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

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

This is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

Don’t get spooked now, but there is a new robotic camera on the ceiling there.  We now have two shots -– one looking at me and one looking at you.

We are going to start with a statement released in Nairobi today by the Secretary-General concerning High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson. 

**Statement Attributable to Secretary-General

“As you know, Mary Robinson’s term of office expires this September, and she had announced two weeks ago that she would not seek a second term.  That was a source of great regret, not only to me, but to everyone concerned with human rights.   Many governments, as well as representatives of civil society around the world, urged her to reconsider.

“She and I met in Geneva last week, and again yesterday here in Nairobi, where we are both attending the ACC, which is the twice-yearly meeting of all the executive heads of the United Nations system.  We discussed the timing of her departure, and I am delighted to say that I have prevailed on her, subject to approval by the General Assembly, to stay on for one more year.”

**Secretary-General Meets Kenyan President

The Secretary-General this morning met with the President of Kenya, Daniel arap Moi.  The two talked briefly with the press afterwards.  The President said of the Secretary-General, "I think this time we, in Africa, should assist our brother to reduce the burden he has over global problems."

The Secretary-General said that in the 45-minute meeting, they had discussed a range of regional topics, including the situation in southern Sudan, the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the scourge of HIV/AIDS.  On AIDS, the Secretary-General called for "complete mobilization of all countries" in order to fight the epidemic.

The Secretary-General then attended the session of the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC), which ran for four and a half hours.  I think that was an hour and a half longer than scheduled.  That meeting focused on the subject of sustainable development in Africa.  Afterwards, the participants and the Secretary-General attended a brief retreat, where they should be now, at a location a few miles outside of Nairobi.  The Secretary-General is scheduled to leave Nairobi tomorrow morning for Amsterdam.

**Secretary-General Confers on Democratic Republic of Congo

The Secretary-General had telephone contact from Nairobi this morning with President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and with President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda concerning developments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).  He then

issued a statement through his spokesman saying that he had urged the two leaders to continue withdrawing their troops from the DRC, while assuring them that the United Nations would rapidly deploy military observers to monitor the withdrawal.

He also said that the two leaders had reaffirmed to him their determination to effectively pursue the peace process, provided that the President of the DRC, Joseph Kabila, also lived up to the undertakings.  The statement added that the two leaders pledged to cooperate in the quest to restore peace and security to the Great Lakes region as a whole, and to resolve through peaceful negotiation any bilateral differences they might have.

You can pick up the precise text of the statement in my Office.

**UN Mission

The UN Mission in the [Democratic Republic of the] Congo, meanwhile, said the arrival of the Senegalese United Nations troops, which we had announced would take place today, is now scheduled to occur tomorrow.  The Senegalese are members of the Guard Units, which, in addition to other smaller specialist components of the UN Mission in the DRC, will enhance the ability of the UN military observer teams to carry out their primary task of monitoring and verifying the disengagement of the parties to the conflict.  Also, planned to arrive in Kinshasa next month is a contingent of 200 Tunisian troops, who will guard United Nations mission headquarters.

**Somalia

At a press encounter held in Nairobi after he met with the Kenyan President today, the Secretary-General noted that the United Nations has access to the two United Nations staff members still detained in Somalia, and have been able to ensure that they have enough food and water.  He said that the United Nations remains hopeful that the two detainees can be released, as were five other United Nations staffers who were also abducted a week ago in north Mogadishu.  The Secretary-General added that the abduction of international aid workers is "something that the international community cannot accept and cannot condone".  Aid workers, he added, "deserve our appreciation and thanks, rather than this kind of treatment".  We have copies of his remarks in my Office.

We have no more information to tell you about the two detainees, beyond what I said yesterday.  The United Nations is continuing its contacts with the militia group linked to the abduction to bring about their prompt and unconditional release.

**Kosovo

The UN Mission in Kosovo today reported that the border with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) was re-opened at 9 a.m.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), meanwhile, reported that at least 2,000 residents of FYROM have headed back to their homes over the past few days after fighting died down in the north of the country.  The UNHCR also said that only a handful of people crossed from FYROM to Kosovo over the weekend.

The KFOR said today that it had increased its troop levels by nearly two battalions on the Kosovo-FYROM border.  The KFOR also announced it found yesterday an arms cache near the Kosovo village of Krivenik, close to the border with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, which had recently come under attack.  The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Kosovo, Hans Haekkerup, meanwhile, will meet in Belgrade with President Vojislav Kostunica on Thursday. Mr. Haekkerup is expected to call, among other things, for the release of Kosovar Albanians held in Serbia and to discuss the participation of Kosovo Serbs in the administration and elections to be held later this year.

**Bosnia and Herzegovina

Following a meeting yesterday with Bosnian Interior Minister Muhamed Besic, Commissioner Vincent Coeurderoy of the UN International Police Task Force (IPTF) once again warned police officers throughout the Bosnian Federation to remain clear of politics and unconstitutional activities.  The Commissioner recently sent a letter to all police officers in the Federation, reminding officers that they have all taken an oath to serve every citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina and to uphold the rule of law.

