12 Jan 2010

UN / WEST AFRICA

The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for West Africa Said Djinnit tells the Security Council that if the crisis in Guinea is left unaddressed, it could spill over to neighboring countries and “threaten prospects for lasting peace” in the region. UNTV / FILE

Posted at: January 12, 2010 4:04 pm

Duration: 03:05

Available in: SD

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STORY: UN / WEST AFRICA
TRT: 3.05
SOURCE: UNTV 
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 12 JANUARY 2010, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

SHOTLIST:

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

1.     Wide shot, exterior United Nations headquarters

12 JANUARY 2010, NEW YORK CITY

2.     Wide shot, Security Council
3.     Med shot, delegates
4.     SOUNDBITE (English) Said Djinnit, Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Office for West Africa (UNOWA):
"West Africa continues to show a mixed picture of hope and concern. Since my last briefing to the Security Council in July there have been improvements in West Africa in the areas of conflict prevention, recovery and peace building. This progress is however threatened by insufficient guarantees and assurances for sustainable progress."
5.     Med shot, delegates
6.     SOUNDBITE (English) Said Djinnit, Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Office for West Africa (UNOWA):
"The prospects for long-term peace in West Africa will very much depend on how effective our efforts will be in sustaining progress achieved thus far both before and following the withdrawal of the United Nations peace operations from the sub region. The march towards democracy and the rule of law has made giant strides over the past few years, however, national institutions remain week and unstable."
7.     Med shot, delegates
8.     SOUNDBITE (English) Said Djinnit, Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Office for West Africa (UNOWA):
"The prevailing situation in Guinea, which shares borders with all the United Nations peace missions in the sub region, is an embodiment of the combined challenge of sustainability, stability and security sector reform in West Africa. If left unaddressed, the crisis in Guinea could spill over to the region and threaten prospects for lasting peace and the significant investments and achievements made by the region and the international community in countries with United Nations peace missions in particular."
9.     Wide shot, Security Council
10.     Wide shot, Djinnit walks to the microphone
11.     SOUNDBITE (English) Said Djinnit, Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Office for West Africa (UNOWA):
"This is a window of opportunity that should be seized by national stakeholders, but also by international stakeholders to insure that this time around we could help the country exit from the crisis and return to constitutional order."

FILE – ONUCI, 20 OCTOBER 2009, GUIGLO AREA, WESTERN COTE D'IVOIRE

12.     Various shots, military convoy patrolling the area
13.     Med shot, UN peacekeepers marching in a field, then stepping into helicopter

FILE – UNICEF – 7-8 OCTOBER 2008, MONROVIA, LIBERIA

14.     Wide shot, street

FILE – UNMIL – 16-17 APRIL 2009, BUCHANAN TOWN, GRAND BASSA COUNTY, LIBERIA

15.     Wide shot, Ghanbatt patrol leaving compound in UNMIL trucks
16.     Med shot, male soldier looking out from back of truck
17.     Tilt up, female soldier looking out from back of truck
18.     Tracking shot, roadside shacks

FILE – UNICEF - 20 NOVEMBER 2007, BAFATA REGION, GUINEA-BISSAU

19.     Med shot, woman in market selling chunks of coal
20.     Med shot, mother holding child stands next to chunks of coal
21.     Med shot, row of school girls 
22.     Med shot, group of boys walking into courtyard

STORYLINE:

Said Djinnit, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for West Africa, briefed the Security Council today (12 January) in an open meeting on the activities of his office over the past six months.

Djinnit told the Council that West Africa continues to show "a mixed picture of hope and concern", with improvements in the areas of conflict prevention, recovery and peace building. He cautioned, however, that there are still "insufficient guarantees and assurances for sustainable progress."

Ban's Special Representative and head of the UN Office in West Africa (UNOWA), emphasized that the prospects for long-term peace in West Africa will depend on sustaining progress "before and following the withdrawal of the United Nations peace operations from the sub region" and added that although "the march towards democracy and the rule of law has made giant strides over the past few years, however, national institutions remain week and unstable."

Speaking on Guinea, he said that the crisis in that country, if left unaddressed, could spill over to the sub region and "threaten prospects for lasting peace" there. But he added that current developments in Guinea are encouraging, following a recent statement by the interim leader,

Outside the Council Djinnit told reporters that that the commitment made by Guinean head of State General Sekouba Konaté to reach out to the opposition provide a "new window of opportunity" for the country which "should be seized by national stakeholders, but also by international stakeholders" in order to insure an end to the crisis and the "return to constitutional order."

In a statement issued yesterday by his spokesperson, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that he welcomes the invitation for the opposition to put forward a consensus Prime Minister, as well as the security guarantees given for all people in Guinea, including its political leaders.

Last month, President Moussa Dadis Camara – who seized power in a coup in 2008 following the death of long-time president Lansana Conté – survived an assassination attempt.

Last September, armed forces opened fire on unarmed demonstrators at an opposition rally in the capital, Conakry, killing at least 150 civilians. Aside from the death toll, countless other protesters were raped or attacked by members of the country's armed forces.