United Nations Daily Highlights, 07-02-12

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

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY MICHELE MONTAS

SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

U.N. HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Monday, February 12, 2007

UNITED NATIONS AND AFRICAN UNION BEGIN JOINT MISSION TO SUDAN

Jan Eliasson, the Secretary-Generals Special Envoy for Darfur, and Salim Ahmed Salim, his African Union counterpart, have arrived to Khartoum for a five-day joint mission to Sudan. The joint mission, the first to be carried out by the two officials since their appointment, is part of UN/AU efforts to re-energize the Darfur political process.

The Envoys said that they will be holding series of meetings in Khartoum and Darfur with signatories and non-signatories to the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA), to whom they will be delivering a strong message: the urgent need to have a cessation of hostilities on the ground, to facilitate the humanitarian operations and to alleviate the suffering of the civilian population, and by this to create the conditions for a credible and all-inclusive political process.

Acting Special Representative for Sudan Tayé-Brook Zerihoun left today to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to take part in the African Union Meeting on Chad and Sudan to be held today at the AU Headquarters.

The UN mission, in its daily bulletin, reports that violence in Darfur is forcing thousands of people to be on the move in a number of locations and also notes the need for a resumption of urgently required humanitarian assistance in some areas.

Asked whether Sudan is blocking the visit by a UN human rights team, the Spokeswoman said that the team has not been refused, although it also has not been granted visas yet. She said the team is in Addis Ababa, and that the team members remain hopeful that they will get their visas.

SECRETARY-GENERAL JOINS QUARTET PARTNERS

IN DISCUSSING PALESTINIAN UNITY GOVERNMENT

In a statement by the Middle East Quartet issued late Friday, which followed the phone conference among the Secretary-General and the other principal Quartet members earlier that day, the Quartet welcomed Saudi Arabias role in reaching the agreement to form a Palestinian national unity government and expressed hope that the desired calm would prevail.

Quartet members, the statement said, will meet on 21 February in Berlin to continue their consideration of these developments and to review formation and implementation of the agreement on the government.

Asked whether the Secretary-General feels that the blockade on the Palestinians should be lifted, the Spokeswoman said that was a matter to be discussed at the next Quartet meeting.

Asked whether the Secretary-General would attend the Berlin meeting, Montas said he would.

The Secretary General spoke on the phone Saturday with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and also spoke on Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas , reiterating the terms of the Quartet statement and the need to support the agreement reached in Mecca.

Asked about the Secretary-Generals conversations with Abbas and Olmert, the Spokeswoman said that they followed up on the Quartet meeting. She said that the Secretary-General had raised with Olmert the concerns that had been conveyed to him about the construction activity in the Old City of Jerusalem. Asked whether the Secretary-General had received a commitment from Olmert that construction activity would stop, she said he had not.

Asked whether Saudi Arabia and Egypt might be added to the Quartet, Montas said that it was not expected, but she noted that the Secretary-General had also spoken by phone with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia over the weekend.

LEBANON FORCE COMMANDER HOLDS TRIPARTITE MEETING

IN THE AFTERMATH OF SHOOTING INCIDENT

Major-General Claudio Graziano, the Force Commander of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), chaired his first tripartite meeting today with senior officers from the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Israel Defense Forces.

The meeting took place following the incident near Marun al-Ras on 7 February, when the Lebanese and Israeli forces exchanged fire. UNIFIL submitted the report and findings of the incident to both parties. Both parties agreed with UNIFILs recommendation to improve UNIFILs liaison and coordination with each of the parties to prevent such situations.

The parties also discussed the northern part of the village of Ghajar, with a view to expediting the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from this area to south of the Blue Line, in accordance with Security Council resolution 1701 (2006).

Asked whether the Blue Line has been moved, the Spokeswoman emphasized that it has not. She said that at times, markers have been placed to show all sides where the Blue Line lies. She added that it is up to the respective governments to agree on their borders.

SECRETARY-GENERAL PROPOSES HIS LEBANON PERSONAL

REPRESENTATIVE FOR NEW SPECIAL COORDINATOR POST

The Secretary-General, in a letter to the Security Council, says that he intends to appoint Geir Pedersen of Norway as his Special Coordinator for Lebanon.

