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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING

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

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Friday, May 23, 2008

 MYANMAR AGREES TO ALLOW ALL AID WORKERS
 INTO CYCLONE-EFFECTED AREAS

• Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, following a meeting with Myanmar's Senior General Than Shwe,  said substantive progress was made on all critical issues at hand regarding humanitarian assistance to Myanmar, and that the Senior General has agreed to allow international aid workers into the affected areas, regardless of nationality.
   

• Speaking to the press in Yangon upon return from the capital Naypyidaw following a meeting that lasted for more than two hours, the Secretary-General also said that Myanmar also agreed to speed up the visa issuance process for the aid workers.
   

• The Secretary-General expressed optimism that the Senior General also agreed to open up Yangon Airport, to be used as a logistical hub for international aid – from which it could be more quickly distributed to those in need.
   

• He also said that further agreement was made that international aid could be delivered to Myanmar via civilian ships and small boats.
   

• Adding that such a commitment by Myanmar is quite a breakthrough, the Secretary-General reiterated his hopes that all the points agreed can speedily produce results and that the immediate implementation will be key.
   

• From Yangon, the Secretary-General flew to Bangkok where he will attend on Saturday the Inaugural Relief Flight from the U.N. Staging Area at Don Mueang Airport, Thailand, for the victims of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar.
   

• He will then return to Yangon for the international pledging conference on Sunday, where Myanmar’s partners will discuss these matters in greater depth. The goal is to focus on the immediate relief efforts, and also to look at the recovery phase which will have to start in parallel.
   

• Asked if the United Nations was concerned that the Secretary-General and the Organization were being used to put a good face on the regime in Myanmar, which designated his itinerary inside the country, the Spokeswoman said that Ban Ki-moon, in remarks today to the press, reiterated his trip was focused solely on getting assistance to the people on the ground as quickly as possible.
   
• The Secretary-General, Okabe said, did visit an affected region in a tour guided by the Myanmarese authorities. Even so, the Secretary-General did a get a clear sense of the kind of destruction wrought on Myanmar by Cyclone Nargis. "He also met with some of the victims. He felt first-hand the situation on the ground and how desperate it is," she said.
   
• In addition, Okabe said, the Secretary-General, when asked if he trusted in the sincerity of assurances given him by Than Shwe, described how the Senior General's commitments were made in the presence of "many senior generals" and should be considered authoritative.
   
• Asked if the UN felt certain that monies to be pledged at the Sunday conference in Yangon would reach the victims of the cyclone, Okabe said that, the pledging conference being a joint UN-ASEAN initiative, a follow-up mechanism will need to be put in place. The conference will focus on addressing not only the immediate humanitarian needs on the ground, for which the UN has also already issued an emergency flash appeal, but also medium and long term needs. Monies collected through UN flash appeals, Okabe explained further, go to UN humanitarian agencies which then implement the assistance programmes on the ground.
   
• Asked if the Secretary-General had effectively obtained a visa for Myanmar, Okabe replied that he and his delegation were all duly given visas for Myanmar.
   
• In response to a related question, Okabe stressed that the Secretary-General specifically asked the Myanmar authorities to liberalize visa policies and to grant unhindered access to foreign aid workers so that they can freely and effectively work throughout Myanmar. "This is something that he raised directly in his meeting with the Senior General," Okabe said. "In response to that, the Senior General has agreed to allow all aid workers regardless of nationality."
   
• The Spokeswoman, in response to a question, confirmed that the Secretary-General will be visiting China on Saturday. She added that the programme of his visit was being worked out by the Chinese authorities. The Secretary-General would be returning to Bangkok Saturday before returning to Yangon on Sunday, she said.

MORE THAN 300 PARTICIPANTS EXPECTED AT MYANMAR PLEDGING CONFERENCE

• Turning to humanitarian relief efforts, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that 133 aid flights have arrived in Yangon so far, including 22 from the UN.
   

• Amid concerns that the upcoming monsoon season could hinder road transportation, OCHA is trying to obtain more boats so that it can reach the many small islands scattered throughout the delta.
   

