HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S NOON BRIEFING
BY FRED ECKHARD
SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Tuesday, October 5, 2004
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SECURITY COUNCIL TO DISCUSS DRAFT RESOLUTION ON MIDDLE EAST
- At 4:00 p.m., the Security Council has scheduled closed consultations on the Middle East, with a view to holding a formal meeting afterwards.
- Up for discussion is a draft resolution on the Middle East, which is in “blue” – the form that can be voted upon.
- Asked about the team from the United Nations that is going to look into the allegations, the Spokesman said that the team would be leaving New York tonight. He said the team, led by Geir Pedersen, Director of the Asia and Middle East Division of the Department of Political Affairs, had intended to go to the region anyway, to review UN operations, but would now investigate the allegations.
- He added that the team would include Pedersen, Susan Allee as the senior official from the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, and two other people.
- Asked about the UN’s reaction following news that Israel had pulled its display of its video of the incident, the Spokesman said the United Nations had based its assertion that the object being handled was a stretcher on its own view of the videotape.
- The UN assessment of what the tape showed, he said, was that the object could not be a missile, given its lightness – it was carried by a UN employee in one hand – and the fact that it had been thrown into the vehicle, rather than being handled more gingerly.
- Asked about Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations, Dan Gillerman’s comments that the United Nations hires terrorists, the Spokesman replied, “We don’t hire terrorists.” He said that the United Nations does not tolerate any militant activity of any kind by its staff, whether in Gaza or anywhere else in the world.
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Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162 – press/media only
Fax. 212-963-7055
Document symbol: Noonbriefing_061004
Document Type: Press briefing
Document Sources: Secretary-General
Subject: Gaza Strip, Situation in the OPT including Jerusalem
Publication Date: 05/10/2004
Document Type: Press briefing
Document Sources: Secretary-General
Subject: Gaza Strip, Situation in the OPT including Jerusalem
Publication Date: 05/10/2004