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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE BRIEFING
BY MARIE OKABE
DEPUTY
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
UN
HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
SECURITY
COUNCIL WELCOMES HOLDING OF ELECTIONS IN IRAQ AND SOMALIA
The
Security Council held its first consultations under Japan’s Security
Council Presidency and approved its programme of work for February.
Also, under other matters, the Security Council heard a
briefing from Assistant Secretary-General for
Peacekeeping Operations Edmond Mulet about recent developments in Darfur.
Ambassador Takasu then read out two press statements by
the Council. In one statement, Council members
welcomed the election of Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed as President of
Somalia and expressed their strong support for the peace process there.
On
Iraq, Council members
welcomed the holding of provincial elections on 31 January and
congratulated the Iraqi people for demonstrating their commitment to a
peaceful and democratic political process.
CIVILIANS SEEK
SAFETY FROM AERIAL BOMBINGS NEAR A.U./U.N. CAMP IN DARFUR
The African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in
Darfur (UNAMID)
reports today that aerial bombings were conducted around Muhajeria town in
South Darfur, and civilians are still gathered outside the UNAMID camp
seeking refuge.
UNAMID officials were prevented by Sudanese National
Security from undertaking an assessment visit to Muhajeria, due to the
current security situation in the area, according to the mission.
The Joint Special Representative, Rodolphe Adada, is
engaged in diplomatic and political consultations with the Government of
Sudan, with the aim of ensuring the protection of civilians in Muhajeria. He
is also scheduled to travel to Chad tomorrow.
Meanwhile, leaders from Labado, about 60 to 80
kilometres from Nyala, met with UNAMID officials to discuss the prevailing
security situation in the town. They indicated that people from surrounding
villages have started moving towards Nyala.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay
has
expressed her alarm about rapidly deteriorating conditions reportedly
facing civilians in the Muhajeria area of South Darfur.
Fighting between Government forces and the Sudanese
Liberation Army/Mini Minawi faction (SLA/MM) against the Justice and
Equality Movement (JEM) has resulted in civilian casualties and displaced
some 30,000 people. Some 5,000 have sought refuge in the vicinity of the
UNAMID military camp in Muhajeria.
Edmond Mulet, Assistant Secretary-General of
Peacekeeping Operations, this morning briefed the Security Council on the
grave developments over the last 96 hours in the Muhajeriya area. Regarding
the development today in which UNAMID was prevented from travelling to
Muhajeriya, Mr. Mulet said it is critical that the Government ensure access
for UNAMID personnel.
The Secretary-General, in his
statements over the last several days, has urged both parties to
immediately cease all hostilities and exercise restraint, called on the
rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) to withdraw from Muhajeriya, and
recommitted UNAMID to protecting civilians in the area.
U.N. ENVOY WRAPS UP TRIP TO MYANMAR
The Secretary-General’s Special Adviser Ibrahim Gambari
concluded a four-day working visit to
Myanmar.
Mr. Gambari was received today for about an hour by
Prime Minister Thein Sein in Yangon. The meeting was attended by the
Ministers of Foreign Affairs, National Planning, Information, Culture and
Health.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Gambari also met for the second
time with the Government Spokesperson Authoritative Team, composed of the
Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Information and Culture.
Mr. Gambari is expected to meet with the
Secretary-General in India to report on the overall outcome of his visit.
The Spokeswoman said, in response to a question, that
the Prime Minister was the most senior Government official that Gambari met
on the trip that just ended.
Asked about press accounts that Aung San Suu Kyi was
frustrated by the good offices process in Myanmar, the Spokeswoman
reiterated that yesterday was the first time in almost a year that Aung San
Suu Kyi and members of the Central Executive Committee of her NLD party have
been able to meet, and the first time that Gambari was able to meet with
them together.
The Spokeswoman said that they had open, detailed and
cordial discussions on the agenda developed with all interlocutors in the
course of his visits so far, including the release of political prisoners,
the dialogue between the Government and Aung San Suu Kyi, the need for a
credible and inclusive political process, and ways to address socio-economic
issues.
Asked what more the Secretary-General can do to press
the Myanmar Government, Okabe said that the Secretary-General has expressed
his frustration at the lack of progress on the issues which Gambari raised
with the Government during his last visit, including the need for dialogue
between the Government and Aung San Suu Kyi. He is nevertheless determined
to persist in his efforts, she said.
He had therefore asked Gambari to continue his
discussions and engagement with the Myanmar Government, opposition and other
stakeholders as an integral part of this process in the implementation of
the Secretary-General’s mandate, she added.
Asked when Gambari and the Secretary-General would
meet, Okabe said it would be in India on Thursday.
Asked whether he would then meet the
Security Council, she said that would be for Council members to decide.
APPEAL LAUNCHED FOR FOOD AND OTHER
ASSISTANCE FOR AFGHANISTAN
John Holmes, Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian
Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, today
launched a Humanitarian Action Plan for
Afghanistan for 2009, for a total of slightly more than US$600 million.
Speaking to the press in Geneva, Holmes said that the
situation in Afghanistan is serious, and is getting worse, in particular due
to the escalating armed conflict and the severe drought which had been
present for two years in some parts of the country. He warned, “The lack of
security in some areas also prevents humanitarian aid workers from carrying
out their life-saving work.”
