DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

The following is a near-verbatim record of today's noon briefing by Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

**Afghanistan

The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi, visited Kabul airport today to take stock of demining activities under way there.  He applauded the work of the Afghan deminers and described them as “real heroes”.

He also met today with United States Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and also with Kamal Hossein, the Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Afghanistan.

Hossein gave a press conference today in Kabul where he noted recent efforts to set up a broad-based Afghan government, and he said, “Conditions must be created in which all voices can be heard.”

Hossein stressed the need for the transition process to move forward and to provide a sense of security for all Afghans.  The rule of law, he said, must replace the rule of the gun, and he added that a law regulating the use of force was needed.

Hossein also drew attention to recent incidents that have taken place as control of different parts of Afghanistan changes hands, and he said that inquiries into some incidents of reported violence were needed.

Expected in Kabul this week are Koichiro Matsuura, the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, better known as UNESCO, and Sadako Ogata, former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, who will jointly co-chair the upcoming Tokyo conference on reconstruction of Afghanistan.

On the humanitarian front, international staff returned to Jalalabad yesterday with the first United Nations flight to that city since 11 September.

The humanitarian briefings today include an item on a measles vaccination campaign in Kabul.  The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) says that mothers and caregivers are flocking to get their children vaccinated.

**Sierra Leone

I think you've all heard by now that six Zambian peacekeepers have been killed, and 12 others wounded, following the explosion of ordnance during a disarmament operation at Tongo over the weekend.  We have the following statement attributable to the Spokesman:

"The Secretary-General was saddened to learn that an accident in Sierra Leone on 5 January resulted in the tragic deaths of six Zambian peacekeepers and 12 injured as a result of an explosion of the ammunitions that had earlier been

surrendered by ex-combatants.  The Secretary-General deeply regrets the deaths of these Zambian peacekeepers and extends his sincere condolences to their families.

“The Secretary-General wishes to commend all United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) personnel who responded to this accident in an exemplary manner.  This tragic incident underscores the acute dangers associated with peacekeeping, and the Secretary-General wishes to express his continued appreciation for the commitment and dedication of United Nations personnel serving in missions across the world.”

Also on Sierra Leone, the Special Representative for the United Nations Mission in that country, Oluyemi Adeniji, is expected to be here at United Nations Headquarters for a scheduled Security Council briefing on Wednesday.

**Security Council

There are no meetings of the Security Council scheduled for today.

Tomorrow, Council members will meet in closed consultations to discuss two of the Secretary-General’s reports, one on the United Nations Office in Guinea-Bissau and the other on the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Last Friday, the Council approved changes in the chairmanship of four sanctions committees, due to the change in membershipof the Council.

Syria will take over the Rwanda committee; Mexico gets the Sierra Leone committee; Bulgaria will chair the Somalia committee, and Guinea will chair the Libya committee.

Ambassador Wegger Christian Strommen, the Deputy Permanent Representative of Norway, will take over from Ambassador Curtis Ward of Jamaica as the chairman of the Council’s Working Group on Peacekeeping Operations.

The Working Group’s third report was submitted to the Council on 31 December and is now available on the racks.

The full list [of all the changes] was put out late Friday night.

**Kosovo

Charles Brayshaw, the new acting Special Representative for Kosovo, is at Headquarters today for consultations on his new assignment following the resignation of his former boss, Hans Haekkerup.

Haekkerup decided not to renew his contract for personal reasons after the Secretary-General had already offered him an extension.

**Liberia

The Secretary-General has appointed Ambassador Haile Menkerios, who recently served as Eritrea’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, as his Representative in Liberia and head of the United Nations Office in that country, starting on 1 February.

Menkerios will replace Félix Downes-Thomas, who the Secretary-General said has “accomplished his mission in Liberia with distinction and devotion”.

An exchange of letters between the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council on the appointment is available on the racks today.

**United Nations Office in Vienna

As you know, Pino Arlacchi, the head of the United Nations Office in Vienna and Executive Director of the Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention, ended his duties as of 1 January.

The Secretary-General has designated Steinar Bjornsson, who has been the Deputy Director-General of the United Nations Office in Vienna, as the Officer-in-Charge of both the Vienna Office and the Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention, effective 1 January.  He will serve as Officer-in-Charge until a replacement for Mr. Arlacchi is named.

**Budget

Two more Member States have paid their 2002 regular budget contributions in full today.  The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea made a payment of more than $99,000 and Turkmenistan a payment of more than $33,000.  We how have 14 fully paid Member States for this year.  As you know, the deadline is at the end of this month.

**Global Compact

As we mentioned last Friday, the Secretary-General will convene a meeting tomorrow, starting at 9 a.m. in Conference Room 8, of senior business executives, international labour leaders and civil society organizations who together will comprise a new Advisory Council for the Global Compact.

