DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
| Press Briefing |
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.
Briefing by the Spokesman for the Secretary-General
Good afternoon. I am pleased to have as our guest today Kevin Kennedy, who is Chief of the Humanitarian Emergency Branch of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. You asked yesterday for an update on our humanitarian work in Afghanistan, and Kevin will be giving it to you in just a minute.
**Afghanistan-Humanitarian
On the humanitarian side, I'll just say that in Kabul today, four female Afghan staff of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees came to work today for the first time since the Taliban took control of the city in 1996. They had been barred from office by the Taliban, but until 1999 they had continued to work in the field; over the last two years, however, the Taliban had forbidden them to do any work at all, and we’re delighted that they are back on the job.
UNHCR also plans to re-establish its international presence throughout Afghanistan, with field offices to open in all five major cities: Kabul, Kandahar, Herat, Jalalabad and Mazar-i-Sharif.
The United Nations remains concerned about camps for potential asylum seekers located within Afghanistan’s borders, and is urging the Governments of Pakistan and Iran to allow those people into their territory if they are unable to return to their homes.
The Secretary-General’s Representative on Internally Displaced Persons, Francis Deng, and the United Nations Special Coordinator on Internal Displacement, Kofi Asomani, today called on Afghanistan’s warring parties to take all necessary steps to ensure immediate, safe and unhindered access by humanitarian organizations to displaced and vulnerable people. We have that statement upstairs.
Then in London today, Catherine Bertini, Executive Director of the World Food Programme, said that despite obstacles, WFP has succeeded in reaching its monthly target of providing 52,000 metric tons of food for the Afghans -– enough food to feed six million hungry Afghans for a month.
And finally, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions, Asma Jahangir, has said in a statement that evidence is emerging that large numbers of civilians have been killed by the warring factions. She said there is an urgent need to investigate independently allegations of such killings and bring those responsible to justice without delay.
**Afghanistan-Political
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi, attended the first meeting in more than three years of the so-called Group of 21. The Group expressed strong support for the work being undertaken by Mr. Brahimi.
Kieran Prendergast, the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, chaired the one-and-a-half-hour meeting.
Mr. Brahimi gave a briefing on the situation on the ground as well as on his preparations for an all-Afghan conference to lay the foundation for a future broad-based government for the country.
He told reporters after the meeting that no venue or site had yet been decided and that his deputy Francesc Vendrell would be travelling to Kabul tomorrow to meet with the Northern Alliance representatives there. Security conditions coupled with insurance for the plane, have delayed Vendrell’s departure by a day.
“We are waiting for an answer from the Northern Alliance,” he said.
He also said there were a number of venues proposed, starting with the United Arab Emirates as well as Kazakhstan, Germany and others.
When asked about the timing, he said if there is a positive response from the Northern Alliance, that the meeting could take place next week.
Mr. Brahimi also said, “You know, the Secretary-General is more aware than anybody of that, but we will go only as fast as the Afghans are willing to go. Unless we have answers and expressions of readiness to meet from the Afghans, obviously we cannot meet.”
We're preparing a transcript of his comments.
**Security Council
On the Security Council, after consultations this morning on Ethiopia and Eritrea, the Council moved into the first of two back-to-back private meetings with the Foreign Ministers of those two countries. First, the Council will meet with Eritrean Foreign Minister Ali Said Abdellah, and then Council members will talk to Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin.
Yesterday evening, the Council wrapped up a formal meeting on Angola by issuing a Presidential Statement, expressing its continuing deep concern about the conflict in that country, including the large number of internally displaced persons and the dire humanitarian situation. It repeated its call on Member States to comply with United Nations sanctions against the UNITA rebels.
The statement came after an open debate in which Under-Secretary-General Ibrahim Gambari told the Council that in some cases fighting has intensified in Angola, with UNITA guerrilla activities spreading to several parts of the country. He warned that, since the beginning of this year alone, some 323,000 people have been displaced by violence.
**Global Compact
The first-ever Global Compact meeting to discuss corporate citizenship in the Russian Federation will be held in Moscow on Monday, co-sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Russian Union of Industrialists and Employers and dozens of leading Russian and foreign companies.
Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov will address the opening of the meeting, as will Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette.
The meeting will aim to establish a Global Compact Learning Forum and promote public-private partnership projects in Russia.
The Global Compact was launched by the Secretary-General early in 1999 to promote responsible corporate citizenship in the areas of human and labour rights and the environment.
We will make available to you an embargoed copy of the DSG's statement. That'll be ready a little bit later.
**Burundi
On Burundi, the Secretary-General’s report on the situation in that country was issued today.
It updates the Security Council on some of the major developments in Burundi, especially those related to the UN’s chairmanship of the Implementation Monitoring Committee, known as the IMC.
With the establishment of a Transitional Government and the expected repatriation of the IMC to Bujumbura, the various United Nations entities supporting the peace process would need to be consolidated, refocused and strengthened.
