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 Arrives in South Africa

I'll start with the Secretary-General, who arrived in Durban at mid-morning today, after having concluded yesterday his official visit to Austria.  Early in the afternoon he was briefed by Mary Robinson, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Secretary-General of the World Conference Against Racism, which as you know, opens Friday in the South African city of Durban.

The Secretary-General is expected to address the Conference's non-governmental organization forum tomorrow.  Also tomorrow, he starts a series of bilateral meetings with heads of State and government and other senior officials who are at the Conference.

On Friday morning, he will open and address the World Conference.  We expect to have the Secretary-General's speech to the non-governmental organization conference later today and once we have it, we will make it available to you on the usual embargoed basis.

**World Conference Against Racism

This morning in Durban, the flags of the United Nations and South Africa were raised simultaneously in a ceremony marking the handover of the site of the World Conference to the United Nations.  Following the flag-raising ceremony, Mary Robinson and South African Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma planted a tree that will be a symbol to "remember the victims of racism".  The yellow wood tree, a protected species, is the national tree of South Africa and can live for 100 years.

**Security Council

Here in New York, the Security Council is meeting in closed consultations this morning. 

Council members received a briefing by Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Danilo Türk on the latest developments in Afghanistan in the military, political, humanitarian and human rights field.

Türk also touched upon the suggestion contained in the Secretary-General's recent report on Afghanistan that the Council might wish to consider adopting a comprehensive approach to the settlement of the situation in that country.

Council members are expected to discuss this comprehensive approach following Türk's presentation.

Afterwards, under other matters, the representatives of Bangladesh, Colombia and the United Kingdom are expected to report to other Council members on a recent meeting of the open-ended working group on Security Council reform.

Following the end of today's consultations, the Council President, Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso of Colombia, is expected to make a statement to the press.

**East Timor

Today in East Timor, one day before the country's first democratic elections, the Secretary-General's Special Representative, Sergio Vieira de Mello, visited districts throughout the country to encourage people to exercise their right to vote for the party of their choice and to respect the outcome of the process.

Voting will begin tomorrow at 248 polling centres at 7:00 a.m. and will go on until 4:00 p.m.  Once the voting booths close, ballot boxes will be sealed and taken to secure storage sites.  Counting will be on 31 August and results are expected to be announced between 3 and 6 September.

Already 500 international observers have been accredited.  They will be working with the more than 1,000 national observers.  There are also more than 280 United Nations Volunteers participating in this exercise.

Approximately 425,000 East Timorese are eligible to vote in this election, which will elect an 88-member Constituent Assembly that will have 90 days to write and adopt a Constitution for an independent and democratic East Timor.

For more information on the voting and on other developments in East Timor, please pick up the briefing note from the United Nations Mission there that we have in our office.

**Colombia

As we mentioned yesterday, the Secretary-General's Special Adviser for Colombia, Jan Egeland, is scheduled to speak to the press in Bogota in about one hour.

Egeland is expected to appeal to all sides in the ongoing conflict to end the growing abuses against the civilian population and to make a renewed effort to negotiate in order to avoid an all-out war.

We will have copies of the opening statement available in our office -- I mean the statement by Egeland in that press conference -- we'll have it for you as soon as he delivers it.

**Cyprus

The Secretary-General's Special Adviser for Cyprus, Alvaro de Soto, arrived on the island today.

He will begin his consultations with a courtesy call to meet with His Excellency Glafcos Clerides this evening.

On Friday, he will see His Excellency Rauf Denktash.

De Soto will hold a press conference prior to leaving Cyprus on

5 September.

**Press Release

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) today announced in a press release that almost 3,500 former child soldiers have been returned to their communities in Sudan.  Over the last five months, UNICEF has been overseeing a transition period during which the children received various types of training.  UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy said these children "were among the lucky ones" and hoped they would get the fresh start they deserved.

The press release with more information is available upstairs.

**Budget

On budgets, today Panama became the 104^th country to pay its

2001 regular budget assessment in full, with a payment of more than $186,000.