Under their Code of Conduct, any officer found to be engaged in political activities would face firm action by the UN Task Force, which could result in their no longer being able to exercise police powers.  Commissioner Coeurderoy added in his letter that any demonstration of support for the unconstitutional concept of Croat self-rule, by either word or deed, would be seen as a breach of the Code of Conduct and dealt with appropriately.

**Security Council

The Security Council is holding consultations today to discuss the programme of work for the month of April.  You already had a pretty good preview of those discussions during the briefing yesterday by Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock, who is President of the Council for the month of April.  For any of those who missed it, you can get a copy of the summary of that briefing that was prepared by DPI.  Among the points made, Ambassador Greenstock noted that one of the intentions of his presidency is “to make the Council’s business progressively more transparent”.

**Attack on WFP Convoy in Burundi

Three trucks of the World Food Programme (WFP) were ambushed yesterday morning in south-eastern Burundi.  The incident occurred at a place called Muriza (20 kilometres from Ruyigi).

Ten to 15 rebels, heavily armed, attacked the convoy.  A driver and two passengers were wounded by gun shots.   One truck went off the road, one was stopped on the road, and the third truck escaped with no one injured.  The wounded were transported to Ruyigi hospital by the military in the area.  All three were then evacuated by plane to Bujumbura.  The driver, shot in the head, remains in critical condition today.  The WFP is on standby to send him to Nairobi if necessary.  The two passengers, shot in the legs, are doing well and might be discharged today.

The convoy was carrying approximately 60 tons of food.  The food was not looted, but personal belongings and money were taken from the truck crews.  The WFP's operation in the south-east of Burundi feeds 20,000 people.  There are no plans to suspend operations in the area, although security will be reinforced.

**Afghanistan

Despite repeated appeals from the UNHCR and an agreement reached between the Secretary-General and the Pakistani Government, the Government has not facilitated adequate assistance to meet all the needs of a refugee camp for Afghans at Jalozai, in northern Pakistan.

The UNHCR reports that conditions facing tens of thousands of Afghans who are encamped in the open at the Jalozai site near the north-west Pakistan border city of Peshawar have further deteriorated with the onset of heavy rains. Children are suffering and dying unnecessarily at Jalozai, where deaths are recorded daily.  Authorities have permitted agencies like the UNHCR and Médecins sans frontières to deliver only a minimum of services and assistance to the Afghans.

You can get more details on this from the daily UNHCR briefing in Geneva.

**Oil-for-Food

UN oil monitors in Iraq have begun issuing notification forms to the masters of vessels loading Iraqi oil for their signature.  The notification form clearly indicates the authorized destination of the purchased oil.  It is intended to prevent the diversion and transshipment of Iraqi crude oil to a destination other than the one that is authorized in an approved contract.

Under the UN "oil-for-food" programme, Iraq exported an average of

1.8 million barrels of oil a day last week, totalling 12.7 million barrels during the week lasting from 24 to 30 March.  There were eight loadings, five of which took place at Ceyhan and three at Mina al-Bakr terminals.  The revenue raised from the week's total oil exports was an estimated 284 million euros, at current prices.  The full text of the weekly update is available upstairs.

**Polio Eradication

The Global Polio Initiative, spearheaded by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), today announced that the eradication of poliomyelitis is 99 per cent complete.  “We must now close in on the remaining strongholds of the disease and use all possible resources to extinguish polio.”  That quote is by Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director-General of the WHO.

In order to meet the aim of the Initiative, to have the world certified polio-free by 2005, another 6 billion doses of the vaccine costing $1 billion will be needed between now and 2005.  To cover the $400 million funding gap, the United Nations Foundation and other partners are collaborating to secure funds from the private sector, philanthropists and foundations.  The number of reported cases worldwide last year was 3,500, down from 7,141 in 1999, and the virus now circulates in no more than 20 countries, which is 10 fewer than in 1999.  A record 550 million children under the age of five were immunized last year during intensified national immunization days in 82 countries.

We have a press release and a fact sheet if you want more information.

**UNICEF

The UNICEF today announced the appointment of Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado as a Special Representative.  As such, Mr. Salgado will promote child rights issues through his photography.  Carol Bellamy, the Executive Director of UNICEF, said, “Working with Mr. Salgado, we hope to raise our visual communication to a new level and reach an even wider audience.”  Ninety portraits of displaced and refugee children by Mr. Salgado were exhibited at United Nations Headquarters last September.

**Press Releases

Three press releases to highlight for you today, the first from the WFP.  They say they’ve launched a three-month emergency programme to assist more than 200,000 people affected by the worst floods in Malawi in more than a decade.  An amount of $3.3 million is needed for the 8,800 tons of food required for this operation that will run until 30 June.  The WFP has been feeding 60,000 people in the most affected districts since early March, as a short-term response to the situation.

The second press release says that a general debate on national population matters began this morning, the second day of the week-long thirty-fourth session of the Commission on Population and Development.  Discussions began yesterday with consideration of follow-up to the recommendations of the 1994 Cairo Conference and continue this afternoon with a panel discussion on population, environment and development.

