HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY FRED ECKHARD
SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
OF THE UNITED NATIONS
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Thursday, June 3, 2004
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: ANTI-U.N.
PROTESTS ERUPT
FOLLOWING TAKE OVER OF BUKAVU IN EAST
The situation in the
remains highly volatile.
Following the taking of the town of Bukavu by dissident
forces under the command of Gen. Laurent Nkunda and
Col. Jules Mutebutsi.Bukavu is now reported to be relatively calm and
the dissident leaders met today with UN representatives to discuss the
withdrawal of their forces from the city.
However, violent anti-UN demonstrations took place today
in Kinshasa, Kisangani, Lubumbashi and Kindu.
In Kinshasa, the
headquarters, compounds and vehicles were attacked and it is
reported that three demonstrators, who entered premises despite warning shots,
were killed. In the three other cities, UN buildings and property were looted
and torched.
In Kando, southwest of Goma, Mayi-Mayi elements kidnapped
four UN military observers and three non-governmental organization workers but
released them within hours.
Asked if the United Nations could explain the reasoning
behind the attacks, the Spokesman said it seems there was an exaggerated sense
of the UN’s capacity to prevent an attack on Bukavu.
“As I think I said yesterday, we were never there to
intervene in a civil war,” the Spokesman said. “We were in there to assist the
parties carry out a peace agreement and support a national unity government.”
The Spokesman added that the United Nations is doing what
it can to protect civilians in the area and is working with the parties to try
to put back together the peace agreement as it applies to the eastern part of
the country.
Asked if these attacks would lead to a boost in security
levels of UN offices elsewhere, the Spokesman said the process is already
underway, but not because of these attacks.
“We have already been reviewing security at every single
installation we have worldwide – not in connection with these attacks in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo – but as a result of the international terror
threat,” the Spokesman said.
ANNAN DEEPLY CONCERNED OVER REPORTS OF
VIOLENCE IN DR CONGO
Kofi Annan is
and deeply concerned at the news of violent demonstrations
against the United Nations in the
, today and yesterday.
The Secretary-General spoke to President Joseph Kabila
this morning and the President assured him that both he personally and the
Transitional Government fully support the United Nations in the DR Congo and,
in particular, the
(MONUC).
The Secretary-General strongly urges the military
elements in Bukavu to respect the ceasefire.He calls on the DR Congo’s
neighbors to support the peace process and to use their influence to defuse
the situation in the eastern DR Congo.
The Secretary-General is relieved that the United Nations
and NGO personnel kidnapped this morning have been released. He calls on all
parties and individuals to show respect for and ensure the safety of all
United Nations and NGO personnel and to engage in a process of reconciliation.
LIBERIA PEACE PROCESS NOW FIRMLY ON
TRACK
At 10:00 a.m., the
began an open meeting on
, at which the
and Charles Gyude Bryant, Chairman of the National
Transitional Government of Liberia spoke.
Jacques Klein said the peace process is now firmly on
track and irreversible. UN peacekeepers, he says, have significantly
stabilized the country and the disarmament of combatants is making steady
progress. But he also warned of the numerous challenges ahead.
SECURITY COUNCIL TO HOLD OPEN MEETING ON
IRAQ
At 3:00 p.m., the
is scheduled to hold consultations of the whole on
, at which the Secretary-General will brief.
This is to be followed at 4:00 p.m. by an open meeting on
the same topic, which Iraq's Foreign Minister, Hoshyar Zebari, is expected to
attend.
Asked about the nature of the Secretary-General’s
briefing, the Spokesman declined to try to characterize it except to say that
the Security Council’s intent is to get the Secretary-General’s assessment of
Special Envoy Lakhdar
mission to Iraq.
The Spokesman noted that Brahimi will be arriving in New
York in time to join the Security Council on its retreat this weekend, where
Iraq would be discussed.
The Spokesman added that Brahimi may be requested to
appear before the Security Council next week, possibly on Monday, and it is
hoped that he will brief the press Tuesday.
Asked if there were any plans for Iraq’s new prime
minister to meet the Secretary-General, the Spokesman said no such request had
been made of the Secretary-General.
ANNAN: NO BASIS FOR RESUMING GOOD
OFFICES EFFORTS IN CYPRUS
The
on his mission of good offices in
is out today.
In it, the Secretary-General gives an overview of the
process that resumed on 13 February and came to an end with the referenda on
24 April.
He also notes that the decision of the Greek Cypriots not
to approve the
must be respected, while welcoming the decision of the Turkish
Cypriots to approve it.
