SG attends international conference on Libya in London, en route to Nairobi, Council hears briefing on Lebanon and more from UN Direct

Libya: Today in London, the SG addressed the international conference on Libya, where he told leaders and foreign ministers that while the international community successfully prevented a catastrophe in Benghazi, “air operations, alone, will not resolve the crisis. Nor will it bring about a political solution that meets the aspirations of the Libyan people.” Abdul Ilah Khatib, Special Envoy for Libya, plans to return to Libya shortly to meet with government officials, Libyan authorities, and members of opposition. According to the IOM and UNHCR, roughly 380,000 people fled Libya since the start of the unrest and approximately 13,000 people remain stranded at the borders with Egypt and Tunisia. The SG emphasized the need for Libya’s people to reengage with each other and focus on the transitional arrangements that would meet the democratic aspirations of the Libyan people. From the multilateral standpoint, the SG backs PM David Cameron’s suggestion to establish a Contact Group with a close coordination among the UN, League of Arab States, AU, OIC, and the EU.

Côte d’Ivoire: A UNOCI helicopter was shot at on Monday by government forces, but was not hit.  Another group attacked UNOCI staff as well. Today, President Obama reaffirmed the U.S.’ support for the country’s leadership under President Ouattara, stating that Gbagbo’s leadership “will only lead to more violence, more innocent civilians being wounded and killed and more diplomatic and economic isolation.”

SG Travel: The SG will head to Nairobi to chair the twice-yearly meeting of the Chief Executives Board, which brings heads of agencies, funds and programs of the UN system together. He also plans to meet with Kenya’s President, PM and other officials. The SG will be back in NY over the weekend.

Senior UN Staff Travel: DSG Asha-Rose Migiro is attending the Chief Executives Board meeting in Nairobi as well. Afterwards, she and UNAIDS ED Michel Sidibé will head to Tanzania for a two-day mission, where they are hoping to generate political will and support for the upcoming High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS on June 8-10. They will visit UN-backed public health projects, as well as meet with government officials and HIV-affected communities.

Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: The UN convened a meeting of Latin American and Caribbean nations in Uruguay today and discussed the urgency of finding a two-state solution by continuing negotiations. In a message, the SG stated, “Actions that prejudge the outcome of the process must stop, including Israel’s continued settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem…Demolitions of Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem and the forced transfer of its Palestinian residents erode trust.”

Lebanon: Today, Michael Williams, Special Coordinator for Lebanon, briefed the press after consultations in the Security Council on the country. He noted that the possibility of a Security Council mission to the region is a tried and tested mechanism that could help. He also recently met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on the situation of Palestinian camps in Lebanon.