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, and Susan Markham, Spokesperson for the President of the General Assembly.

Spokesman for the Secretary-General

**Secretary-General Meets Middle East Envoy

The Secretary-General met at his residence this morning with his Middle East envoy, Terje Roed-Larsen, who briefed him on the latest developments in the region, including the call over the weekend for a ceasefire by the President of the Palestinian Authority, Yasser Arafat.  This came in the wake of a similar order of restraint to Israeli forces issued on 22 May by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

On entering the building this morning, the Secretary-General told Egyptian Television, "I think the developments in the region over the weekend were very positive."  The Secretary-General had extensive telephone contact with Middle East leaders and others on the subject of the Arab-Israeli developments over the weekend.  A transcript of his exchange with reporters this morning is available in my office.

**Statement Attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

We have the following statement attributable to the Spokesman on the subject of Myanmar:

"Mr. Razali Ismail, the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Myanmar, visited Yangon from 1 to 4 June 2001 to help facilitate progress in the talks between the Government and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the General Secretary of the National League for Democracy, for democratization and national reconciliation in Myanmar.  During his visit, Mr. Razali had important discussions with Lieutenant-General Kuin Nyunt, Secretary of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), and other Government officials.  He also had discussions with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi at the latter’s residence.

“The Secretary-General hopes that the visit of his Special Envoy, and the discussions he had during his stay in Yangon will contribute toward progress in the talks.  He considers the timely visits of his Special Envoy to Myanmar as an important function in discharging his good offices mandate given by the General Assembly.”

**Security Council

The Security Council is holding informal consultations this morning to review its programme of work for June.  Ambassador Anwarul Chowdhury, President of

the Security Council for this month, will come here at the end of this briefing at 12:30 to tell you about their plans for the month of June.

**Iraq

According to the United Nations oil monitors in Iraq, Iraqi oil authorities have announced suspension of oil exports.  We can confirm that loadings at Ceyhan, Turkey, have stopped, and the loading of two vessels is continuing at Mina al-Bakr. These vessels had begun loading operations before the halt came into effect.

**AIDS

In a statement issued today, commemorating the 20th anniversary of the first clinical evidence of AIDS, the Secretary-General says that “global progress in facing up to the epidemic has been unconscionably slow,” but that now “for much of the international community, the magnitude of the crisis is finally beginning to sink in. 

“We must now build on this to galvanize global awareness and build a response that matches the challenge,” he said.  The Secretary-General also reminds us that in three weeks, the Special Session of the General Assembly on HIV/AIDS will be held here at United Nations Headquarters.  “That session”, he says, “will be a test for all of us who call ourselves the international community.”  The twentieth anniversary is tomorrow, 5 June. The full text of the statement is available in my Office.

**Cyprus Report

Out on the racks today is the Secretary-General’s report on the United Nations operation in Cyprus, including the United Nations Peacekeeping force on the island for the period 28 November 2000 to 29 May 2001.  In the report the Secretary-General says that the military situation along the ceasefire lines remains calm but he does highlight a number of small incidents, some potentially serious, caused by both the National Guard and the Turkish forces.

The Secretary-General recommends to the Council that the United Nations Force’s mandate be extended until 15 December 2001.  The Secretary-General also reports on the activities of his Special Adviser for Cyprus, Alvaro de Soto, who traveled to the island in January of this year for meetings with both Rauf Denktash and Glafcos Clerides.

During the meeting with De Soto, the Secretary-General reports, Mr. Denktash asked that no date for the proximity talks be set.  Despite the fact that proximity talks have not taken place during the reporting period, De Soto has continued to hold consultations on the Secretary-General’s behalf and is proceeding with preparations and consultations so “as to be of assistance to the parties at the appropriate time.”  Consultations in the Security Council on this report are scheduled one week from today.

