Noon Briefings

Speaking to reporters in London today just after meeting with senior British officials, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon again urged restraint by all sides in Egypt. He added that, at this juncture, it is important to ensure that an orderly and peaceful transition takes place and he urged all parties to engage in dialogue without delay.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay has urged Egyptian authorities to ensure that the police and other security forces scrupulously avoid excessive use of force as the popular movement in that country continues. She adds that people must not be arbitrarily detained simply for protesting or for expressing their political opinions.

A cargo plane chartered by the United Nations refugee agency landed yesterday in the Liberian capital of Monrovia, carrying 83 tons of aid for tens of thousands of refugees who have fled post-election tensions in Côte d'Ivoire. The supplies, including blankets and plastic mats, will be transported to eastern Liberia, where more than 31,000 Ivorians have been sheltering.

The Secretary-General, at the World Economic Forum in Davos today, said that climate change is showing us that the old model for economic growth, which was based on an abundance of natural resources, is not just obsolete, but extremely dangerous. Over time, he said, that model is a global suicide pact.

The Secretary-General met in Geneva today with the Cypriot leaders, where he told the press that there has been progress since his last meeting there in November. And based on today’s discussions, he said it is clear that the two leaders worked to move closer together through a range of bridging proposals.

The Secretary-General, in Geneva, urged the Human Rights Council to do more to fully rise above national and regional interests. The independence of human rights rapporteurs should not be limited; promotion of human rights should not be selective. The watchword should be all people, all countries and all rights.

The Secretary-General is appalled by the deadly bombing today at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport. He condemns this deplorable and unjustifiable act of violence, and conveys his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and his solidarity with the Government and people of the Russian Federation.

In Côte d’Ivoire, the call of the Ivorian defence and security forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo to stop and search United Nations vehicles is a serious violation of the Status of Forces Agreement and Security Council resolution 1962 (2010). The United Nations condemns the use of the State broadcasting corporation to disseminate false information about the United Nations and its mission.

Alain Le Roy, the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, briefed the Security Council on Haiti in an open meeting today. He said that, after a year marked by the devastating earthquake of 12 January last year and the cholera epidemic, it is vital that the current political crisis is brought to a swift end and the focus shifted to the challenges of reconstruction and recovery.

Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe opened the Security Council’s debate on the Middle East today by warning of heightened tensions in both the Occupied Palestinian Territory and in Lebanon. On the Israeli-Palestinian track, he expressed serious concern at the continuing lack of progress; on the dissolution of the coalition Government in Lebanon, he called for dialogue among all Lebanese leaders to address the current political situation.