HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY MICHELE MONTAS
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
U.N. HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
GEORGIA:
SECRETARY-GENERAL ASKS ENVOY TO CONTINUE DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS DESPITE CLOSURE OF
PEACEKEEPING MISSION
Following the lack of agreement of the Security Council
to continue the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG),
the Mission effectively ceased its functions as of 16 June 2009, and started
its withdrawal. The Secretary-General, in a
statement, expressed his gratitude to the parties for their cooperation
with the Mission since its establishment in 1993, and welcomed their
expressed readiness to continue to extend their support to the Mission until
its full withdrawal.
The Secretary-General affirmed the readiness of the
United Nations to continue its other key activities and remain engaged in
the region. To that end, he has asked his Special Representative, Johan
Verbeke, to continue to represent the United Nations at the ongoing Geneva
international discussions on security and stability and on the return of
internally displaced persons and refugees.
MYANMAR SHOULD
RELEASE ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS, BAN KI-MOON SAYS IN JAPAN
The Secretary-General arrived in Japan, where he had a
meeting after his arrival, as well as a working dinner, with Foreign
Minister Hirofumi Nakasone.
Speaking to the press afterward, he said that he and the
Foreign Minister had discussed the implementation of the Security Council
resolution on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Myanmar,
UN-Japanese cooperation and the fight against piracy off the waters of
Somalia.
On
Myanmar, he said that he realized that there are concerns about the
timing of his visit because the trial of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is still
pending. He said that he was very conscious of timing, but added that it had
been a challenge to find the most appropriate time to come.
The Secretary-General
stressed that the Government of Myanmar should release all political
prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi; they should immediately resume the
dialogue between the Government and opposition leaders; and they should also
create an atmosphere, as well as a legal framework, conducive to credible
elections.
He also urged the North
Korean authorities to refrain from taking any further measures which may
deteriorate the already very serious situation there.
The Secretary-General has a
full day on Tuesday in Tokyo. He will meet with Prime Minister Taro Aso,
with Japanese business leaders, children, students, UN Goodwill Ambassadors
and political leaders.
AFGHANISTAN:
U.N. ENVOY EMPHASIZES IMPORTANCE OF FAIR ELECTIONS
Kai Eide, the Secretary-General’s Special
Representative for
Afghanistan, told the
Security Council in an open meeting today that the present situation in
Afghanistan is complex, but, if it is managed well, could become a turning
point to efforts to bring the conflict to an end.
He said that the elections in August will help to
strengthen people’s confidence in the democratic process and strengthen
Afghanistan’s institutions. He has urged all candidates to campaign with
dignity and fairness and called on the international community to avoid any
interference in the election process.
Eide noted that the Secretary-General, in his recent
report on Afghanistan, had appealed for a review of operations by special
forces. Eide welcomed the commitment by the commander of the forces on the
ground to a fundamental shift in attitude, and noted that the majority of
civilian casualties are caused by the insurgency.
He promised the Security Council that he would provide
a set of benchmarks for the UN Mission in Afghanistan’s progress by
September.
The open debate on Afghanistan continued, with 28
speakers inscribed.
Today is also the last day of the Turkish Presidency of
the Security Council. Uganda will assume the rotating Presidency of the
Council for the month of July.
IRAQ: U.N.
REPRESENTATIVE NOTES STEADY PROGRESS TOWARDS
RESTORATION OF FULL SOVEREIGNTY
On his last day as the
Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, Staffan de Mistura
congratulated the Government of Iraq on its steady progress towards the
restoration of full sovereignty for the country, as well as for its efforts
towards a more stable, democratic and unified Iraq. He said, as US troops
are redeploying outside of Iraqi cities, “What has been achieved is a real
source for congratulation.”
De Mistura added that the
primary responsibility for putting Iraq on an irreversible path towards
lasting peace and development rests with its people, who are relying on
their political leaders to put the needs of the State and of the people
above all other interests.