**Kosovo   

The United Nations mission in Kosovo today announced that a weapons amnesty programme ended at midnight last night.  From now on, anyone caught with an unauthorized weapon will be fined or imprisoned.  In a move aimed at extremists or criminals fueling instability in and outside Kosovo, the United Nations mission also said that a new regulation designating 19 legal crossing points from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Albania, Serbia and Montenegro went into effect today.  Anyone crossing at other locales will be subject to a fine or a jail term.

The Kosovo Force (KFOR) meanwhile announced that it would redeploy some of its units to focus on further securing the border with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

**East Timor

From East Timor, we have word that over 90 constitutional commissioners, advisers and rapporteurs were deployed today throughout the Territory.  They are organized in commissions which will organize public hearings in each of the

65 sub-districts of East Timor.  Their task is to inform the East Timorese about the constitutional process and gather their views and perspectives as to what should be included in the future constitution.

The public hearings are expected to begin on June 18 and end on July 14.  Elections for the Constituent Assembly, as we announced earlier, are expected to take place on 30 August.

**Sierra Leone

The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Sierra Leone, Oluyemi Adeniji, traveled to Kailahoun today where the rebel Revolutionary United Front today handed over another 150 former child combatants to the United Nations mission.  We are expecting a press release shortly with more details on that handover.

**Press Releases

In a press release today, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says that cities in developing countries face increased malnutrition and health risks if there is no improvement in access to an adequate and safe food supply.  In conjunction with the Special Session on the follow-up to Habitat II, the FAO will hold a seminar on this topic here on Wednesday.

**Signings

Three more countries have signed the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity.  They are:  Jamaica, Pakistan and Zimbabwe. The number of signatories to this Protocol is now 103.

**World Environment Day

World Environment Day will be observed at United Nations Headquarters tomorrow.  Among other events held in conjunction with the Day is a new Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, which will be launched at an 11:00 a.m. press conference here in 226.  The Secretary-General himself will present the report.  He won't take any of your questions, however.

**Guest at Noon Tomorrow

After a long absence, we are happy to bring back Jean-Marie Guehenno, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, who will be joining us at noon tomorrow, to preview the Secretary-General’s report on the follow-up to the Brahimi report on United Nations peace operations.  He has also made a number of field visits since he last spoke to you, and he will take questions on any subject you wish to ask him about.

**Press Conferences

A press conference at 1 p.m. today:  Anna Tibaijuka, Executive Director of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), will be here to launch two reports:  "The State of the World Cities -- 2001"; and "Cities in a Globalizing World".  She will be joined by Jay Moor and Iouri Moisseev, contributors to the reports.

And finally, a press conference at 1.30 p.m. tomorrow.  Mayors and local authorities from all over the world will be holding a press conference to mark Local Government Day.  It will be a big press conference.

Any questions before we go to Sue?

**Questions and Answers

Question:  Is the Secretary-General considering any response to the violence in Central African Republic?

Answer:  He has been following this situation very closely.  He has spoken to President Ange-Félix Patassé by telephone over the weekend, and he obviously is hoping that constitutional order there can be respected; that last week's mutiny there can be brought under control, and order restored with a minimum of suffering to the civilian population.  That is all he is doing right now, following the encouraging news in the country.

Question:  This may be addressed to Sue, since she has answered previous questions on this subject.  The City Hall informed me last Thursday that Mayor Giuliani could not attend the affair tomorrow, because of a scheduling conflict.  However, they also said that the invitation had only been received on 18 May.  Since things had been planned for so long, why was the invitation issued so late?

Answer:  I do not know, is the answer, but I can find out after the briefing.  I am not sure from whom the invitations came.  I don’t think it was from HABITAT.

Question:  What is the sense at the United Nations regarding the Iraqi oil move?

