United Nations Daily Highlights, 08-03-28

United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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 SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Friday, March 28, 2008

BAN KI-MOON CONDEMNS 'OFFENSIVELY' ANTI-ISLAMIC FILM

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in a statement attributable directly to him, condemns, in the strongest terms, the airing of Geert Wilders' offensively anti-Islamic film.

"There is no justification for hate speech or incitement to violence. The right of free expression is not at stake here. I acknowledge the efforts of the government of the Netherlands to stop the broadcast of this film and appeal for calm to those understandably offended by it. Freedom must always be accompanied by social responsibility.

The United Nations is the centre of the worlds efforts to advance mutual respect, understanding and dialogue. We must also recognize that the real fault line is not between Muslim and Western societies, as some would have us believe, but between small minorities of extremists, on different sides, with a vested interest in stirring hostility and conflict.

EVIDENCE SHOWS THAT CRIMINAL NETWORK WORKED TOGETHER

TO KILL FORMER LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER

Yesterday afternoon, the President of the Security Council, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, read out a press statement concerning the Special Tribunal on

Lebanon, encouraging the Secretary-General to continue undertaking the steps and measures necessary to establish the Tribunal in a timely manner.

Today, the members of the Security Council received the latest report by the International Independent Investigation Commission looking into the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

The Secretary-General, in a letter to the Security Council, said that the Commission reports that it has evidence that a network of individuals acted in concert to carry out Hariris assassination and that this criminal network, or parts of it, are linked to some of the other cases within the Commissions mandate.

Also yesterday afternoon, the Council President read out statements to the press in which Council members welcomed the progress towards Constituent Assembly elections in Nepal and reaffirmed their support for efforts to consolidate peace in Guinea-Bissau.

Asked when the Secretary-General would decide to start the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, the Spokeswoman did not give a timeline but said that the Secretary-General would take a decision on that in collaboration with his senior advisers dealing with the Tribunal.

NEW U.N. ENVOY ARRIVES IN AFGHANISTAN

Kai Eide, the Secretary-Generals new Special Representative for Afghanistan, arrived in Kabul today and pledged to step up support for the Afghan Government.

Eide said that, while in the past, there has been considerable focus on the security situation, this needs to be balanced with the political dimension of the UNs work to deliver much-needed peace, stability and visible progress for all of Afghanistans peoples.

He will meet with President Hamid Karzai and other key Government ministers in the coming days before he joins the Secretary-General in attending the NATO summit meeting on Afghanistan in Bucharest, Romania, next week.

In response to a question, the Spokeswoman added that the Secretary-General would co-chair a meeting on Afghanistan, with President Hamid Karzai and NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, next week in Bucharest.

IRAQ: HUMANITARIAN AGENCIES READY TO PROVIDE RELIEF AID IN BASRA

In response to the current situation in Basra, Iraq, and the expectation that the local population may need special assistance, the UN humanitarian agencies stand ready to provide immediate relief assistance to the area.

UNICEF is standing by with water, sanitation and health support for 70,000 families, the World Health Organization is ready to provide 1,600 blood bags and trauma kits to treat injuries, and the World Food Programme has 200 tons of food positioned outside Basra.

Also, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) can provide basic supplies, such as blankets, cooking stoves and water containers, for up to 8,000 families.

SUDAN: DONATIONS ALLOW HUMANITARIAN AIR SERVICE TO KEEP RUNNING

UNICEF is expressing relief at the release of four drivers from the State Water Corporation in North Darfur. They were abducted more than a week ago and have now been reunited with their families. However, valuable drilling equipment which was part of a project to provide clean water for tens of thousands of people in North Darfur has not been recovered.

World Food Programme says its Humanitarian Air Service in Sudan has received enough donations to continue operating for another month. The service carries humanitarian workers and crucial supplies to remote areas across Sudan. It was set to run out of funds by the end of this month, but will now keep flying through the end of April. The air service, which received donations totaling more than $6 million, still needs $77 million to continue operating through the end of the year.

U.N. ENVOY WELCOMES SOMALI TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENTS

READINESS TO TALK TO OPPOSITION

In a statement today, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Somalia, Ahmedou Ould Abdallah, welcomed the announcement by Somalias Transitional Government that it is ready to talk to, and is nominating a team to lead discussions with the opposition.

Ould-Abdallah said that the opposition has also informed him of its readiness to meet with Government representatives and resume the long-stalled reconciliation talks. He said the parties expression of good will is a welcome, positive first step toward effective reconciliation.

Meanwhile, the Special Representative today opened a meeting co-organized by UN Political Office for Somalia and the World Bank. The two-day meeting will take up Somalias financial and economic situation and will see the participation of former heads of states from Nigeria and Burundi, officials from UN agencies working in the region and members of the international community.

INCREASING NUMBERS OF SOMALI REFUGEES NOW SEEKING ASYLUM IN NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES

Rising numbers of Somali refugees are now seeking asylum in neighboring countries to escape the increasingly volatile situation in many parts of their homeland, particularly in Mogadishu.

This is according to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which says that since the beginning of the year, some 15,000 Somalis have sought asylum in Kenya, Djibouti, Ethiopia and even further afield in eastern Sudan.

