USG briefing/Despatch of team to Beirut - Noon Briefing - Spokesman's Office (excerpts)

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S NOON BRIEFING

BY FRED ECKHARD
SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Tuesday, 22 February, 2005

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SECURITY COUNCIL TO RECEIVE BRIEFING ON MIDDLE EAST

At 3:00 p.m. today, the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Kieran Prendergast, will brief the Security Council on the Middle East, in an open meeting. That meeting will be followed by consultations, also on the Middle East.

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U.N. TEAM EXPECTED TO DEPLOY TO BEIRUT SHORTLY TO REPORT ON DEATH OF RAFIC HARIRI

Late on Friday afternoon, it was announced that the Secretary-General would be sending a team to Beirut pursuant to the request of the Security Council that he urgently report on the circumstances, causes and consequences of the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri.
The team will be led by Peter Fitzgerald, a Deputy Police Commissioner of the Irish national police force, known as Garda Síochána. It will consist of staff with relevant expertise.
The team will make contact with Lebanese officials and others to gather such information as necessary for the Secretary-General to report to the Council in a timely manner.
Over the weekend, the UN received a letter from the Lebanese authorities pledging its support for the work of the UN team. The team is expected to deploy to Beirut very shortly.
Asked about a timeline for the Lebanon team’s work, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General hopes the team can report back to him quickly, and they are going to keep that accelerated timetable in mind as they begin their work.
Asked whether the team can judge whether the killing was a political assassination, the Spokesman said the team would not go in with any preconceived notion. They would start their work in Lebanon and, if they need to go to other countries, they would do so. Fitzgerald, he said, is a very distinguished police commissioner who has worked for a number of UN missions.

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USG briefing/Despatch of team to Beirut – Noon Briefing – Spokesman’s Office (excerpts)