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 Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, and Jan Fischer, Spokesman for the President of the General Assembly.

**Secretary-General’s Report on Millennium Declaration

Good afternoon.

Out on the racks today is the Secretary-General’s report “Road map towards the implementation of the United Nations Millennium Declaration”.  The report looks at the goals and commitments of the Millennium Declaration and reviews the progress in implementing them by Member States, United Nations bodies, international organizations and civil society.

In the report, the Secretary-General says, “What is needed is not more technical or feasibility studies.  Rather, States need to demonstrate the political will to carry out commitments already given and to implement strategies already worked out.”

We’ve asked Michael Doyle, Special Advisor to the Secretary-General, to join us at the briefing here to tell you more about that report.

**Secretary-General’s Gift to Staff Committee Fund

This morning the Secretary-General presented a cheque for $25,000 to the United Nations Staff Relief Committee for the Victims of the Terrorist Attack on the City of New York, matching the contribution that the Staff Union made last week.

 The Staff Relief Committee has also been collecting contributions from individual staff members and to date has gathered an additional $37,000.  So the total as of now is over $87,000 and growing.

**Meetings with the Secretary-General

On the Secretary-General’s appointments for today you see that he is seeing Igor Ivanov.  That meeting should just about be wrapping up.  He is the Foreign Minister of Russia, of course.  We’re trying to get him to come to the stakeout to talk to you but we haven’t yet confirmed that.

In a few minutes, the Secretary-General will be seeing Joschka Fischer, the Foreign Minister of Germany.  He has agreed to come to the stakeout and we already squawked when that will be.  Then at 1:30, the Secretary-General is going to a service at St. Thomas Episcopal Church on 5^th Avenue with United Kingdom Prime Minister Tony Blair.  That service is for United Kingdom nationals killed in the World Trade Center catastrophe.  The Secretary-General and the Prime Minster are expected to meet privately after that service on the church grounds.

**Security Council

The Security Council is holding consultations this morning on Burundi. 

In what the Council President, Ambassador Jean-David Levitte, called a brainstorming session on the situation in that country, Council members heard three briefings from the Secretariat.

The first was by the Under Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Kieran Prendergast.  It was then the turn of the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for the Great Lakes, Berhanu Dinka.  And the third was by Jean-Marie Guehenno, the Under Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations.

This afternoon, Council members have scheduled a private meeting on Burundi with the participation of representatives of Nelson Mandela, the Facilitator of the Burundi Peace Process.  And those representatives are Judge Mark Bomani and Professor Nicholas Haysom.

Before that, but also this afternoon, starting at 3:00, the Council will hold a private meeting on Angola to hear a briefing by Fernando dos Santos, the Angolan Minister of the Interior.  The Council is expected to adopt a presidential statement on Angola in an open meeting, which will follow the private meeting.

The Council’s meeting on the Central African Republic, which was originally scheduled for this morning, will now happen tomorrow afternoon.

**Afghanistan -- Humanitarian

On the humanitarian front, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Ruud Lubbers, today urged States surrounding Afghanistan to keep their borders open so desperate people fleeing the strife-torn country can be protected. He also called for an international “humanitarian coalition” to help share the burden.  UNHCR appealed for $6 million in initial emergency funds, saying it is preparing for the immediate relief of an influx of 100,000, some of whom are already in Pakistan.

The World Food Program (WFP) says that the working conditions for its staff inside Afghanistan are becoming more difficult with continued lack of local transporters, especially in Kabul and Kandahar, to move food out of the city.  WFP said it has food stocks in Peshawar and Quetta, and they can be brought into the country very fast, once it has what it takes to ensure that people needing food aid receive it and that aid workers will be safe.

Today’s briefing notes from Islamabad contain more details from these agencies as well as a city-by-city description of the conditions inside the country by the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator’s Office.

**Afghanistan -- Sanctions

Out on the racks today is a letter from the Secretary-General to the President of the Security Council, in which he appoints a five-member group to be based in New York to monitor the implementation of sanctions on Afghanistan imposed by the Security Council.

According to Resolution 1363, the measures include arms embargoes, counter-terrorism and related legislation, and in view of the link to the purchase of arms and financing of terrorism, moneylaundering, financial transactions and drug trafficking.

The group of experts, according to that resolution, is to offer assistance to neighbouring states bordering Afghanistan to increase their capacity to implement the measure, and to assess, verify when possible, report and make recommendations regarding violations.

**Deputy Secretary-General

The Deputy Secretary-General, Louise Frechette, today addressed the General Assembly’s High-level Dialogue on Cooperation for Development.

She said that extreme poverty was identified as one of the most urgent challenges facing the world today.  Reducing poverty and alleviating the suffering of the world’s poor, she said, “will be rendered even more difficult by the current slowdown in economic growth.” 

She told delegates that “a primary objective of your dialogue must be to find ways of ensuring that this task is pursued with an even stronger sense of commitment.”

Earlier today, the Deputy Secretary-General addressed the Carnegie Council worldview breakfast.  She spoke about the “United Nations and the Global Fight against HIV/AIDS: myth and reality”.