The third press release says that World Health Day, which will be observed this Saturday, will be marked here at Headquarters with an event on Thursday on the theme “Mental Health -– Stop Exclusion:  Dare to Care”.  Gillian Sorensen, the Assistant Secretary-General for External Relations, and Fabrizio Bassani, Executive Director of the WHO’s New York Office, will give opening remarks.

**Budget

Two contributions today at the extreme ends of the spectrum -– Chad became paid in full for its regular budget dues [for this year] with a check for a little more than $10,000.  The United Kingdom also became paid in full with a check for  $57 million.

**Webcast of Noon Briefing

Finally, we have to give you some bad news.  We have been notified that this briefing will no longer be carried live on the Web site.  MediaOnDemand.com, the company which has been providing this service free of charge for the last three years, has informed the United Nations that they will no longer be able to do so.  Market conditions and a recent change of hands of MediaOnDemand’s parent company have led to the decision.  The United Nations does not have the in-house capability to provide this service at this time and is trying to find an alternate provider.

**Questions and Answers

Question:  You mentioned that children are dying unnecessarily in Jalalabad or in the camps, and the Pakistanis are responsible for that.  Could you please explain what you meant.

Spokesman:  We have been asking for access to the Jalozai camp to bring food and medicine in sufficient quantities to reduce the suffering there.  The Pakistani Government was looking to discourage refugees from continuing to come across the border from Afghanistan.  But, when the Secretary-General was in Pakistan, he talked to the Chief Executive, General Musharraf, about the need to allow the United Nations in, the Chief Executive gave the Secretary-General assurance that this would be done.  As you heard me report today, they are only allowing limited amounts in, not enough to make a significant difference in the lives of the people of that camp, which the UNHCR describes as unbearable.

Question:  Fred, on Iraq -– when did the oil monitors start issuing these notification forms?

Spokesman:  I think it was just in the last week, but we can get the exact date for you.  [He later said that the new policy was announced on 16 March, and the notification forms were first used on 1 April.]

Question:  King Abdallah of Jordan is coming to the United States next week.  Is he scheduled to meet the Secretary-General on the issue of the Palestinians and Israelis?

Spokesman:  I am not aware that anything has been scheduled here in New York.  The Secretary-General did see the King, as you know -- was it last week or the week before? -- at the Arab Summit in Amman.  I will have to check with you  whether the King intends to come here.  [He later announced that no meeting is now scheduled.]

Question:  I am opposed to all these cameras.  Can you state in this room what was squawked yesterday on the clarification regarding jurisdiction between the International Tribunal and the former Yugoslavia on the fate of any accused of war crimes, such as Mr. Milosevic.

Spokesman:  Can you just come to my Office after the briefing?  I mean, the wording has to be precise.  I squawked the precise wording yesterday.  I don’t have the text with me here, but essentially the Tribunal has primacy.  If the Tribunal asks that a case be referred to it, then the national government has the obligation to extradite the person charged to the Tribunal for trial.  That’s it, in a nutshell, but again, get back to me after the briefing for precise wording.

Question:  Did you say what extra countries the Secretary-General was going to after where he is headed now?  When is he going to be back in the Building?

Spokesman:  We have nothing to announce on that today.  [His party] travelled through Amsterdam on their way to Switzerland and Africa.  He’s returning to Amsterdam for the same purpose.  His return will be delayed by one day and we won’t tell you why that is right now.

Question:  Is the Secretary-General attempting to play any role in resolving the situation regarding the US spy plane in China?

Spokesman:  I’m not aware that either Government has asked for his assistance.

Question:  Since you had two separate attacks on humanitarian workers today, did the question of staff security come up at all in Nairobi when the Secretary-General was meeting with his heads of agencies, and what can you tell us about that?

Spokesman:  I don’t have a read-out, but it was on the agenda.  The General Assembly, you know, recommended that the agencies’ funds and programmes share in the additional costs of what the Secretary-General was proposing.  I think it would have cost a total of something like $53 million.  That was on their agenda. I will try to get a read-out for you.  [He later announced that the item was not formally on their agenda, but it could have been discussed in the margins.]

Question:  Why do you have extra cameras in here?

Spokesman:  The idea is that you want shots of people asking questions, as well as shots of me.  With one camera, when the camera pans to you to give you a little bit of the variety that you want, those that want the camera on me scream. So, we now have camera on me full time, and camera on you full time.  That gives you, as broadcaster, maximum flexibility in taking whatever pictures you want.  I think that’s a good thing, is it not?  Richard, why are you uncomfortable back here?

Correspondent:  It’s not two lines going out.  The public is not looking at the press full time.  It’s selected shots to enhance the visual coverage of the news.  You are still the focus.

Spokesman:  But it’s a good thing, right?

Correspondent:  Yes.

Spokesman:  Thank you very much.  We’re always trying to please. 

Question:  Just an in-house matter as it approaches, maybe a background briefing on the AIDS conference, maybe one or two in terms of who is coming, the latest, the background, the panels, and so forth. 

Spokesman:  Very good.  Thank you.

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