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UN DELEGATION VISITED INDIA
30 January 2008
NEW DELHI, India, Jan. 30 -- A nine-member United Nations' delegation visited India from January 27-29, said office of
the Indian External Affairs Ministry in a press release:
The verbatim text of the release said:
Ms. Jane Holl Lute, Assistant Secretary General/Officer-in-Charge of Department of Field Support (DFS) at the United Nations
led a nine-member delegation to India from January 27-29, 2008 for an exchange of views on a wide range of issues related
to UN peacekeeping and to brief the Indian authorities on the functioning of the recently established DFS.
The delegation included the famous Hollywood actor Mr. George Clooney, who was designated by the UN Secretary General earlier
this month as a 'UN Messenger of Peace', with special focus on UN peacekeeping.
Besides discussions with Additional Secretary (International Organizations) in Ministry of External Affairs, the delegation
called on Defence Secretary and interacted with Vice Chief of Army Staff and other senior officials dealing with India's long-standing,
consistent and significant contribution to UN peacekeeping missions which currently stands at over 9300 personnel in 11 out
of the 17 ongoing operations.
Before arriving in India, the delegation had interacted with Indian troops in the UN peacekeeping mission in Congo. The
presentations and field visits organized during their visit to India gave them an opportunity for further familiarization
with the highest professional standards and best practices of Indian peacekeepers.
While reiterating India's steadfast commitment to assist the UN in the maintenance of international peace and security,
the Indian side emphasized that the safety and security of UN peacekeepers was of paramount importance.
ASG Jane Lute, Mr. George Clooney and other members of the delegation witnessed the Beating of the Retreat Ceremony at
Vijay Chowk before their departure. (source: U.S. Fed News)
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George Clooney in Delhi, visits South Block
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
From correspondents in Delhi, India, 06:30 PM IST
The otherwise dull corridors of the defence ministry office in South Block sparkled with stardust Tuesday when Hollywood
star George Clooney called on Defence Secretary Vijay Singh along with UN Assistant Secretary for Peacekeeping Operations
Jane Holl Lute.
Although the award season is in full swing in Hollywood and his film 'Michael Clayton' is garnering several nominations,
Clooney is visiting India as part of his new role as a UN messenger of peace, with special emphasis on peacekeeping.
Lute and Clooney are coming from Africa, where they saw Indian blue helmets in action in Congo.
A statement issued by the defence ministry said that Lute appreciated the role played by Indian peacekeepers around the
world and hoped that India would take part in the Contingent Owned Equipment Manual Review Exercise to be held in New York
Feb 4-22.
Vijay Singh in turn assured the American guests that India would send a high-level team to the New York meeting at both
the technical and working levels.
The two visitors were also given a presentation on the experiences of the Indian contingent of peacekeepers that have returned
from missions abroad.
Lute also showed interest in the training imparted to the Indian peacekeepers to orient them to handle challenges in alien
territories.
But it was Clooney who attracted all the curiosity, even from normally blase journalists.
On Monday night, Clooney attended a party hosted by Vivek Katju, the foreign ministry's additional secretary (international
organisations), at Villa Medici in the Taj Mahal hotel.
Well cosseted with his own security detail, as well as an entourage, he dropped in next door to shake hands with some journalists.
In a casual grey suit, with an open-necked white shirt, Clooney lived up to his suave leading-man image.
When told that he seemed to be on his way to politics, just like former US president Ronald Reagan, Clooney looked suitably
aghast. 'Oh no! I am a liberal,' he said.
Another question on his favourite for the US presidential race was met with a not-so-subtle answer. 'I had supported Obama
in the Senate race.'
His support for Democrat presidential candidate contender Barack Obama has been no secret - having supported him enthusiastically
at various forums and described him as an 'impressive' candidate.
Clooney said he was too new to the job of a UN messenger of peace to talk about it.
'I do not want to talk, I want to listen first,' he said, as he pointed out that he was the 'son of a newsman'. He then
swept out as smoothly as he had come in, smiling with the familiar crease on his forehead.
With 9,357 troops engaged in UN missions, India is the third largest supplier of peacekeepers behind Pakistan (10,610)
and Bangladesh (9,856).