These numbers are in addition to the tens of thousands who have fled internally.

An estimated 64,000 people have fled their homes in the capital since the beginning of the year an average of about 20,000 a month. By the end of 2007, aid agencies estimated that more than 1 million people were displaced inside Somalia.

UNHCR also reports today that more than 100,000 refugees from South Sudan have returned home to restart their lives since UNHCR began its organized repatriation programme since the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005 that ended 21 years of civil war between the north and the south of the country. Some 260,000 Sudanese refugees remain outside Sudan's borders.

U.N. ENVOY EXPLAINS PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS MANDATE TO CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC LEADERS

The Special Representative of Secretary-General in Chad and the Central African Republic, Victor Angelo, has been on an official visit to Bangui where he met yesterday with President François Bozizé and his Prime Minister.

Angelo said the purpose of his visit was to explain the mandate of the UN Mission in Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT). To this effect, he said MINURCAT and the European Union force deployed in eastern Chad are twin sisters that are intimately linked by the nature of their work and are, in fact, complementary. While the EU Force provides a security umbrella, the UN Mission trains those tasked with protecting refugees and the internally displaced inside UN-run camps.

Asked whether a UN team had been able to confirm that children in the Central African Republic had been abducted by the Lords Resistance Army (LRA), the Spokeswoman said that a team that had traveled to parts of the Republic could not verify that LRA combatants were there.

NEPAL: MAOIST WEAPONS SHOULD NOT BE PRESENT

AT MEETINGS OUTSIDE MAOIST ARMY CANTONMENTS

In Nepal, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Ian Martin, visited the Election Commission today and ensured effective monitoring through the Joint Monitoring and Coordination Committee, which has the responsibility of monitoring cantonments.

The UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) has made clear to the leadership of the Communist Party of Nepal that it is a breach of the Agreement on the Monitoring of the Management of Arms and Armies for personnel and/or weapons from Maoist army cantonments to be present at meetings outside the cantonments, including for the purpose of providing leadership security.

UNMIN recognizes the importance of adequate security arrangements for leaders and candidates of all parties. Special security arrangements for the Maoist leadership were agreed upon in a signed Understanding negotiated between the Government and the Maoists.

Meanwhile, 21 Tibetan young people aged between 15 and 18 climbed into the UN Compound this morning at around 10 a.m. local time. They were met by security and UN staff to whom they peacefully presented a banner with slogans along the lines of "Free Tibet". They apologized for coming inside the compound. They were given lunch and will be taken home later in the day. The UN has asked authorities that no action be taken against the children.

UNITED NATIONS HAS DUTY TO SUPPORT EFFORTS TOWARDS DEMOCRACY

The Secretary-General this morning addressed the Advisory Board of the UN Democracy Fund (UNDEF). He said this is an exciting time for advocates of democracy, as democracy is on the rise in every region on every continent.

At the same time, he stressed that democratization is a process, not an event. It needs to be nurtured and entrenched through awareness, participation, norms and institutions. The Secretary-General added that wherever and whenever people take up the challenge of democratization, the UN has a solemn duty to support their efforts.

The UN Democracy Fund was established in 2005 to support democratization throughout the world.

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL SESSION ENDS IN GENEVA

The seventh session of the Human Rights Council, which was opened by the Secretary-General on 3 March, ends today in Geneva.

Among other things this week, the Council elected the 18 members of its Advisory Committee, which will hold its first session from 4 to 15 August. The Committees experts will function as a think-tank for the Human Rights Council and work at its direction.

The Human Rights Councils eighth session will take place from 2 to 13 June, during which the Council will examine the first report of its working group on the Universal Periodic Review.

CAMBODIA COURT PROSECUTORS CALL FOR NEW INVESTIGATIONS

Information and input from victims and civil society organizations has led the Co-Prosecutors of the Extraordinary Chambers dealing with Cambodia to file a submission calling for new investigations into more Khmer Rouge crimes.

The Co-Prosecutors requested that the Co-Investigating Judges investigate allegations of crimes committed at a Security Centre where many Cambodians were unlawfully detained, subjected to inhumane conditions and forced labour, tortured and executed between 1975 and 1979.

These factual allegations, if founded, could constitute crimes against humanity, Co-Prosecutor Robert Petit said.

The Co-Prosecutors further requested that five suspects -- Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Thirith and Kaing Guek Eav -- who are currently in the custody of the Extraordinary Chambers, be investigated for their involvement in these crimes.

TIMORESE PRESIDENTS COMMENTS TAKEN SERIOUSLY, WILL BE INVESTIGATED

Asked about reported complaints by Timorese President José Ramos-Horta about the actions of UN personnel during the 11 February assassination attempt against him, the Spokeswoman said that the comments attributed to President Ramos-Horta are taken extremely seriously, and would be investigated in the context of the UNs internal review exercise dealing with the incident.

However, Montas added, the Trilateral Coordination Forum (bringing together the International Security Force, the United Nations and the Government of Timor-Leste, under the leadership of Timor-Leste) is the mechanism that coordinates the response in such cases.

