Â鶹´«Ă˝

Secretary-General

Noon briefing of 11 July 2005

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S NOON BRIEFING

BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Monday, 11 July 2005

ANNAN WELCOMES RESUMPTION OF KOREA TALKS

  • The Secretary-General welcomes the agreement of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and U.S. negotiators reached in Beijing to resume the six-party talks during the last week of July.

  • The Secretary-General would also like to commend the intensive international efforts, including in particular China and the Republic of Korea for the constructive and tireless work undertaken by them towards this end.

  • The Secretary-General is strongly encouraged by the determination expressed by the participants of the six-party talks to aim for actual progress at the resumed talks, which should lead to negotiating a stable, secure and prosperous Korean Peninsula free of nuclear weapons.

  • He continues to believe that dialogue, based on goodwill and mutual respect, is the way towards achieving these goals, however challenging they might be, and will continue doing everything possible in support of this work.

  • Asked if the Secretary-General would activate his Envoy, Maurice Strong, following the latest developments, the Spokesman said that there was no change in Strong’s status. Â鶹´«Ă˝, he added, is following the recent developments extremely closely, but he added that the UN is not a party in the six-party talks.

SECRETARY-GENERAL SHOCKED BY MURDER OF SOMALI CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST

  • The Secretary-General was shocked to hear of the brutal murder of Mr. Abdulkadir Yahya Ali in Mogadishu today. Mr. Yahya had devoted many years to foster peace and reconciliation in his country and was widely respected by his countrymen and by many in the international community.

  • The Secretary-General condemns such acts of violence that continue to undermine the prospects for peace and reconciliation in Somalia.

ANNAN CONGRATULATES KYRGYZSTAN ON PEACEFUL ELECTIONS

  • The Secretary-General welcomes the peaceful conduct of the presidential elections in Kyrgyzstan on 10 July 2005. Preliminary reports indicate that the elections were held in a credible manner and with strengthened commitment to upholding international standards. The holding of these elections is an important step in the consolidation of political institutions in Kyrgyzstan.

  • The Secretary-General looks forward to partnership and cooperation with the new government.

WORLD MUST PREVENT FUTURE MASSACRES, ANNAN SAYS ON SREBRENICA 10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY

  • In Srebrenica this morning, Mark Malloch Brown, the Secretary-General’s Chef de Cabinet, delivered a message from the Secretary-General to mark the 10th anniversary of the massacre in that town.

  • In his message, the Secretary-General said that the UN could not evade its own share of responsibility. Adding that the full truth about what happened in Srebrenica needed to be uncovered and confronted, he also stressed that the main architects of the massacre must be brought to justice.

  • The Secretary-General also said that the world’s most important duty now was to prevent such systematic slaughter from recurring anywhere in the present and future.

  • As part of the Srebrenica massacre commemorations this week a Bosnian-American installation artist, Aida Sehovic, will be pouring 1,705 small cups of coffee in the visitors’ lobby. The cups are meant to symbolize the victims who will not be able to take part in the traditional Bosnian cup of coffee, served to welcome people home.
    The number of cups is significant because, out of an estimated 7,000 to 8,000 victims, only 1,705 have officially been identified. The coffee pouring will start today and continue through the week, starting at noon each day.

  • Asked about the UN position towards Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, who are suspected of involvement in the Srebrenica massacre, the Spokesman said the United Nations had made it clear that there should be renewed efforts to apprehend both men and bring them to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

IN SUDAN, ANNAN SAYS NEW NATIONAL UNITY GOVT. MUST TACKLE CONFLICTS IN DARFUR & EASTERN PART OF COUNTRY

  • On Saturday, the Secretary-General witnessed the signing in Khartoum of the transitional constitution of Sudan and the swearing-in of the leaders of its Government of National Unity. He said the occasion was “a day of great hope for the Sudanese people, who have suffered for so long.”

  • He said that unity in Sudan is still incomplete and precarious, but it is immensely precious. The peace process between the country’s North and South must be made irreversible, the Secretary-General said, which it will not be unless it takes root in the East and West, as well. He called for the Government as an immediate priority to work to resolve the conflicts in Darfur and in Eastern Sudan.

  • The Secretary-General then attended an official lunch before holding a brief press encounter at Khartoum airport.

  • He told reporters, in response to a question about the UN contribution to post-conflict Sudan, that at the G8 meeting in Gleneagles, he had raised the need for donors to honor the pledges for Sudan. He also said that he will be writing to the major donors to urge them to convert their pledges into cash.

  • The Secretary-General is back in New York.

IRAQ: U.N. ENVOY MEETS WITH SHI’ITE LEADERS

  • On Sunday, Ashraf Qazi, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, met in Najaf with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, as well as with Shi’ite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

  • In his meeting with Ayatollah Sistani, Qazi discussed the work being done by the UN Mission in Iraq and its efforts to facilitate dialogue among all parties. They also discussed the constitution-making process and modalities for the December elections.

  • Qazi raised many of the same points in his meeting with Moqtada al-Sadr, and also informed him about UN efforts in reconstruction and humanitarian assistance and development.

  • Asked about the meetings in Najaf, the Spokesman said they were part of Qazi’s ongoing outreach to all sectors of Iraqi society. Ayatollah Sistani and al-Sadr are important political figures, he said, and Qazi was briefing them on the UN’s work, including the assistance it was giving to the constitution-building process, which is so crucial to Iraq’s future. The UN’s message to every sector of Iraqi society, the Spokesman said, is the same: participate in the political process.

  • On Friday afternoon, the Security Council adopted a Presidential Statement, by which it condemned last week’s assassination of the head of the Egyptian Mission to Iraq, Ihab El Sherif. The Council went on to condemn all terrorist attacks in Iraq, including the attempted assassinations of diplomats from Bahrain and Pakistan and attacks against other civilian personnel.

