UN / FLOTILLA INQUIRY PANEL

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launches the Panel of Inquiry on the flotilla incident of 31 May  to be led by former Prime Minister of New Zealand Geoffrey Palmer, outgoing Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and two additional members from Israel and Turkey. UNTV

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:10
• Production Date: 2 August 2010
• Asset Language: Original
• Subject Topical: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS; PEACE AND SECURITY; DISARMAMENT; POLITICAL CONDITIONS
• Geographic Subject: MIDDLE EAST
• MAMS Id: U100802a

Description

STORY: UN / FLOTILLA INQUIRY PANEL
TRT: 2.10
SOURCE: UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 02 AUGUST 2010, NEW YORK CITY

Shotlist

RECENT 2010, UNITED NATIONS NORTH LAWN BUILDING

1. Wide shot, exterior North Lawn building

02 AUGUST 2010, NEW YORK CITY

2. Close up, United Nations flag
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Today I am pleased to announce that I have decided to establish a panel of inquiry to look into the incident which happened on flotilla case on May 31. This is an unprecedented that we are establishing this panel. Taking this opportunity I’d like to thank the leaders of both Israel and Turkey for their spirit of compromise and forward looking attitude. I sincerely hope that this will positively contribute to the peace process as well as improvement of relationship between Israel and Turkey.”
4. Close up, United Nations flag
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“The panel will be headed by eminent personalities, such as Geoffrey Palmer, former Prime Minister of New Zealand, as Chairman and outgoing President of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe as Vice-Chairman. We’ll have two additional members each from Turkey and Israel. We hope that this panel will start its work on August 10 and submit me a first progress report by mid September.”
6. Close up, United Nations flag
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“I sincerely hope that by establishing this panel this will impact positively to the improvement of relationship between Israel and Turkey and contribute positively again to the overall peace process in the Middle East.”
8. Close up, United Nations flag

Storyline

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the launch of a panel of inquiry on the 31 May incident in which Israel raided a six-ship convoy in international waters that was carrying humanitarian goods and activists and heading for Gaza.

The aid flotilla, which included three Turkish-registered vessels, was trying to get humanitarian assistance into Gaza, which has been subject to a three-year blockade by Israel for what it called security reasons after Hamas took power in the territory in 2007.

The former New Zealand Prime Minister, Geoffrey Palmer, will serve as chair of the panel and the outgoing President of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe, will be vice-chair.

The panel will have two additional members, one each from Israel and Turkey, and will begin its work on 10 August. It is expected to submit the first progress report by mid-September.

Ban thanked the leaders of Israel and Turkey for their “spirit of compromise and forward-looking cooperation,” adding that he hoped today’s agreement will impact positively on the relationship between the two countries as well as the overall situation in the Middle East.

In addition to the panel announced today, the UN Human Rights Council has a three-member fact-finding mission investigating violations of international law resulting from the May incident.

The team, comprising Judge Karl T. Hudson-Phillips of Trinidad and Tobago, Sir Desmond de Silva of the United Kingdom and Mary Shanthi Dairiam of Malaysia, was set up last month and is expected to report to the Council in September on its work.