Following their meeting, some key members of the Advisory Council will brief you in this room at 2:30 p.m. tomorrow, including Bob Hormats, Vice-Chairman of Goldman Sachs; Barbara Krumsiek, President and CEO of Calvert; Sam Jonah, Chief Executive of Ashanti Goldfields Company Limited; Bill Jordan, General Secretary of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions; and Achim Steiner, Director-General of the World Conservation Union.

If you want further information or would like to interview individual members when they’re here, please contact Tim Wall, who is at extension 5851.

**Security

As you might have seen entering the Building today, the portion of First Avenue just outside United Nations Headquarters has finally been re-opened by the host country authorities to normal traffic for the first time since 11 September. We understand that city bus service has also resumed.  I saw people standing at the bus stop, a [welcome] sight after a long time.

Some restrictions remain in place, though.  These include a ban on truck traffic on the upper roadway of First Avenue between 41st and 48th Streets. Vehicles are still not supposed to stop or stand on the United Nations side of First Avenue between those same streets.

Still, it’s nice to see the cars and buses back, and we’d like to thank the people of New York City for their patience and forbearance over the past four months.

That's all I have for you.  Anything for me?

**Questions and Answers

Question:  Who's going to replace Mr. Haekkerup as the Secretary-General's choice?

Spokesman:  The Secretary-General is considering a number of names now, and when we have an announcement to make we'll make it.

Question:  What about Mr. Steiner of Germany?

Spokesman:  When we have an announcement to make, we'll make it.

Question:  Did the Secretary-General have consultations, and if he did, with whom has he already spoken regarding the new appointment?

Spokesman:  This is a confidential process.  We don't discuss who the Secretary-General talks to as he considers candidates for a given post.

Question:  There's been a report that there are Afghan villagers in rural areas literally starving to death, and that convoys of aid are not reaching them at all.  What are the agencies doing right now to try and get food to villagers in Afghanistan?

Spokesman:  We understand that the World Food Programme (WFP) has also received reports of starvation in very remote villages, and they're doing whatever they can to get more information.  The secondary distribution of food has been a problem from the very beginning, and we've been reporting to you on that.

The agencies have managed to get record amounts of food into Afghanistan, but getting it from those depots to remote villages where it’s most needed has not been easy, either because of insecurity in some areas or other factors.  I understand the WFP is looking into it, and if they tell us anything we'll relay that to you immediately.

Question:  When you say insecurity or other reasons, are you including U.S. bombing?

Spokesman:  I have not heard that U.S. bombing is a factor, but I really should not speak to that.  I think the people in Kabul should address that issue directly.

Question:  Can we expect appointments this month of the Secretary-General's choice for Kosovo?

Spokesman:  I don't know what the timing would be.  No one has given me any indication of when they think it might happen.

Question:  One of the things you see in the press are reports that local warlords and gangs of thieves are part of the problem of getting food to these remote areas.  Does the Secretary-General think that's a problem, and is he looking into asking the Security Council to expand peacekeeping operations beyond Kabul and environs?

Spokesman:  I haven't heard that there has been that discussion.  Rather than look for a Headquarters angle to that story, which to my knowledge does not yet exist, you should talk to the people in Kabul.

The agencies have already gone on record, I think, with reports that some warlords have been taking food that was intended for the people.  You see comments such as the one I gave you from the Special Rapporteur this morning saying there's a need for the rule of law in Afghanistan.  I think no one would dispute that.

It’s going to take a while for things to settle down, but whether the Security Council would consider a security role for United Nations peacekeepers or whether the Afghan authorities would even be receptive to such an idea -- I have not heard that discussed to date.

Question:  Reports have indicated a very serious decline in gross national product (GNP) in Africa.  Is the Secretary-General intending to revise his African Recovery Programme?

Spokesman:  I can't answer that for you.  I'd have to ask and get back to you.

Question:  I noticed on the Secretary-General's schedule that he's meeting today with Mary Robinson.  Is there a reason for her visit?

Spokesman:  I don't know why she's here.  I can probably ask her Office and get back to you.  I don't know what might be on their agenda for this afternoon. When she does come to town, typically she meets with him.  It may be perfectly routine, but I'll ask for you and get back to you later with the response.

(The Spokesman's Office later announced that Mary Robinson was here on a routine visit and would be returning to Geneva this afternoon.)

Question:  Is Mr. Brahimi going to go to Tokyo to attend the conference on reconstruction?

Spokesman:  I believe he is, although I don't think we're ready to announce yet the composition of the United Nations delegation to that conference.  I believe Mr. Brahimi is intending to go, yes.

Okay, Happy 2002 everyone.  See you tomorrow.

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