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.

Good afternoon. 

** Guests at Noon

I have just been told that joining the briefing shortly will be Ambassador Patricia Durrant, the head of the Preparatory Commission Bureau for the children’s special session, and Carol Bellamy, the Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), to brief you on the preparatory meetings that have been taking place all week. 

** Secretary General/Joseph Kabila

As you know, the Secretary-General is about to meet upstairs, or is now meeting, with Major General Joseph Kabila, the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). 

As he entered Headquarters this morning, the Secretary-General commented

on the latest developments surrounding the DRC, saying “I believe that we have an opportunity to move the peace process forward.  There is a new climate and a new situation which we should seize to move the process forward.”

This afternoon President Kabila is scheduled to address a public meeting of the Security Council.  That’s at 3 p.m.  During this meeting, only the members of the Council and the Secretary-General, in addition to President Kabila, will be permitted to take the floor.  Following his appearance before the Council, President Kabila will hold a press conference in this room.

** Security Council

Going back to the Council now, this morning it met in closed consultations to discuss its programme of work.  It’s the Council’s first official meeting under the Presidency of the Tunisian ambassador Said Ben Mustapha.

Also during these consultations, a draft resolution was introduced relating to the deployment of observers from the Economic Community of West African States along the border of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.  In addition, the Council also received a briefing by the Secretariat on the situation relating to the village of Ghajar in southern Lebanon.  And I’ll have more on that in a minute.

Consultations are now suspended.  When they resume, the Council will hear a briefing on the Democratic Republic of the Congo by Kamel Morjane, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in that country.

** Middle East Negotiations

The Secretary-General and the Prime Minister of Sweden, Goran Persson, acting in his capacity as President of the European Council, issued a statement encouraging the Israelis and the Palestinians to continue the peace process and saying that they are committed to assisting in any way possible.

"They hope that it will be possible for the two sides to return to the negotiating table soon after the Israeli Prime Ministerial elections on

6 February", the statement said.

Asked about the peace process by the press this morning, the Secretary-General said, "the only way to solve the differences is through dialogue, not through violence, and I would hope that, whoever wins the elections, they would resume the talks, and give hope to the people that there is a solution and the leaders are determined to find it".

** Humanitarian Situation in Afghanistan

I have the following statement attributable to the Spokesman concerning the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan:

"The Secretary-General is deeply concerned over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, caused by the combination of drought and conflict, and resulting in the displacement of more than 500,000 people in recent months.  He feels that the death from cold of over 100 internally displaced people in Herat this week is a tragedy that could be replicated around the country should the crisis in Afghanistan not be addressed vigorously and immediately.

"The Secretary-General, again, calls upon the parties to the conflict in Afghanistan to desist immediately from fighting and to enable the Afghan people to return to their homes for the planting season.  He also urges the international donor community to allocate additional resources for emergency relief and drought midigation.

Also on Afghanistan, Erick de Mul, United Nations Coordinator for Afghanistan, said today in Islamabad that the recent deaths in camps in Herat are “just the beginning”.  He said, “all over the country, people will begin dying in greater numbers over the next months”. 

At least half a million people left their homes during the year 2000 and early 2001, most headed for already impoverished cities.  Work is difficult to find, competition for jobs is fierce, the cost of labour low and most will find it impossible to support their families.

He said, “to continue business as usual, where only half of the Appeal is funded, is a recipe for catastrophe”.  He added that the international community must not allow the needs of the Afghans to be overshadowed by other crises and that the Appeal for $229 million must be met in full.  We have more information from his office, upstairs.

** South Lebanon

This morning in Beirut, Staffan di Mistura, the Secretary-General’s Personal Representative for southern Lebanon, met with the Lebanese Foreign Minister Mahmoud Hammoud, to discuss the situation surrounding the village of Ghaja, which straddles the Blue Line in the south of the country.

Afterward, Di Mistura told journalists that yesterday, he over-flew the village several times and had witnessed the construction of a fence approximately 400 meters into Lebanon.  The fence being put up is identical to the technical fence put up by Israel on their side of the Blue Line.

Di Mistura said that he and other United Nations officials had made their concerns known to senior Israeli officials who have –- this is a quote –- “indicated to us that this construction will stop”.  He concluded by telling reporters that the United Nations will be watching the situation closely over the coming days to ensure that indeed the construction has stopped and that the status quo ante in the area is returned in order to ensure the respect of the Blue Line by all concerned parties.  We have the full text of Di Mistura’s comments in my Office.

