then continues on to Kigali, Rwanda, where he will make a speech at the Genocide Memorial.

  • Then, he travels to Addis Ababa, where he will address the opening of the African Union Summit meeting on Thursday, January 31st.

SECURITY COUNCIL SCHEDULES
CONSULTATIONS ON MIDDLE EAST TODAY

  • The Security Council has scheduled closed consultations today at 3.30 pm in connection with the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.

FUEL BLOCKADE OF GAZA THREATENS U.N. HUMANITARIAN WORK

  • The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) says that it may be unable to continue its food distribution and other key operations in Gaza if the closure at Gaza’s crossing points continues.

  • Karen AbuZayd, the Agency’s Commissioner-General, says that UNRWA is about to run out of its own fuel supplies in two more days. Although the Agency has sufficient food stocks in Gaza, it will not be able to continue its support to 860,000 Gaza residents past Wednesday if it lacks fuel to transport food or the nylon bags for food distribution.

  • AbuZayd warned, “It’s very cold here. There’s no fuel, no water, little electricity.”

  • Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in a statement issued late Friday, appealed urgently for an immediate end to the violence now engulfing Gaza and affecting communities in southern Israel and reminded the parties once more of their obligation to comply with international humanitarian law and not to endanger civilians.

  • He warned that the decision by Israel to close the crossing points between Gaza and Israel, used for the delivery of humanitarian assistance, cuts off the population from much-needed fuel supplies used to pump water and generate electricity to homes and hospitals. The Secretary-General called on Israel to refrain from actions that will harm the well-being of the general civilian population in Gaza.

  • The Secretary-General also expressed his deep concern that the hostilities taking place on the ground will undermine the hopes for peace generated by the political process begun at Annapolis.

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL TO HOLD SPECIAL SESSION ON WEDNESDAY

  • In Geneva, the Human Rights Council will hold a Special Session this Wednesday, at the request of the Group of Arab States and the Group of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, to consider and take action on “human rights violations emanating from Israeli military incursions in the Occupied Palestinian Territory”, including in Gaza and the West Bank town of Nablus.

SECURITY COUNCIL DISCUSSES IRAQ

  • The Security Council this morning received a briefing on the enlarged role of the UN Mission in Iraq by the head of that mission, Special Representative Staffan de Mistura.

  • De Mistura told the Council that the past weeks have witnessed some tentative and overdue, but certainly welcome, steps towards national reconciliation and inclusive political dialogue.

  • And he talked about the United Nations’ increased efforts to deal with the issues of disputed internal boundaries, returnees, cholera, economic reconstruction and regional dialogue.

  • The Security Council also heard from U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, who briefed them on the work of the Multinational Force for Iraq.

BAN KI-MOON HAS RECEIVED ALGERIA’S LETTER
ON PLANNED INDEPENDENT INQUIRY INTO ALGIERS BOMBING

  • Asked about meetings over the weekend between Chef de Cabinet Vijay Nambiar and the Algerian Permanent Representative and Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, the Spokeswoman acknowledged those meetings, and added that the United Nations has also received a letter from the Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs.

  • She said that the UN Secretariat has been in touch with the Algerian authorities and are aware of their concerns, and it is making strenuous efforts to overcome any misunderstanding and to obtain the cooperation of the Algerian authorities with the Independent Review Panel that the Secretary-General intends to establish.

  • Montas said that the panel is not a criminal investigation, but is intended as an independent review panel that will look at the specific lessons learned from the most recent events. She said that the panel will address strategic issues vital to the delivery and enhancement of staff security for the United Nations, in its operations around the world.

  • What is important, she added, is that concerted efforts be made to fight international terrorism and prevent such acts from occurring. After the panel reports back with its recommendations, she said the Secretariat would work with the General Assembly to ensure better safety and security for UN staff and premises all around the world.

  • The safety of UN personnel remains an utmost priority of the Organization, the Spokeswoman asserted.