An immediate meeting of the Forum was indeed held under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister within a few hours of the attacks and appropriate decisions were taken and implemented, she noted.

CLIMATE CHANGE TALKS START NEXT WEEK

The latest round of UN-sponsored

climate change negotiations will get underway in Bangkok on Monday and last all week.

Some 1,000 representatives from government, business, environmental and research organizations are expected to discuss the Bali Roadmap and lay out a work plan for negotiations leading up to an agreement in Copenhagen next year.

Also on the agenda will be discussions on possible further emissions reductions by industrialized countries.

BAN KI-MOON & FRANCOPHONIE CHIEF

TO DISCUSS STRENGTHENED COOPERATION

The Secretary-General will meet this afternoon with the Secretary-General of the International Organization of the Francophonie (IOF), the former Senegalese President, Mr. Abdou Diouf.

The United Nations has strengthened its cooperation with IOF over the past years in the areas of prevention and resolution of conflict, electoral observation and peacekeeping.

In the course of their meeting this afternoon, the Secretary-General and the IOF chief will discuss ways of further strengthening cooperation between their two organizations in those areas. In that regard, they are expected to discuss a number of concrete conflict cases, including Chad, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire and Haiti.

Other issues, including multilingualism, the convening by the Secretary-General of the Millennium Development Goals High-level Event on 25 September, and climate change are also expected to be discussed.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

NEW REPORT ISSUED ON U.N.-A.U. RELATIONS: Available today is the Secretary-Generals report on the relationship between the United Nations and regional organizations, in particular the African Union, in the maintenance of international peace and security. The report covers a wide range of issues, from financing for regional organizations, conflict-prevention and non-proliferation to peacebuilding support, post-conflict reconstruction and human rights.

SUPPORT PLEDGED TO DISABILITIES TREATY: More than 20 UN departments, agencies, programmes, and funds have issued a joint declaration pledging their support for implementing the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Convention was opened for signature one year ago Sunday. It is now just three ratifications short of the 20 needed to enter into force and become an internationally legally binding document.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Saturday, March 29

At approximately 4.45 p.m., Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will speak to reporters at the Security Council stakeout position, following his meeting with the Secretary-General.

In Nairobi, a high-level summit, organized by the U.N. and the World Bank, on Somalias Financial and Economic Issues, wraps up today (began yesterday).

Sunday, March 30

From today through Wednesday, Under-Secretary-General B. Lynn Pascoe is in Cyprus for consultations on how the U.N. can support efforts by the Cypriot people to reach a settlement.

Monday, March 31

This morning, the Security Council is scheduled to adopt a resolution on Democratic Republic of the Congo sanctions. Today is the last day of Russias Security Council presidency.

At 10 a.m., the General Assembly holds a plenary meeting on global road safety.

All this week, the Bangkok Climate Change Talks 2008, the next round of UN-sponsored global climate change negotiations, take place in Bangkok.

High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres begins a three-day visit to Tajikistan.

Tuesday, April 1

Today and tomorrow, the General Assembly holds a thematic debate on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), on the theme Recognizing the achievements, addressing the challenges and getting back on track to achieve the MDGs by 2015.

At 12:30 p.m. in Room S-226, General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim and Ted Turner, Chairman of Turner Enterprises and the UN Foundation, brief on achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Mr. Turner is also expected to announce a new initiative to eliminate malaria deaths in the next generation.

Today is the first day of South Africas Security Council Presidency.

Wednesday, April 2

The President of the Security Council for April, Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo of South Africa is expected to brief reporters on the month's programme of work.

At 1:15 p.m. in Room S-226, Department of Economic and Social Affairs economists Pingfan Hong and Richard Kozul-Wright launch the Economic Report on Africa.

Today is World Autism Day. From 3 to 5.45 p.m. in Conference Room 1, there will be a presentation and panel discussion on Global awareness of autism: Challenges, responsibilities and actions.

Thursday, April 3

The Secretary-General is in Bucharest, Romania, to attend an international meeting on Afghanistan and participate in a joint press conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.

From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Conference Room 1, there will be a briefing on Understanding and Celebrating Autism.

At 12:30 p.m. in Room S-226, Nicholas Shalita, Special Advisor on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the Office of the General Assembly President and a representative of the UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs will brief on the outcome of the General Assembly thematic debate on MDGs.

At 1 p.m. in the Dag Hammarskjöld Auditorium, there will be a screening of Ondes de Choc (Shock waves), a documentary about the challenges of running radio in a post-conflict society, followed by a panel discussion with Radio Okapi editor-in-chief Martin Sebujangwe, Fondation Hirondelle President Jean-Marie Etter, and representatives from several U.N. departments.

UNICEF launches its second Stocktaking Report on the progress and challenges facing children affected by HIV and AIDS.

Friday, April 4

From 3 to 6 p.m. in the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Chamber, a non-governmental organization forum examines The role of civil society in promoting sustainable development and the new international aid architecture.

Today is the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.

Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General

United Nations, S-378

New York, NY 10017

Tel. 212-963-7162

Fax. 212-963-7055

to the Spokesperson's Page

United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next Article