DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL

Press Briefing

DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL

The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's noon briefing by Manoel de Almeida e Silva, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General:

Good afternoon. Our guest at today's briefing is Elizabeth Rehn, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Coordinator of the United Nations Operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is her last briefing to us in this capacity since, as we announced recently, she is going back to her country.

**Kosovo

The Secretary-General's Special Representative for Kosovo, Bernard Kouchner, today went to Prizren where he met with visiting German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. Their discussion focused on rehabilitation and reconstruction of Kosovo and progress to date in setting up the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). The German leader pledged an additional 100 police to some 200 his country has committed. Mr. Schroeder is the first Western head of government to visit Kosovo since the bombing campaign of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Mr. Kouchner has also scheduled a joint press conference on Sunday with the KFOR chief, General Michael Jackson.

In Geneva today, the former Special Representative for Kosovo, Sergio Vieira de Mello, together with Dennis McNamara, who is also the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs in Kosovo, addressed a special session of the Economic and Social Council devoted to Kosovo and humanitarian issues.

Mr. de Mello briefed on the challenges facing the international community and its representative in Kosovo and on the manner in which the United Nations mission has begun to face these challenges. Mr. de Mello said that despite the difficulties that lie ahead, he was optimistic for four reasons, including the fact that both the United Nations and KFOR enjoy a huge amount of goodwill among the Kosovo population, both Albanians and Serbs. There is genuine desire to work with KFOR and UNMIK to build a better, more stable future, he said.

Mr. McNamara called the rapid return of more than 700,000 refugees to Kosovo an "unequivocal vote of confidence in the future of Kosovo". He urged a reinforced effort to deliver materials for shelter repair in the province, where an estimated 70,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed, and drew attention to the continuing need for food aid and for demining, as well as for assistance to mine victims. Most important, he said, was to stem the cycle of violence and revenge in Kosovo.

On funding for the United Nations mission, late yesterday afternoon in New York, the Fifth Committee approved the Secretary-General's request for $200 million for UNMIK, with a detailed budget expected by the end of September or beginning of October, and the General Assembly will take up the draft resolution at a meeting tentatively scheduled for next Wednesday afternoon.

The United Nations will present to donor countries its revised consolidated appeal for humanitarian operations in south-eastern Europe on Tuesday, 27 July. The first Donors' Conference for Kosovo is scheduled to be held in Brussels next Wednesday, July 28.

We have available in the Spokesman's Office the statement by Sergio Vieira de Mello, as well as the United Nations briefing note from Kosovo and today's Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) update on Kosovo.

**Security Council Consultations

Meanwhile, in New York, the Security Council is holding consultations this morning on Iraq. It is on the closure of the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) laboratory in Baghdad. Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs Jayantha Dhanapala is briefing the Council on developments on the work of the team of independent experts.

**Weapons Destruction in Liberia

As you know, next Monday in Liberia there will be a symbolic ceremony, during which weapons and ammunition will be burned in a bonfire. These weapons were collected in Liberia by the United Nations and the Economic Community of West African States' Monitoring Observer Group (ECOMOG) after the seven-year civil war.

The bulk of the weapons, just about 8,000 serviceable and 1,800 unserviceable arms, and over 1.2 million rounds of ammunition, will be destroyed this weekend. This represents the largest weapons destruction in Africa in recent years. Five incinerators are being put in place. The arms will be burned in 15 trenches and a large bit, 10 metres long, 8 metres wide and 5 metres deep, is being excavated to bury the weapons after their destruction. Small arms and ammunition will be burned, hand calibre ammunition, hand grenades and landmines will be detonated.

**Sudan

The United Nations and Operation Lifeline Sudan agencies take note that there has been no confirmation on the part of the Government of the Sudan of an extension of the humanitarian ceasefire for Bahr-el-Ghazal. They urge both the Government of the Sudan and the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement to

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formally agree, on an urgent basis, to such an extension recognizing the fragile situation of affected civilians, including, in particular, women and children who will continue to rely on humanitarian assistance in the forthcoming months.

**Angola

As follow-up on the mass graves reported in Chipeta, 25 kilometres north-east of Kuito in Angola, the Chief of the Human Rights Division of the United Nations Mission in Angola had confirmation of these mass graves from the Angolan authorities. According to government sources, four water-holes with an estimated 100 bodies were found in the commune of Chipeta by villagers involved in a garbage collection operation. These sources were unable to confirm the dates of the alleged mass killings or the exact number of victims. All flights to this province, both commercial and non-commercial, are cancelled due to the deteriorating military situation in the province. It is, therefore, not possible at this time for our people on the ground to visit the area.

We will keep you posted as we receive more information.

**African Trade Issues Meeting

African negotiators, representatives of regional economic communities and experts from various United Nations agencies have just wrapped up a three-day meeting in Addis Ababa which was held to help prepare African countries for the coming round of important global trade meetings.

The event -- organized by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in collaboration with the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) –- was held in anticipation of the upcoming Third WTO Ministerial Conference to be held later this year, as well as the tenth session of UNCTAD next February.

Participants stressed that among the negotiating objectives at those conferences, they should aim to enhance trade benefits for Africa. They also agreed on the need for a balanced system of rights and obligations for all WTO members.

There is a press release on the racks with background on the meeting, and we expect the round-up press release later today.

**Payments

Cambodia became the eighty-sixth Member State to pay in full their contribution for the year with a cheque of over $10,000.

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**The Week Ahead

Our weekly feature, The Week Ahead, is already available in the Spokesman's Office. Some of the highlights follow.

On Monday, the Security Council will hold a formal meeting at which Sadako Ogata, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, will brief members on refugee situations in Africa. The Security Council will have their monthly luncheon with the Secretary-General on Monday also. The Committee for Admission of New Members will meet at 3:30 p.m. to take up Tonga's request for admission to the United Nations.

The Preparatory Commission for the International Criminal Court will meet from Monday, 26 July, to 13 August at Headquarters.

On Tuesday, we expect to have a briefing to the Council by the Secretary-General on his recent trip to Africa and the Organization of African Unity (OAU) summit. On Wednesday, the Security Council will meet in formal session to consider Tonga's request for admission.

On Thursday, the Council is expected to hold informal consultations on Angola and East Timor. Also, the Secretary-General will deliver a message at 10 a.m. to the first global forum on human development organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

On Friday, the Security Council will hold informal consultations on Somalia and hold formal meetings on the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) and United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

**Question-and-Answer Session

Question: There was an announcement from the United States Government yesterday that they would be putting $10 million to $15 million aid to the electoral council in Port-au-Prince on hold indefinitely. Was the United Nations informed and do you have any comment?

Deputy Spokesman: I do not have any comment on a decision by a Member State. On whether we were informed, I would have to check on that for you.

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