SECURITY COUNCIL CONCERNED BY RECENT SHOOTINGS IN ETHIOPIA & ERITREA

  • The Security Council held consultations this morning on Ethiopia and Eritrea. Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Marie GuĂ©henno, briefed the Council on the Secretary-General’s latest report, which mentioned the Secretary-General’s concern at the recent shooting incidents that took place in the Temporary Security Zone between those two countries.

  • The Council President, Ambassador Vassilakis of Greece, read out a press statement following the consultations, and he noted the Council’s concern over the recent shooting incidents. Council members noted possible options to resolve the stalemate over the peace process, including, when appropriate, a Council visit to Ethiopia and Eritrea.

  • Also today, Council members were briefed, under “other matters”, by Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Ibrahim Gambari, on Detlev Mehlis's investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

COTE D’IVOIRE: U.N. OFFICIAL DRAWS ATTENTION TO WORSENING HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION

  • The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, is in Liberia today on the second stage of a three-nation visit. She has scheduled meetings with Liberian judicial officials as well as UN personnel.

  • In Cote d’Ivoire on Saturday, Arbour expressed concern about a deterioration of the human rights in that country.

  • After Liberia, Arbour will visit Sierra Leone.

WORLD MUST REMAIN COMMITTED TO FIGHTING ILLEGAL SMALL ARMS TRADE

  • Today marks the start of the five-day Second Biennial of States to Consider the Implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects.

  • In a message delivered this morning to the meeting – which is being held in New York – the Secretary-General lauded the progress made in stemming the flow of such weapons, noting that many countries have developed national action plans to address proliferation concerns.

  • At the same time, however, he warned that the world must not relax in the fight against illicit small arms, which continue to kill, maim and displace scores of thousands of innocent people every year.

  • He also reminded participants that in his report, “In Larger Freedom,” he had urged the international community to speed up negotiations on a legally-binding instrument to stop illicit brokering in small arms.

WOMEN & GIRLS MUST BE EMPOWERED, ANNAN SAYS

  • Today, in his message for World Population Day, the Secretary-General asks the international community to resolve to empower women and girls by a commitment to gender equality. He also says that every society that wishes to overcome poverty, hunger, armed conflict and disease must draw fully on the talents and contribution of all of its members.

  • In her for the Day, Thoraya Obaid, Executive Director of the UN’s Population Fund (UNFPA), also underlines the benefits of gender equality, including “a higher quality of life for individual women and girls, and stronger families, communities and countries.”

GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO DISCUSS SECURITY COUNCIL REFORM TODAY

  • The General Assembly will hold a plenary meeting this afternoon to discuss a draft resolution on Security Council reform, sponsored by 27 countries, including the Group of Four, namely Brazil, Germany, India and Japan.

  • The draft resolution proposes to expand membership of the Security Council from 15 to 25 by adding six permanent and four non-permanent members. As of this morning, 14 speakers are slated to address the meeting. The length of the meeting will depend on how many more speakers wish to make statements.

  • Asked whether the Secretary-General favored any particular option for Security Council expansion, the Spokesman said he did not.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

OIL-FOR-FOOD: Asked whether the United Nations had been informed by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office about potential criminal charges against the former head of the Office of the Iraq Programme, Benon Sevan, the Spokesman said that the United Nations has not been contacted at all by the District Attorney’s office. Â鶹´«Ă˝, he added, would wait to hear from the District Attorney’s office. Dujarric noted that the Secretary-General has made it clear, in his comments on the oil-for-food program, that he would lift the immunity of any UN employee who is indicted by a national judicial authority over criminal wrongdoing. Asked about Sevan’s status, the Spokesman said that the UN’s administrative proceedings against Sevan have been put on hold while Paul Volcker’s Independent Inquiry Committee concludes its report on him. Asked where Sevan is at present, the Spokesman said that Sevan’s main responsibility is to cooperate with the Volcker Committee, and the United Nations has not heard from the Committee that Sevan is not cooperating. If there were a problem with Sevan’s cooperation, he added, the Volcker panel would inform the United Nations.

ANNAN SUPPORTS TERRORISM CONVENTION: Asked about the Secretary-General’s opinion on whether a Terrorism Convention should be adopted, the Spokesman said that was a recommendation contained in his “In Larger Freedom” report, and is something that the Secretary-General would very much like to see achieved in the 2005 World Summit in September.

D.R. CONGO PLEDGING CONFERENCE HELD IN BRUSSELS: William Lacy Swing, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is in Brussels today, where he is taking part in a donors’ meeting, organized by the European Union, to mobilize financial resources for the electoral process in the DRC. He will give a press briefing later today, at around 7pm, in Brussels. He will then travel to New York, where he is due to brief the Security Council on Wednesday.

AFGHAN REFUGEES RETURN HOME FROM PAKISTAN: The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said today that some 27,000 Afghan refugees have returned home from Pakistan in the last three weeks, following the closure of refugee camps in Pakistan’s North Waziristan area. The Mission says that the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees has reported no major difficulties despite the high number of returnees.

AFRICA OFFICE LAUNCHES NEW WEB SITE: The Office of the Special Adviser on Africa now has a new web site up and running. The site has information about the Office’s work, which includes enhancing global support for Africa’s development and security, especially in relation to the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). The address is: .

WOMEN’S ANTI-DISCRIMINATION COMMITTEE CONTINUES MEETING TODAY: The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) continues its 33rd Session at UN Headquarters this week with non-governmental organizations speaking to the Committee this afternoon regarding Burkina Faso, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Gambia, Ireland, and Lebanon.

**The guest at the noon briefing today was Stan Nkwain, UN Resident Coordinator and the UN Development Programme’s Resident Representative for the Central African Republic.