HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY MARTIN NESIRKY, SPOKESPERSON FOR
SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
FOR
TUESDAY 29 MAY, 2012
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACEKEEPERS OBSERVED AT U.N.
• The Secretary-General marked the International Day of Peacekeepers, on Tuesday by honouring the 112 people who died while serving under the United Nations flag in 2011.
• Speaking at a wreath-laying ceremony on Tuesday morning, he said that the difference between an ordinary person and a hero is that the hero voluntarily braves danger to save others.
• The Secretary-General also paid tribute to the 120,000 UN peacekeepers serving around the world.
• He also presided over the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal ceremony.
SECURITY COUNCIL HEARS CONCERNS OF PALESTINIAN PRISONERS HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED BY ISRAEL
• In his remarks to the Security Council on Tuesday morning the Secretary-General’s Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Mr. Robert Serry, said Israel has taken steps to address the concerns of Palestinian prisoners.
• He noted that the agreement reflects the positive impact of the quiet direct engagement between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, and that the Secretary-General had been engaged from the beginning, indicating concern for the health of the prisoners.
• He also briefed the Council on the latest developments regarding Palestinian reconciliation. In addition the Special Coordinator reiterated the Secretary-General’s hope that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s expanded coalition provides an opportunity for Israel to embark on a meaningful renewal of the peace process.
• He reported that the situation in the area of operations of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon has remained generally quiet, but that air violations by Israel continued on an almost daily basis.
• He told the Council that continued killing in Syria is of extreme concern to the Secretary-General and that the peaceful resolution of the crisis is a priority focus for the United Nations as a whole.
• On Tuesday afternoon the Council was due to meet in closed consultations on the situation in Yemen.
KILLINGS IN SYRIA MAY AMOUNT TO CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY ACCORDING TO U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONER
• The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said on Sunday that the “indiscriminate and possibly deliberate” killing of villagers in the El Houleh area of Homs in Syria may amount to crimes against humanity or other forms of international crime.
• Ms Pillay has called for an immediate and unfettered investigation of the incident by an independent and impartial international body, noting that the Syrian government has a legal and moral responsibility to fully assist such an investigation, and to take concrete steps to prevent any similar acts.
• Asked about the UN’s approach to Syria, the Spokesperson stressed that the mission in the country received its mandate from the Security Council and that all of the Organization’s missions are even-handed and impartial. He added that from the beginning of the crisis, the preponderance of the responsibility to cease violence rests first and foremost with the Syrian Government and that the opposition must also put an end to the fighting. The Spokesperson noted that the Independent Commission of Inquiry on Syria has made clear that human rights violations have been committed by both sides, but mostly by the Syrian authorities.
• Asked about reports of hostage-taking and evictions in Syria, the Spokesperson said that the Secretary-General is very concerned about such incidents and added that both sides must adhere to the six-point plan, which has yet to be implemented.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF U.N. OFFICE ON DRUGS AND CRIME VISITS AFGHANISTAN AND TAJIKISTAN
• On Monday, Yury Fedotov, the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), began a visit to Afghanistan and Tajikistan.
• Mr. Fedotov met President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday and he will also meet government ministers and the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Jan Kubis.
• Mr. Fedotov is also launching the Country Programme of UNODC for Afghanistan for 2012-2014, visiting a poppy eradication site and a border crossing, and he is also meeting women and children from a post-release transitional house for female ex-prisoners.
• In Tajikistan, Mr. Fedotov will meet President Emomali Rahmon and attend the opening session of the First Tripartite Ministerial meeting with Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Mr. Fedotov will also co-chair a regional meeting of the Task Force on Transnational Organized Crime and Drug Trafficking in Tajikistan.
U.N. CONDEMNS USE OF FORCE BY SECURITY FORCES IN GUINEA-BISSAU
• The United Nations Integrated Office for Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS) has released a press release condemning in the strongest terms the use of force by members of Bissau Guinean security and defense forces on Friday, 25 May, against a group of demonstrators concentrated in front of its premises while it was hosting a meeting of international partners accredited to Guinea Bissau.
• The Mission is reminding those responsible that the right to freedom of assembly, expression and association is guaranteed in the national legislation as well as in the international conventions ratified or adopted by Guinea-Bissau, and that they should be strictly respected and protected by competent authorities.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
UNMISS SEEKS TO VERIFY BOMBING IN SOUTH SUDAN: Asked about reports of alleged aerial bombardments in South Sudan, the Spokesperson said that the UN mission there (UNMISS) tries within its capabilities to verify such reports.
U.N. TOURISM AGENCY SEEKS WORLDWIDE SUPPORT FOR TRAVEL AND TOURISM: Asked about Zimbabwe’s role in the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Spokesperson said that Zimbabwe and Zambia are co-hosting the body’s next General Assembly. UNWTO has also invited leaders from around the world to sign an open letter which aims to rally support for travel and tourism.
*** The guests at the Noon Briefing were Hervé Ladsous, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations and Tony Banbury, Assistant Secretary-General in the Department of Field Support.