Also today, UNICEF says that
a $10 million project funded by the European Community to improve
Iraq’s water and sanitation services is underway, and should improve water
and sanitation for about 100,000 people in Iraq.
DARFUR MEDIATOR
MEETS WITH REBEL LEADERS
A number of Darfur rebel groups say they are ready to
resume peace talks with the Government of Sudan, according to the Office of
the Joint United Nations-African Union Chief Mediator. According to his
office, Djibril Bassolé met earlier today with the rebel leaders in Tripoli
as part of his series of consultations with all the parties to the conflict.
They discussed the Doha peace talks and conditions for the rebels’ effective
participation in the search for a solution to the crisis.
Bassolé’s office also reported that Doha, Qatar, will
remain the venue for the Darfur peace process. The Chief Mediator will soon
propose a date for the resumption of the talks.
The African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID)
says a contingent of peacekeepers came under attack Monday near their base
in Geneina, in West Darfur. One peacekeeper sustained a gunshot wound in the
leg and is in stable condition now. The attackers remain unidentified.
The Mission also reports that an advance party of
Ethiopian peacekeepers has arrived in Darfur by road from Ethiopia, an
1,800-kilometer trip.
SOMALIA: NAVAL ESCORTS SUCCESSFUL IN PROTECTING FOOD AID FROM PIRATES
In
Somalia, a total of more than 170,000 people have been displaced from
the capital, Mogadishu, since early May, according to the UN Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The continuing displacements
are the result of fresh fighting between Government forces and Islamist
fighters.
OCHA is warning that a spell of drought is also
endangering the livelihoods of more than 700,000 pastoralists.
Despite the ongoing fighting and insecurity, OCHA
reports that humanitarian agencies, including the World Food Programme, (WFP),
the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and UNICEF, have
continued to provide urgently needed life-saving assistance to the affected
population.
WFP also reports that since late 2007, when naval
escorts started protecting ships loaded with WFP food heading to Somalia,
not a single ship carrying the agency’s food has been attacked by pirates.
This positive development has ensured that a vital lifeline to some 3.5
million needy people is kept open.
Under the European Union’s Atalanta operation,
which started in December last year, WFP has been able to deliver more than
400,000 metric tons of food into Somalia, through the Mogadishu, Merka,
Bossaso, and Berbera ports.
WFP remains extremely grateful to the European
Union for committing itself to escorting ships carrying WFP food for this
year.
WFP is worried about any rise in Somali piracy
attacks against ships carrying humanitarian assistance and commercial
cargoes to Mombasa port in neighbouring Kenya.
SECRETARY-GENERAL FOCUSED ON SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN D.R.
CONGO
Asked about rapes and sexual violence allegedly
committed by the armed forces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC),
the Spokeswoman noted that the UN Mission there (MONUC)
sees the protection of civilians as a vital focus of its work. It will
assess and adjust its support for joint operations with the Congolese Armed
Forces to ensure that such operations are conducted in accordance with
international humanitarian law.
The Secretary-General has raised the issue of
sexual violence directly with President Joseph Kabila, during his trip to
the DRC and expressed his outrage after his meeting with victims of sexual
violence in Goma.
He has been steadily focusing on the issue of
sexual violence in the DRC, including his recent
statements and his appearance at a recent production of “Ruined", a
Pulitzer-prize winning play on that subject.
What is happening to women
and girls in Congo is catastrophic, Montas said. The FDLR (Democratic
Liberation Forces of Rwanda), she added, has long used rape as a weapon of
war and undisciplined members of the national army are also committing rapes
that remain unpunished.
She added, in response to a question about Jean-Bosco
Ntaganda, that the United Nations will not have any involvement in
operations where Ntaganda is present. As for arresting him, Montas said that
question is up to the Congolese authorities.
U.N. AGENCY LAUDS TANZANIA’S DECISION TO GIVE BURUNDIAN REFUGEES MORE TIME TO
RETURN HOME
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has
welcomed a decision by the Tanzanian Government to give more time for
the voluntary repatriation of some 36,000 Burundians living in the Mtabila
refugee camp in northwestern Tanzania.
