Blue Beret December 2006
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Thank You and Good Luck! THE BLUE BERET Dear colleagues and friends, YuleYule TidingsTidings ith Rudolph and the other rein- Published monthly by the: Almost a year has passed since I joined you in this great mission. deer resting up for their big Public Information Office First and foremost, I wish to thank WChristmas Eve sleigh ride, Fa- United Nations Peacekeeping Force in each and every one of you for the ther Christmas approached UNFICYP Cyprus dedication, hard work, and posi- for help to enable him keep a 22 Dec- HQ UNFICYP tive spirit with which you have ember gift-delivery appointment with PO Box 21642 carried out your tasks. It has children from Pyla’s Turkish Cypriot 1590 Nicosia been an eventful, inspiring, and and Greek Cypriot primary schools. Cyprus interesting year. I hope you can UN Flight was happy to come to the Tel: 2261-4550/4416/4408 all say the same as you look back rescue and give the old man a ride on Fax: 2261-4461 on what has happened over the the patrol chopper going Pyla-way E-mail: [email protected] past 12 months. that day. Father Christmas was tickled [email protected] I am happy at the progress we have achieved together red when he learned that the UN Flight Website:www.unficyp.org in making UNFICYP a more coherent and integrated tool at Argentine pilots knew something about polar conditions, since so many Editorial Team the service of our ultimate objective: a peaceful and unified Cyprus. I am also happy that, with our encourage- of them have trained and worked in Brian Kelly ment and assistance, the Greek Cypriots and Turkish the Antarctic! Santa knew all about Miriam Taylor Cypriots have started a dialogue aimed at resuming nego- the children in Pyla, thanks to Sally Netha Kreouzos tiation towards a comprehensive settlement. I sincerely Anne Corcoran of Civil Affairs. Sgt. Jozef Kocka (Photographer) hope that the hard work we have carried out together over Anne Bursey this past year has laid a solid foundation for substantial and rapid progress in 2007. Capt. Štefan Zemanovič PIO rockers singing for charity As we end the year, we say goodbye to Secretary- Unit Press Officers General Kofi A. Annan, with gratitude for his inspiring UNFICYP began the countdown to the holiday season with the annual Christmas Carol Service hosted by Chief Sector 1 Capt. Mauricio Silvestre leadership and his steadfast support to our work. His ten of Staff Col. Peter Fraser-Hopewell at St. Columba’s Sector 2 Capt. Ellie Haywood years at the helm of our Organisation brought profound changes in the way we carry out our business both con- Church in the UNPA on 13 December. The Church was Sector 4 Capt Miloš Segeň ceptually and operationally. I know that I speak for all of packed with a representative turnout of UNFICYP’s MFR Lt. Tom Bell us in wishing him and his wife the very best as they move uniformed and civilian personnel, as well as a UNPOL Sgt. Heath Davies on to the next chapter of their lives. distinguished array of diplomatic guests. UN Flt Lt. Wenceslao Bona As we start the coming year, we welcome Secretary- Padres from the three sectors presided during the service, which featured readings by CAO Frank Clancy, FMPU Capt. Miroslav Svorník General Ban Ki-Moon, with high hopes and expectations for his tenure as our next leader. Again, I speak on behalf the Chief of Staff, SPA Carla van Maris, CCAO Kyoko Shiotani and Spokesman Brian Kelly. Highlights of the The Blue Beret is UNFICYP’s in-house of all of us in wishing him every success as he takes on the world’s most impossible job and assure him of our full and carol service included a rock-n-roll Jingle Bells (in journal. Views expressed are of the Hungarian) by a talented quartet of HUNCON singers authors concerned, and do not neces- unconditional support as we, together, make our individual contributions to making this world a better place. accompanied by an accordionist and a guitarist. Not to be sarily conform with official policy. outdone, ARGCON (augmented by several children) sang I wish you and your families the very best for the Serving UNFICYP’s civilian, military and police personnel Articles of general interest (plus photos songs from home with guitar and drums backup. Choirs with captions) are invited from all holiday season and for the New Year and look forward with from SLOVCON and BRITCON gave equally good value. members of the Force. anticipation to another exciting and successful year in your company. This year, a number of UNFICYP units and depart- Copyright of all material is vested in Michael Møller ments opted to invite colleagues to join them for a festive UN publications, but may be