The UN Office in Burundi, the Secretary-General says, will need to have its staffing and resources increased as it supports United Nations activities in the country as well as the chairman of the IMC, currently Ambassador Berhanu Dinka, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for the Great Lakes.
In conclusion, the Secretary-General reaffirms the UN’s determination to do everything possible to help bring about a negotiated settlement of the conflict.
**Kosovo
Tomorrow, the United Nations Mission in Kosovo will hold elections for a 120-seat Assembly and a provisional self-government of nine ministers.
Speaking to reporters a day before the elections, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Kosovo, Hans Haekkerup, said, “We will soon have an Assembly, a Government, a President of Kosovo,” and said the purpose of this process was to overcome differences and bring about reconciliation in Kosovo.
There will be some 1,600 polling stations open in Kosovo tomorrow, as well as about 170 in Serbia and between 10 and 20 in Montenegro. The results of the legislative elections will not be announced until Monday.
**G-77 Secretary-General Speech
The Secretary-General this morning addressed the 25th annual meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the “Group of 77” developing nations, telling them they must seize the opportunity resulting from the World Trade Organization’s agreement Tuesday to launch multilateral negotiations on a wide range of international trade issues.
He told the G-77 delegates, “Together, you form the majority of WTO members, as you do at the United Nations. Together, you can block changes that would have a negative impact on your economies. And if you are skillful and flexible, you can use that bargaining power to obtain changes that you badly need.”
He said the momentum shown at the WTO meeting in Doha should be sustained as nations move towards the International Conference on Financing for Development, to take place in Monterrey, Mexico, in March, and added that the preparatory process for that conference has seen unprecedented cooperation among the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, the WTO, civil society and the business community.
Tomorrow in Ottawa, the Secretary-General said, he will meet with the key ministerial committees of the World Bank and the IMF at a private dinner and make the case for meaningful results in Monterrey.
We have copies of his speech upstairs.
**Human Rights
There are two statements from the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Dato’ Param Cumaraswamy, that were issued today.
The first concerns the decision by United States President George W. Bush to sign a military order on the detention, treatment and trial of certain non-citizens. The Special Rapporteur expressed deep concern about the implications of the order for the rule of law, and "the wrong signals it sent, not only in the United States, but around the world.”
In his letter to the President, Cumaraswamy adds: “I am fully conscious that this Order is made to meet the national emergency declared on the 14th of September. However, I am not convinced that such repressive measures curtailing the core values of the rule of law and a fair trial are necessary.”
The second expresses his concern over efforts by the Government of Malawi to impeach three judges from the judiciary.
**Biological Weapons Convention
The fifth review conference of the States who are party to the Biological Weapons Convention will begin next Monday in Geneva, and the Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs, Jayantha Dhanapala, will attend and deliver a message on the Secretary-General’s behalf.
In that message, the Secretary-General is expected to emphasize the need to give higher priority to the full implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention, to tighten relevant legislation and to criminalize the acquisition of biological weapons -– a need made more clear since 11 September.
We expect to put out embargoed copies of that message later today.
**Rwanda Tribunal
The appeals chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda today confirmed the conviction of Alfred Musema, the former director of a tea factory in the prefecture of Kibuye, on charges of genocide and extermination, but quashed his conviction on rape charges on the basis of new evidence it had heard. His sentence of life imprisonment stands, and will be served in a State to be designated by Tribunal President Navenethem Pillay.
We have a press release on that.
**Mary Robinson
Today is the International Day of Tolerance. Doesn't feel like it does it?
In his message on the occasion, the Secretary-General said that the events of 11 September have united the world as never before. He said that tolerance was one of the shared values that make up our common humanity. He said, “It is a value that makes peace possible. And without peace, there can be neither progress nor development.”
In a statement issued from New Delhi, Mary Robinson, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that this year it holds special significance.
“Even before the horrendous events of 11 September,” she said, “the world was facing the stark choice of uniting in all its rich diversity or sinking deeper into conflict born of hate of the Other.”
We have both texts available.
**DSG Travels
I've already mentioned that the Deputy Secretary-General will be going to Moscow, but she'll also be visiting Geneva and Vienna next week. In Moscow, she will also address the opening of the Consultative Conference of the Commonwealth of Independent States countries on the Global Fund to combat HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria. In addition, she will have meetings with Government officials, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Ivanov, and with the United Nations country team.
Then on the 21st, she will be in Geneva to chair the first meeting of the Board of Governors of the UN System Staff College, which is based in Turin, Italy.
Then she'll be in Vienna on the 22nd and 23rd, at the invitation of the Austrian Government, where she will meet with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, and she will also visit the UN office where she will have meetings with staff.
She'll be back at Headquarters on the following Monday.
**Budget
Swaziland today became the 128th Member State to pay its 2001 regular budget dues with a cheque for about $20,000.