India also hosts the secretariat of the International Association of Peacekeeping Training Centres at the United Service
Institution of India's Centre for United Nations Peacekeeping (USI-CUNPK).
Earlier Monday, Clooney and the UN assistant secretary general visited the 50 Para Regiment at Agra and the South-Western
Army Command Headquarters at Jaipur.
Clooney has been actively involved in calling for a solution to Sudan's Darfur crisis. He travelled to China and Egypt
in 2006, when he asked these countries for greater pressure on the Sudanese government to force them to find some way out
of the refugee problem.
(source: IANS)
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By George, Clooney's here
30 Jan 2008, 0000 hrs IST,Jyothi Prabhakar & Piyali Dasgupta ,TNN
Why
is he here...
The soon-to-be anointed UN ambassador of peace is taking his job very seriously. George Clooney
is in India for a recce trip to understand the country before he makes his first trip here as the peace ambassador.
He's
here with assistant secretary-general for mission support in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Jane Holl Lute. "He
is not the chief guest. He's just another member of the delegation accompanying a high-ranking UN official," says a source,
adding, "Clooney is here with the UN delegation just to study things, to understand how things work in India. He will be here
later this year, in his official position."
What is he doing...
George arrived in New Delhi
on Sunday evening and was seen relaxing with four friends at a five-star pub. The man preferred not to draw any attention
to himself and left after sometime.
The floor on which he is staying at a five-star hotel was off-limits for everybody.
He met a few people, but hardly did any sightseeing. Later in the evening, he attended a party at the hotel's rooftop restaurant,
which was hosted by MEA's Vivek Katju.
George came surrounded by his own security cordon and was seen interacting
with the few select guests that included bureaucrats and diplomats.
Where is he off to...
George
Clooney likes to keep his plans private. So, as of now, he has bookings done at various hotels in the city where his friends
and associates are staying.
But, sources say that he is to follow the Madonna, Mick Jagger trail and head to Rajasthan.
However, unlike the Princess of Pop, he will not be staying at an out-of-the-public-eye palace in the desert state.
Instead,
he will be heading to the pink city - Jaipur. Apparently, after soaking in the colours and sounds of the city, he will head
back to New Delhi, from where he will take a chartered flight back home. He is expected to leave on Thursday.
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UN Hails Contributions Of Indian Peacekeepers
14:35 IST
The UN Assistant Secretary General for Mission Support in the Department of peacekeeping operations Ms Jane Holl Lute
accompanied by the UN Messenger of Peace Mr. George Clooney called on the Defence Secretary Shri Vijay Singh, here today.
During the discussions, Ms Lute was highly appreciative of the role played by the Indian peacekeepers in various parts of
the world. She urged New Delhi to take part in the Contingent Owned Equipment (COE) Manual Review Exercise to be held at New
York from 04-22 next month. Shri Singh reiterated India’s commitment for UN Peacekeeping operations and assured Ms Lute
that India will send a high-level delegation to take part in the review meetings both at technical and working levels.
Ms
Lute was also given an overview of the experiences of the just – returned Indian contingent of peacekeepers, especially
those relating to logistic and operational aspects. The Army Headquarters gave a presentation on the various ‘Commandments’
given to the Indian peacekeepers such as respect for cultural ethos of the country where they are deployed and zero-tolerance
for human rights violations. Ms Lute had recently visited Congo, where she had seen the Indian peacekeepers in action.
The
UN Assistant Secretary General yesterday visited the 50 Para Regiment at Agra and the South-Western Army Command Headquarters
at Jaipur. She evinced keen interest in the training imparted to the Indian peacekeepers to orient them to handle challenges
in alien territories.
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By George, look who’s beating a retreat!
Posted online: Wednesday, January 30, 2008 at 2301 hrs IST
New Delhi, January 29 The corridors of power at South Block got a taste of Hollywood glamour when actor George Clooney
came visiting on Tuesday to hail India’s contribution to the UN peace missions in Africa. Clooney, named the UN Messenger
of Peace earlier this month, met senior officers in the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of External Affairs.
The actor later went to the ‘Beating Retreat’, which brought the curtains down on the 59th Republic Day celebrations.
(source: Express India)
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