Answer:  I think from the Secretariat point of view, we are just watching to see how the situation will develop.  The Secretary-General, when he came in this morning, was asked for his reaction to the Iraqi shut-off of oil exports.  "What, if anything, can you do to get it flowing again?" the journalist asked.  The Secretary-General said, "Frankly, I do not think I can do anything."  He said it was necessary to wait and see if the Security Council finished its deliberations to determine what the outline of the new programme for Iraq would be.  He also added that of course, Iraq was a sovereign State, and if it decided to turn off the oil, "we might be able to bring some pressure on them to change their position, but whether they would change or not, only time would tell."  So I think, everyone is waiting to see the impact on markets and waiting to see the impact on the political situation as the Council resumes its consultations on revisions to the oil-for-food programme.

Question:  Was anything decided during the Secretary-General's meeting with Secretary of State Powell on Friday?  Any major topics discussed?

Answer:  Nothing to add to what we already said.  The Middle East and Iraq were at the top of that tête-à-tête meeting, according to what the Secretary-General told the journalists waiting for him outside the State Department, but he said they had also discussed Secretary Powell's recent visit to Africa.  The Middle East and Iraq, I think, were the main focus.

Question:  Just briefly on Myanmar:  can you give us some idea what the discussions between the Envoy and Government officials are moving towards?

Answer:  No.  I can't be any more specific than the statement, which was drafted with Mr. Razali.  He said that they are trying to move towards democratization and national reconciliation in Myanmar.  That is the broad objective of the exercise, but I have nothing more specific than that.

Spokesperson for the President of the General Assembly

**Nepal

The President of the General Assembly was shocked to learn of the deaths of the King and Queen of Nepal and other members of the royal family.  He extends his deep condolences to the people and Government of Nepal in the aftermath of this tragedy. 

**HIV/AIDS

The informal consultations on the draft declaration of commitment on HIV/AIDS ended on Saturday morning with an agreement on a large portion of the document.  Still remaining to be agreed upon are some paragraphs on human rights and vulnerable groups.  We expect a new copy of the text to be available on Wednesday.

**Habitat

On Habitat, informal consultations began this morning concerning the remaining bracketed paragraphs -- of which there are very few -- in the draft declaration on cities and other human settlements in the new millennium, which is the expected outcome document for the special session of the General Assembly on Habitat. 

As you know, the special session starts on Wednesday at 9 a.m.  Today, the Habitat Secretariat will issue two reports in relation to the special session.  As Fred mentioned, they will be launched at a press conference to be held at 1 p.m. in this room.  Both books show that cities are becoming increasingly polarized between the rich and the poor and that in a sense, we are living in “Tale of Two Cities”. 

Also this morning, we have a new provisional list of speakers for the debate in the plenary.

Today, there are a number of non-governmental organization events, which you will see in the schedule.  If you do not have a copy, we can give it to you.  This is also in relation to Habitat.  Tomorrow, there are a number of events concerning local authorities.  Fred has already mentioned a press conference by mayors, and we can give you an updated list of participants.  Sixty-two mayors are expected to come.  The event will happen at 5.30 p.m., but the press conference will be at 1.30 tomorrow.  The details on all the events are in the information note for delegations, and we can give you copies of that, if you wish. 

The special session will last three days -- Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  Each day, we will hold a briefing at 1 p.m. in this room, with key players from the special session of that day.  So tune in at that time Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. 

This is all I have.  Thank you.

Question:  What are the prospects of reaching agreement on the important parts of the text on HIV/AIDS (on human rights and vulnerable groups) in the three weeks remaining before the special session on that subject?

Answer:  I am very optimistic that they will, indeed, reach agreement.  As you know, this whole process of preparing for the special session has been very fast.  The General Assembly did not agree until late last year even to hold the special session, and there has not been a lot of time for the delegations to negotiate texts.  For the last two weeks, they have been talking very intensely.  The President of the General Assembly is meeting with the co-facilitator, Ambassador Penny A. Wensley of Australia, this afternoon.  Unfortunately, the other co-facilitator, Ambassador Ibra Deguène Ka of Senegal, is away until next week.  I assume there will be another round of negotiations.  I think they just ran out of time, basically, and we expect agreement to be reached before the special session.

* *** *