She highlighted five myths and realities:

First, AIDS is an African problem.  Reality: It is a global problem.

So the myth is AIDS is an African problem. The reality is it is a global problem.

Second reality: Prevention can work in any culture.

Third myth: We have to choose between prevention and treatment.  No, she says, the reality is that the choice between prevention and treatment is a false one, for the two are inextricably linked.

The fourth myth: Fighting AIDS globally is too expensive.  The reality, she said, is: Doing nothing costs far more.

And, finally, the fifth myth: AIDS is a health problem.  She said the reality is: AIDS is a major economic and social problem for every sector of society.

Copies of both those speeches are available in my Office.

**Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty

We have been getting a lot of questions about the scheduling of the Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which had been scheduled to take place from the 25^th to the 27^th of September in New York.

I can now tell you that in light of the postponement of the General

Assembly’s General Debate, the majority of States which have ratified the CTBT, as it’s known, have sent a letter to the Secretary-General asking him to postpone this meeting.

It’s expected that the meeting will be held during the new dates set for the General Debate, once they’re fixed.

**East Timor

From East Timor, the new all-East Timorese Council of Ministers of the Second Transitional Government was sworn in before a large audience in Dili today.

The new Government was appointed three weeks after East Timor’s first democratic elections, in which the Fretilin Party won a majority of seats in the Constituent Assembly.  ItsSecretary-General, Mari Alkatiri, will lead the government as Chief Minister and Minister of Economy and Development.

The Cabinet was formed after extensive consultations. It has 10 members from Fretilin, three members from the Democratic Party, and 11 independents. Five of the 24 members of the Cabinet are women.

At today’s ceremony, Special Representative Sergio Vieira de Mello said that the members of the Cabinet were selected “not on the basis of party nomination, but on the basis of their individual competence.”  

For more details on the new East Timorese transitional government, pick up a copy of the briefing note from Dili available in my Office, which includes the list with the names and party affiliations of all Cabinet members.

**Guatemala

The United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala launches today in Guatemala City a report on the situation of indigenous peoples in that country.

In the report, which is titled “Overcoming discrimination in the framework of the peace agreements”, the Mission says that there has been little progress since the Peace Agreement on Human Rights was signed over seven years ago. Indigenous peoples continue to be the victims of racial, ethnic and cultural discrimination.

The report, which has several tables with social and economic data, analyzes the situation of indigenous populations in sectors such as health, education, justice and access to land and natural resources. 

The United Nations Mission calls on the Guatemalan Congress to work on legislation that will adapt the laws of the country to respect for its multi-ethnic reality.  It also recommends the establishment in Guatemala of an office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights with a mandate, which should allow it to deal with issues related to the respect of indigenous rights.

The United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala was established in 1994 to verify the implementation of the peace accords signed in the 90s by the Government and the then rebel movement.

We have available in the Spokesman’s Office the full text, which is some 26 pages.  We also have a summary of the report, which is only eight pages.  Both are available in Spanish.

**Central African Republic

Out on the racks this morning is the Secretary-General’s report to the Security Council on the situation in the Central African Republic.

In July of this year, the Council had requested that the Secretary-General make recommendations as to how the UN might contribute to the economic recovery of that country and to the strengthening of the UN Peace-building office there.

In his report, the Secretary-General calls on the international community to show solidarity with a country which is still reeling from the effects of the mutinies of 1996-97 and the most recent coup attempt.  This solidarity should take the form of diversified assistance, in the short and medium terms, in the areas of human resources, training, economic assistance, security and institutional strengthening.

Concerning the Peace-building Office, the Secretary-General suggests a strengthening of its mandate in order to enhance its activities and increase its visibility.  In the report, he suggests that the Office focus its work on, among other things, bringing about political dialogue, monitoring the security situation and ensuring the promotion and respect for human rights.

**Internally Displaced Persons

We have a press release from the United Nations in Geneva on the recent trip to the Sudan undertaken by the Representative of the Secretary-General for Internally Displaced Persons, Francis Deng.

**Torture

Also out on the racks is the report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Voluntary Fund for the Victims of Torture.

The report outlines the financial situation of the fund and also lists the contributors to the fund as well as the organizations which have received grants.

The fund now stands at $8 million, one million more than last year.

**New Mine Action Website

The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), which is the response of the United Nations system to the global landmine and unexploded ordnance problem, has launched a website.  It’s www.mineaction.org

The United Nations has been involved in humanitarian mine action activities since 1989, when a mine action programme was initiated in Afghanistan.

United Nations mine action includes five core components: mine clearance; mine awareness and risk reduction education; victim assistance; advocacy in support of a total ban on antipersonnel landmines; and stockpile destruction.

See the website if you’re interested.

**Budget

One contribution today. Gambia became the 117th Member State to pay in full for this year its regular dues -– that’s with payment of $10,000.

**New Peacekeeping Figures

We have the updated background note on peacekeeping operations available in my Office in English and in French.  You should be familiar with this handout.  It looks like this (holding up a copy).  Pick up a copy.