DARFUR ENVOYS CONCLUDE VISIT TO SUDAN

  • The UN and AU Special Envoys for Darfur, Jan Eliasson and Salim Ahmed Salim, have wrapped up a weeklong visit to Sudan in an effort to infuse new momentum into the peace process.

  • At a press conference held in Khartoum over the weekend, Jan Eliasson said the envoys now have the full commitment of two of the five Movements to the peace process, and to attend the pre-negotiations meeting as soon as it can be arranged.

PEACEKEEPING OFFICIALS MEET SUDANESE OFFICIALS, VISIT DARFUR

  • Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guehenno is scheduled to arrive in Sudan today for a four-day visit during which he will meet with Sudanese Government officials.

  • Ahead of Mr. Guehenno’s visit, Assistant Secretary-General Jane Holl Lute arrived in Khartoum on Friday and flew to Darfur the following day. She visited all three states in Darfur before returning to Khartoum today, where she met with the Undersecretary at the Sudan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Mutrif Siddiq.

  • While in Darfur, she visited camps housing displaced people, met with local Government officials and the civilian and military leadership of the African Union/United Nation Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), including AU/UN Joint Special Representative Rodolphe Adada.

  • Meanwhile, in Khartoum, in what UNAMID described as an important confidence-building meeting held at the Staff College in Khartoum over the weekend, the UNAMID Force Commander General Martin Luther Agwai and the Mission’s Police Commissioner, Major General Mike Fryer, gave detailed briefings and clarifications about UNAMID to the Sudanese Armed Forces, Police and State Security Service.

  • The UNAMID Police Commissioner emphasized the need to intensify community policing, fight against gender-based violence and improve co-operation between UNAMID Police, Government Police and the Movements’ Police in Darfur.

  • Asked about the appointment of janjaweed leader Musa Hilal to a senior Sudanese Government post, the Spokeswoman noted that Hilal is on a Security Council sanctions list, subjecting him to a travel ban and other sanctions.

THOUSANDS ARE DISPLACED IN KENYA AS CRISIS PERSISTS

  • The political crisis is entering its third week with no let-up in violence and a heavy police presence reported in Nairobi and towns, the UN Country Team has observed.

  • According to UNICEF, there are approximately 1,000 displaced persons arriving in Nakuru on a daily basis from violence-affected areas in North Rift Valley Province.

  • Kenyan authorities now estimate at 116,000 the number of people displaced in the North Rift region and WFP, in cooperation with Kenyan authorities, is readying a distribution plan to provide up to one month of food rations to the displaced.

  • Also in Nakuru, UNICEF says 18 of 134 schools remain closed, as some 240 teachers have failed to report to work.

  • People in Nairobi’s Kibera slum continue to need food assistance and UN humanitarian workers have planned another round of food distribution for some 2,000 households later this week.

AGENCIES APPEAL FOR EDUCATION ASSISTANCE
TO DISPLACED SOMALI CHILDREN

  • UN Humanitarian workers in Somalia report that tensions remain high in the disputed Sool region. This comes after violent clashes on January 13th between troops from the self-declared autonomous Puntland and Somaliland provinces.

  • While there is no confirmation of internal displacement of civilians due to the latest fighting, the UN Refugee Agency has registered some 1,240 people from Sool in Yemen since the start of this year. UNHCR also reports some 20,000 newly displaced persons from Mogadishu in recent weeks due to ongoing violence in the capital.

  • The World Food Programme, meanwhile, has resumed food distribution for some 200,000 internally displaced persons at camps along the Afgooye-Mogadishu road.

  • With some 7,400 children attending classes in some 30 makeshift schools, UN humanitarian agencies are concerned that the constant movement of families on the run from the violence has left some 4,000 people remaining on waiting lists. The agencies have appealed for additional emergency educational structures in the Afgooye area.

INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT PROSECUTOR
TO VISIT CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

  • The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Luis Moreno-Ocampo, will travel to the Central African Republic on January 24th to meet with victims, representatives of civil society and the local population.

  • He will participate in a public dialogue, and will also meet senior government officials. He will visit the ICC local field office, which opened in October 2007.

