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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY MARIE OKABE
DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

MIDDLE EAST: ANNAN URGES ALL CONCERNED TO EXERCISE MAXIMUM RESTRAINT

• Secretary-General Kofi Annan met in Rome today with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, and he told reporters afterward that they both felt extremely concerned about what is happening in the Middle East.
  

• The Secretary-General condemned without reservation the attack that took place in the southern Lebanon [region] and demanded that the captured Israeli troops be released immediately. He added that leaders in the region should do whatever they can to press all parties to exercise restraint.
  

• The Secretary-General warned that the region was a very dangerous part of the world where we would not want to see an escalation. He stressed that all concerned should exercise maximum restraint, adding that every effort must be taken not to harm civilians.
  

• The Secretary-General and the Prime Minister also discussed other issues, including Darfur, Afghanistan, Iran and North Korea.
  

• In the afternoon, he went on to meet with the Foreign Relations Committees of the Italian Senate and Chamber of Deputies. This evening, he will be the guest at a dinner hosted by Foreign Minister Massimo D’Alema.
  

• Asked how the Secretary-General would respond to the violence in the Middle East and whether he was in touch with the Quartet, the Spokeswoman said that the Secretary-General was constantly in touch with the members of the Quartet, and was also in contact with concerned leaders today.
  

• She said that he had spoken today with Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora and with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and also intended to make calls to the leaders of Israel and Syria, to appeal for the release of the soldiers and for all parties to exercise maximum restraint.
  

• Asked whether he would send any envoys, the Spokeswoman noted that he already has envoys on the ground and is also personally involved in efforts to calm the situation.
  

• Asked whether the Secretary-General has any comment on the killing of a Palestinian family in Gaza, the Spokeswoman said that the Secretary-General was distressed by the news of that killing. The Secretary-General, Okabe said, deplores this action. He reminds Israel of its obligation under international law to protect civilians from the effects of the conflict, and calls on all sides to exercise maximum restraint.

U.N. REPRESENTATIVE IN LEBANON CONDEMNS HEZBOLLAH ATTACK

• Geir Pedersen, the Secretary-General’s Personal Representative for Lebanon, condemned today’s Hizbollah attack in the strongest possible terms.
  

• He said he was deeply disturbed by this violent breach of the Blue Line, which contradicts the stated intent of the Lebanese side to maintain calm and stability along the Line.
  

• Pedersen called on Hizbollah to release the soldiers and urge all parties to exercise maximum restraint and avoid any further escalation.

UNITED NATIONS CONDEMNS INDIA BOMBINGS

• In a presidential statement read following the noon briefing by Security Council President Jean-Marc de la Sablière of France, the Security Council underlined the need to bring the perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of those “reprehensible” acts of terrorism to justice, and urged all States to cooperate actively with the Indian authorities in that regard.
  

• The Council reaffirmed the need to combat by all means threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts, and reminded States that any measures they take to combat terrorism should comply with their obligations under international law, in particular international human rights, refugee and humanitarian law.
  

• In a statement issued Tuesday afternoon, the Secretary-General said "such acts cannot possibly be excused by any grievance."

SECURITY COUNCIL BRIEFED IN SUDAN AND COTE D’IVOIRE

• The Security Council this morning is hearing from Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Marie Guéhenno, about the recent developments at the African Union Summit in Banjul, the Gambia, concerning Sudan and Cote d’Ivoire.
  

• Speaking in the Council’s closed consultations, Guéhenno informed the Council of the Secretary-General’s meetings in Banjul with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and Ivoirian President Laurent Gbagbo, as well as with other leaders.
  

• He also discussed the mini-summit in Cote d’Ivoire that followed the meetings in Banjul.

UNITED NATIONS HELPING LIBERIA IMPLEMENT TREATY OBLIGATIONS

• Responding to an initiative of the Liberian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the United Nations and the are helping the Liberian Government with its implementation of the wide range of treaty obligations resulting from the record number of treaty actions undertaken by Liberia in September 2005.
  

• Along with other UN officials, UN legal officers are currently in Monrovia enhancing awareness of the international rule of law through training seminars and workshops in treaty law and practice.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOLDS INTERACTIVE HEARINGS ON MIGRATION

• Deputy Secretary-General Mark Malloch Brown this morning addressed the General Assembly’s informal interactive hearings on migration.
  

• The aim of the hearings is to provide an opportunity for civil society to interact with Member States and offer input for the September High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development.
  

• In his remarks, the Deputy Secretary-General flagged the Secretary-General’s recent report on migration, which highlights the benefits of international migration and will be the basis for the High-Level Dialogue.
  

• Referring to the Dialogue, the Deputy Secretary-General said it had three goals: to raise awareness; examine the relationship between migration and development; and to see how migration could best work to promote development.

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