HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S NOON BRIEFING
BY
MARIE OKABE
ASSOCIATE
SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Thursday,
May 12, 2005
PARTIES TO THE
NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY
ADOPTS CONFERENCE AGENDA
After intensive negotiations, the
of the Parties to the
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) adopted its agenda
last night.
Following the adoption of the agenda, the President of
the Conference, Ambassador Sergio de Queiroz Duarte of Brazil, made a
statement. He said, “It is understood that the review will be conducted in the
light of the decisions and the resolutions of previous Conferences, and allow
for discussion of any issue raised by State Parties.”
ATTACKS AGAINST CIVILIANS ON THE RISE
IN DARFUR, SECURITY COUNCIL TOLD
The Security Council held an
and consultations on
today with members taking up two
recently released reports by the Secretary-General concerning Darfur.
The first
is the one that came out Monday on the UN assistance to the
African Union mission in Darfur.
The second
is the monthly update on Darfur, which is available today.
Assistant Secretary-General for AVkeeping Operations
Hedi Annabi briefed the Security Council in an open meeting.
In that briefing, he noted that organized violence in
Darfur continued throughout the region last month, and attacks on civilians,
rape, kidnapping and banditry actually increased from the previous month. The
report notes that militia attacks are by far the greatest cause of terror and
suffering for civilians.
In the Council briefing, Annabi noted that there had been
no tangible progress in the Abuja peace talks, and in view of these
circumstances, he emphasized the critical importance of the African Union
mission and the need to strengthen it.
The Council then went into consultations on Sudan. Under
other matters, the Council was updated on the Democratic Republic of the
Congo.
Following consultations, the
Council, in a read out by Council President Ambassador Ellen
Darfur Loj of Denmark, emphasized the importance of increased coordinated
international assistance for the African Union effort in Darfur, as well as
the readiness of the United Nations to continue playing a key role. The
Council also welcomed the effort and intention of the Secretary General to
consult closely with the African Union on the scope and nature of possible UN
support to the African Union mission in Darfur.
CHAD: VIOLENT
CLASHES TAKE PLACE AT SUDANESE REFUGEE CAMP
At a refugee camp in Chad, the
UN High Commissioner for Refugees ()
reported that clashes took place yesterday over the entitlement of refugees to
sell plastic sheeting. Plastic sheeting is provided as one of a number of
non-food relief items by UNHCR.
Chadian gendarmes responsible
for guarding the 12 refugee camps in eastern Chad sought to prevent such
sales, arresting three refugees. In protest at the arrests, a group of
refugees burned down the community centre in a nearby village, provoking
further clashes with the local authorities.
UNHCR is advised that one
Chadian gendarme was killed as a result, two Sudanese refugees have been
injured, with 2 humanitarian aid workers and one gendarmes injured as well.
ANNAN WELCOMES CANADIAN SUPPORT TO
AFRICAN UNION MISSION IN DARFUR
The Secretary-General
that Prime Minister Paul Martin of Canada is today announcing
a substantial military support initiative to the African Union for Darfur.
The Secretary-General warmly welcomes this, as an
important contribution to helping deal with the crisis.
U.N. PEACEKEEPERS AMBUSHED IN DEMOCRATIC
REPUBLIC OF CONGO
The
(MONUC) reports that peacekeepers were
injured in an ambush by armed elements.
During the ambush, which took place 55
kilometers southeast of Bunia, a UN jeep was overturned.
[Later Thursday, the UN mission updated and
revised the casualty figures from the incident to say that one peacekeeper was
killed and five others were wounded. The mission later said that three peacekeepers
were injured in that jeep accident, and the other three were injured by gunfire.
One of the six was critically wounded and died several hours later, it said.]
ANNAN CONCERNED BY ROCKET ENTERING ISRAEL
FROM LEBANON
The Secretary-General was gravely
over the firing of a Katyusha rocket from Lebanon into the
village of Shlomi in northern Israel last night. The rocket caused damage to
property but, fortunately, no casualties.
The Secretary-General emphasizes once again the fragility
of the situation in Lebanon and the wider region. He reiterates his call on
the Government of Lebanon to extend its control to all of its territory, to
exert its monopoly on the use of force, and to put an end to all such attacks.
The Secretary-General urges all parties to fully respect
the Blue Line and reminds them that one violation of the Blue Line cannot
justify another.
SYRIAN WITHDRAWAL VERIFICATION TEAM
LEAVES LEBANON
FOR CONSULTATIONS IN NEW YORK
The UN team verifying Syria’s withdrawal from Lebanon is
traveling to New York for consultations. The team has collected a substantial
amount of data during its time on the ground in Lebanon, and it intends to
review and assess that data in New York.
Asked when the team would
report back, the Spokeswoman said that the team’s work is not finished.