The biggest single need, he said, is to increase food
assistance, in particular because of the effects of rising food prices.
Also, as a consequence of drought, an estimated 1.2 million children under
five years of age and some 550,000 pregnant and lactating women are at high
risk of malnutrition. Some $354 million of today’s appeal will be set aside
for food aid, with another $100 million to be for mine action.
SECRETARY-GENERAL ON OFFICIAL VISIT TO
THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon left Addis Ababa today
for the United Arab Emirates, arriving this afternoon in Abu Dhabi. In the
evening, he met with the UAE Foreign Minister, Sheikh Abdallah bin Zayed al
Nahyan. That meeting is being followed by a working dinner.
Speaking to reporters upon arrival in Abu Dhabi, the
Secretary-General reiterated his call for a durable and sustainable
ceasefire in Gaza and for the opening of all the crossing points into Gaza.
Asked about the Secretary-General’s meeting with the
UAE Foreign Minister, the Spokeswoman later added that they discussed Gaza
and the Middle East as well as issues of mutual interest.
NOT ENOUGH AID GETTING INTO GAZA
The Office of the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle
East Peace Process (UNSCO)
and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
report that the number of truckloads of aid permitted to enter Gaza daily by
the Israeli authorities remains insufficient.
In addition, only a very restricted list of items is
being allowed in through the crossings. For example, last Friday, the UN
Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
was not allowed to bring into Gaza the plastic bags that it uses to
distribute supplies. With some 20,000 food parcels distributed daily, such
bags are a vital component of UNRWA’s assistance.
Meanwhile, as of yesterday, only three non-school UNRWA
shelters remain open, hosting nearly 400 displaced people. But although most
people have left the shelters since the ceasefire, thousands of Gazans still
remain homeless, according to UNSCO.
The
World Health Organization reports that most health facilities have
resumed normal operation and that large volumes of medical supplies have
been donated, but drugs used to treat mental health problems are still
lacking and urgently needed. Also needed are items such as syringe pumps,
ventilators and anesthesia monitors.
In terms of additional priority requirements, UNRWA
says it needs blankets, mattresses, plastic sheeting, kitchen kits, hygiene
kits, water tanks, clothing and tents.
UNSCO also reports that rolling blackouts are still
continuing in most of the Gaza Strip, with some areas experiencing power
cuts of 12 hours a day.
Asked what the United Nations can do to obtain the
opening of crossing points to Gaza, the Spokeswoman said that the
Secretary-General is working through a variety of avenues to get the
crossings opened.
SECRETARY-GENERAL CONCERNED OVER RISE OF
ILLEGAL DRUG TRAFFICKING IN SIERRA LEONE
In his first
report on the U.N. Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Sierra Leone, a
follow-on mission whose mandate took effect on 1 October 2008, the
Secretary-General says Sierra Leone has continued to make progress in
consolidating peace, but much remains to be done, particularly in the areas
of youth unemployment, poor infrastructure, and an extremely low revenue
base.
A new phenomenon of particular concern is illicit drug
trafficking, with Sierra Leone being used as a trans-shipment point, he
says. It is critical that the country’s capacity to address this issue be
enhanced, including through assistance in combating piracy in coastal
waters, before the problem takes root and poses even greater challenges.
SECRETARY-GENERAL ASKS MEMBER STATES FOR
MORE TROOPS FOR DR CONGO MISSION
In a letter to the Security Council president, the
Secretary-General regrets that Member States have not come forward as hoped
with additional troops for the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo (MONUC).
49 troop contributing countries and 12 potential troop contributors have
been asked for resources.
So far, the Organization has accepted an offer from
Bangladesh for one infantry battalion, one engineer company and one formed
police unit. It has also accepted a Belgian offer of a C-130 aircraft, while
five other Member States will send the Mission the required intelligence
experts. There are also several indications of offers by other Member
States.
In conclusion, the Secretary-General renews his appeal
to troop- and police-contributing countries to come forward with essential
offers.
Meanwhile, in the field,
UNICEF says that it has helped secure the release of 85 children
recruited by the Mayi Mayi ethnic militias in the eastern part of the DRC.
The children, aged between 7 and 17, include five girls. The agency is now
attempting to find their families.
Asked why countries have stopped contributing troops to
UN peacekeeping operations, the Spokeswoman noted that
Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Alain Le Roy had
briefed the Security Council in detail last month about the challenges
involved in force generation.
ROMANIA AND UKRAINE AGREE TO
INTERNATIONAL COURT RULING ON MARITIME BORDER
Both Romania and Ukraine appear to have agreed to a
unanimous
verdict delimiting their maritime border in the Black Sea after a
decades-old dispute. The ruling by the International Court of Justice marked
the sea border halfway between the territorial waters of the two countries,
but handed Romania some 80% of the disputed area. The continental shelf of
that area is believed to contain considerable hydrocarbon deposits.
Romania filed a complaint against Ukraine in 2004 after
half a dozen rounds of bilateral efforts failed to settle the matter. The
case initially focused on a disagreement on the jurisdiction over an islet
between the two countries known as Serpents' Island.
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