**Press Conferences

One press conference to announce -- 3:00 this afternoon.  I mentioned this one yesterday.  The International Peace Academy will present a book “Self-determination in East Timor, the United Nations, the Ballot and International Intervention”.  Among the speakers will be Ian Martin, the author of this book, who is currently the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Ethiopia and Eritrea, but was the former Special Representative in East Timor.

Any questions before we go to Jan and then to Michael.

**Questions and Answers

Question: Could you give any assessment of the meetings the Secretary-General is having with these foreign ministers who are visiting today –- what he wants, what they want from the United Nations and why they’re here?

Spokesman: I think you’ll have to ask them why they’re here and it’s too early for me to give you a read-out.  The meeting with Foreign Minister Ivanov was still going on when I first came down here.  We’ll see what we can get for you in the way of read-outs after the meeting.

Question: Is anything scheduled for the Security Council -– a meeting or some kind of consultation on those twelve conventions, resolutions yesterday the Secretary-General mentioned and the French President mentioned? What will happen with those papers?

Spokesman: Well, what the Secretary-General mentioned yesterday, I think, was the General Assembly debate.  That’s scheduled for early October, I think, unless it’s going to the Sixth Committee in early October.  Jan mentioned that yesterday.  But the Council members, I understand, are also asking themselves how they can advance the legal framework for dealing with terrorism.  I have nothing to add at this time.  You should stay in touch with Council members if you want to follow their thinking, but I have nothing to announce yet at this time.

Okay, Jan.

**Spokesman for the President of the General Assembly

Good afternoon.

The President of the General Assembly is presiding over the meeting on strengthening international economic cooperation through partnership. It began at 10 this morning, and in his opening remarks, the President said, among other things, that “under the overarching theme of globalization, two crucial sub-themes are on the table.  The first covers two issues of importance –- that is the integration of developing countries into the world economy and generating financial resources.”  He went on to explain that the second sub-theme was how to close the digital divide among and within countries.  There are more than 44 Member States on the speakers list.  I have the full text of his remarks upstairs.

The President will have a luncheon with the Vice-Presidents of the General Assembly, whereupon he will be back in the General Assembly Hall for the afternoon session.  At four, he is scheduled to meet with the Foreign Minster of the Russian Federation.

Yesterday, the General Assembly decided that the initial debate on the item “Measures to eliminate international terrorism” should be held in plenary as soon as possible.  After some consultations later in the day, it was decided to hold this meeting on the first of October.  I think there will be many speakers so you can probably expect the meeting to go over two to three days.  I should also specify that although the item will be debated in plenary, the technical aspects will be discussed in the Sixth Committee.

The General Assembly also considered the report of the General Committee and adopted an agenda containing 176 items.  As you know, the provisional agenda had 185 items and another three items were added, so we have a kind of a math problem here, but the explanation is that a number of these items were clustered –- that is, they were lumped together, which is why we ended up with 176 items.  That’s all I have.

**Questions and Answers

Question: Will there be a resolution after those three days of debate on terrorism?  What could be expected in the General Assembly?

Spokesman: Since it was only decided yesterday, I think it’s too early to guess.  I think the membership wants to have a chance to speak out on this issue in public.

Question: Fred, I’m sorry, this is really for you.  Will we have any direct contact with Austria tomorrow on their terrorism conference? That handout we received in your Office?

Spokesman for the Secretary-General: Why don’t you ask Manoel, my deputy, what arrangements we will make.  He follows Vienna for me.

Question: This October 1 plenary meeting.  Will it be the first major sort of global discussion of terrorism since the attacks?

Spokesman for the President: Well, there were a lot of comments to the events already during the opening day of the General Assembly, the day after the events.  Especially the Chairmen of the Regional Groups spoke out, but for all Member States to speak out individually within the United Nations forum, yes it will be the first chance.

Spokesman for the Secretary-General: There was a General Assembly resolution and a Security Council resolution adopted on the day after, on the 12^th.

Question: Within the General Assembly and the Sixth Committee, this is the chance for everybody to speak out.  And then the Sixth Committee will be going to try to further the effort for the umbrella convention to take in all the other 12 conventions?

Spokesman for the President: That’s correct.  As Fred mentioned, they will work on any kind of improvement to the legal framework, how we can best combat terrorism internationally.

Question: The Assembly will work on that?

Spokesman for the President: Well, the debate in the General Assembly will probably be the member nations saying what they would like to see happen.  And the Sixth Committee will then look at how they can make this happen.

Question: And then on the Security Council side, that’s like more targeted against sanctions, and to urge states to give up accused terrorists and so forth?

Spokesman for the Secretary-General: Moneylaundering.  All that can be strengthened in the way of international procedures to limit the scope of activity of terrorists –- where they get their funding, where they’re based, how they move around the world.  There’s much more that governments can do to cooperate to tighten these controls to limit the scope of activity of terrorists.

Lee, your question.  I don’t know if you were referring to the press conference that Pino Arlacchi has scheduled in Vienna.  We’re in touch with his office and we’ll see, but I don’t think there’s any live feed, so we’ll just have to follow it after the fact.

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