** Kosovo Update

The United Nations Mission in Kosovo reports that the situation in Mitrovica is quiet for now, possibly because of the snow there.  The calmer situation also comes after the declaration signed yesterday by the Secretary-General's Special Representative, Hans Haekkerup, and the KFOR Commander, General Carlo Cabigiosu, with the Kosovo Albanian leaders on the need to restore calm in Mitrovica.

That declaration stated, "unless the security situation in Mitrovica stabilizes, it will be impossible to address longer-term issues involving the future viability and integration of the city".  We have copies of that declaration in my office.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has also expressed its concerns about the situation facing minorities in both the northern, largely Serb, and southern, largely Albanian, parts of Mitrovica.  The agency pulled its staff out of Mitrovica following the violence there this week and says it will reassess the security situation over the weekend to determine when staff can return.  We have some briefing notes from Pristina with additional details.

** Sierra Leone’s Special Court

The Security Council, in a letter to the Secretary-General that is out on the racks today, gave its response to the Secretary-General's recent letter containing his views about the proposed special court for Sierra Leone.

The members of the Council stated their belief that it is "extremely unlikely" that juvenile offenders will come before the special court.  They nevertheless agreed to language that provides for the possibility of having suspects who were between 15 and 18 years old when they were alleged to have to committed serious crimes appear before the court.

Council members also concurred with the Secretary-General's proposal to seek information from States about their preparedness to contribute funds, services and personnel prior to the establishment of a special court.

You'll recall that the Secretary-General had stressed the importance of having funds necessary for the first year of the court's functioning, and pledges sufficient for the next two years' costs, before a special court could be set up.

** Advisory Board on Disarmament

The Secretary-General will be meeting at about 3:45 p.m. in Conference Room 8 with his Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters, a 20-member board Chaired by Ambassador Nabil Fahmy of Egypt, that periodically advises him on a broad range of disarmament issues.

The Secretary-General intends to discuss developments since he met with the Board a year ago, including last May's Review Conference for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and current challenges, including rising global defence expenditures and environmental clean-up costs of the nuclear arms race.

We have copies of his statement available in my Office, embargoed until

4 p.m.

** UNHCR Refugee Update

The repatriation of Chadians living for more than 15 years in the Central African Republic has been completed, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).  The last 2,000 returnees have been given food for three months and kitchen utensils and other tools, and have been driven home to Goré from a refugee camp in Boubou.  A total of 14,000 Chadians have been repatriated since 1995.

More than 6,700 Ethiopian refugees, or about half of the total who have been living in Sudan, some for more than 30 years, have been also repatriated.  Yesterday, a convoy carrying 500 refugees arrived in the Ethiopian border town of Matema to a transit camp established by the UNHCR, and another 750 are due to arrive on Sunday.

And in Pakistan, we have news that the population of the Jalozai camp has risen to 80,000.  The UNHCR began a verification programme last week to determine how many people are in need of urgent assistance.  So far, out of the 5,800 interviewed, more than 4,000 have been deemed vulnerable and will be transferred to a better-equipped camp.  You can see the UNHCR briefing notes with more on those items.

** Upcoming High-Level Meeting at Headquarters

The Secretary-General will convene the Fourth high-level Meeting between the United Nations and regional organizations at Headquarters here on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week.  The heads of 18 regional organizations have been invited, as well as heads of United Nations organs, agencies and departments.  The focus of the meeting will be cooperation for peace-building.  A Department of Public Information background note is available today, and the text of the Secretary-General’s open statement will be issued as a press release.

The meeting itself will be closed.  The Secretary-General will hold a press conference following the conclusion of the meeting at about 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday.  I was asked yesterday about when the Secretary-General will do his next press conference –- it’ll be Wednesday.

And, in the context of this meeting, the President of the Security Council will convene an open debate of the Security Council on peace-building on Monday.  The Secretary-General is expected to address the Council at the opening session of this debate.

** Cost of Global Warming

An embargoed press release is available from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which says that global warming may cost the world around $304.2 billion, annually, unless urgent efforts are made to curb emissions of carbon dioxide and the other gases linked to the "greenhouse effect".

The report, from insurance industry members of the UNEP's Financial Services Initiative, indicates that the losses will be due to more frequent tropical cyclones, loss of land as a result of rising sea levels, and damage to fishing stocks, agriculture and water supplies.  It will among the items under discussion by Environment Ministers at next week's UNEP Governing Council session in Nairobi.

** UN Budget Update

Well, the clock is ticking to 3 February, which will be the last day Member States can pay their dues for this year and remain in good standing.  And, we have two more payments today:  France, with a payment of $67 million; Mongolia, $10,000.  Given the disastrous situation in Mongolia, I think we particularly appreciate that payment.  And, we now have 40 Member States paid in full –- 40 out of 189, with 24 hours to go.

