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.

Good afternoon.  Thank you for coming.  We have a short briefing today, I suppose beginning the summer season.

**Statement on Middle East

I am starting with a statement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General, on the Middle East:

"The Secretary-General urges the parties in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to exercise maximum restraint so that a total collapse of the ceasefire can be prevented.  He renews his call to take concrete steps towards implementation of the Mitchell Report and urges both sides to work with third parties in doing so. 

“As to the most recent incidents along the Blue Line in Lebanon and the Israeli attack against Syrian targets, the Secretary-General reiterates his urgent appeal that all violations of the line must be stopped forthwith to avoid a potential escalation."

**Security Council

Here in New York, the Security Council met this morning in closed consultations to discuss the “oil-for-food” programme.  Consultations on this issue are expected to resume tomorrow morning.

Speaking after consultations this morning, the Council President for the month of July, Ambassador Yingfan Wang of China, said the atmosphere in the Council this morning had been positive and that he was “optimistic” that tomorrow’s discussions would yield a settlement on the roll-over issue.

Tomorrow, the Council will also meet in informal consultations to discuss its programme of work for the month of July.

**Disability Award

This morning, the Secretary-General presented the Franklin Delano Roosevelt International Disability Award to the Kingdom of Thailand.  Accepting the Award on behalf of Thailand was Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.  In addressing the gathering, the Secretary-General said the Award brought much-needed attention to the rights and aspirations of an estimated 600,000,000 people with disabilities. “We need to build a truly accessible society, which enables persons with disabilities to share the new opportunities created by globalization and the new information technologies”, he said.

Thailand was selected as this year’s winner for the progress made towards fulfilment of the United Nations World Programme of Action Concerning Disabled Persons.

**East Timor

The results of the civil registration in East Timor, which was concluded on 23 June, put the final number of the population at 737,811, or 93 per cent of the estimated figure.

The final report shows that about half of the population lives in four of East Timor’s 13 districts.  Fifty-four per cent of the population is below the age of 20, while only 2.4 per cent is over the age of 65.

Five hundred international and East Timorese staff worked in 350 registration sites since, I believe, 16 March.  The Government of Germany provided most of the resources required for this exercise.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Sergio Vieira de Mello, said that the registration “provided the Timorese people with an identity, which in many instances had been lost.  The data collected is also important for economic and social planning”, he added.

The Independent Electoral Commission will prepare the electoral rolls for the 30 August Constituent Assembly elections based on this data.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Secretary-General, Louise Fréchette, arrived in East Timor this morning.  She'll be there for four days and her visit aims at reviewing preparations for the upcoming elections.  Today, while in Dili, the Timorese capital, she inaugurated a Political Parties Resource Centre.  The Centre, which is sponsored by the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), will support the 16 political parties and seven independent candidates in their campaign for the 30 August elections.  This support includes ground and air transportation, photocopying, computers, telephones, Internet access, and access to UNTAET's radio, TV and monthly bulletin.

 The Deputy Secretary-General today also met with East Timor Transitional Administration Cabinet members and was briefed by members of the Independent Electoral Commission.  She is scheduled to travel to Baucau and Aileu tomorrow.

**Economic and Social Council

The 2001 substantive session of the Economic and Social Council began today in Geneva with the adoption of the agenda for the four-week meeting.  The meeting will begin with discussions on activities to promote development.

The theme for this year’s high-level segment, which takes place between

16 and 18 July, is “Role of the United Nations system in supporting the efforts of African countries to achieve sustainable development”.

The high-level segment will be attended by ministers or heads of delegation from the 54 member countries and observer countries, and heads of the main United Nations funds, programmes and specialized agencies.

More details are in a press release from Geneva.

**Hague Tribunal

Tomorrow at The Hague, Slobodan Milosevic is scheduled to make his first appearance before the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. 

At 10 a.m. local time, he will be presented to the Tribunal's third chamber, presided over by Judge Richard May.

**UNIFIL

A soldier from the Indian Battalion in the United Nations Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was killed while taking part in target practice at a range in south Lebanon.  The name of the soldier has not been released until the family is informed.

**Press Releases

We have a few to bring to your attention.

As the Codex Alimentarius Commission began a week-long meeting in Geneva today, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) called on countries to apply international food safety and quality standards to protect health and trade in food.  Stressing that food safety problems in one country were a concern for all, Gro Harlem Brundtland, WHO Director General said, “In a globalized world, we all swim in a single microbial sea.”

The Codex Alimentarius, or the food code, is the global reference point for consumers, food producers and processors, national food control agencies and the international food trade.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says the seven North Koreans who had sought help at the UNHCR office in Beijing arrived in South Korea over the weekend.

The Office of the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan, in other news from the UNHCR, has issued a press release on the “Adopt-a-Minefield” campaign of the UN Association of the U.S.A, which it says has raised over $620,000 in funds to clear 22 sites in the war-torn country.

**Press Kit on Small Arms

And my last note for you today comes from the Department of Public Information (DPI), which has prepared a special kit for the United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, which will be held in New York from 9 through 20 July.  The kit contains comprehensive background information on the work of the United Nations in the area of small arms, as well as excerpts from relevant United Nations reports and documents.  It also includes a draft programme of action, which will be discussed at the Conference.

The press kit in English and French is available at the documents counter on the third floor and will be posted on the UN Web site under Disarmament.

On Thursday, 5 July -– right after the holidays -– following the regular noon briefing, Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs Jayantha Dhanapala will brief correspondents on the issues before the conference.

Are there any questions?  If there are none, I wish you a pleasant afternoon and I will see you tomorrow.

Thank you very much.

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