Pedersen, currently the Secretary-Generals Personal Representative for Lebanon, would be responsible, in this post, for coordinating the work of the United Nations in the country and representing the Secretary-General on all political aspects of UN work there.

We are awaiting the Security Councils response to the Secretary-Generals letter.

SECURITY IS KEY IN SUCCESS OF PLANNED TIMOR-LESTE ELECTION

The Security Council held an open meeting on Timor-Leste, which the Secretary-Generals Special Representative, Atul Khare, began by noting the countrys preparations for its first national elections since the restoration of its independence.

Khare said the security is clearly seen by all as a critical element for the success of the electoral process. He added his belief that the deployment of an additional UN Formed Police Unit, as recommended by the Secretary-General, is essential, and he also noted the recommendation that the UN Missions mandate in Timor-Leste be extended by an additional twelve months.

Khare will be the guest at tomorrows noon briefing.

DISARMAMENT DRIVE SHOWS ENCOURAGING RESULTS IN D.R. CONGO

The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has expressed satisfaction at the fact that the disarmament, demobilization and reinsertion campaign in the region around the town of Beni has begun to show results.

The Missions office in Beni reported this weekend that a sensitization broadcast begun early last month and aimed at some 1000 Congolese and Ugandan rebels scattered in hideouts in the Semuliki Valley is successfully persuading young rebels to join the disarmament drive.

The broadcast campaign includes an explanation of ways and means available to the rebels who join the process, and a guarantee of repatriation by the Mission and reinsertion into their countries and societies of origin.

U.N. MISSION REPORTS WEEKEND VIOLENCE IN KOSOVO

The UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) reports that autopsies are being done on the bodies of two protestors who died following a violent demonstration in Pristina over the weekend.

That demonstration escalated when pro-independence protestors tore down barricades in attempts to enter government buildings and threw stones at UN police officers. The police responded with irritant gas.

UN Police Commissioner Stephen Curtis expressed sadness over the deaths but also stressed that, while peaceful protest is everyones right, violence is unacceptable. He also invited Kosovos institutions to independently scrutinize the UNs investigation into the matter.

Asked about the recent violence in Kosovo, the Spokeswoman said that Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaaris team has stressed that violence will never be tolerated as a way to solve the Kosovo status process. They consider as very positive the reaction of the Kosovo authorities, who condemned without ambiguity the violence and appealed for calm. Montas said she understood that this weekends violence was provoked by a very small group of activists, who have also shown their readiness to rely on violence in the past.

The next discussions will start in Vienna on 21 February with the intention of closing the negotiations in early March, she added.

U.N. OPERATION IN HAITI AIMED AT ROOTING OUT GANGS

Asked about the recent demonstrations in Haiti, the Spokeswoman said it concerned the activity by the UN Mission in Haiti in Cite Soleil and other neighbourhoods in Post-au-Prince. The UN Mission, she said, had been acting to deal with gang violence, which has been a problem in Haiti for three years.

MINUSTAH, she said, had been confronting gang members, some of whom are involved in criminal activity and some of whom had also been involved in political activity.

Asked why the UN Mission had adopted new tactics, the Spokeswoman noted rising concern in Haiti about kidnappings in particular, notably after the kidnapping of a busload of children last December. That prompted the UN Mission to act more decisively against gangs, at a time when the Haitian police remain weak.

In response to questions, the Spokesperson later said that UN Police apprehended a large number of weapons, including assault rifles, bipods for automatic weaponry, more than five thousands rounds of ammunition and sabers, daggers, knives, telescopes and camouflage jackets. State-of-the-art portable radio communications equipment, complete with replacement batteries, were also seized.

Six presumed gang leaders were arrested on Friday in the Boston neighborhood of Cite-Soleil, while another was detained on Saturday in the same area. UN Police continue to patrol Cite-Soleil and Martissant where suspected gang members were also detained over the weekend and several weapons were seized. UN Police were not yet able to give a final report on possible casualties.

SOMALI RECONCILIATION MUST BE INCLUSIVE AND SUSTAINABLE

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia, Francois Lonseny Fall, has emphasized the importance of an inclusive political dialogue between the leadership of the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs) and key Somali stakeholders within the framework of the Transitional Federal Charter. Fall made these remarks Friday at a meeting in Tanzania of the International Contact Group on Somalia, to which the UN is an observer.

