United Nations Daily Highlights, 05-12-12

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From: The United Nations Home Page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.org

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S NOON BRIEFING

BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Monday, December 12, 2005

ANNAN SHOCKED OVER ASSASSINATION OF LEBANESE POLITICIAN

Secretary-General Kofi Annan was

shocked and dismayed to learn of the assassination of Gibran Tueni, a tireless advocate of a sovereign Lebanon and free press.

This tragic assassination is today the latest in a vicious campaign against Lebanese citizens, journalists, political leaders and their right to freedom of expression. The Secretary-General strongly condemns this cold-blooded murder and extends his deepest sympathies to the families of those killed and injured.

The Secretary-General reiterates his call for the full implementation of

Security Council

Resolution 1559. The perpetrators and instigators of todays and other attacks must be brought to justice to ensure an end to impunity.

SECURITY COUNCIL SCHEDULES MEETING ON LEBANON THIS AFTERNOON

The

Security Council will hold consultations at 4:00 this afternoon on

Lebanon, with a view to a formal meeting afterward.

SECURITY COUNCIL RECEIVES REPORT ON HARIRI ASSASSINATION

Security Council members received the second report issued by

Detlev Mehliss International Independent Investigation Commission, which was transmitted to the Council by the Secretary-General; Mehlis handed the report to the Secretary-General yesterday afternoon.

The

Secretary-General says that the report details progress made in the investigation of the 14 February bombing that killed former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 22 others. He notes that efforts to gain the cooperation of the Syrian authorities have only recently begun to bear fruit, after delays which had an impact on the Commissions work.

The Secretary-General says that Mehlis has informed him that he would not be available to head the Commission of the Security Council chooses to extend its mandate. Mehlis himself recommends that the mandate should be extended by a period of six months to enable the investigation to continue.

The Secretary-General says he has been working to ensure that a successor is chosen as soon as possible and has worked out a satisfactory arrangement with Mehlis to ensure continuity of the Commissions work until that successor begins work.

The Security Council will receive a briefing by Mehlis, in an open meeting, tomorrow afternoon. That meeting will be followed by closed consultations, in which they will continue their discussion with Mehlis.

Asked about possible successors for Mehlis, the Spokesman said the United Nations was working hard to find a potential successor, who would be announced once the choice has been made.

In response to a question, the Spokesman made clear that the Secretary-General had not made any changes, nor asked for any, in Mehlis report.

ANNAN COMMENDS ASEAN CALLS FOR MYANMARS POLITICAL REFORM

The

Secretary-General commends the call by ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asia Nations), made during its 11th Summit in Kuala Lampur, for Myanmar to expedite both its political reform efforts and its release of political detainees, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

The Secretary-General welcomes ASEANs announcement that it will send Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar as an ASEAN envoy to Myanmar to learn first-hand whether Myanmar is making steps toward democracy. He commends Myanmar for its decision to accept the envoy.

The Secretary-General also takes this opportunity to congratulate the ASEAN leaders for signing the Kuala Lampur Declaration this morning, which paves the way for the formation of an ASEAN Charter and will provide the bloc with both a legal and institutional basis

IRAQIS BEGIN VOTING FOR NEW PARLIAMENT

Today, the people of

Iraq began to go to the polls to elect a four-year parliament, with voting taking place in hospitals, detention centers and centers designated for security forces. Tomorrow is when out of country voting begins, and the majority of Iraqis will vote on 15 December.

In a

statement today,

Ashraf Qazi, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Iraq, marks the start of voting by saying, All Iraqis are desperate to be free of their extended nightmare, and these elections will hopefully provide them a golden opportunity to begin the process of healing the wounds and coming together to build a new Iraq in which there will be no victims.

He said that the United Nations will be privileged to assist the valiant Iraqi people in every step of their journey.

Asked about

UN electoral help for Iraq, the Spokesman said that the United Nations had a 25-member electoral team in Baghdad, led by Craig Jenness, which is advising the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq. Elections, he said, are an Iraqi-led process, but the United Nations is assisting that process in whatever way it can.

Asked about new reports of human rights abuses in Iraq, the Spokesman said the United Nations has taken note of those reports, and Qazi has taken up the issue of human rights numerous times with senior Iraqi officials, including the Prime Minister and the Interior and Defense Ministries.

ANNAN AND JOHN BOLTON AGREE ON NEED TO WORK CONSTRUCTIVELY

Asked about the meeting earlier today between the

Secretary-General and U.S. Ambassador John Bolton, the Spokesman said that the two discussed many matters, including the issue of reform.

On reform, Dujarric said, they agreed that everyone needs to work constructively on all sides to find a solution in the ongoing discussions.

Asked about what such constructive work would entail, the Spokesman said that Member States should discuss issues in a positive atmosphere and try to find common ground.

He noted that there have been a number of inputs placed before Member States, on topics such as the Peace-building Commission and the Human Rights Council, and it was now time for Member States to move towards an output.

Asked whether Member States were moving to a compromise on the UN budget, the Spokesman said the matter was in their hands, and noted that the Secretary-General has made his position clear on that matter.

The Secretary-General, he said, has made sure that the UN membership is fully aware of the UNs financial situation and the implications of having a short-term budget, such as a three-month budget.

To that end, he brought UN Controller

Warren Sach with him to a number of meetings he has had with regional and negotiating groups.

Asked about management reforms, the Spokesman said the Secretary-General has asked for greater responsibility to allocate resources. With that responsibility would come greater oversight from the

General Assembly, he added.

