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 Marie Okabe, Associate Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

Good afternoon.

**Secretary-General in Washington

The Secretary-General is in Washington, D.C.  Just a short while ago, he addressed the annual conference of the National Urban League.  He spoke about what he described as the most critical challenges facing the United Nations in the battle for human dignity, which included the future of Africa, the fight against AIDS and the upcoming racism conference in South Africa.

As the Preparatory Committee of the World Conference on Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance began in Geneva today, the Secretary-General said that the months leading up to the conference have opened up deep fissures on a number of sensitive issues, such as the legacy of slavery and colonialism, and the situation in the Middle East.

Saying that there was an acute need for common ground, the Secretary-General added, “We need a conference and a declaration that will look unflinchingly at every society in the world, and at those flaws which exacerbate rather than eliminate conflicts rooted in race and ethnicity.  We need to acknowledge the tragedies of the past, but not become captive to them.  We need a Declaration that all people can recognize as their own –- one that inspires all peoples, not just governments, to do their part, to understand the past and build a better future.”

The Secretary-General was interrupted by applause nine times during the delivery of the statement.  He is expected to be back in New York this afternoon.

**UNHCHR

Today in Geneva, High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson opened the third meeting of the preparatory committee, which we just mentioned to you.  She urged delegates to ask themselves one question over the two-week meetings that began today:  "Is the position I am taking likely to lead to a successful outcome in Durban?"  She also urged all sides to show flexibility and a sense of realism in tackling the issues they face.

In particular, she noted that the United Nations resolution that had equated Zionism with racism was repealed a decade ago.  She added, "I believe that it is inappropriate to reopen this issue in any form here, and that anyone who seeks to do so is putting the success of the Durban Conference at risk."  However, she said that she was aware of the suffering of the Palestinian people, and voiced dismay at the daily toll of deaths and injuries.

We have copies of her opening remarks in the Spokesman's Office, as well as the remarks she gave today to mark the opening of the fifty-third session of the Subcommission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights which is also under way in Geneva.

**Appointment

The Secretary-General today appointed Crispus Kiyonga of Uganda to the position of Chair of the Transitional Working Group for the Establishment of the Global AIDS and Health Fund.  Dr. Kiyonga is currently Acting National Political Adviser and Minister without Portfolio in Uganda's national cabinet.  He served until last week as that country's Minister for Health and previously as Minister for Finance.

The Transitional Working Group will work between now and December this year to establish the Fund.  Interim arrangements for the Fund were agreed at a meeting in Brussels on 12 and 13 July, attended by representatives of the Secretary-General, developing and developed nations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and the private sector.

The Fund was also discussed at the General Assembly special session on HIV/AIDS at the end of June and at the recent Group of Eight (G-8) Industrialized Countries Summit in Genoa, Italy.  As you know, approximately $1.4 billion has already been pledged to the Fund. 

Dr. Kiyonga is well known both regionally and internationally as a champion of efforts against HIV/AIDS as well as malaria and tuberculosis.  Uganda has an outstanding record of success in achieving a substantial reduction in the rate of HIV infection from the high levels it reached in the 1980s.  Dr. Kiyonga is a medical doctor specializing in obstetrics and gynecology as well as public health. 

His experience as an advocate for international development assistance, strengthening of the health sector, and financial reform, will be a particular asset for his management of the Transitional Working Group for the Fund.  The position of Chair of the Group will be crucial in bringing together the widest range of stakeholders in support of the Fund.  

**Security Council

Today at the Security Council's formal meeting on East Timor, the Secretary-General's Special Representative and Transitional Administrator, Sergio Vieira de Mello, said that the end goal of independence for East Timor is now in sight, but more work needs to be done to achieve that goal.

In particular, he highlighted four major objectives:  to consolidate a secure and stable environment; to steer East Timor through successful, peaceful elections; to set the basis for managing public finances and making policy; and to establish the framework for an effective government administration.

He noted the preparations under way for the August 30 elections, and the planning, outlined in the Secretary-General's recent report on East Timor, to scale down the United Nations military presence in the near future, if stable conditions continue.  By October, Mr. Vieira de Mello said, the Mission will present plans for a smaller mission, which he said should be funded from assessed contributions.

Mr. Vieira de Mello concluded his speech, which we have upstairs, by inviting members of the Council to visit East Timor again, and adding that the United Nations "must remain fully engaged in those early difficult days after the Organization's flag comes down."

East Timor's Cabinet Member for Foreign Affairs, José Ramos Horta, also spoke to the Council, which is continuing its open debate on the subject.  The Council will also issue a Presidential statement on East Timor at the end of its meeting.

After that meeting, the Council will hold another formal meeting, to vote on a resolution to create a monitoring mechanism for sanctions placed on Afghanistan.