Fall concurred with the Contact Group that a genuine, Somali-owned national reconciliation drive must take place along the lines of a proposal by Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf. In a final communiqué, Fall and other participants at the meeting stressed that those who renounce violence and pledge to work toward a sustainable political settlement, should be included in the process. They also welcomed the African Unions proposed deployment of a peace support mission and urged the donor community to provide resources in support of Somali reconciliation and post-conflict reconstruction.

LIBERIA RECONSTRUCTION CONFERENCE TO BE HELD IN NEW YORK

Representatives from major bilateral foundations, civil society groups and other education partners will meet in New York this week to discuss the role of education in national reconstruction efforts in Liberia.

Hosted by UNICEF on behalf of the Government of Liberia, the one-day meeting this Friday will come on the heels of the Liberia Partners Forum, a high-level donors conference to be held in Washington, D.C., from this Tuesday to Thursday.

TOP OFFICIAL FOR NEPAL IS CONCERNED

AT REPORTED ATTACKS ON POLITICAL PARTIES

Ian Martin, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of the UN peace mission in Nepal (UNMIN) welcomed the dialogue to take place between the government team and representatives not only of Madhesi organizations but also of Janajatis.

Stressing the importance of all groups in the decision-makings for the future of Nepal, Martin called on all those concerned to promote legitimate demands through peaceful dialogue.

Martin also expressed extreme concern over reports of attacks on two political parties seeking to exercise their rights in Lamjung and Tanahun Districts over the weekend, and urged the parties to agree on an effective independent national monitoring body with which the United Nations can work.

FOOD AGENCY GIVES OUT EMERGENCY SUPPLIES

TO MOZAMBIQUE FLOOD SURVIVORS

UN agencies have been working with the Government of Mozambique to respond to severe floods that have affected tens of thousands of people in that country.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has already started distributing emergency food rations to 2,000 flood survivors. And UNICEF has also sent a first shipment of emergency supplies.

According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the situation in Mozambique is likely to continue to worsen in the coming days.

INTERNET GOVERNANCE FORUM TO MEET IN GENEVA TOMORROW

The Internet Governance Forum, which held its first meeting late last year in Athens, will meet tomorrow in Geneva.

The gathering will be attended by experts specializing in various aspects of Internet governance, such as freedom of expression on the Net, cyber-security, multilingualism and connectivity in developing countries.

Attendees will also start preparations for the next phase of the Forum, which will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in November.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

TOP APPOINTMENTS BASED ON MERIT AND GEOGRAPHIC AND GENDER BALANCE NEEDS: Asked whether the recent composition of the Security Council had been a factor in the Secretary-Generals appointments, the Spokeswoman said it had not, and she cited competence, overall skill, geographic distribution and gender balance as the main criteria. She added that it was the Secretary-Generals prerogative to appoint his team.

MORE TOP-LEVEL APPOINTMENTS EXPECTED NEXT MONTH: Asked when new senior-level appointments would take effect, the Spokeswoman said for most, it would be at the start of the next month.

UNITED NATIONS REMAINS COMMITTED TO NEUTRAL POLICE: In response to a question, the Spokeswoman said that the United Nations views the issue of the non-certified police officers in Bosnia with the utmost seriousness. It remains committed to supporting the Security Councils deliberations on this matter. The Spokeswoman pointed to the merits of the certification process in the context of prevailing conditions at the time of the vetting process. It was necessary to equip Bosnia with an ethnically neutral, democratic police force, operating in accordance with international policing standards in accordance with the Security Councils Presidential Statement of 25 June 2004.

SECRETARY-GENERAL ENDORSES HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF APPEALS ON IRAQ: Asked about criticism of High Commission for Human Rights Louise Arbour for her efforts to deal with the case of former Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan, the Spokeswoman noted that the Secretary-General had supported Arbours decision. She added that Arbour had dealt with other such cases, and would likely make similar appeals in the future.

APPLICATIONS FOR EXECUTIVE OFFICE POSTS UNDER CONSIDERATION: Asked about 13 Executive Office posts that are open for recruitment, the Spokeswoman said that a large number of applications for those posts are currently being examined.

Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

United Nations, S-378

New York, NY 10017

Tel. 212-963-7162

Fax. 212-963-7055

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