DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's noon briefing by Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General:

** Security Council

The Security Council is meeting today to discuss follow-up to resolution 1308 (2000) on HIV/AIDS.  Jean-Marie Guéhenno, the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, and Peter Piot, Executive Director of UNAIDS, briefed the Council.

Guéhenno said that the immediate challenge facing the Department of Peacekeeping Operations was to increase the awareness of peacekeepers, and local populations they come in contact with, about the causes of HIV/AIDS and methods of preventing its spread.  Guéhenno outlined many of the initiatives already taken by the Department and some of those in the pipeline, including a comprehensive training module on medical issues for national level senior trainers, and three “Training the Trainer" courses.  It is establishing the post of HIV/AIDS focal point in all missions.

Piot briefed the Council on the work of UNAIDS over the last year.  He said the Framework Agreement signed earlier today with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations would support ongoing work in training, the development of codes of conduct and civil-military cooperation.  He said it was "incumbent on the United Nations to set the highest possible standards for the conduct of the troops deployed under its flag".

Fifteen speakers are listed to take part in the discussion.

Immediately following the current meeting, the Council will go into a formal meeting to extend the deadline for considering additional nominations for judges for the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia until the end of January.

** UNAIDS/DPKO

This morning, Jean-Marie Guéhenno, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, and Peter Piot, Executive Director of UNAIDS, signed a Cooperation Framework Agreement for technical and policy assistance on HIV/AIDS. 

Under the terms of the agreement, UNAIDS will provide technical and advisory support to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations in the areas of training, voluntary testing and counselling, in-mission care of affected personnel and resources, and will develop a Code of Conduct and Best Practices.  DPKO has undertaken to integrate HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention at all levels of its training and will cooperate with UNAIDS.

We have the full text of that agreement in my office.

** DRC

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kamel Morjane, met yesterday with the new leader of the DRC, General Joseph Kabila.  He personally conveyed a message of sympathy and condolences on behalf of the Secretary-General to General Kabila, whose father, Laurent Kabila, was assassinated earlier this week.

General Kabila assured Mr. Morjane that his Government wanted the United Nations Mission in the DRC to continue its work in support of Security Council resolutions designed to bring about peace in the country.

In Geneva today, the High Commissioner for Refugees, Ruud Lubbers, added his voice to that of the Secretary-General and the Security Council calling for the parties to this conflict "to avoid inflaming an already volatile situation".

"UNHCR cares for some 500,000 refugees and displaced inside the DRC", he said, and helps look after another 330,000 Congolese refugees outside the country.  "More are fleeing every day", he added.  "This must stop."

** Afghanistan Sanctions

This morning, at one minute after midnight, New York time, the sanctions measures against the Taliban, detailed in Security Council resolution 1333 (2000), automatically went into effect, one month after the Council's adoption of that resolution.

The sanctions measures that now go into effect include an arms embargo against the Taliban, the reduction of staff at Taliban missions and posts and the closure of all Taliban and Ariana Airlines offices abroad.  It also includes a ban on flights to or from Taliban-controlled parts of Afghanistan.  Now that the sanctions have entered into effect, Member States have 30 days to report on the steps they have taken to implement the sanctions.

The Secretary-General was also requested, in resolution 1333 (2000), to appoint a committee of experts to make recommendations on the monitoring of the arms embargo and the closure of terrorist training camps.  The Secretary-General is considering this request.

The closure of the camps is one of the requirements for the Taliban to obtain the lifting of sanctions; other steps include the hand-over of Saudi-born businessman Osama bin Laden and the cessation of any provision of sanctuary for international terrorists.

** ICTY/Plavsic

Today at The Hague, Judge Claude Jorda, the President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, issued an order for modified conditions of detention for Biljana Plavsic, the former President of Republika Srpska.

Under the terms of the order, Plavsic will remain at the Tribunal's Detention Unit, but will be detained in a part of the Unit that is reserved for female detainees.  She will be guarded by female security officers, but she can use the facilities available to the Detention Unit's male detainees when they are absent.  Plavsic will also be provided with an additional cell, accessible to her current cell, as soon as possible.

Jorda's order was issued after Plavsic explicitly withdrew her earlier request to be detained in a safe house or in a facility in Republika Srpska itself.  The order took into account the fact that Plavsic had voluntarily surrendered to the Tribunal and that she is its only female detainee.

Also today, the Tribunal's third trial chamber entered a finding of guilt against Stevan Todorovic, who entered a plea of "guilty" last month to one count of persecution on political, racial and religious grounds, which is a crime against humanity.  A date for his sentencing will be set at a later stage.

We have two press releases from the Tribunal with additional details.

Next week, the Tribunal's Prosecutor, Carla del Ponte, will visit Belgrade, where she plans to meet with President Vojislav Kostunica and other senior officials.  President Kostunica yesterday indicated that he will, in fact, see her during her visit.

** Depleted Uranium

The World Health Organization has announced that it is sending an expert mission to Kosovo to support the United Nations Interim Administration there in its response to claims regarding possible health risks of exposure to depleted uranium.  The team of environmental health experts will collect information on population exposure to depleted uranium and other toxic substances and verify data on cancer and leukaemia.  The team will also identify potential health risks to those who may have been exposed to DU.

We have a note to the press available upstairs with more information.

