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 Manoel de Almeida e Silva, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

**Secretary-General’s Trip to the Middle East

I am going to start with the Secretary-General’s mission to the Middle East.

He arrived in Beirut, Lebanon, this morning, coming from Amman, Jordan.  At the Beirut Airport he was met by Lebanese Foreign Minister Mahmoud Hammoud.  At the airport, he also had the opportunity to meet with some family members of

13 Lebanese prisoners detained in Israel.  They presented him with a paper asking for their family members' release, and he told them that he intended to raise the issue with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon when he visits Israel.

The Secretary-General said at the airport that he was glad a ceasefire was now in place between the Israelis and Palestinians.  However, he said, "A ceasefire will not last unless it is seen by both sides as being part of a broader political process.  I believe the Mitchell report recommendations offer a possible route back to such negotiations”, he added.  “But the opportunity”, he said, “may not last long.  We must seize it while it is there."  To achieve that, he added, "stability and calm are needed throughout the region".

Afterwards, the Secretary-General met with Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, with whom he discussed the situation in southern Lebanon and the need to respect the "blue line".  The President raised his concerns about Israeli overflights of the blue line.

The two also discussed the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the need for a just and comprehensive peace in the region, the need to remove mines from Lebanon and the plan for a donors' conference for Lebanon, for which the Secretary-General said he hoped a date would soon be set.

Asked by a reporter about the Shabaa Farms issue, the Secretary-General said that United Nations records place the farm in Syria, and added, "Israel knows that Shabaa Farms is not Israeli."  He appealed for all sides to respect the blue line as it has been drawn, and noted statistics comparing the number of deaths before and after the tracing of the blue line.  He said, "There has been considerable improvement, and I would want to keep it that way."

We have in our office as well as on our Web site –- in our office I know for sure, the Web site I’m not sure yet –- the transcripts of all of these press encounters the Secretary-General had in Lebanon.

This afternoon, he met with Nabih Berri, the speaker of the Lebanese Parliament.  He told the press after the meeting that they had discussed the situation in southern Lebanon, the need to stop violations of the blue line, the demining process and the future of comprehensive peace talks.

He then met with Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri.  Following that meeting, both men spoke to the press.  The Prime Minister called the meeting fruitful and said they had discussed the Palestinian-Israeli question.

His last meeting today is with Foreign Minister Hammoud.  The Foreign Minister described the talks as useful, and the Secretary-General told the press, "Everyone I have spoken to believes we should bring a just and comprehensive peace to the region."

This evening, the Prime Minister will also have dinner with the Secretary-General.

Tomorrow, the Secretary-General will arrive in Ramallah, in the West Bank, where he is to meet with Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat.  Tomorrow evening, he is expected to have dinner in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.  The rest of his schedule for the weekend is still being finalized.

**The Secretary-General in the United Kingdom

Once he concludes his mission to the Middle East, the Secretary-General will fly to London.  He will be there on Monday, and on Tuesday he will go to Oxford. There he will deliver the Cyril Foster Lecture 2001 at Oxford University.  The Lecture will be on "why democracy is an international issue."

The Secretary-General will also participate in the University's Encaenia ceremony where he will receive an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Civil Law.

He will be back in London late in the afternoon on Wednesday.

Thursday morning, initiating his official visit to the United Kingdom, he will meet with Prime Minister Tony Blair.  That same morning he will meet with the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Donald McKinnon.

The Secretary-General will have a working luncheon hosted by Claire Short, Secretary for International Development, and in the afternoon he will meet with Geoffrey Hoon, Secretary of Defense.  On Thursday afternoon, the Secretary-General is also expected to meet with His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.

Early in the evening he will meet with Jack Straw, Secretary for Foreign Affairs.  That session will be followed by a working dinner hosted by Mr. Straw.

Early on Friday morning the Secretary-General will have a working breakfast with key business people.  Following that he will fly back to New York.

**Myanmar

I have now two statements attributable to the Spokesman. The first one is on Myanmar.

The Secretary-General welcomes the release of political detainees in Myanmar, including Saw Mra Aung, a senior member of the National League for Democracy (NLD), eight more members of parliament and four others, which took place on 13 and 14 June, shortly after the visit to the country of his Special Envoy, Mr. Razali Ismail.  He hopes to see further release of more political detainees in the near future.

The Secretary-General reiterates that there is no alternative to the on-going talks between the Government and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi (ASSK) to bring about the democratization and national reconciliation in Myanmar.  The Secretary-General urges the two sides to make further efforts to achieve tangible progress and calls on the international community to continue supporting the dialogue process in Myanmar.

**Afghanistan

The second statement, also attributable to the Spokesman, is on Afghanistan.