This last remaining camp hosting Burundian refugees in Tanzania was
scheduled for closure today, when all its residents were expected to
voluntarily repatriate home.
The Tanzanian Government has announced that the refugees will now have the
chance to plan their return home during the traditional high season for
repatriation, which runs to the end of September. The Tanzanian Government
has also given the assurance that no refugee will be forcibly repatriated.
MYANMAR: 50,000TH REFUGEE LEAVES
THAILAND FOR NEW LIFE IN UNITED STATES
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says the world’s
largest resettlement programme today
passed a new milestone when the 50,000th Myanmar refugee left a camp in
Thailand to begin a new life in the United States.
Resettlement from the nine refugee camps along the Thai-Myanmar border has
been ongoing since 2004, but had received an enormous boost in early 2005
when the U.S. offered to give new homes to refugees from the camps.
The refugees, most of whom had been in Thailand for more than 20 years, had
not seen a realistic prospect of returning to Myanmar any time soon and were
also not able to settle permanently in Thailand.
Some 112,000 registered Myanmar refugees remain in the nine camps along the
Thai-Myanmar border and UNHCR has expected to resettle a further 6,000 to
7,000 of them in 2009.
MORE FUNDS
NEEDED TO HELP DISPLACED PAKISTANIS
The World Health Organization’s Assistant
Director-General for Health Action in Crises, Eric Laroche, is currently in
Pakistan. He is there to support his agency’s efforts to help the
approximately 2 million people who have been displaced by violence in the
country’s northwest.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO),
additional financial resources are needed to strengthen disease control
efforts. Improving access to reproductive health services is also crucial.
WHO adds that more female health workers are needed to
provide culturally sensitive health services to women and girls in
Pakistan’s conflict-hit areas.
TIMOR-LESTE: NATIONAL POLICE ASSUMES RESPONSIBILITY
IN 1 DISTRICT
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative in
Timor-Leste and the country’s Prime Minister presided today over a
ceremony marking the resumption of primary police responsibilities by Timor-Leste’s
national police in one district.
The Timorese Government and the United Nations Mission in Timor-Leste are
implementing the resumption process in a gradual manner, based on joint
assessments and on the preparedness of Timorese police in each district and
unit.
The UN Police will maintain its presence in the districts where the national
police have resumed responsibilities, in order to support, provide advice
and monitor the national police, including in the area of human rights
protection.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
UNICEF CHIEF VISITS SYRIA: On the first visit ever
of a UNICEF Executive Director to the Syrian Arab Republic, Ann Veneman met with
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Government ministers and First Lady Asma
Akhras al-Assad, and she visited programs assisting children, youth and Iraqi
refugees. “Syria is recognizing the critical importance of investing in children
and adolescents,” said Veneman. “Yet challenges remain including ensuring
quality education, providing opportunities for youth and addressing the impact
of drought.”
RIGHTS OFFICE IN NEPAL TO DOWNSIZE: The UN
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Nepal (OHCHR-Nepal) will
close its Western Regional Office in Nepal today, as part of its downsizing and
restructuring. As of 1 July, OHCHR-Nepal will have three regional offices, a
sub-office and a project office, in addition to its headquarters.
GAZA MISSION CONTINUING WORK: Asked about
human rights in Gaza, the Spokeswoman noted that the inquiry that was requested
by the
Human Rights Council, headed by Justice Richard Goldstone, has been
continuing its work. It held two days of public hearings in Gaza earlier this
week and will hold additional hearings in Geneva.
NEW KIT GIVES INFORMATION ON CLIMATE CONFERENCE:
Available now is a
media kit for the World Climate Conference 3, to be held from 31 August to 4
September in Geneva. The kit was
launched in Geneva today by the World Meteorological Organization. It
provides information on this conference, which will aim to initiate a Global
Framework for Climate Services to boost climate adaptation.
Office of the
Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
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