MICHELE MONTAS is the Spokesperson for U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

The Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General and the Spokesperson for the President of the General Assembly.
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UN: UNITED NATIONS BRIEFING AND TV: THURSDAY, 24/04/2008 (MaximsNews Network)

UNITED NATIONS - / MaximsNews Network / - 24 April 2008 -- Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary-General and UN Webcast TV Video.

BY MARIE OKABE
DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

Thursday, April 24, 2008

BAN KI-MOON MEETS WITH IVORIAN LEADERS

• Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon continued his meetings today with all the main political actors in Côte d’Ivoire, the last leg of his four-nation trip to West Africa that also took him to Ghana, Liberia and Burkina Faso.
   

• In the morning, he held meetings with the Ivorian Foreign Minister, political party leaders, civil society representatives and the President of the Independent Electoral Commission, and he later went on to look at the work being done by the UN operation in Côte d'Ivoire, (UNOCI).
   

• The Secretary-General also presided over the signing of a Code of Good Conduct by the country’s political parties for the November elections.
   

• Yesterday, the Secretary-General met separately with Prime Minister Guillaume Soro and President Laurent Gbagbo, and he spoke to the press following each of those meetings.
   

• He said that he had encouraged the Prime Minister to continue with his efforts to maintain the peace process in collaboration with the President and the other political actors. And, after his meeting with President Gbagbo, he said that he was encouraged that the Côte d'Ivoire Government has cleared all arrears with the World Bank and regained the trust and confidence of international financial institutions.
   

• In addition, the Secretary-General signed an agreement with the Prime Minister and the donor community, in which donors pledged 27 million Euros towards the next phase of the peace process.

 SECURITY COUNCIL BRIEFED ON WORK OF SANCTIONS COMMITTEE,
TO MEET LATER TODAY ON SUDAN

• The Security Council this morning heard a briefing in closed consultations from Ambassador Johan Verbeke of Belgium, the Chair of the Sanctions Committee dealing with al-Qaeda and the Taliban, who reviewed the compliance of States with the sanctions regime.
   

• This afternoon, at 3:45, the Council will hold consultations on Sudan, to discuss the Secretary-General’s latest report on the UN Mission in Sudan. That follows a briefing to troop contributing countries for the Sudan Mission. Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guéhenno is expected to brief the Council and troop contributors.
   

• In the Sudan report, the Secretary-General says he is pleased by the parties’ sustained commitment to work together in the Government of National Unity and to overcome differences and tensions through dialogue.
   

• At the same time, he says, he remains concerned that tangible progress is still lacking in certain key areas of implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which should underpin that partnership.
   

• The recent clashes and tensions in the Abyei area represent a potential threat, he said, and he urged the parties to summon the political will to address difficult outstanding issues, particularly the status of Abyei and the disputed 1 January 1956 border. Further delay in resolving those issues may complicate the situation and lead to unintended conflict.
   

• The Secretary-General says relatively minor amendments are required to enable the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) to maximize its support to the parties and its contribution to the next phase of implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
   

• Among them, he recommends that in its renewal of the mission’s mandate, the Council authorizes UNMIS to provide technical and logistical support to the border demarcation process, as requested by the parties, and to monitor, within its existing capacity, the activities of Lord’s Resistance Army elements in Southern Sudan that may have implications for the security of UNMIS and other mandated activities.

 WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME ANNOUNCES KILLING OF DRIVER IN DARFUR

• The World Food Programme (WFP) announced today the killing of a truck driver transporting vital food relief to Darfur, the second such killing in two months.
   

• WFP truck convoys are currently delivering only half as much food to Darfur as is needed, because banditry has slowed the turnaround time for trucks.
   

• Only 900 metric tons a day are arriving at WFP warehouses, when deliveries should be 1,800 metric tons a day.
   

• As announced on 17 April, due to the increased banditry, WFP will be forced to cut the monthly ration in Darfur by 42 per cent of its kilocalorie value.
   

• WFP is asking the government to increase the number of police escorts for the convoys so that more food can get through.

 BAN KI-MOON REQUESTS MORE THAN A DOZEN MEMBER STATES
 TO PROVIDE URGENT ASSISTANCE FOR HAITI

• The Secretary-General has written to more than a dozen key Member States, asking for their urgent assistance in addressing the situation in Haiti, following the rapid deterioration in socio-economic circumstances there.
   

• He noted that the rise in the prices of certain staple commodities had led to increased popular frustration, which found expression in a number of demonstrations, some violent, earlier this month.
   

• It is the Secretary-General’s view that Haiti is making significant progress towards political, economic and social stability and that it is crucial to avoid backsliding, which could unravel the many gains achieved over the past four years.
   

• The UN system will do everything in its capacity to assist Haiti, but real progress will also require urgent support from donors, including in-kind contributions and funds to help fill short-term needs and the requirements of ongoing programmes.

