Secretary-General

Noon briefing of 13 March 2012

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY MARTIN NESIRKY, SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
TUESDAY, 13MARCH 2012
U.N.-LEAGUE OF ARAB STATES ENVOY EXPECTS TO HEAR FROM SYRIAN AUTHORITIES ON TUESDAY
  • On Tuesday morning in Ankara, the United Nations – League of Arab States Joint Special Envoy Kofi Annan told media that he was expecting to hear from the Syrian authorities on Tuesday about the concrete proposals he had left with them to consider.
  • He reiterated his main message: that the killing and the violence must stop.
  • He also reported he had met with Prime Minister Erdogan and the Turkish Foreign Minister as well. He also met with Dr. Burhan Ghalioun of the Syrian National Council (SNC), who promised the Syrian National Council’s full cooperation.
  • Asked about the reported arming of protesters in Syria, the Spokesperson said that both the Secretary-General and the Joint Special Envoy had made clear that they believe further militarisation of the situation is undesirable.
SECURITY COUNCIL BRIEFED BY U.N. HUMANITARIAN CHIEF
  • On Tuesday morning, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos briefed the Security Council in closed session.
UN APPOINTS COORDINATOR FOR SYRIAN REFUGEES
  • The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has announced the appointment of Panos Moumtzis, previously its Head of Donor Relations, as its Regional Refugee Coordinator for Syrian Refugees.
  • Addressing the media in Geneva on Tuesday, Mr. Moumtzis reported that the Refugee Agency's teams in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey have been working for the past year to support the Governments and non-governmental organizations in providing shelter, assistance and protection to the refugees.
U.N. CHILDREN’S FUND DENOUNCES REPORTED KILLING OF CHILDREN IN SYRIAN CITY
  • On Monday the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) denounced the reported killing of children and women whose bodies were found in the Syrian city of Homs on Sunday.
  • According to media reports, young children were among the victims discovered in the Homs neighbourhood of Karm el-Zeytoun. And some of the bodies had their throats slit. Others bore marks of torture, according to those reports.
U.N. MISSION IN HAITI ANNOUNCES OUTCOME OF COURT MARTIAL PROCEEDING AGAINSY PAKISTANI PEACEKEEPERS
  • The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) informed the media of the outcome of a military justice procedure conducted this month by Pakistani authorities in Port-au-Prince, in relation to a case of sexual exploitation and abuse by members of the Pakistani Formed Police Unit based in Gonaives.
  • A senior Pakistani official visited Haiti on 8 and 9 March to meet with Haitian authorities and informed that three individuals were found guilty of sexual exploitation and abuse through a court martial proceeding undertaken in accordance with the national laws of Pakistan.
  • According to the Pakistani authorities, the guilty parties will be punished, including through dishonorable discharge from service with loss of benefits and imprisonment, the latter sentence to be served immediately on return to Pakistan.
  • The guilty parties have been repatriated and the United Nations is further liaising with the Pakistani authorities to examine the formal details of the procedures and to ensure appropriate follow-up.
  • Asked about the sentencing of Pakistani police in Haiti, the Spokesperson said the United Nations considers this to be a case of the most serious sexual exploitation and abuse. He added that the United Nations will not comment on the terms of punishment under a Member State judicial procedure. This is a matter between Pakistan and Haiti.
U.N. CONDEMNS CATTLE CAMP ATTACKS IN SOUTH SUDAN
  • The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has condemned the attacks against several Lou Nuer cattle camps in areas bordering South Sudan and Ethiopia, on 9 March.
  • The Mission has dispatched patrols to the areas to determine the circumstances of the clashes and those patrols have to medical teams with them to provide medical aid.
  • The Mission says that according to information provided by the local authorities, most of the cattle camps that were attacked are located in Ethiopia. And reports indicate that 63 wounded have been treated in Akobo hospital, but reliable casualty figures, including the number of people killed, are not yet available.
  • The Mission calls on all communities in Jonglei to exercise restraint and put an end to inter-communal violence.
  • And meanwhile, UNHCR says it is concerned that these latest attacks will result in more displacements into Ethiopia, where an estimated 15,000 people have already fled since mid-February.
  • The Agency is helping the Ethiopian authorities to relocate the new arrivals to the Fugnido refugee camp and to register them so that they can receive assistance.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
REVISED PROJECTION FOR U.N. REFURBISHMENT BUDGET: Asked about cost overruns with respect to the Capital Master Plan (CMP), the Spokesperson said that the revised projection is due to many factors, including numerous unforeseen conditions and complexities in the basements, where lack of as-built plans is making infrastructure work very intensive. Also the amount of asbestos-containing material that had to be abated exceeded the initial assumptions. The associated costs ($146.8 million) are temporary costs of certain other departments incurred in support of the CMP, including the costs for new furniture. Those costs were not part of the CMP budget, although the General Assembly directed the CMP to cover and absorb those costs. To complete the project, an additional appropriation will need to be discussed in the fall session of the General Assembly.
EGYPTIAN-BROKERED TRUCE IN GAZA WELCOMED BY U.N.: Asked about the situation in Gaza, the Spokesperson said the Egyptians had brokered a welcome truce between both sides, and that the Quartet had addressed developments there in its remarks on Monday.
U.N. WELCOMES GREATER AWARENESS ABOUT LORD’S RESISTANCE ARMY: Asked about the Lord's Resistance Army, the Spokesperson said that the recent video on YouTube has brought a welcome greater awareness of the situation created by this violent armed group in Africa for many years. He noted that the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy, has said she is pleased to see such a lively discussion and hopes that this global conversation will encourage people to understand the effects of violent conflict on children everywhere and support organisations devoted to helping them.
Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
United Nations, SA-1B15
New York, NY 10017

Transcript

The United Nations-League of Arab States Joint Special Envoy, Kofi Annan, told media in Ankara this morning that he was expecting to hear from the Syrian authorities today about the concrete proposals he had left with them to consider. He reiterated his main message: the killing and the violence must stop.

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