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 very much for coming. 

**Security Council

The Security Council is meeting today in closed consultations to receive a briefing on Liberia from Assistant Secretary-General Danilo Turk and Deputy Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs Carolyn McAskie.  Danilo Turk, as you know, is Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs. 

In his briefing, Mr. Turk noted the positive outcome of the meeting which finished yesterday in Monrovia of the Foreign Ministers of the Mano River Union, during which the three countries -- Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea -- agreed, among other things, to take collective measures to curb the activities of armed groups operating in their subregion.

Ms. McAskie told Council members that an estimated 34,000 people have been internally displaced by recent fighting between Government and rebel forces in the north of the country, in particular in Lofa county.

Ms. McAskie also voiced her concern about the severe lack of funding that has been undermining the ability of United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations to provide basic assistance to the internally displaced persons and refugees in the West African subregion, particularly in Liberia.

Assistant Secretary-General Turk is also expected to brief the Council on last week's attack on a train in Angola by National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA)forces.  The latest casualty figures for that attack report 252 dead and 165 injured.

We expect the Council President will come to the stakeout area here on the second floor at the end of consultations and will be talking to you.

**Sierra Leone

Yesterday, in Sierra Leone's Moyamba District, combatants of the pro-Government Civilian Defence Force turned in a small number of weapons to United Nations peacekeepers in a symbolic disarmament ceremony in the village of Gandorhun, which was witnessed by the Secretary-General's Special Representative, Oluyemi Adeniji.  Adeniji destroyed an AK-47 rifle to initiate the disabling of weapons.

The United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) is also preparing for disarmament of Civilian Defence Force and Revolutionary United Front combatants in the districts of Kabala and Koinadugu, which is to begin on 20 August.

More information in a press release from the Mission, as well as a transcript of its last press briefing given earlier this week in Freetown.

**Kosovo

The briefing notes from another Mission -- from Kosovo -- include information on efforts to improve conditions at the Detention Centre in Mitrovica, where 16 Kosovo Serbs are on the second week of a hunger strike during which, among other things, they have demanded improvements in the quality of life there.

The jail has been refurbished over the past year to prevent escape, and it is also not designed for long-term incarceration and has few amenities.  However, the United Nations Mission's Judicial Affairs Department is looking into what improvements can be made, and the International Committee of the Red Cross is visiting the hunger strikers regularly.

We have details in today's briefing notes, which also provide information on the meeting yesterday between the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Kosovo, Hans Haekkerup, and Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Nebojsa Covic.

**East Timor

East Timor's Constitutional Commissioners today presented the Secretary-General's Special Representative, Sergio Vieira de Mello, with detailed reports describing the views of tens of thousands of East Timorese on what should be considered in drafting a future Constitution. 

Vieira de Mello praised the more than 38,000 people who had come to express their views at 200 public hearings held across East Timor.

The hearings also discussed what East Timor's political system, currency and flag should be, as well as topics ranging from punishments for crimes to education and foreign investment.  Vieira de Mello will present a final report on the Commissioners' findings to the Constituent Assembly that is to be elected on

30 August.

More details in the briefing notes from Dili.

**UNDP Goodwill Ambassador Ronaldo

And here a note on sports and poverty.  The Brazilian soccer star, Ronaldo, will make his return to competitive football this Sunday, 19 August, in his role as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in a match in Milan, Italy, that is to be dedicated to the fight against poverty.

Ronaldo and his InterMilan team will face Nigeria's champion soccer club, Enyimba, in part of the continuing effort to raise awareness and support for initiatives to combat poverty.  Proceeds will go to UNDP-selected projects in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Ronaldo, who has not played since injuring his knee in April 2000, says that this single event will bring together his two great motivations:  football and his responsibilities as a UNDP Goodwill Ambassador.

The UNDP issued a press release which is available in our office upstairs.

**UNAIDS/WHO Press Release

Also among the press releases today is one from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organization (WHO), noting the effectiveness of condoms in preventing sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. 

The UNAIDS and WHO stress that the consistent use of male latex condoms significantly reduces the risk of HIV infection, and that such condoms are impermeable to infectious agents contained in genital secretions, including the smallest viruses.

And finally, as I have been telling you for the last few days, no press conferences are scheduled for today or tomorrow.  This clearly shows that we are in August, a month when most people are on vacation.

Are there any questions?

**Questions and Answers

Question:  On that contaminated package that arrived yesterday and was sent off for testing, any results from that testing?  Do you know what was in there?

Deputy Spokesman:  No, we don't know yet.  I don't think these tests are that quick.  I think we need more time for that one.

Thank you very much.  Have a nice afternoon.

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