Earlier this morning, the Security Council held consultations to consider draft resolutions to extend the UN Observer Mission in Georgia and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon by six months each, until the end of next January.  It will vote on those two resolutions tomorrow.

**East Timor

In other East Timor news, the Force Commander of the United Nations peacekeepers there, Lieutenant General Boonsrang Niumpradit, extended his condolences and expressed regret over the death of an Indonesian soldier on Saturday at the border separating East Timor and West Timor.

The Indonesian soldier, First Sergeant Lirman Hadimu, was killed when United Nations troops from the New Zealand contingent fired back after a shot was fired at them by an armed man dressed in civilian clothes.  The incident took place along the border, four kilometres southwest of Tilomar.  The Mission has launched an investigation into this incident.

**Kenya

A United Nations fact-finding mission has begun work in Kenya to determine the scale of the proliferation of small arms in that country, in an initial effort to respond to a request from the Government of Kenya for the Organization's assistance in dealing with the scourge of small arms.  The team, which is led by João Honwana, Chief of the United Nations Conventional Arms Branch, and also includes officials from the Department of Political Affairs and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), arrived in Nairobi yesterday and will be there through Friday.  The team will meet with Government and non-governmental officials, as well as officials from the region and the local diplomatic community.

**Press Releases

There are two press releases issued over the weekend from a pair of United Nations peacekeeping missions in Africa that may be of interest to you.  One is from the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) which reports that the ceasefire is holding there and that most of the forces have completed their redeployment as of the end of last week.

The other press release is from the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) which reports on a mission by the Force Commander to a couple of districts to witness the ongoing disarmament process and to investigate allegations of ceasefire violations.

Also on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, we have a press release from the World Health Organization on the work being done on sleeping sickness in that country.

**Signings

This afternoon, Israel and El Salvador will sign the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, bringing the number of signatories to 95.

**UNCA

Before turning to the briefing by Stephen Lewis, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, we have one reminder from the United Nations Correspondent's Association (UNCA).  The first of August is the deadline both for submissions for the UNCA prize for United Nations Coverage and for the UNCA Lurie Political Cartoon Awards.  The United Nations Coverage competition is open to all journalists worldwide in any media covering the United Nations and its agencies. 

Entries should be sent to:  UNCA c/o Ian Williams, 235 East 49^th Street, Room 1A, New York, NY 10017; and for the political cartoon competition there is a Web site –- www.LurieUNaward.com.  We can make all this information available to you upstairs if you need it later.

Do you have any questions for me?

**Questions and Answers

Question:  Do we have the latest word on the status of the report of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and when it may come out?

Deputy Spokesperson:  I have nothing more on that since last Friday.  So we will keep you informed.

Question:  There is story out of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in which the Cambodian Prime Minister, Hun Sen, says that he is going to go ahead with the trials of former Khmer Rouge members with or without United Nations support.  I wonder if there has been any recent communication on the Organization's review of that legislation?

Deputy Spokesperson:  I have not seen anything new on that either.

Question:  Do you have any update on the internal investigation for the UNIFIL videotape?

Deputy Spokesperson:  I think that is what your colleague just asked and I said we had nothing new and that we would keep you posted as soon as we had more information.

Question:  On the same theme, I just wanted to ask if the report is going to be made public when it is submitted or is there going to be a time lag?

Deputy Spokesperson:  We will give you details on that as soon as we have them available.  I think right now, what the Spokesman for the Secretary-General, Fred Eckhard, told you on Friday still stands.  We will keep you informed as soon as we have anything more on that.

Question:  Has the Secretary-General made any comment on the terrorism or whatever you want to call it that happened at the mosque yesterday?

Deputy Spokesperson:  We do have a reaction from the Secretary-General regarding the latest incidents in the Middle East and I will read it to you.

"The Secretary-General strongly deplores the latest violent incidents in the occupied Palestinian territory, including the death of six Palestinians who were killed by Israeli forces today in the area of the town of Jenin and the bombings in Jerusalem, as well as the reported Israeli helicopter attack against the Palestinian Police Headquarters in Gaza City.

“The Secretary-General urges all concerned to exercise maximum restraint so that the violence can be brought to an end.  Moreover, these most recent incidents again highlight the urgent need for the resumption of political talks between the parties.  In particular, the recommendations contained in the Mitchell Report must be implemented."

Question:  In the same vein, were there any comments on what happened at the Wailing Wall?

Deputy Spokesperson:  I think the statement covers all the incidents that took place over the weekend and this is why I read it to you.

If there is nothing more you need from me, I would now like to turn you over to Stephen Lewis, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on HIV/AIDS in Africa.

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