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.
TV: UN WEBCAST TV VIDEO - 56 minutes

UN: UNITED NATIONS BRIEFING AND TV: WEDNESDAY, 30/04/2008 (MaximsNews Network)

UNITED NATIONS - / MaximsNews Network / - 30 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

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

 SECURITY COUNCIL OPEN DEBATE OF SMALL ARMS STARTS

• The Security Council began its work this morning with an open debate on small arms, which started with a briefing by the Deputy to the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Hannelore Hoppe.
   

• Hoppe told the Council that the threat to international peace and security posed by the uncontrolled trade in small arms cannot be overemphasized.
   

• She noted the recommendations made by the Secretary-General in his recent small arms report, as well as his proposal to revive the UN Coordination Action on Small Arms mechanism as a priority for this year. There are 48 speakers inscribed so far.

SECURITY COUNCIL TO VOTE ON MANDATE EXTENSIONS
FOR SUDAN AND WESTERN SAHARA

• Once its open debate is finished this afternoon, the Security Council expects to vote on resolutions extending the mandates of the UN peacekeeping missions in Sudan and in Western Sahara.
   

• This is the last day of South Africa’s Security Council Presidency. The United Kingdom will assume the rotating Presidency of the Council tomorrow.
   

• Tuesday afternoon, the Security Council adopted a Presidential Statement warmly welcoming the approval by the authorities in Cote d’Ivoire of the proposal to organize presidential elections on 30 November. The Security Council encouraged the Ivorian parties to redouble their efforts to meet this commitment.
   

• The Council welcomed the Secretary-General’s visit to Cote d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso last week and said it was encouraged by the signing, under the Secretary-General’s auspices, of a Code of Good Conduct for elections by all political parties.

BAN KI-MOON TO CHAIR MIDDLE EAST QUARTET MEETING IN LONDON

• Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will travel tomorrow to London to chair a meeting of the principals of the Middle East Quartet on Friday.
   

• He is also participating there in an expanded meeting of the Quartet with Arab Foreign ministers, and later in a meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee for the Palestinian Authority.
   

• The Foreign Ministers of Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and the United Arab Emirates are expected to participate. The Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, a Norwegian initiative, was established in 1992 to ensure the efficient use of development assistance in support of the peace process and to contribute to the development of Palestinian society.
   

• Tuesday afternoon in Geneva, the Secretary-General launched the “Geneva lecture series” with a conference on “opportunity in crisis”, and then he fielded questions on development, human rights and UN reform, as well as on the situation in Zimbabwe and the upcoming Olympic Games.

U.N. SYSTEM TO WORK TOGETHER TO TACKLE GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS

• In Geneva, Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes today held his first press conference since being named coordinator of the U.N. Task Force on the Global Food Crisis.
   

• In his remarks, Holmes said that the recent Chief Executives Board meeting, with its focus on rising food prices, powerfully symbolized the determination of the entire U.N. system to work together to tackle this major challenge.
   

• He stressed that the situation is not solely a humanitarian or a development one – all of these concerns need to be addressed in a comprehensive way, in the short-, medium-and long-term.  The world can fix these problems; the solutions may be difficult, but they are there.
   

• Another look also needs to be taken at the question of biofuels, without falling into any knee-jerk reactions of saying all biofuels are bad or good, he added.
   

• Holmes said he will use his experience as a humanitarian coordinator and work with Deputy Coordinator Dr. David Nabarro of the World Health Organization to bring the different U.N. bodies together, and also bring in civil society expertise. 
   

• The first order of business is putting together a plan of action ahead of the high-level meeting organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Food Programme, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development from 3-5 June.
   

• Asked about the Task Force set up to deal with the food crisis, the Spokeswoman said that it will be established under the Secretary-General’s leadership, with John Holmes as its coordinator and David Nabarro as deputy coordinator. It will comprise the leaders of UN agencies, funds and programmes, and it intends to meet in the first week of May.

 FUEL SUPPLIES FOR GAZA POWER PLANT CRITICALLY LOW

• On Gaza, the Office of the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO) reports that, because of disruptions at the Nahal Oz fuel crossing, existing industrial fuel supplies for Gaza’s power plant is critically low.
   

• Without additional fuel deliveries before Friday, the power plant could be forced to shut down this weekend.
   

• Meanwhile, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has no benzene and is critically short of diesel fuel as a result of distribution issues. Passenger vehicles are effectively grounded, and vehicles that run on diesel and are used for food distributions will be grounded again next week if supplies are not forthcoming. 
   

• UNSCO stresses that the parties need to ensure that UNRWA has regular supplies of diesel and benzene.
   

• Meanwhile, Special Coordinator Robert Serry today concluded his first official visit to Lebanon, as part of ongoing visits to regional capitals. During his consultations with the Lebanese authorities, Serry stressed the UN's commitment to the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Lebanon, and to a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the Middle East.
   

• Serry also underlined the UN's commitment to Palestinian refugees, including efforts to rebuild the Nahr el-Bared camp in Lebanon, and the importance of support for UNRWA's efforts in this regard.