 U.N. HUMANITARIAN CHIEF NOTES INCREASING VIOLENCE
 AGAINST CIVILIANS IN SOMALIA

• In Somalia, Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes says there has been an increasing trend of indiscriminate and disproportionate use of force against civilians by all parties to the conflict, in contravention of international humanitarian law. 
   

• Holmes notes that “combatants appear to have little regard for the safety of civilians in Mogadishu, where residents have been traumatized by years of violence”.  He particularly noted last weekend’s violence, in which heavy artillery was used in residential areas and scores of civilians reportedly died. 
   

• Such violence has hindered the delivery of relief aid, both to those who remain in the city and the hundreds of thousands who have sought refuge elsewhere, he noted.  He’s calling on all parties to protect civilians and respect international law.
   

• Asked whether the United Nations would rethink its role in Somalia, the Spokeswoman noted that the Secretary-General’s latest report included a number of proposals on ways to assist the effort to bring stability to Somalia. The United Nations is active on the political and humanitarian fronts in Somalia, and the Security Council is currently discussing peacekeeping aspects. A decision to field a Security Council mission to Somalia would be up to the Security Council.

 U.N. LEBANON FORCE INVESTIGATING CONFRONTATION BETWEEN PEACEKEEPERS AND UNIDENTIFIED ARMED PATROL

• Asked about a recent incident between UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeepers and armed elements, the Spokeswoman said that, on the night of 30/31 March, a UNIFIL patrol observed a suspicious pickup truck that was towing a trailer in the western sector of its area of operation.
   

• When the patrol started following the pickup truck, Okabe said, it was blocked by two other vehicles with five armed persons.  The patrol challenged the armed elements, who left the area after some three minutes before a positive identification could be made. The Lebanese Army was notified and immediately responded to the location, but efforts to locate the perpetrators were unsuccessful.
   

• Whereas the circumstances of the incident are under investigation, the presence of armed elements in UNIFIL’s area of operations constitutes a flagrant violation of Security Council resolution 1701 and infringement of UNIFIL’s freedom of movement, the Spokeswoman said.
   

• UNIFIL has asked the Lebanese authorities to take expedited action to identify the perpetrators of this violation and ensure that this does not happen again, as it is incumbent on them to ensure security for the area.
   

• With the prevention of such incidents in mind, Okabe added, UNIFIL has intensified the coordinated operations with the Lebanese Army and augmented security control at crossing points along the Litani River.

 U.N.R.W.A.: FOOD AID DELIVERIES HALTED IN GAZA FOR LACK OF FUEL

• Asked about problems that UN humanitarian workers have in receiving fuel in Gaza, the Spokeswoman noted that Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Angela Kane had briefed the Security Council on Wednesday and had underscored the impact of the fuel shortages on the ground.
   

• Okabe said that her understanding was that, as of this evening, according to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the agency had stopped its food deliveries in Gaza because of its lack of fuel. In response to a question about what was being done, she said UNRWA works around the clock in efforts to deliver food aid to 650,000 people in Gaza.

UNITED NATIONS TO MARK STAFF DAY TOMORROW

• Tomorrow is Staff Day, and it will begin with a brief ceremony to remember our colleagues who died in the service of the UN since the last Staff Day.
   

• The ceremony will be held tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. at the UN Flagpole area on the Visitors' Plaza, or in the General Assembly Visitors' Lobby in case of rain.
   

• Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro will make brief remarks, and the names of all the civilian and military personnel who have fallen in the service of the Organization since the last Staff Day will be read out – 293 at last count.

 OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

UNICEF EXPRESSES CONCERN ABOUT WORLD FOOD PRICE INCREASES:  UNICEF has expressed concern that world food price increases are having negative social and economic impacts, especially in poorer countries.  For its part, the agency is closely monitoring the nutrition situation and the impact of the price increases on children and women.  According to UNICEF, the most urgent priority is to help children who are already malnourished and prevent the nutrition situation of affected populations from worsening.

WORK-RELATED ACCIDENTS AND DISEASES CLAIM MORE THAN TWO MILLION LIVES A YEAR:  According to a new report by the International Labour Office (ILO), 2.2 million people throughout the world die annually from work-related accidents and diseases. In addition, work-related deaths appear to be on the rise. Moreover, each year an estimated 270 million people suffer non-fatal, work-related accidents resulting in at least three days’ absence from work. An additional 160 million people suffer from some work-related illness.

SECRETARY-GENERAL HAS NOT RECEIVED A LETTER FROM IRAN’S FOREIGN MINISTER: Asked whether the Secretary-General had in recent days received a letter from Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Motaki, the Spokeswoman said he had not.

U.N. PREVENTIVE DIPLOMACY CENTRE HAS BEEN SET UP IN CENTRAL ASIA: Asked whether an official had been appointed to head the U.N. Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia, the Spokeswoman said that she could not confirm an appointment but noted that the Centre has been set up.

Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055

Labels: United Nations,  U.N., Secretary-General

 

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