** Kosovo

Yesterday in Kosovo, the District Court in Mitrovica found Miroslav Vuckovic guilty of genocide, under the laws of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, for attacking Kosovar Albanian villages, burning and looting houses and chasing away the Albanian population.  He was tried by a panel of five judges, four of them Kosovar Albanians and one international, and sentenced to 14 years in prison.

If he chooses to appeal, Vuckovic could petition for the assignment of international judges or a change of venue in order to ensure the independence and impartiality of the judiciary.  That is in accordance with a regulation approved by the former Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Bernard Kouchner, last month, which would allow for the Special Representative to seek the formation of a three-judge panel, including at least two international judges, in such cases.

You can get more information in today's briefing notes from Pristina.

** Drug Report 2000

The World Drug Report 2000 will be launched this coming Monday in London.  Pino Arlacchi, Executive Director of the Office of Drug Control and Crime Prevention, will brief the press there.  The report reviews trends in production and consumption of drugs worldwide.

The report, an executive summary, and highlights of the report are now available in the Spokesman's Office, and they are embargoed until Monday at 10 a.m. GMT.

If you have any questions on the report, you are welcome to call Vincent McClean, who is a Director of Mr. Arlacchi's office here in New York.  His extension is 5631.  He will also be at the noon briefing on Monday to answer any questions put to him.

We also hope to have the audio, or highlights, of Mr. Arlacchi's press conference available by the noon briefing Monday. 

** Budget

Today we have one more full payment of dues.  The Maldives became the twenty-third Member State to pay the regular budget contribution in full this year and that was for just over $10,000.

** UN Video

"A Work in Progress: Human Rights in Haiti", which is a new UN video, will be awarded tonight the Finalist medal at the New York International Film Festival.

The video, produced by Isabelle Abric and Simone Di Bagno for the UN Mission in Haiti, is a blend of paintings and footage, taking viewers through the history of the Haitian people.

In addition to tonight's award, this video won the silver plaque at the Chicago International Film Festival, and the Gold Award at the world media festival in Hamburg, Germany.  It has also been included in the permanent collections of the New York Museum of Modern Art and the Museum of Broadcast and Communications in Chicago.

The video is 56 minutes long and in available in English, French and Creole at the UN video library.  If you're interested, you can call them on extension

3-6982.

** Press Conference

There's a press conference in a few minutes in this room.  UNICEF is sponsoring the International Action Network on Small Arms.  They will brief you on the outcome of the meeting of the Preparatory Committee for the United Nations Conference on Illicit Trade of Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects.  We have the Week Ahead review for you. I won't give you any highlights; you can pick it up in my office.  Any questions, before we go off on the weekend?

** Questions and Answers

Question:  Fred, you talked about voluntary testing for peacekeepers.  What will happen if they are found to be positive?  Will they be able to go on a mission?  What will happen?

Spokesman:  Our policy now is not to restrict the participation of peacekeepers who might be found to be HIV positive as long as they are healthy enough to carry out their functions.  So we will counsel them after testing them.  But otherwise, they will be allowed to go on with their duties.  If they are part of a national contingent and the national contingent had a policy not to allow

infected members of their contingent to continue serving, it will be a matter then for the contingent commander to order the repatriation of the peacekeeper.  But we, as the overall administrators of the peacekeeping mission, will not require any one to return home because they have been found positive.

Question: Would the UN give them medicine in case they go on a mission if their country could not afford to give them medicine?

Spokesman: We will have to ask the good doctor who was here yesterday and who's in the Council chamber right now -- Christian Halle, who is the head of the Peacekeeping Department's medical support unit.  He can give you all those details.

Question:  Do the sanctions (against the Taliban) cover humanitarian aid from the UN, or other countries to refugees?

Spokesman: No. It will not affect humanitarian activities by the UN in the mission area.  It would affect the transport of Taliban officials on UN planes which had been permitted before, but which under this resolution would no longer be permitted.

Question: Can we have copies of the field procedure manual on AIDS?

Spokesman: We have only two copies -- one in English and one in French -- that you're welcome to take a look at.  So, if you come to my office, we'll show them to you.  But as they are the only two copies we have left, we'll probably keep a close eye as you're looking at them.

Question: Taliban sanctions again.  Has there been an impact yet on

Mr. Vendrell's mission?  Apparently there is a meeting in Rome, where all but Taliban officials are taking part, trying to bring together the Afghan people for some sort of peace process.  Has there been any measurable impact in the months since those sanctions were announced on his mission?

Spokesman: No. I think as we have announced to you initially, as a precautionary measure, we removed some of our non-essential personnel.  But once the sanctions were voted and we noticed no negative reaction towards the international presence in the country, we gradually restored our presence there and we remain vigilant, but we haven't seen any negative impact on our work thus far.

Question: The Secretary-General himself was not pleased with the timing of the sanctions because of the impact on the peace process.  Anything in terms of a slow-down in the two sides getting together?

Spokesman:  Well, I don't know.  You're saying what the Secretary-General's views were, and I don't think that that is something that we said or that he himself said.  But setting that aside, we may have a statement later this afternoon from Mr. Vendrell concerning developments in Afghanistan in the last 24 hours.  But I have nothing more to say on the subject now.  Thanks very much. Have a good weekend.

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