The Secretary-General states that he does not see a basis
for resuming his good offices efforts given the current situation, but makes
recommendations to both sides, and the
, on the way ahead in efforts to promote reconciliation
and, ultimately, reunification.
Separately, the Secretary-General met earlier today with
President Tassos Papadopoulos of the Republic of Cyprus.
At the meeting, the Secretary-General, after listening to
his visitor’s views, expressed his regret that a unique opportunity to solve
the Cyprus problem had been missed.
The Secretary-General said he fully respected the
decision taken by the Greek Cypriot people. He also fully respected the
decision of the Turkish Cypriots. He saw little if any scope for a renewed
good offices effort as long as the stalemate continued.
The Secretary-General said that, after the decisive
rejection of the plan by the Greek Cypriots, it would be for that side to
explain clearly to the Turkish Cypriots, the United Nations and the rest of
the world how they see the way forward. The Secretary-General pointed out that
he has advised the Security Council to stand ready to address concerns
regarding security and implementation.
The Secretary-General appealed to Papadopoulos to seize
the initiative in responding positively to his appeal for States to cooperate
to eliminate unnecessary restrictions and barriers to the development of the
Turkish Cypriots.
This would signal that the Greek Cypriots wish to reach
out to their Turkish Cypriot compatriots in the North and assist them and help
facilitate the eventual goal of reunification.
ANNAN CONDEMNS MURDER OF FIVE AID WORKERS
IN AFGHANISTAN
The
was
and angered to learn of the cold-blooded killing yesterday of
five staff of Médecins sans Frontières on the road between Khairkhana and
Qala-I-Naw, Badghis province,
.
The Secretary-General strongly condemns the killing of
these unarmed humanitarian aid workers. He calls on the Government of
Afghanistan, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force for
Afghanistan (ISAF), and Coalition forces to take the necessary measures to
ensure the safety and security of aid workers who are assisting the people of
Afghanistan and to bring the perpetrators to justice.
The Secretary-General expresses his profound condolences
to the bereaved families.
Their deaths raise to more than 30, the number of aid
workers, who have been murdered while carrying out relief work in Afghanistan
over the last year.
Statements on the same issued were also made today by the
,
, and the
,
.
MORE THAN $200 MILLION SOUGHT FOR
HUMANITARIAN NEEDS IN DARFUR, SUDAN
In Geneva today, the United Nations held a donors meeting
on Darfur, Sudan, which
,
, described as the biggest humanitarian crisis in the world
today.
Participants appealed for $236 million, which covered the
outstanding requirements to meet the emergency needs for those in Darfur as
well as for the refugees in Chad for the remainder of this year.
The meeting was attended by some 50 delegations,
including donor countries, UN agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs),
the Government of Sudan, some neighbours of Sudan, and the African Union.
ANNAN URGES G8 LEADERS TO MAKE
MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS
AN “EXPLICIT PRIORITY”
Ahead of next week’s summit of the “Group of Eight,” the
Secretary-General has called on the
leaders of these countries to incorporate the
Millennium Development Goals as an explicit priority in their
respective government programmes and policies.
The Millennium Development Goals set out yardsticks for
measuring development progress by 2015, in eight areas of global importance
including hunger, poverty and health.
In the letter, the Secretary-General also draws attention
to the need for global partnerships between developed and developing
countries, and calls on the leaders to not let their interest in Africa’s
wider problems wane.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
MENTAL DISORDER SUFFERERS NOT RECEIVING TREATMENT:
Up to half of all people with serious mental
disorders in the United States and several European countries aren’t
receiving treatment, and the situation is even worse in some developing
countries, according to the
World Health Organization. The findings come
from the first of a series of WHO World Mental Health Surveys. Data from 14
countries is included in the survey – six less-developed countries and eight
developed countries. WHO says the findings clearly show the high prevalence and
burden of mental disorders globally which, despite available treatments, remain
largely untreated.
U.N. INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL’S CLASS OF 2004 GRADUATES
TOMORROW: The
class of 2004 graduation will take place
in the General Assembly Hall tomorrow afternoon. Fareed Zakaria, editor of
Newsweek International, will be the commencement speaker.This year’s graduates
represent 41 nationalities and speak 32 languages.
** The guest at today’s briefing was
,
. He spoke about the situation in the
.
Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162 -
press/media only
Fax. 212-963-7055
All other inquiries to be addressed to (212)
963-4475 or by e-mail to: inquiries@un.org
