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 record of today's noon briefing by Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

**Colombia

Good afternoon.

I'm going to start with a statement attributable to the Spokesman on the subject of events in Colombia.

"The Secretary-General expresses his deep concern over the announcement that peace talks between the Government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) are at the point of breakdown.  The Secretary-General reiterates his belief that the only way to resolve the conflict is through a negotiated settlement.

"The prize of peace is so great and the cost of war so terrible that he urges the parties to make every possible effort to find a solution to the current crisis and return to good faith negotiations.  At this time of increased tension, he is particularly concerned about the safety of civilians and calls for all possible measures to be taken to protect them.

"At the request of the parties, the Secretary-General's Acting Special Adviser on Colombia, James LeMoyne, is currently in the country.  He is consulting with the parties to support efforts to maintain the peace talks."

**Afghanistan

The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi, continued his meetings with members of the Interim Administration and hosted the first meeting today in Kabul of the so-called Joint Coordination Body, which brings together the Interim Administration and International Security Assistance Force.

The Afghan side briefed the meeting on measures that they were taking to improve security in the capital and also measures to ensure that, gradually and systematically, illegal arms were being withdrawn from people who should not be carrying them.

There was also reference to the police, and the Afghan side appealed to

Mr. Brahimi and the United Nations to assist in strengthening the Afghan police force, which is crucial to the maintenance of security, not just in the capital but throughout the country, and Mr. Brahimi promised to take this up with countries around the world.

Today’s humanitarian briefing includes an item from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) on immunization teams trekking from mosque to mosque, and village to village, to vaccinate children against measles in a remote valley area of Afghanistan.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports that the number of Afghans fleeing to Pakistan has considerably increased in recent days.  An estimated 4,000 Afghans are now massed at the Chaman border, bringing to 7,000 the number of refugees on the edge of a transit camp just inside Pakistan.

**Security Council

This morning the Security Council is meeting in closed consultations to discuss the Secretary-General’s latest report on the situation in the Central African Republic.

The Secretary-General's Special Representative in that country, General Lamine Cissé, introduced the report.

In a press statement read by Security Council President Jagdish Koonjul of Mauritius after the noon briefing yesterday, Council members said they had agreed that the upcoming elections in Sierra Leone were an important milestone in the country's peace process.  They also signalled their intention to adopt as soon as possible a resolution clarifying the role of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone, known as UNAMSIL, during the balloting.

The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Sierra Leone, Oluyemi Adeniji, after briefing the Council, appealed at the Council stakeout for more donor contributions to the Sierra Leone national budget for disarmament.  He did not refer to a shortfall in the United Nations Mission's budget, as was reported later.

The current shortfall is estimated to be more than $12 million, but that figure is based on original estimates of 28,000 combatants, and more than

46,000 have now been disarmed.

In another press statement, Council members took note of the forthcoming Extraordinary Summit Meeting of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), to be held on 14 January 2002 in Blantyre, Malawi, during which the conflict situations in the region would be discussed.

Members expressed full support for the group’s members’ strenuous efforts in finding a solution to the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

**Kosovo

The United Nations Mission in Kosovo today reported that the Kosovo Assembly held two rounds of voting for President of Kosovo, but did not come to a decision in either round.  That follows an initial round last month, which also failed to elect a President.

In today’s first round, in which a candidate needed support from two thirds of the 120-member Assembly, the sole candidate, Ibrahim Rugova, received 50 votes. In the second round today, only a simple majority, or 61 votes, was needed, and Rugova received 51 votes.

After that round –- which was the third since voting was first held last month –- the President of the Assembly, Nexhet Daci, adjourned the session and said he would inform members of a date for a new session.  We have no information at this time on when the next session will take place.

**Secretary-General's Message on East Africa

The Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Africa, Mohamed Sahnoun, is in Khartoum today, where he attended the opening of a summit meeting of seven East African States, under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

He delivered a message on behalf of the Secretary-General, noting challenges to the region, particularly those caused by conflict, drought and international terrorism.

