The Secretary-General condemns the attack on the United Nations peacekeepers which happened today in Lebanon. It is all the more deplorable because today is the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
The Secretary-General welcomes the arrest of Ratko Mladić, former commander of the army of Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He commends President Boris Tadić and the Serbian authorities for this significant step towards ending impunity for those indicted for serious international humanitarian law violations.
The Secretary-General is deeply troubled by the violent clashes in Sana’a between the security forces of the Government of Yemen and armed tribesmen that have left many people dead and wounded. This confrontation might further destabilize the situation, he says, calling for an immediate end to fighting.
The Secretary-General has arrived in Ethiopia, where he will visit a health centre, a clinic and a hospital to see examples of Ethiopia’s efforts to provide health services at different levels of delivery. Those visits are part of his ongoing effort to stress the need to improve health care for women and children.
The Secretary-General is concerned that despite the fast approaching deadline for Nepal's Constituent Assembly of 28 May, there is still no agreement on the important issues that divide the parties, namely on the integration and rehabilitation of former Maoist combatants and key aspects of the constitution.
The UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) has strongly condemned an attack which took place against a UN convoy yesterday evening in Abyei. At the time of the attack, the convoy was transporting 200 troops of the Joint Integrated Units of the Sudan Armed Forces to their designated post, as part of the deployment plan of the Kadugli Agreements.
The Security Council will send a mission to Ethiopia, Sudan and Kenya, to deal with the peace and security issues in the region. The mission will depart from New York later today. The Secretary-General will travel to Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Ethiopia and France; he leaves New York tomorrow.
The United Nations is calling for an additional $233 million to help as many as 2.1 million civilians affected by conflict in Libya. The funds are intended to last until the beginning of September. An initial flash appeal for $160 million was issued in early March.
The UN refugee agency reports that hundreds of people — including Somali, Ethiopian and Eritrean refugees — who had fled from Libya to Tunisia and Egypt are returning to Libya to board boats headed for Europe. To date, some 14,000 people have arrived by boat in Tunisia and Malta from Libya.
The Secretary-General expresses concern that a significant number of people were killed or injured during the incidents along the Blue Line, in the occupied Golan and in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. He is acutely conscious of the unsustainable status quo in the Arab-Israeli conflict.