The Secretary-General wholeheartedly welcomes and congratulates US President Barack Obama on winning the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
The Secretary-General strongly condemns the senseless attack that took place in Kabul today, which reportedly killed 17 individuals and injured 80 more, and offers his deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those killed, and his best wishes for a swift recovery to those injured.
The guests at noon today will discuss what we have been doing to assist the Afghan authorities in holding the elections and responding to complaints of fraud.
The Secretary-General welcomes the arrest, in Kampala, Uganda, of Idelphonse Nizeyimana, who allegedly participated in the killing of Tutsis and moderate Hutus during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
Five people working for the World Food Programme (WFP) have been confirmed dead after what local police are describing as a suicide bomb attack at the WFP offices in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.
The Security Council this morning adopted its programme of work for October, in its first consultations under the Vietnamese presidency of the Security Council.
United Nations teams have now arrived in Indonesia and Samoa to help those countries cope with recent devastating natural disasters. Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) says it is rapidly expanding its relief operation in the Philippines in the aftermath of last Saturday’s crippling tropical storm.
The Secretary-General has decided to recall Mr. Peter Galbraith from Afghanistan and to end his appointment as the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for UNAMA. He expresses his thanks to Mr. Galbraith for his hard work and professional dedication. The Secretary-General recognizes Mr. Galbraith’s important contributions to the work of the Mission.
The Secretary-General met this morning with Prime Minister Thein Sein of Myanmar, reiterating his clear expectation that Myanmar will respond in a timely manner to the proposals he left with the senior leadership of Myanmar during his visit.
The Security Council began consultations at 11 this morning to discuss a letter from the Permanent Representative of Brazil requesting that an urgent meeting of the Council be convened to discuss the situation in Honduras.