Noon briefing of 5 April 2011

CÔTE D’IVOIRE: U.N. MISSION LAUNCHES OPERATION TO PROTECT CIVILIANS

• The UN Mission in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI) started an operation on Monday aimed at protecting civilians after forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo have intensified and escalated their use of heavy weapons against the civilian population in Abidjan in the past few days.
  

• The Secretary-General explained that, in accordance with Security Council resolution 1975 (2011) of 30 March 2011, he instructed the Mission to take the necessary measures to prevent the use of heavy weapons against the civilian population, with the support of the French forces.
  

• The Secretary-General emphasized that UNOCI is not a party to the conflict. He added that, in line with its Security Council mandate, the Mission has taken this action in self-defence and to protect civilians.
  

• The UN Mission says that it has received phone calls this morning from the heads of the Forces de Défense et de Sécurité, from the Gendarmerie and from the Republican Guard. They informed the Mission that they had given instructions to their respective forces to halt fighting.
  

• The Mission says it has ordered its troops to collect arms and to offer protection to disarmed combatants.
  

• Asked about talks with Laurent Gbagbo, the Spokesperson said he was aware of discussions that are going on. He noted the phone calls from the three heads of the security forces, who had mentioned the instructions to their personnel to halt fighting.
  

• Nesirky said he was not aware of Gbagbo’s precise location; he is in Abidjan.
  

• He added that UN helicopters did not fire on Gbagbo’s residence.
  

• The Spokesperson said that it is crucial for fighting to stop, so it is encouraging if the forces will cease fighting and turn over weapons to peacekeepers.
  

• Even so, he said, there is an enormous amount of work to be done to deal with the needs of displaced and traumatised people
  

• Asked about operations today, the Spokesperson said that the UN Mission is currently assessing the outcome of its actions on Monday.
  

• Asked why UNOCI had launched operations, Nesirky said that the decision to undertake the operation was a consequence of the escalating use of heavy weapons, the movement of those forces loyal to Mr. Gbagbo and the concentration of these heavy weapons in locations where they could exact a heavy toll on civilians and peacekeepers.
  

• The Mission, he said, has taken this action in defence of itself and in protection of civilians pursuant to its mandate.
  

• UNOCI undertook this operation pursuant to Security Council resolution 1975 (2011), in which the Council mandated the Mission to prevent the use of heavy weapons against the civilian population. The United Nations took this decision due to the rapidly deteriorating situation on the ground, with escalating violence and intensified use of heavy weapons against civilians.
  

• Asked about actions by the French forces, called Licorne, the Spokesperson said such actions are mandated by the Security Council to support UNOCI. Resolution 1962 (2010) paragraph 17 most recently provided the mandate to the French forces to support UNOCI, within the limits of their deployment and their capabilities.

SITUATION IN IVORIAN CITY OF ABIDJAN ALARMING, SAYS U.N. HUMANITARIAN ARM

• On the humanitarian side, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says the situation in Abidjan is alarming.
  

• It adds that most hospitals are not functioning in Abidjan, and that ambulances are fired on when they tried to enter Abidjan.
  

• The Office says that access to the civilian population in Abidjan is impossible because of the fighting.
  

• Concerning the west of the country, the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, Ivan Simonovic, and the Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Valerie Amos, flew to Duékoué on Monday. They linked up with a UN human rights team already on the ground looking at the reported mass killings that took place there last week.
  

• Ms. Amos also met with internally displaced persons in Duékoué and stressed the need for physical protection for the affected, as well as sufficient humanitarian aid. Today, she will travel to Man and Bouaké in Cote d’Ivoire.
  

• Asked about reports of massacres, the Spokesperson said that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights says that they hope to have more information on what happened in Duékoué when Ivan Simonovic returns.
  

• It adds that at this point it appears that several hundred civilians were killed in at least two separate incidents. Many others may have been killed in direct fighting between armed militias.
  

• Nesirky noted that the Human Rights Council has set up a Commission of Inquiry for Côte d’Ivoire, and they will look into the killings in Duékoué and elsewhere.
  

• Asked about the report from Caritas of casualties, the Spokesperson said that the United Nations takes the matter very seriously, which is why it has sent senior officials to look at the situation in the west.
  

• He noted the Secretary-General’s phone call with President Alassane Ouattara over the weekend, in which he called for an investigation into the killings in Duékoué.

IN LETTER TO STAFF, SECRETARY-GENERALVOICES SORROW AT U.N.’S RECENT LOSSES

• The Secretary-General has written to all UN staff to express his sorrow at the tragic losses that the United Nations has experienced in recent days. Those include staff who have died in the attack on the UN compound in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan, and in the plane crash in Kinshasa on Monday, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as other incidents in recent days in Côte d’Ivoire and Haiti. At least forty-one people died in those separate incidents.
  

• The Secretary-General said that our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who died in the line of duty, and with the members of our own UN family who have lost friends and colleagues.
  

• He added that he is sure our fallen colleagues would want the United Nations to carry forward the work they performed so valiantly.
  