• The World Food Programme and its partners have now distributed almost 2,500 tons of food to nearly 450,000 people.  WFP has also secured the Government’s permission to purchase 20,000 tons of food (mainly rice) inside Myanmar.
   

• As for Sunday’s pledging conference in Yangon, a total of 60 countries and/or regional bodies such as the European Union and the ASEAN Secretariat, 12 UN agencies, funds, programmes including the World Bank.
   

• In total, 308 participants are expected, including 243 representatives from Member States, 31 from UN agencies and the World Bank, and 26 from the UN Secretariat.  These numbers may increase throughout the course of today.

 BAN KI-MOON WELCOMES  $500 MILLION OFFER FROM SAUDI ARABIA
TO HELP FOOD CRISIS

• The Secretary-General warmly welcomes the offer of the landmark contribution of $500 million to the World Food Programme by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, under the guidance of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud.
   

• This contribution completes the World Food Programme’s appeal target of $755 million to respond to the rise in fuel and food costs.
   

• The Secretary-General notes that this contribution of an unprecedented size and generosity comes not a moment too soon, given the needs of millions of people dependent on food rations.

CLASHES HIGHLIGHTS URGENT NEED TO FIND LASTING SOLUTION IN MALI

• The Secretary-General, in a statement issued late Thursday, says he is concerned about the renewed deadly clashes yesterday between Malian Government forces and Tuareg rebels in the northeastern part of the country, which have resulted in many fatalities.
   

• This latest incident underscores the urgent need to find an immediate and lasting solution to this recurrent conflict so that Mali can focus on its development priorities and consolidation of its democracy.
   

• The Secretary-General looks forward to being briefed in further detail on the situation in Mali after the planned visit to Mali in coming days by his Special Representative for West Africa, Mr. Said Djinnit.

 GREEK AND TURKISH CYPRIOT LEADERS HOLD 'GENUINE AND FRUITFUL" TALKS

• The Greek Cypriot leader, Mr. Demetris Christofias, and the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mr. Mehmet Ali Talat, had a meeting today at the official residence of the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Cyprus, Taye-Brook Zerihoun, in the UN Protected Area in Nicosia.
   

• According to the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), the two leaders had genuine and fruitful discussions.  They reaffirmed their commitment to a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with political equality, as defined by relevant Security Council resolutions. This partnership will have a Federal Government with a single international personality, as well as a Turkish Cypriot Constituent State and a Greek Cypriot Constituent State, which will be of equal status.
   

• UNFICYP reports that the leaders’ representatives will consider civilian and military confidence-building measures and will pursue the opening of a number of crossing points.
   

• It was also decided that the leaders will meet again in the second half of June to make a new assessment.

 ATTACKS CAUSE NEW DISPLACEMENTS IN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

• Turning to the Central African Republic, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that an upsurge in attacks by armed bandits in the country’s north has become a major cause of new displacement; up to 300-thousand people have fled their homes.
   

• OCHA says groups of between 10 and 30 armed men roam the area, kidnapping, assaulting and killing people, looting property, and burning homes and even entire villages.
   

• UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Mia Farrow – who just returned from a weeklong visit to the country – says such threats have become a part of everyday life, and many people are “living in fear”.  She says she met women who had been raped multiple times and children who had been held for ransom in the bush for up to two years.

I.C.J. RULES IN DISPUTE BETWEEN SINGAPORE AND MALAYSIA

• The International Court of Justice today issued a decision in the sovereignty dispute between Malaysia and Singapore over the islands of Pedra Branca (also known as Pulau Batu Puteh), Middle Rocks and South Ledge, which are located in the general area where the Singapore Strait meets the South China Sea.
   

• Five years after it took up the dispute following a submission by the Parties in a July 2003 joint letter, the Court ruled today that the island of Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh belongs to Singapore; that Middle Rocks belongs to Malaysia; and that sovereignty over South Ledge belongs to “the State in the territorial waters of which it is located.”

 DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL TO TRAVEL TO JAPAN

• This weekend, Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro begins a weeklong trip to Japan. 
   

