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 the noon briefing by Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

Good afternoon.

** Meeting with Bretton Woods Institutions

This morning, the Secretary-General addressed a meeting that brought together members of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations as well as high-level officials of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.  In a speech to the group, he noted that the meeting was taking place amid UN predictions of a slowdown in world economic growth.

The Secretary-General told the panelists:  "Wherever and however such problems arise, one result is the same: the poor always suffer disproportionately. I urge you to keep the needs and aspirations of the poor at the top of your agenda," he said.

He also noted that today's meeting occurs on the eve of the third session of the Preparatory Committee for next year's International Conference on Financing for Development in Mexico, and urged donor countries to increase their aid.

We have his speech available in my office.  There is also a note by the Secretary-General on the racks prepared for today's high-level meeting, which includes questions that the panellists may wish to consider in dealing with poverty eradication and the prevention of financial crises.

Immediately after the Secretary-General spoke, British Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, who chairs the IMF’s Monetary and Finance Committee, said he sensed growing support for a global health fund to deal with AIDS and other infectious diseases.  He added that he now expected pharmaceutical companies also to meet the challenge, by developing and making affordable vaccines to fight AIDS.

At 2:45 p.m. today, the President of ECOSOC, Martin Belinga-Eboutou of Cameroon, and four of the panelists at the talks, will hold a press briefing in this room.  The four panellists scheduled to appear are Nigerian Central Bank Governor, Chief J.O. Sanusi, Canadian Finance Minister, Paul Martin, IMF Deputy Managing Director, Eduardo Aninat, and Andrew Crockett, the General Manager of the Bank for International Settlements.

Statement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

The following statement, attributable to the Spokesman, is on the subject of the Middle East:

The Secretary-General had a meeting yesterday with the Foreign Minister of Israel, Mr. Shimon Peres, who informed him about serious attempts that are being made to achieve a cease-fire as well as measures that Israel is taking to relieve the pressure on the population in the Palestinian territories.

The Secretary-General feels that it would indeed be very encouraging if these measures are taken.  He welcomes any measures that have the effect of easing living conditions in the territories and facilitating movement and exchange between them and the outside world, as well as allowing easier access for humanitarian organizations.  He stresses, however, that it is the implementation of such measures that will be decisive.  His staff will be closely following developments on the ground.   

** Security Council

Today is the first day of the United States Presidency of the Security Council.

There are no scheduled meetings, as the Council president will be spending the day in bilateral consultations with other Council members.

On Wednesday, the Council will meet in closed consultations to discuss its programme of work for the month of May and on Thursday they are expected to discuss the Secretary-General’s report on Liberia.

** Bosnia

Early this morning, in the central Bosnian town of Vitez, an explosive device went off near the local branch office of the Social Democratic Party, resulting in severe damage to the building, but causing no injuries.

The UN Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina condemned the attack, which targeted one of the non-nationalist political parties that currently hold power in Bosnia. Officers of the UN International Police Task Force have been present on the scene today and are monitoring the work of local police as they investigate the bombing.

** Federal Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Late yesterday evening, this office put out a statement expressing the Secretary-General's dismay at the attack over the weekend in which eight members of the security forces of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia were killed. He deplored the unprovoked act of violence and once again stressed the importance of continuing a dialogue among the political leaders in that country, to strengthen multi-ethnic relations and democratic norms as well as to restore stability.

We have copies of the full statement upstairs.

** Special Representative for Sierra Leone leaves for Abuja

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Ambassador Oluyemi Adeniji, is in Abuja, Nigeria, today to attend a meeting to review implementation of the Abuja Ceasefire Agreement for Sierra Leone.

Representatives of the Government of Sierra Leone, the rebel Revolutionary United Front and the UN mission in Sierra Leone, in the presence of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), will conduct an assessment of the implementation of the Abuja Agreement of 10 November, 2000.

We also have available the press briefing highlights from Freetown, which mentions plans to set up a human rights office in Kenema in eastern Sierra Leone to train, monitor and report on abuses, and raise public awareness, as well as to promote the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

** Oil for Food

For you “oilees”, if I see any here today.  According to the weekly update from the Office of the Iraq Programme, there were eleven loadings of Iraqi crude oil in the week of 21 to 27 April, an average of just over 2 million barrels a day.  So, a total of 14.6 million barrels of oil was exported during this period, that raised an estimated €354 million (euros) in revenue at current prices.