• In recognition of their sacrifices, he has asked all United Nations offices around the world to fly the UN flag at half mast on Wednesday, 6 April. Also that day, the Secretary-General invites staff in New York to join him at 9.00 a.m. for a wreath-laying ceremony at the Chagall Window area of the Visitors’ Lobby.

BAN KI-MOON TO DISCUSS U.N.’S WORK WITH U.S. OFFICIALS IN WASHINGTON

• The Secretary-General will travel later this week to Washington, D.C., to discuss with US Government officials the work of the United Nations in a number of critical areas.
  

• On Thursday, he expects to meet with key legislators in the Senate and the House of Representatives, including members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He will also meet with the US Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
  

• He will return to work at UN Headquarters the following day.

ISRAELI SETTLEMENT ACTIVITY IN OCCUPIED TERRITORY ILLEGAL, STRESSES U.N. ENVOY

• The Office of Robert Serry, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO), has responded to the latest announcement of Israeli settlement activity by reiterating that such activity anywhere in occupied territory, including in East Jerusalem, is illegal and contrary to the Roadmap.
  

• The Special Coordinator’s office calls on the Israeli Government to halt further planning for new settlement units, which undermines efforts to bring about resumed Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and prejudices final status discussions.

BAN URGES ACTION TO COMPLETE IRAQI GOVERNMENT FORMATION PROCESS

• The Secretary-General’s latest report to the Security Council on Iraq is out as a document. In it, he says that the transition from one elected Government to another was an historic accomplishment and brought an end to months of political uncertainty. However, further steps need to be taken to complete the Government formation process as soon as possible, including appointments to key security posts.
  

• The Secretary-General adds that, as unfolding events have shown over the past few weeks, Iraq is not immune to the wave of civil unrest that has affected other parts of the region. The demonstrations that took place across Iraq, and the violence that ensued, underscore the urgent need to address the poor state of public services, high unemployment and the perceived failure to tackle corruption. The Secretary-General also expressed his concern at the use of force by Iraq’s security forces in handling some of these protests and the consequent loss of life.
  

• The Security Council expects to be briefed on Iraq this Friday by the head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), Ad Melkert.

SECRETARY-GENERAL CONDEMNS QURAN BURNING, UNDERLINES NEED FOR INTERCULTURAL UNDERSTANDING

• The Secretary-General met today with a group of Ambassadors representing countries in the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).
  

• Referring to the burning of a Quran in an incident in Florida recently, the Secretary-General said he was on record as specifically condemning such acts when the issue first arose last year.
  

• He condemned the incident and said such actions cannot be condoned by any religion. He said such actions contradict the efforts of the United Nations and many people around the world to promote tolerance, intercultural understanding and mutual respect between cultures and religions.
  

• The Secretary-General said he supported the UN High Representative of the Alliance of Civilizations, who said in a statement that the desecration of the Quran – as of any holy text – should be vehemently repudiated. Equally, no religion tolerates the slaughter of innocent people.
  

• The Secretary-General also discussed issues related to the work of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and the Middle East peace process, as well as the evolving situation in the Middle East and North Africa.
  

• The Secretary-General thanked the Ambassadors for their condemnation of and condolences for the attack on staff at the UN offices in Mazar-i-Sharif in Afghanistan. He said such an attack cannot be justified under any circumstances.

SPOKESPERSON: 32 CONFIRMED DEAD IN KINSHASA PLANE CRASH

• Asked about casualties from the crash of a UN plane in Kinshasa on Monday, the Spokesperson said that, as of 11am today, 32 people are confirmed dead. The passengers included staff members of the United Nations and of some other organisations.
  

• Nesirky said that the UN Mission, MONUSCO, is currently completing identification of the victims of the crash. The Department of Field Services and MONUSCO are undertaking to contact next of kin of the victims.
  

• An emergency hotline has been set up in New York; the phone number is 212-963-1086.

U.N. MISSION IN HAITI WELCOMES ANNOUNCEMENT OF PRELIMINARY ELECTORAL RESULTS

• Asked about the announcement of preliminary electoral results, the Spokesperson said that the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) welcomes the announcement of the results by the Provisional Electoral Council on Monday.
  

• The Mission noted with satisfaction that until now, Haitian political figures have demonstrated their commitment to respecting the will of the Haitian people and accepted the preliminary results with maturity in the spirit of fair play.
  

• Nesirky said that MINUSTAH also congratulates the people of Haiti for their patience and calm since the beginning of the electoral process and encourages all concerned to maintain this responsible attitude final results are published.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

SECRETARY-GENERAL SPEAKS WITH YEMENI PRESIDENT: The Secretary-General spoke by phone today with President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen. He expressed concern about the use of force against demonstrators and called for maximum restraint. The Secretary-General also called for all parties to be involved in dialogue.

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL TO DETERMINE ANY ACTION ON GOLDSTONE REPORT: Asked whether the Goldstone report could be retracted, the Spokesperson said that is a matter for the Member States of the Human Rights Council to determine.