• On Monday, she will be in Hiroshima, where she is scheduled to address the Third Forum of the Global Network of Religions for Children on "Learning to Share: Values, Action, Hope" and participate in an Interfaith Prayer for Peace.
   

• Then on Thursday, the Deputy Secretary-General is scheduled to address the plenary of the Fourth Tokyo International Conference on Africa's Development in Yokohama.  That conference will focus on boosting economic growth; ensuring human security; and addressing environmental issues and climate change. 
   

• Following the meeting, the Deputy Secretary-General will hold a joint press conference with the Prime Minister of Japan, the President of the World Bank and the UN Development Programme Administrator.
   

• On the margins of the conference, the Deputy Secretary-General is also scheduled to convene an informal breakfast meeting with members of the MDG Africa Working Group, as well as hold a number of bilateral meetings with Japanese and African officials.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT READS STATEMENTS ON LEBANON, BURUNDI: Yesterday afternoon, the Security Council adopted a presidential statement on Lebanon, welcoming the agreement reached recently in Doha by Lebanese leaders to elect a President, establish a national unity cabinet and address the electoral law. A press statement was also read out on Burundi, by which the Council stressed the need for a cessation of hostilities and urged parties to implement fully the Comprehensive Ceasefire Agreement.

UNDER-SECRETARY GENERAL FOR PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS TO ATTEND LEBANON’S PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION: Asked if the United Nations would be represented at the inauguration of Lebanon's new president, the Deputy Spokesperson said that Jean-Marie Guehenno, the Under Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, is expected to be leading a UN delegation to that event.

ECOSOC ANNOUNCES PLAN ON WORLD FOOD CRISIS: A 15-point plan on the world food crisis emerged from inter-governmental talks at the Economic and Social Council, ending last night. A presidential summary of three days of inter-governmental discussion at the UN detailed policies to turn “a threatening situation into an agricultural renaissance". In his summary of the 20-23 May session, ECOSOC President H.E. Léo Mérorès questions agricultural subsidies in rich countries and cites the need for compensatory financing by the Bretton Woods institutions and South-South mutual assistance.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS
24 May – 30 May 2008

Sunday, May 25

In Yangon, Myanmar, the Secretary-General takes part in an International Pledging Conference for Myanmar, jointly organized by the U.N. and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

From today through Tuesday, the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Kyung-wha Kang, is on a visit to Côte d'Ivoire to underline the importance of human rights in reconciliation and reconstruction efforts in that country.

Today is the start of the Week of Solidarity with the Peoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories.

Monday, May 26

U.N. Headquarters is closed for an official holiday (Memorial Day).

In Hiroshima, Japan, the Deputy Secretary-General is scheduled to address the Third Forum of the Global Network of Religions for Children on “Learning to Share: Values, Action, Hope”.

General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim begins an official visit to Germany.

All week, the eleventh session of the Commission on Science and Technology meets in Geneva.

Tuesday, May 27

This morning, the Security Council holds an open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict.

From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Conference Room 8, there will be a seminar on “The Aral Sea crisis and its environmental effects”.

Wednesday, May 28

This morning, the Security Council receives a briefing, followed by consultations, on the Middle East.

The guest at the noon briefing, Shamil Idriss, Acting Director of the Alliance of Civilizations, briefs on Silatech, a US$100 million initiative established by the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development to create jobs for young people in the Arab world. (The press briefing is embargoed until 3.00 a.m. NY time on Monday, 2 June.)

From today through Friday in Yokohama, Japan, the Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development takes place.  The Deputy Secretary-General is scheduled to address the plenary session today and take part in a press conference at the end of the meeting.

Thursday, May 29

In Stockholm, the Secretary-General attends the Iraq Compact Annual Review Conference.

Today is the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, which this year also marks the 60th anniversary of UN peacekeeping. The guest at the noon briefing is Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guehenno.

From 3 to 6 p.m. in Conference Room 2, there will be an interactive panel discussion on “The highest common denominator: Human rights in peacemaking”.

From today through 6 June in Conference Room 1, the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations holds its 2008 resumed session.

General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim is on an official visit to Albania.

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

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