repro- Special Representative of the Secretary-General breakfast coffee and cake. PIO went one step further duced with the Editor’s permission. and Chief of Mission with a staff talent show to entertain its breakfast guests (see photo), in the process raising £170 for local UN Flight safety briefing for Santa! children’s charities north and south. Contents Editorial . .2 Yule Tidings . .3 Family Album – SG and Wife Nane look back . .4/7 Cyprus – The Annan Years . .8/9 Report of the Secretary-General on UNFICYP . .10/13 HIV/AIDS Mission Update / SG’s Message on World AIDS Day . .14 Cyprus International Four-Day Challenge / Car Treasure Hunt . .15 Front Cover: Annual carol service Thank You and Good Luck (clockwise from top right): Members of the Hungarian Contingent, Back Cover: the Slovak choir, SPA van Maris and CCAO Hungarian President visits UNFICYP Shiotani with BritChoir in the background and SG Kofi Annan and his wife Nane with incoming (13 December) the Argentinian chorale SG Ban Ki-Moon and his wife Yoo (Ban) Soon-taek 2 December 2006 – The Blue Beret December 2006 – The Blue Beret Family Album – SG and Wife Nane look back n recent weeks, early in his career, he had showed himself as a man “who IKofi Annan has went his own way”, forsaking the more obvious comforts of been taking stock WHO postings in Geneva and Copenhagen, despite agency of his experiences, objections, to pursue his career in Africa where he worked as he approaches in Addis for six years. the end of his She recalled how she was sitting in a small cafe in Manhat- second and final ten’s West Side when word came that her husband had been term as Secretary- elected SG and how, rather than take a cab, she walked to General. In an op ed the UN, changing her sneakers for more presentable shoes published this month, only as she approached the building on the East River. he wrote of five lessons Her own abiding interest in development issues, but he had learned in his ten especially her concern for the plight of women and child- years as SG that he wished ren, was reinforced on their first official visit to Africa, to pass along to the inter- especially by an encounter with 80 war orphans in a school national community as it confronts in Luanda, victims of Angola’s decades-long civil war. the changes of the 21st century. 2005 World Summit: Group photo of the High-level Plenary Meeting of the Sixtieth Session of the General Assembly, the largest The school was just rooms without roofs. There were gathering of world leaders in history, held from 14 to 16 September 2005. These are: no desks or chairs, only concrete blocks for the children to . That we are all responsible for each other’s security. sit on and there were hardly any pencils, papers or This had driven him through a very eventful decade in cannot have security without development. And honestly, . That we are also responsible for one another’s welfare. textbooks. The children gathered to sing a song: which the UN tackled globalisation, terrorism, and Iraq. you cannot enjoy either for long if you do not have it . That both security and prosperity depend on respect for “We are children; we need a father who takes care of “I think as Secretary-General, there have been more rooted in respect for the rule of law and human rights. So human rights and the code of law. us… What can you do about that? wars on my watch than in any other decade, from Kosovo, whatever we have done is to put the individual at the . That governments must be accountable for their actions We are children; we need a mother who hugs us… What to Afghanistan, to Iraq, Darfur, Lebanon, Democratic centre, his or her human dignity, and try and work for that.” in the international as well as the domestic arenas and can you do about that? Republic of the Congo, and some other minor ones. The SG noted he had been particularly pleased that the that this accountability is only achievable through multi- We are children; we need an education… What can you “But we have also ended some wars – from Sierra Member States accepted the concept of the Responsibility lateral institutions. do about that? Leone to Liberia, Burundi, Angola, East Timor, and we can to Protect. When he first raised it in the General Assembly say that there is some progress, because today, object- in 1999, arguing that Governments should not be allowed . That multilateral institutions must, therefore, be We are children; we need a childhood… What can you ively, there are fewer civil wars and fewer wars today than to use sovereignty as a shield behind which they hide to organised in a fair and democratic way, giving the poor do about that?” and weak some influence over the activities of the rich a decade ago.