The Secretary-General is disturbed at alarming reports from Afghanistan of indiscriminate bombing, including attacks on the District Hospital and local aid agency facilities, and violence against civilians, during the take-over of Yakawlang by Taliban forces on 11 June.  Widespread burning of homes and other property has been reported.  Reports also state that a large number of civilians have been detained and removed from the area.  These reports are especially alarming in the context of past human rights abuses in the area by Taliban commanders.

The Secretary-General is dismayed at the persistent failure of the warring parties to abide by international humanitarian norms and to hold those responsible for gross violations of human rights accountable for their actions.  He urges the international community and human rights organizations to explore new approaches that would prevent further abuses and put an end to the climate of impunity.

Still on Afghanistan, I have a note here, informing that the Taliban has requested talks be extended with the United Nations on a World Food Programme(WFP) proposal to hire women to conduct a survey for keeping open the bakeries in Kabul.  The United Nations has agreed to continue talking, and the WFP representative for Afghanistan is in Kabul.

As you recall, the WFP had said it would be forced to close down the bakeries if the Taliban rejects its proposal.  The deadline had been set for today.

**Angola

I am just receiving a note here which I’ll read to you now.  In fact I was a little bit late for the briefing because of this.  We were waiting for confirmation.

Today at noon in Angola, two World Food Programme planes carrying 17 tons of maize bound for Kuito were flying 20 nautical miles from Kuito when the pilot saw an explosion in the air, which he identified as a missile.

One of the aircraft had WFP markings and the other did not; however, this flight has been occurring on a daily basis.  This is the second time in recent weeks that WFP has reported a shooting incident near their planes.  It is not confirmed yet who did this, or why.

The planes were forced to return to Catumbela, preventing them from completing the flight to Kuito, which WFP says only has six days of food left to feed an increasing number of internally displaced persons.  WFP has suspended all cargo flights until further investigation takes place on Monday.

**Security Council

Here in New York, Security Council members began their work today with a short meeting in closed consultations during which the Security Council President, Ambassador Anwarul Chowdhury of Bangladesh, briefed them on the latest developments concerning the Secretary-General’s current visit to the Middle East.

The consultations were followed by two formal meetings.  During the first meeting, Council members unanimously adopted as a presidential text resolution 1354 which renews by six months the mandate of the United Nations force in Cyprus (UNFICYP).  During the second meeting, they unanimously adopted, as a presidential text, resolution 1355 which extends the mandate of the United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for one year.

The Council is now meeting in an open meeting on the situation in Bosnian and Herzegovina.  During the open session, Council members were briefed on the United Nations operation in that country by the Secretary-General Special Representative and head of the United Nations mission, Jacques Klein.

Klein told Council members that the situation on the ground, although it is complex and volatile, is a source more of optimism than pessimism.

Noting recent acts by ethnic partitionists, Klein said:  “The political crisis is not yet over, but for the ultra-nationalists, the writing is on the wall.”

The full text of Klein’s comments are available upstairs in our office.

Still on Council news:  All 15 members of the Security Council will be leaving tonight for a three-day mission to Kosovo and Belgrade.

The delegation, led by Ambassador Anwarul Chowdhury, will spend the weekend in Kosovo where they meet with United Nations officials in Kosovo, as well as with Kosovo Albanian and Serb leaders.  This will happen in Mitrovica and the largest detention center in Kosovo, the Dubrava prison.

On Monday, the mission will be in Belgrade to meet with Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica and other senior officials.

The Council will meet next Tuesday in consultations on this very mission.

**Kosovo

Meanwhile, the United Nations mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) today reported it has uncovered an attempt to smuggle a large quantity of weapons into Kosovo in one of the largest weapons seizures made by its police.

A truck carrying a load of timber was ordered to stop in the Pec region yesterday.  The driver immediately abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot.  Police seized the truck, which had entered Kosovo from Montenegro.  It had originated in Bosnia.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that ethnic Albanians continue to flee the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia for Kosovo and southern Serbia.  On Thursday, 2,600 people crossed into Kosovo and a few hundred more into southern Serbia.  Over the past week more than 28,000 people have fled.

We have in our office press releases on the Council mission and weapons seizure, as well as the UNHCR briefing note with details on the refugee outflow.

**Central African Republic

Moving to Africa:  The Secretary-General’s Special Envoy to the Central African Republic, General Amadou Toumani Touré, was scheduled today to hold a second meeting with President Ange-Félix Patassé.