** Condolences

Yesterday I expressed my condolences to John Mills' wife Karin, and to their children Elinor and Benedict.  John also has an adult daughter, Emily, who is living in Australia.  And our deepest sympathy goes to her as well.  As soon as I have information on a memorial service, I’ll let you know.  Many of you have been asking me about that.

And, on another sad note, Manoel de Almeida, my deputy, lost his father last night, so he’ll be going back to Brazil to join his family for a few days.  And, I'm sure you'll join me in supporting him in his hour of grief.

** The Week Ahead

And, finally, we have the week ahead for you.  I won’t read any of those items; you can pick it up in my Office.

Questions?

Questions and Answers

Question:  Has there been a shift in the mission to Afghanistan?

Spokesman:  Are you talking about Francesc Vendrell?

Question:  Yes.

Spokesman:  Vendrell has been in Afghanistan.  Again, I don’t have any specific information on his activities there, except that it’s been reported by the media that he’s had contacts with the Taliban and with the opposition leadership.  The Taliban, as you know, has said that they will no longer cooperate with the political process, since the Security Council imposed a fresh round of sanctions against them, and Mr. Vendrell is trying hard to convince them that it’s in everyone’s best interest that they resume the political dialogue.  I have no information as to whether he’s made any progress with those efforts or not.

Question:  Human rights and peace groups are criticizing Britain and the United Nations over an apparent United Nations approval of a contract for Britain to sell spare parts to the Moroccans for use in the Western Sahara.  Do you have any information about that approval and on what grounds it was approved?

Spokesman:  The Foreign Ministry of the United Kingdom released to the press an internal memorandum yesterday, dating from, I believe, mid-1999, following some contact with the peacekeeping department.  We checked our records and it is accurate that they approached us concerning a contract that would be given to a British company to refurbish some existing weapons of the Royal Moroccan Army, and we consulted the legal counsel.

The question is whether this would be consistent with the ceasefire agreement.  And we informed them that we felt it would be consistent.  So, I can confirm the content of their cable that they released to the press yesterday.  That is consistent with our records from mid-1999. 

Question:  Do you know what the standard is for determining such an approval?

Spokesman:  It was a legal determination based on the wording of the ceasefire agreement.  Can you refurbish existing weapons and still be true to the ceasefire agreement, and the legal opinion was, yes.

Question:  Can you refresh my memory about what concrete conditions would have to exist in the Congo for the Secretary-General to recommend to the Council the deployment of peacekeepers?  Would there have to be a ceasefire of a certain duration?

Spokesman:  I don’t think I can be specific.  You mention a ceasefire –- certainly that’s a precondition.  The troops from neighbouring countries, of course, are required to pull back.  Our monitors would be there to confirm that withdrawal.  I think once we had a sense that all parties were prepared to implement the peace agreement faithfully, we would go in with full force –- the monitors and the 5,000 troops there to establish the bases from which the monitors would operate.

Question:  When you say withdrawal, do you mean out of the Congo?

Spokesman:  Yes.  The agreement requires them to pull back from Congolese territory.

Question:  Fred, following up on Joe’s question, what exactly does the Government have to do, because they have also not been cooperating?

Spokesman:  I don’t think we’ve had cooperation from anyone in the DRC.  The Government has not given us freedom of movement; they’ve given us very disadvantageous terms under which to purchase our supplies, and they’ve not allowed us to deploy to Government-controlled areas, only to rebel-controlled areas, whereas the Security Council called for us to deploy throughout the country. 

So, we would clearly need, perhaps even first and foremost, the cooperation of the Government for the implementation of the peace accords.  And, then we would need a ceasefire, which would imply cooperation of all the parties to the conflict. 

Question:  Presumably, is the Secretary-General discussing all of those matters right now upstairs with President Kabila?

Spokesman:  I think that’s at the top of the agenda, yes.

Question:  Do you have a best estimate of the time of the press conference later today?

Spokesman:  We’ve scheduled it for 6 p.m.  I don’t know if the Council will need that much time, and I also don’t know whether, if they finish in under three hours, the President would want a breathing space to collect his thoughts before coming in here.  So, we’ll stay in touch with the Congolese delegation.  But, as of now, it’s scheduled for 6 p.m.

Question:  Fred, how large is the United Nations presence right now?

Spokesman:  I don’t have that number –- 400 I think is a guess, but I shouldn’t guess.  [He later said it was just over 200 military with more than 100 international civilian staff and over 100 local staff.]

Would you like to come up?  We’re just finished.  I see Ambassador Durrant and Carol Bellamy of UNICEF.

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