The Secretary-General, in his message, noted United Nations support for reconciliation and rehabilitation in Somalia, and emphasized that “violence can never alleviate the plight of the Somali people, nor can it bring stability and security to their country”.  He said that Somalia’s leaders need to rise above their differences and put the interests of the Somali people first and foremost.

We have the complete text of the messages upstairs.

**Economics Survey

As those of you who were in this room a short while ago for the press conference know, the new United Nations report on the World Economic Situation and Prospects for 2002 says that the recovery from last year’s economic downturn, aggravated by the 11 September terror attacks, will take place slowly over the coming year.

Last year, the report says, the world economy grew by only 1.3 per cent, the lowest world growth in a decade; this year, it will expand slightly, by 1.5 per cent.

Copies of the report are available at the side of this room.

**Latin American Economy

In a report out on the racks today, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) provides details on its second regional cooperation framework to deal with development goals in Latin America and the Caribbean, which it says will cost some $16.9 million in UNDP core funds over the next five years.

The UNDP notes that, despite some favourable anti-poverty trends in the late 1990s, the 1999 figure of 244 million poor people in Latin America and the Caribbean was the region’s highest ever, and income inequality worsened during the 1990s, so that it is now the highest worldwide.

In response, the UNDP and its partners have developed a framework for helping Latin America over the first half of this decade, focusing particularly on poverty and inequality reduction, democratic governance, energy and climate change.

International Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia

Yesterday at The Hague, a bench of the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia issued a decision granting the prosecution leave to appeal the Tribunal’s decision last month to try the charges against former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic -– for Kosovo, Croatia and Bosnia –- separately.

The prosecution has wanted to join the cases, and the Appeals Chamber’s ruling now allows them to appeal the decision against joining the three indictments.  However, the Chamber says, the trial of Milosevic on charges of crimes committed in Kosovo could still begin, as previously scheduled, this

12 February, if the Trial Chamber so decides.

We have a press release on that.

**Change for Good

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) will be using the conversion of the currency of 12 European countries to the euro to benefit its Change for Good programme.  Change for Good was established in 1987 to give airline passengers a convenient way to help the world’s children through donating their leftover foreign notes and coins. 

From the end of February, the national currencies of the 12 euro-currency zone countries will no longer be usable, but even after that date, UNICEF will be able to convert these currencies to benefit children all over the world.  The national committees for UNICEF in many countries are setting up programmes to collect currency for the Change for Good programme.

**Troop Contributions to Peacekeeping Operations

We have in my Office an update of the number of peacekeepers who served in United Nations peacekeeping operations as of the end of December 2001.  On that date, there were 47,108 military and police personnel from 87 countries working in 15 mission worldwide.

**Signings

We have our first treaty signing of the year today.

Just a short while ago, Sweden became the twenty-second country to sign the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Their Parts and Components and Ammunition, Supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.

**Budget

Again today, Sweden became the sixteenth Member State to pay its 2002 regular budget dues in full, and that was with payment of more than $11 million.

**Press Conferences

One press conference to announce for tomorrow.  His Excellency, Mr. Hugo Chávez Frias, the President of Venezuela, will brief you on the transfer of the chairmanship of the Group of 77 from Iran to Venezuela.  That's at 12:30.

**Questions and Answers

Question:  Can you say whether Mr. Brahimi foresees the United Nations or the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) as taking part in disarmament in Afghanistan?

Spokesman:  I can't give you an answer to that question.  I'll have to get some guidance and give it to you after the briefing.

(The Spokesman's Office later announced that the Interim Administration and ISAF would be patrolling jointly.  If they came across a person carrying an illegal weapon, the Interim Administration's police force would request that weapon be removed, and would be assisted by ISAF if necessary.)

Okay.  Thanks very much.

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