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STORY: UN / MULET FISHER PRESSER
SOURCE: UNTV
TRT: 2.22
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/ NATS
DATELINE: 23 NOVEMBER 2010, NEW YORK CITY/ FILE
FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior UN building
23 NOVEMBER 2010, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Mulet and Fisher on screen
3. Med shot, reporter
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Edmond Mulet, Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Haiti:
“These demonstrations also were, in part, politically motivated. We know that there are some groups and sectors in Haiti who do not want elections and they would like these elections to be postponed or not to happen at all. But in spite of all that, the electoral process continues unabated; the government and the vast majority of the candidates are really determined that these elections be held as planned and as the constitution states on the 28 of November.”
5. Wide shot, Mulet and Fisher on screen
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Nigel Fisher, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General ad interim, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, MINUSTAH:
“With the revision in the estimates of the numbers and the speed of this epidemic, which are now coming out of WHO/ PAHO, and their estimation that is instead of their original estimation of a few weeks ago of 200,000 cases in six months, they are now revising that to 200,000 in closer to a three month period. So, this epidemic is moving faster.”
7. Med shot, UN spokesman Farhan Haq
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Edmond Mulet, Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Haiti:
“There is a lot of interest from the Haitian population regarding these elections, which I think has also frustrated some of these spoilers. So, you have these elements there, and then of course, the issue of, and we have to very honest about that, the issue of the cholera outbreak and the manipulation behind all that, accusing foreigners in general or MINUSTAH specifically to be responsible for importing and bringing cholera to Haiti. So, all that has been used by some of these spoilers in order to create this situation.”
9. Med shot, reporter
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Edmond Mulet, Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Haiti:
“All the tests were done appropriately by technicians and experts, and in the end these tests on those samples were again negative. So, so far there is no scientific evidence that the camp in Mirebalais is the source of this epidemic.”
11. Wide shot, Mulet and Fisher on screen
The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Haiti, Edmond Mulet, and his deputy Nigel Fisher provided an update via teleconference today (23 November) on the situation in the Caribbean nation, just days ahead of national elections that will take place amidst a cholera outbreak and the lingering effects of the 12 January earthquake.
A wave of protests, which began in the north and have spread to other areas, temporarily prevented aid agencies from delivering life-saving supplies for the people affected by cholera, which has caused close to 2,000 deaths, from an estimated 60,000 to 70,000 cases.
Mulet said that these demonstrations were “in part, politically motivated” as there are “some groups and sectors in Haiti who do not want elections.” He added that “in spite of all that, the electoral process continues unabated” and the “vast majority of the candidates” want the elections held as planned on the 28 of November.
Fisher reported that World Health Organization (WHO)/ Pan American Health Organization’s (PAHO) latest figures indicate that “this epidemic is moving faster”. He said that the original estimation of 200,000 cases in six months has been revised to 200,000 in a three month period.
Mulet noted that “there is a lot of interest from the Haitian population regarding these elections” which he said has “frustrated some of these spoilers.” He pointed to political manipulation behind the accusations that “foreigners in general or MINUSTAH specifically, to be responsible for importing and bringing cholera to Haiti.”
He said that extensive testing has been performed “appropriately by technicians and experts” and “so far there is no scientific evidence that the camp in Mirebalais is the source of this epidemic.”
There have been recent speculations that the deadly cholera outbreak came to Haiti through a sewage tank used by Nepalese peacekeepers stationed in Mirebalais.
So far 36 Cholera Treatment Centres have already been set up nationwide along with 61 smaller treatment units. There are plans to set up Cholera Treatment Units in every hospital in Haiti.