  • The Prosecutor’s visit comes in the context of the investigation he opened into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in that country.

LEBANON PEACEKEEPING FORCE CONDUCTS NAVAL EXERCISE

  • Over the past three days, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has conducted a maritime exercise off the coast of southern Lebanon in cooperation with the Lebanese Navy. The three-day operation involves amphibious landing of military personnel and equipment by the sea route.

  • The exercise involves naval units from France and Italy, as well as from UNIFIL’s Maritime Task Force and the Lebanese Armed Forces.

  • UNIFIL Force Commander Major-General Claudio Graziano said “The aim of this exercise is to improve cooperation and establish coordination mechanisms between the different naval and land forces involved.”

KIVU CONFERENCE EXPECTED TO CLOSE TUESDAY

  • Expected to end today, the Conference on Peace, Security and Development in the Kivu provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo will now see its last day of formal consultations tomorrow or Wednesday.

  • That’s according to the UN Mission in the DRC, which adds that delegates are expected to adopt a final report that will record the consensus positions on the issues discussed these past two weeks at the event Goma.

  • Also taking place in Goma this weekend was the 5th meeting of the Task Force of the Joint Monitoring Group. At that meeting, the Congolese delegation said that their Government’s effort to sensitize Rwandan combatants exiled in the DRC, including the ex-FAR/Interahamwe, on the need for them to return home. Rwanda, for its part, declared its intention to draw up and submit to the DRC a list of some 6000 suspected genocidaires they believe to be among its citizens exiled in the DRC.

  • The UN Mission, meanwhile, is urging members of the Ituri Patriotic Resistance Front to surrender to the Congolese Army, whose troops are now dislodging the insurgents from hideouts in the towns Kamatsy and Tchei.

ON OFFICIAL VISIT TO EGYPT, DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL
ATTENDS CULTURAL DIALOGUE WORKSHOPS

  • Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro has traveled to Alexandria, Egypt, to participate in the closing session of the Third Conference and Cultural Workshops on "Dialogue among Peoples and Cultures in the Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf Areas."

  • Over the weekend, she was in Cairo where she delivered a keynote address at the opening session of a high-level symposium on trends in development cooperation.

  • The Deputy Secretary-General said that the Symposium was a welcome opportunity to underscore the pre-eminent place of development cooperation on the agenda of the international community. She stressed the commitment of the Secretary-General and herself to strengthening the development work of the United Nations through implementing the outcome of the 2005 World Summit.

PEACEBUILDING COMMISSION TAKES UP GUINEA-BISSAU

  • Today, the Peacebuilding Commission is holding its first formal Country-Specific Meeting on Guinea-Bissau.

  • Members met today to discuss, among other things, the upcoming travel of the Meeting's Chair (the Permanent Representative of Brazil, Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti) to Guinea-Bissau to assess the situation there and report back to the Commission with recommendations for specific peacebuilding assistance.

  • Last month, the Commission added Guinea-Bissau as the third country on its agenda, joining Sierra Leone and Burundi.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

U.S. CONGRESSMAN PLAYED NO ROLE IN BAN KI-MOON’S MEETINGS WITH SUDANESE LEADERSHIP: Asked about the role of Congressman Mark Siljander in facilitating meetings between the Secretary-General and the Sudanese Government, the Spokeswoman said that although the Congressman had offered informal services, he was not at any meetings between the Secretary-General and the Sudanese Government and did not arrange any of these meetings. The Secretary-General had five meetings with President Bashir: two in Riyadh, two in Khartoum and one in Addis Ababa. Montas said that all those meetings were arranged through diplomatic channels.

MYANMAR’S INVITATION TO U.N. SPECIAL ADVISOR STANDS: Asked whether there had been any change in the Government of Myanmar’s stated intention not to allow Special Adviser Ibrahim Gambari into the country earlier than late March, the Spokeswoman said there has been no change.

**The guest at the noon briefing was the Secretary-General's Special Representative Staffan de Mistura for Iraq following his briefing to the Security Council.