Among the issues likely to be discussed are the reports of extra-judicial killings and human rights violation which are reportedly still going on in the aftermath of the coup attempt and which are targeting certain ethnic groups linked to the leader of the coup, General Andre Kolingba.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the lead agency dealing with the humanitarian side of the situation in the Central African Republic, received today in Bangui a plane load of supplies from Denmark.

The 40-ton shipment included high-protein biscuits, medicine and water purification supplies.

**United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR)

In a statement released this morning, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, welcomed the recent statement made by United States President George Bush that the death penalty should never be applied to anyone who is mentally retarded.

The High Commissioner said she had written to President W. Bush urging him, in light of his statement, to intervene in several cases where persons with mental disabilities are awaiting execution in the United States.

In her statement, Robinson added that she believed that President Bush’s statement could “mark a turning point -- not only with respect to the right to life itself but with respect to the other human rights of people with mental disabilities who are disproportionately represented in prisons throughout the world".

The full text of her statement is available in the Spokesman’s office.

**East Timor

Also available in the Spokesman’s office are the briefing notes from the United Nations Mission in East Timor, which tells among other things that more than 738,000 Timorese, or 91 per cent of East Timor’s population, have been registered by the United Nations Transitional Administration’s Civil Registration Unit as of yesterday.  About 99 percent of Dili’s population [Dili:  the capital city of East Timor] has been registered, although this figure probably includes some people who came into the capital from surrounding districts.

**Press Releases

On press releases, I’ll bring to your attention two of them.

The first one is a statement marking World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, by Klaus Toepfer, the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).  It says that desertification is essentially about people.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) adds that 100 countries and some 3.6 billion hectares are seriously affected by desertification.  One of the main causes of desertification is the increasing pressure on land from rapid population growth and poverty.  The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is observed on Sunday.

These press releases are available upstairs.

Also available upstairs is the transcript of the first of what the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea says will be regular media-briefings.  This will be happening in alternate weeks in Asmara, Eritrea, and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Also available, a fact sheet from the UNHCR on the first ever World Refugee Day, which takes place on 20 June, next Wednesday.  The Secretary-General, in a message marking the occasion, says, “It is our opportunity to recognize the extraordinary courage and contribution of refugees, past and present, who have persevered despite losing everything but hope.”

In New York, the World Refugee Day will be observed with a ceremony on Ellis Island on 20 June.

I have a briefing note here from United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), telling us that the Administrator, Mark Malloch Brown, was in Versailles, France, today, where he addressed the French-American Chamber of Commerce on the need for a new form of public-private partnership to deal with the AIDS crisis, among other challenges.

Copies of his speech are available upstairs.

**Peacekeeping Medal Parade

I am approaching the end of this briefing and I wish to bring to your attention that the first Peacekeeping Medal Parade in more than two years will take place this afternoon for all military and civilian police officers who have served at United Nations Headquarters for 90 consecutive days.

37 military officers and 13 civilian police officers from 34 countries are qualified to receive the medal.  However, of these 50, only 39 will be on parade.  The other 11 are currently travelling and will receive medals on their return to New York.

The medal, which has an all-blue ribbon, will be presented by Jean-Marie Guéhenno, the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping operations at 4 p.m. in the United Nations Plaza next to the Visitor’s Entrance.  The ceremony will be broadcast live on UN TV.

The names and nationalities of all officers are available in the Spokesman’s office.

Just to flag to you: we have available, as we have every Friday, the Week Ahead at the United Nations, listing activities here and in other duty stations.

As soon as we are done with this briefing and I’ve taken your questions, as we announced yesterday, we’ll have Danilo Turk, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs.  He will be here to brief you on the report of the Secretary-General on the prevention of armed conflict, which is expected to be released tomorrow.

The press conference will be on the record, but embargoed until 3:30 this afternoon.

Any questions before we move to Mr. Turk who already is here with us?

**Questions and Answers

Question:  The Secretary-General has asked Morocco to make a substantial transfer of power to the Saharan people.  A proposal has been made that doesn’t recognize the right of self-determination.  The proposal has been presented by James Baker [the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General to the Western Sahara] to Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Rio de Oro (POLISARIO), which has rejected it.  I would like to know if there is any reaction from the Secretary-General or his office.

Deputy Spokesman:  I would have to look into that.  I do not have on my list of today any information on that.  I’ll have to look into it and get back to you.

[After the briefing, the Spokesman confirmed that Mr. Baker did receive the proposal and that he had no comments at this time.  He added that Mr. Baker was expected to brief the Security Council on Western Sahara on 26 June.]

Question:  How long were the political prisoners just released in Myanmar held?  Are these recent prisoners or were they prisoners of many years ago?

Deputy Spokesman:  I don’t have this information on my note.  I will check with Political Affairs. 

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