**Climate Change Stamps
We have some very pretty stamps here. The Postal Administration today issued three sets of commemorative stamps on climate change. They were designed by Robert Giusti of the United States. And we have more information on the Postal Administration Bulletin.
**Press conferences
One press conference to announce for Monday, 11.15, in this room, Jean Gurunlian, Director of the Division for Services Infrastructure for Development and Trade Efficiency of the UN Conference on Trade and Development, and Angel Gonzales Sanz, an economist for UNCTAD. And they will be here to launch the E-Commerce report for UNCTAD.
And we have the week ahead for you. Any questions before we go to Jan and then to Kevin?
**Questions and Answers
Question: Has there been any more movement as far as the Zimbabwe elections and United Nations observers?
Spokesman: No, I have no information on observers, but let me double check for you after the meeting. [He later said there was no UN electoral role in Zimbabwe.]
Question: There's a report in the Washington Post that the Taliban had asked the UN to help negotiate a surrender. Is the United Nations at all involved in any of these talks?
Spokesman: I saw that report but we did not talk to Islamabad this morning. It was in Islamabad, I think, that they reportedly made an appeal to negotiate a surrender. We'll have to continue to try to get through to Islamabad this afternoon in order to answer your question.
Question: Do you have anything on the general atmosphere concerning Kosovo elections and what turnout of the Serbian population is expected?
Spokesman: As of today the atmosphere was reported calm. So keep your fingers crossed. We hope it'll be a totally peaceful event, and that it will have full participation of both communities.
Question: On the Global Compact, has the UN ever released the names of the countries that are signed up to it, or certified?
Spokesman: Our intention was to do that eventually. I'll have to find out from the 38th floor if they've done that, or when they think they might do it. [He later said the names of the companies are listed in Web site.]
Question: The Special Rapporteur on Summary Executions says that she's finding lots of evidence coming out of Afghanistan. Is there any expectation of a Rwanda or Bosnia style tribunal?
Spokesman: You would have to ask the Security Council that. I myself have not heard of any discussions of that at this time.
Question: The Washington Post article quotes a UN official as saying they don't have a set-up to handle any kind of a surrender, is that true? Would the United Nations be involved if asked?
Spokesman: I think we would like to be helpful in any way we can. Certainly, the risk is of reprisal killings on a grand scale, and if there's anything we can do to avert that I think we want to do it.
Question: You're not aware of any deal from Pakistan or anywhere to help evacuate the people who are trapped?
Spokesman: I don't know of any specifics, Serge. I can't help but feel that a lot of people are focused on the problem and trying to come up with a solution, but I can't give you any specifics. Again, we'll try to get through to Islamabad to see if we can find out anything more from our offices there.
OK. Jan?
Daily Briefing by the Spokesman of the President of the General Assembly
Good afternoon
**General Assembly
This morning the General Assembly decided that the Inter-Parliamentary Union's request for observer status should be considered by the Sixth Committee. The Sixth Committee is expected to act upon it in time for the status to be granted before the General Assembly takes up the item “Cooperation between the United Nations and Regional and other Organizations” in December.
And we've arrived at the last day of the general debate, and we expect to hear 14 speakers, including one Head of State this morning. And seven speakers
and the closing remarks by General Assembly President Han Seung-Soo this afternoon. Among other things, he is expected to say that “We share responsibility to maintain and nurture the sprit of commitment and cooperation at the high political level that has been demonstrated in the General Debate. We should direct our future work in the Plenary and the main committees in such a way as to best reflect the concerns, hopes and aspirations expressed by all delegations over the past week. I trust that our collective commitment will ensure that this task is successfully completed.”
Yesterday, I promised you a few statistics about the General Debate, but I may have been a bit optimistic, I didn't get as much as I had hoped for but I'll share whatever I have with you. You don't have to write this down, I have a sheet that I will provide to you afterwards.
Provided that everything goes as scheduled this afternoon we will have heard statements from 188 speakers. Among them were 31 Heads of State, 11 Heads of Government, 9 Deputy Prime Ministers, and 96 Foreign Ministers. We've had almost 550 bilateral meetings, we've had more than 200 other meetings, there have been 172 treaty actions by 76 Member States. The highest number of treaty actions for a single treaty was the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism. It received 42 signatures, six ratifications and one accession. And that brings the total to 114 signatures and 13 parties. You'll recall that it will enter into force when 22 instruments of ratifications have been received.
The General Debate and other meetings and events were covered by 12 television cameras on a daily basis, and there were 199 still photo assignments.
The next Plenary will be on Monday, when the Assembly will discuss the follow-up to the outcome of the Millennium Summit. The speakers list is up to about 40, so if a few more are added, it will probably go into Tuesday.
That’s what I have at the moment. Any questions?
**Questions and Answers
Question: You said 188 delegations spoke, who are we missing?
Answer: We are missing Saudi Arabia and Kiribati.
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