The foreseen revenue for the whole of the current phase IX that ends on

3 June, is now projected to be €6.4 billion or $5.8 billion.   

** East Timor

Today marks the start of a month-long effort in East Timor to train

169 women candidates to the Constituent Assembly in political participation, decision-making and the process of running for the August 30 elections.  The first batch of 35 women candidates began a three-day workshop today, with others to come later in the month.

The training programme follows the announcement by the Secretary-General's Special Representative for East Timor, Sergio Vieira de Mello, that women will be encouraged to participate in the upcoming elections.  Organizations all over East Timor have been asked to help identify women who may be interested in running in the 30 August ballot.

We have further details in today's briefing notes from Dili.

** Afghanistan

Today in Afghanistan, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Ruud Lubbers, is scheduled to meet with senior officials of the Taliban, including those dealing with foreign affairs and drug control, and that will take place in Kandahar.  He is also scheduled to travel to the capital, Kabul, this afternoon, before he goes tomorrow to Faisabad to meet with the leaders of the Northern Alliance.

He is carrying a message to both sides that the international community cannot be expected to continue delivering aid to Afghanistan each year while the parties go on fighting.  He is appealing to both sides to refrain, at least temporarily, from further hostilities so that aid agencies can step up their efforts in the country.

Yesterday, Lubbers arrived in the Afghan city of Herat, where he visited a camp where some 100,000 internally displaced people have sought aid.

We have more details from the UNHCR upstairs.

** Press Releases

One today, to flag for you.  The World Food Programme has made an urgent appeal for funding for the Osire refugee camp in Namibia.  Basic rations have been cut by about 20 per cent over the past four months.  The operation has received just 30 per cent of $1.2 million it requires to feed about 20,000 refugees from Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

We have that press release upstairs.

** Press Conferences

Starting tomorrow, at 11, Dr. Paulo Roberto Teixeira, Director General of the Brazilian programme for HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, will be in this room to talk to you about Brazil’s national strategies and programmes dealing with HIV/AIDS.  

Then at noon, the guest at my briefing will be Carolyn McAskie, the UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, and she’ll be here to talk about her recent mission to Sierra Leone.

Further announcements here.  The United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances will meet at the United Nations from 30 April to 4 May -– that’s all week.  The United Nations Working Group was established in 1980 as the first of the thematic extra-conventional mechanisms created by the Commission on Human Rights.

So, if you want more information, contact DPI -- the Department of Public Information.

** Smoking Lounge

Finally, Richard, this is for you:  We have been informed that the Department of Management has identified an area in the basement for a smoking lounge to be built.  The plan is currently scheduled to be carried out in the first quarter of next year, as part of our effort to reduce smoking in the hallways.  And, here’s hoping the plan works.

** Questions and Answers:

Question:  How large is that lounge?

Spokesman:  I think, it will be at least 2 by 4.  If it is to handle all the remaining smokers in the building, it will have to be sizeable.  Any questions?

Question:  Will there be a meeting of the Council on the DRC this week?

Spokesman:  I don’t have anything on that.  If you check with me upstairs, we’ll look at the longer term plan for the Council, but all I have as of today was the meetings I mentioned to you.

Question:  Did the Secretary-General ever meet with that panel on the Congo on the matter of resources, to date?

Spokesman:  I don’t know whether he personally met with them.  I’ll have to check the record.  [He did not.  It is not his report, but the panel’s.]

Question:  Did the Secretary-General meet with the Foreign Minister of Uganda yesterday?  Is he planning to?

Spokesman:  The Secretary-General said, coming into the building yesterday, that he will be contacting the Ugandan Government.  His office did send a message yesterday -- to which we’ve not yet received a response -– asking about press reports that they intended to pull out of the peace agreement on the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Question:  Another story on East Timor.  There’s a story in a Sydney newspaper that a UN investigative team gathering evidence on responsibility for atrocities in East Timor was reported to be on the verge of collapse, so says the AFP.  Sources quoted by the Sydney Morning Herald said experienced investigators were resigning from the UN serious crimes unit as morale has been sapped by chronic shortage of resources and poor management.  Is the UN aware of this?

Spokesman:  I’m not aware of this, but we can check into it for you and see if we have a reaction.  [He later announced that in the Secretary-General’s last report to the Council, he noted that the serious crimes unit was suffering from a shortage of qualified personnel.]

Question:  Has a Secretary-General ever delivered a speech in Philadelphia? I’m just curious.

Spokesman:  I think that it has happened before.  We’ll have to check for you.  But you can check the website on travels by the Secretary-General.  But off-hand, I can’t think of a specific example.  But I’m sure it’s not the first one.

That’s it.  Okay, thanks very much.

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