Depending on their consultations in New York, they may decide to return to
Lebanon for further work there. There is no date yet for them to report, she
said.
Asked about the work of the UN
electoral team in Lebanon, the Spokeswoman said that the Director of the UN
Electoral Affairs Division, Carina Perelli, was scheduled to leave Lebanon on
May 18, but she would leave behind a three-member team.
Asked about the investigation
into the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the Spokeswoman said
she believed that an announcement concerning who would head the investigative
team could be made within days.
IRAQIS SUFFERING FROM HIGH LEVELS OF
MALNUTRITION, ILLITERACY & UNEMPLOYMENT
The UN Development Programme in Iraq, as well as that
country’s Ministry of Planning and Development Cooperation, today
a
of living conditions in Iraq over the past year, which finds high
levels of malnutrition, rising illiteracy and significant unemployment.
According to the report, almost a quarter of Iraqi
children between six months and five years of age suffer from chronic
malnutrition. The young are reported to be more illiterate than preceding
generations. Meanwhile, unemployment among young men with secondary or higher
education stands at 37 percent.
The Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for
Iraq, Staffan de Mistura, said at today’s launch that many aspects of living
conditions in Iraq in 2004 were dismal. But he added that the findings
“reflect the courage, endurance and determination of the Iraqi people to
overcome the hurdles they are facing.”
Asked about the deteriorating
situation in Iraq, the Spokeswoman said that the United Nations was doing what
it can, considering the security circumstances. The Secretary-General, she
said, was concerned about the escalation of violence in the country, but that
has been a matter outside the UN’s control.
She added that today’s survey
indicates that the United Nations is planning ahead, to better target its
future work in Iraq.
AFGHANISTAN: U.N. ENVOY CONDEMNS RECENT
VIOLENCE
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General in
Afghanistan, Jean Arnault, strongly
the episodes of violence in Jalalabad yesterday, in which a
number of civilians were killed and injured. In a statement today, Arnault
deplored the brutal attacks perpetrated against the UN Mission’s premises and
those of other UN agencies, as well as governmental, non-governmental and
private organizations.
These attacks will in no way deter the commitment of UN
agencies to assist the government and the people of Afghanistan in rebuilding
their country. Neither will they interrupt the ongoing preparations for
parliamentary and provincial council elections, he said.
Arnault commended the Afghan national security forces for
their courage and also called on local authorities and international military
forces to do everything in their power to prevent further episodes of violence
in Jalalabad and elsewhere in the country.
SUPICHAI PANITCHPAKDI CONFIRMED AS NEW
UNCTAD HEAD
Supichai Panitchpakdi, the Director-General of the World
Trade Organization, today
his deep appreciation to the Secretary-General and to the
General Assembly, which yesterday confirmed his appointment to lead the UN
Conference on Trade and Development.
Supichai said he was “profoundly honoured” that the
Secretary-General had shown such confidence in him and assured all Member
States that he will do anything in his power to ensure that trade becomes an
ever more vital tool for development.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
IRAQ EMERGING AS TRANSIT POINT FOR DRUGS:
The International Narcotics Control Board, an
independent UN body monitoring global drug proliferation, has
that the country is emerging as a transit point for drugs
originating in Afghanistan. The Board President, Hamid Ghodse of Iran, said that
the pattern was similar to what the Board had observed in post-conflict
situations elsewhere. And he urged the international community and the Iraqi
Government to make a strong commitment towards countering the drug problem
before it escalated.
BULK OF U.N. PEACEKEEPERS TO ARRIVE IN SUDAN BY
SEPTEMBER: In response to a question yesterday, on
the estimated completion of the deployment of 10,000 UN peacekeepers in Sudan,
the answer is 240 days from the start of the mandate on 24 March. The Department
of AVkeeping Operations says that it plans to get the vast majority in within
180 days. That would be by September. All will depend on the cooperation of the
parties, as well as the weather.
CONCERNS ABOUT AGEING, HEALTH
AND POVERTY MARK OPENING OF E.S.C.A.P. SESSION:
The sixty-first session of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia
and the Pacific (ESCAP)
in Bangkok, Thailand today. Representatives of 48 governments are
discussing various issues including the effectiveness of the Commission’s new
initiatives and how members can fulfill their obligations to the elderly as the
region’s population ages.
THOUSANDS OF GRAIN
SILOS TO BE DISTRIBUTED TO AFGHAN FARMERS:
Around 14,000 grain storage silos will be
to farmers in nine provinces of Afghanistan, thanks to a new
Food and Agriculture Organization project funded by the Government of Germany.
The aim is to help reduce post-harvest losses, improve grain quality, increase
the income of farmers by allowing them to sell grain during the off-season when
prices are more favorable, and enhance household food security. <![if !supportLineBreakNewLine]>
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