And finally, there are no press conferences scheduled for today or tomorrow, continuing our end-of-August summer pattern.

Any questions before you go to your lunches?

**Questions and Answers

Question:  What is meant and what is not meant by a "comprehensive approach" on the Afghanistan track?  Is it a shift from the focus on counter-terrorism?

Deputy Spokesman:  It's the idea of looking at all aspects of the problem in Afghanistan.  You have the sanctions, you have a political problem, you have a humanitarian problem, and you have human rights.  It's to look at all this, comprehensively.  As the word says, it's to look at all the different elements that are present in that situation.

Question:  Has the Security Council not been doing that up to now?

Deputy Spokesman:  I think the Council, well, the Secretary-General is suggesting that the Council look at it in that way. 

Question:  Does the United Nations have any comment on the refugee ship standoff off Christmas Island in Australia?

Deputy Spokesman:  You know that the United Nations system has one organization that is mandated to look after the protection of those who need refuge -- they are mandated to provide international protection -- and that is the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).  UNHCR today has said that they are concerned that among the group of persons rescued at sea, there may be refugees and asylum seekers.  UNHCR feels that these people should be accorded access to a thorough and careful examination of their claims in a fair and complete asylum procedure. 

UNHCR also acknowledges that the situation involves mixed questions of international law.  It's a complex situation.  UNHCR has been urging the Governments of Australia, Norway and Indonesia to enter into a dialogue to address the issue on a trilateral basis, as soon as possible, of course.   UNHCR remains ready and available to assist the three countries in their common humanitarian endeavour to find solutions to the situation at hand.  So I guess that answers your question.

Question:  Do you have anything specific from Lubbers on this, or anyone at UNHCR?

Deputy Spokesman:  UNHCR's spokespeople have been speaking publicly about this today.  I don't think we have a written statement yet. 

Question:  On East Timor, Amnesty International has criticized, along with many non-governmental organizations in East Timor, the United Nations Missions' ability to deliver justice in East Timor in the Serious Crimes Unit, which oversees the prosecution of war crimes.  I was wondering if you had any response to the critique at all.

Deputy Spokesman:  First of all, I recommend that you take a look at -- it’s not the usual kind of thing we say here -- but today there's an op-ed piece by Sergio Vieira de Mello in the International Herald Tribune, which does not specifically address that, but does mention it. 

You have no recipe book to build a country from scratch.  There are difficulties -- there were more than we have now.  There are flaws -- undoubtedly -- but certainly a lot is going on already and the special panel is dealing with some cases.  Is it as fast as everyone wanted?  Probably not.  But, as I said before, you're starting from zero, from nothing.  You are building a judicial system from absolutely nothing.  Do we believe that we will be picking up?  We certainly hope so. 

Question:  Do you have anything on the talks in Wyoming by James Baker and the POLISARIO (Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Rio de Oro)?  And are they going to end this evening on schedule?

Deputy Spokesman:  We don't have anything, Robert.  We are hoping to get some kind of statement, which could be today or tomorrow.  I know yesterday that we said it would be today, but the word we have today is that it could be today or tomorrow. 

Serge?

Question:  Yesterday, I raised the question of the blocking of the Cuban Mission's bank account.  Apparently, according to a letter I read today, despite the assurance given by the United States Mission, the question is still pending.  At which point does the Legal Department become involved in these questions?

Deputy Spokesman:  Serge, I'm very sorry.  I'm not aware of the issue that you raised yesterday.  I apologize for that.  I will have to look into it and come back to you.

Question:  Just a couple of things on the ship.  I wondered about reports that the Foreign Minister of the Taliban had sent a letter to the Secretary-General asking the United Nations to intervene.  Has that letter been received, and, if so, any action taken?

Deputy Spokesman:  As of this morning, I have not heard of this letter having arrived, but I can look into it.  [The Deputy Spokesman later announced that the Secretariat had not received a letter from the Taliban.]

That's all?  Thank you very much.  Have a nice afternoon after you have your good lunch.

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