Noon Briefings

The Secretary-General strongly condemns the bomb attacks in Baghdad today that have killed dozens of people and injured scores more. No cause can justify these attacks on civilian targets. He extends his heartfelt condolences to the Government of Iraq and to the victims of these criminal acts, as well as to their families.

In July last year, the United Nations submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel a claim for reimbursement for the losses that the United Nations had sustained in a number of incidents that occurred during the Gaza conflict of 27 December 2008 to 19 January 2009. Pursuant to an arrangement reached, the Government of Israel has made a payment of $10.5 million to the United Nations in respect of the losses sustained.

The UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) is welcoming the establishment of a humanitarian corridor between the Dominican Republic and the Republic of Haiti -- that is between Santo Domingo and Port-au-Prince. And this will allow the speedy delivery of aid to the areas most affected by the earthquake. And the Mission, as well as the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), says that the security situation remains under control.

This evening at 6:00, the Secretary-General will participate in a mass to remember those who died in Haiti. The mass will be presided over by the Permanent Observer of the Holy See, Archbishop Celestino Migliore. And yesterday, as I’m sure you know, the Secretary-General marked the one-week anniversary of the earthquake by laying a wreath in honour of the victims at 4:53 p.m. precisely, and by calling for a moment of silence throughout the UN system to remember those who died.

Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations and Acting Head of MINUSTAH Edmond Mulet said that since his arrival in Haiti last Thursday his main task had been to put the mission back on its feet. With most of its leadership dead or not operational, his main task was to “put the whole thing back together”.

Alain Le Roy, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, and Susana Malcorra, Under-Secretary-General for Field Support, who both travelled with the Secretary-General to Haiti Sunday, took questions on that trip and all else related to ongoing efforts to help the people of Haiti.

John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, told reporters today: “We still don’t have any reliable figures for dead or injured, although, of course, we recognize that those numbers are likely to be extremely high. […] On the search-and-rescue side, that effort is going on with all possible speed. Some people are still being recovered alive, relatively fewer, as you would expect, but that is still happening.”

Speaking by audio-video link from Haiti, Chief of Public Information David Wimhurst and Deputy Special Representative Kim Bolduc briefed reporters on humanitarian relief efforts that have been taking place, the situation of the UN Stabilization Mission, and the ongoing effort to assess damages and casualties.

John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, told reporters that “we’re extremely concerned about the human and humanitarian impact of what has obviously been a devastating earthquake in Haiti, particularly in Port-au-Prince and the surrounding areas”. The earthquake was 7.0 on the Richter scale and struck at approximately 16.53 hours local time yesterday, some 17 kilometres from the capital.

The Secretary-General is indeed encouraged by recent political developments in Guinea, particularly the commitment expressed by the interim Head of State, General Sekouba Konaté, for a return to constitutional order. And he welcomes both the invitation extended to the opposition to put forward a consensus Prime Minister and the guarantees of security given for all Guineans, including the country's political leaders.