TIMOR LESTE: DISPLACED PERSONS CAMP CLOSURE IS WELCOMED

• A camp for Internally Displaced Persons in Timor Leste’s capital, Dili, closed today after 173 families returned to their homes.
   

• The head of the UN humanitarian office in the country, Pierre Bessuges, described the closure of the camp as a significant breakthrough in efforts to solve the long-standing issue of internally displaced persons in the country.
   

• He added that it is a strong sign of how the country is recovering from the violence that tore the capital apart in 2006 and led to the displacement of about 100,000 people.
   

• The United Nations is appealing to the international community to continue its assistance by contributing to the humanitarian appeal launched last month.

U.N. ENVOY FOR AFGHANISTAN ENDS VISIT TO WASHINGTON, D.C.

• Kai Eide, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative to Afghanistan, yesterday wrapped up a two-day trip to Washington, D.C., during which he met with U.S. President George W. Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
   

• In the meeting between the Special Representative and President Bush, they discussed the upcoming Paris conference in support of the Afghan Government, the importance of the upcoming elections and Mr. Eide's key coordination role. They agreed that this is a crucial moment for Afghanistan.
   

• Kai Eide is now traveling to Ottawa, where he will meet with senior Canadian officials to discuss support for the United Nations activities in Afghanistan ahead of the Paris conference.
   

• Asked whether the UN Mission in Afghanistan had been informed of recent military activity by the multinational force in the country, the Spokeswoman noted that the United Nations is trying to increase coordination with the other groups on the ground in Afghanistan.

 BAN KI-MOON URGES EARLY RELEASE OF ZIMBABWE’S ELECTIONS RESULTS

• Asked whether the Secretary-General is biased against the Zimbabwean Government, the Spokeswoman said that his own remarks, including those made Tuesday in Geneva, and those made yesterday by his Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, B. Lynn Pascoe, make it clear that this is not the case. She also noted that Mr. Pascoe had met with both the Zimbabwean ambassador as well as with a senior Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) representative prior to his briefing to the Security Council.
   

• Asked whether the United Nations will soon appoint a special envoy for Zimbabwe, Okabe noted that Pascoe briefed the Security Council on Tuesday, and told reporters after that briefing that the Secretary-General strongly supported the efforts of the Southern African Development Community and the African Union and was ready to use his good offices in conjunction with those two organizations
   

• Asked further about the recommendation on an envoy, she said that there had been no outcome on that issue yesterday in the Council. She noted that Mr. Pascoe said that there would have to be further discussions on the subject.
   

• The Spokeswoman stressed that the Secretary-General has called for the need for an early release of Zimbabwe’s presidential elections results.
   

• Asked about the Secretary-General’s meeting in Ghana last week with Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai, Okabe noted that the Secretary-General frequently meets with officials on the sidelines of the meetings that he attends.

 FREE, SECURE, INDEPENDENT MEDIA IS FOUNDATION
 OF PEACE AND DEMOCRACY

• Tomorrow, the Department of Public Information and UNESCO are organizing an event to mark World Press Freedom Day, which is Saturday. The event will also include messages from top U.N. officials.
   

• In his message, the Secretary-General stresses that a free, secure and independent media is one of the foundations of peace and democracy.  Attacks on freedom of the press are attacks against international law, humanity, and freedom itself -- everything the United Nations stands for, he says.
   

• The Secretary-General says he is alarmed at the increasing targeting of journalists around the world, and the failure to thoroughly investigate and prosecute such crimes. He calls on all societies to spare no effort in bringing to justice the perpetrators of such attacks.  He also pays tribute to all who work in difficult and dangerous conditions to provide the world with free, unbiased information. 

 GLOBAL COMPACT BOARD TO HOLD FIRST MEETING OF 2008

• The Global Compact Board will convene at UN Headquarters tomorrow for its first meeting of the year.
   

• You’ll recall that the Board, which is appointed by the Secretary-General, provides ongoing strategic and policy advice regarding the Global Compact. It includes representatives from the business and labor sectors, civil society, and the United Nations.

MYANMAR MUST HONOR ITS COMMITMENT TO FREE AND FAIR PROCESS

• Asked about reports that voters in Myanmar are being compelled to vote “yes” in a referendum, the Spokeswoman said that the United Nations has no firsthand information on this, but reiterated its position that it is important for the Government of Myanmar to honor its commitment to a free and fair process.

  SECRETARY-GENERAL WISHES ALL CANDIDATES SUCCESS
 IN EFFORTS IN BID FOR SECURITY COUNCIL NON-PERMANENT SEATS

• With reference to the Western European candidatures for the two non-permanent seats in the UN Security Council for the period 2009-2010, the Secretary-General wishes to clear any misunderstanding that may have arisen during the past few days.
   

• The Secretary-General is aware that Austria, Iceland and Turkey are contesting for these two seats. He recognizes that they are all eminently qualified for the seats and he wishes each of them success in their effort to secure the support of member-states of the Organization. As Secretary-General, he does not wish to signify any preference for one over any other.

**The guest at noon was Radhika Coomaraswamy, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, who briefed on her recent visit to Iraq.

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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