Asked whether the Secretary-General and Bolton had discussed the

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights,

Louise Arbour, as the Spokesman last week indicated they would do, the Spokesman said the two had discussed many matters but, once their meeting had concluded, decided to stress the importance of reform.

Asked whether the stress on reform indicated that the Secretary-General was backing down from his defense last week of Arbour, whom Bolton had criticized, the Spokesman said that was not the case, and should not be inferred from the comments on reform. He said that the Secretary-General had not changed his views on Arbour from the comments made by the Spokesman last week on that matter.

Asked whether the Secretary-General and Ambassador Bolton had spoken to each other since the dispute concerning Arbour prior to todays meeting, the Spokesman said they had not.

IRAQI AUTHORITIES TAKE CONSTRUCTIVE STANCE ON MISSING PROPERTY

The

Secretary-Generals most recent

report concerning Iraq and missing Kuwaiti and third-country persons and property is out today, and it comments the constructive stance taken by the new Iraqi authorities on this humanitarian matter.

At the same time, the Secretary-General remains troubled by the absence of any information regarding Kuwaits archives, and he calls on all parties concerned to shed light on the archives issue.

SECURITY COUNCIL TO RECEIVE BRIEFING ON DARFUR, SUDAN

The Prosecutor of the

International Criminal Court (ICC), Luis Moreno Ocampo, is scheduled to brief the

Security Council tomorrow morning on the ICC investigation into the situation in Darfur.

An opening briefing followed by a private meeting is scheduled.

Embargoed copies of his briefing will be made available tomorrow morning.

TOP U.N. PEACEKEEPING OFFICIALS ARRIVE IN ERITREA

The UN Under-Secretary-General for

Peacekeeping Operations,

Jean-Marie Guehenno, and the UN Military Advisor Lt. Gen. Radhir Kumar Mehta, have arrived in Asmara, Eritrea.

The

Secretary-General decided to send them to Eritrea and Ethiopia to review and assess the situation on the ground, and what steps can be taken to improve the situation, following Eritreas request for UN staff of certain nationalities to leave the country.

The top UN peacekeeping officials arrived in Addis Ababa on Sunday and conducted a series of meetings and briefings. This morning, they met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.

Guehenno has been reporting on the difficult situation being faced by the

UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea and the need to resolve the current crisis, bearing in mind the UN's concern to keep the international character of the peacekeeping mission intact.

U.N. ENVOY IN LIBERIA CONDEMNS OPPOSITION DISTURBANCES

The Secretary-Generals Special Representative in Liberia,

Alan Doss, has

condemned Sundays disturbances at the headquarters of the opposition party, the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC).

Doss said the responsibility for the disturbances must be assumed by the partys leadership.

He called upon George Weah, and other leaders of the CDC, to prevent further disturbances.

FORMER CROATIAN GENERAL PLEADS NOT GUILTY IN THE HAGUE

Ante Gotovina, a former Croatian General, was transferred yesterday to the Detention Unit in The Hague of the

International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Today, the Tribunal read out its indictment against Gotovina, to which he pleaded not guilty.

He was transferred after being arrested by the Spanish authorities on 7 December in the Canary Islands.

Gotovina is charged with persecutions, murder, plunder of property, wanton destruction of cities, towns or villages, deportation and forced displacement and other inhumane acts.

INCREASED RISK OF HYPOTHERMIA AND RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS

SEEN IN QUAKE-HIT PAKISTAN

The

World Health Organizations (WHO) Director-General, Dr. Lee Jong-wook, is wrapping up a two-day visit to

quake-hit areas of

Pakistan, where he has

noted that the combination of severe cold and cramped living conditions is leading to an increased risk of hypothermia and respiratory infections.

WHO has helped the Pakistani Government to establish field hospitals. It has also worked with

UNICEF to vaccinate 300,000 children and to fund the ongoing construction of one hundred prefabricated basic health care units.

At the same time, however, Dr. Lee has highlighted the need to train more women health workers -- to attend to the 13,000 women who will be giving birth this month.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

NEW CHIEF MILITARY OBSERVER FOR U.N. MISSION IN INDIA AND PAKISTAN: The

UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan now has a new Chief Military Observer, and that is Major General Dragutin Repinc of Croatia. Repinc is replacing Major General Guido Dante Palmieri of Italy.

TALKS ON FUTURE OF OIL-FOR-FOOD DOCUMENTS ONGOING: Asked about the

discussions between the United Nations and Paul Volckers

Independent Inquiry Committee on the handling of the Committees documents, the Spokesman said that those discussions have not yet been completed. He said that the investigative work by the Committee has concluded. The Spokesman added that there may be some structure, to be announced later, that would provide the Committee to continue some work for a few months to enable national authorities to follow up on its findings, beyond the current mandate that expires on December 31.

TAJIKISTAN TO PRESENT STRATEGY FOR MILLENNIUM GOALS: At U.N. Headquarters, Tajikistan this afternoon will present its National Development Strategy for the

Millennium Development Goals. Representatives of the Tajik presidents office will outline the. Also participating in the panel discussion will be Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the UN Millennium Project, George Soros, Chairman of the Open Society Institute and Queen Noor of Jordan.

Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

United Nations, S-378

New York, NY 100178

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Fax. 212-963-7055

All other inquiries to be addressed to (212) 963-4475 or by e-mail to: inquiries@un.org

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