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

Good afternoon.

The reconstruction of Afghanistan is expected to cost about $15 billion over the next decade, according to a preliminary needs assessment prepared jointly by the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.

The document was shared with the international donor community today, a week before they are hosted by the Government of Japan in Tokyo to discuss the report and make their commitments.  In the short term, the needs assessment expects these priorities to be focused on helping as many Afghans as possible reclaim their lives with access to health services, children -- especially girls -- going to school, and adults returning to productive livelihoods, many of them in the fields and orchards.  To this end, demining is expected to remain an important priority.

There is a special focus in the report on a community-based approach to development and on the role of women in the reconstruction of Afghanistan, making space for them both in the economy and in the planning and decision-making processes.  Another clear priority is drug control.

It is expected that as the benefits of peace, security and the beginning of development activities are demonstrated, refugees will return home in larger numbers.

The challenge of Afghanistan's development ranges from the reconstruction of infrastructure to the delivery of social services and the creation of an environment which allows the private sector to flourish productively.

We have a press release on the subject.  We understand the documents are on the Web.  We are trying to arrange a background briefing for you at about

1 o’clock to walk you through the numbers.

[The Spokesman's Office later announced that Mark Malloch Brown, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) would hold a press briefing at 1 p.m. on needs assessment for Afghanistan.  Assistant Administrator Julia Taft would join that briefing.]

**Afghanistan -- Brahimi     

The Secretary-General's Special Representative for Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi, met with the 16-member Afghanistan Support Group in Kabul today and again appealed for the start-up fund to assist the new Afghan Interim Administration.

Mr. Brahimi emphasized the message that the Interim Administration is in dire need of funds now for the civil service and police, to get the country going, and to get the administration functioning.

His Spokesperson, Ahmad Fawzi, said that the amount needed, about

$100 million, consisted of $70 million to pay back salaries and salaries for the next six months for some 235,000 civil servants, who have not been paid for six to seven months.  The difference between $70 million and $100 million is what is needed to prop up the Administration logistically and physically.

**Afghanistan -- Humanitarian

Today's humanitarian briefing includes a report on the improvement of security in and around the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif, making access to some rural areas possible.

At the same time, with winter setting in, the amount of snow and rainfall is making food deliveries more difficult to some parts of Afghanistan, especially in the north.

Meanwhile, heavy rain has flooded makeshift encampments in Afghanistan's Herat region which hosts hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people.  Aid agencies scramble to provide additional shelter items.  The first rainfall in more than three years brought the hope for an end to Afghanistan's worst drought in living memory, but the downpour also caused considerable damage.

**Zimbabwe

This is a statement attributable to the Spokesman on Zimbabwe:

"The Secretary-General welcomes the urgent attention given to the situation in Zimbabwe by the Summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), held in Malawi on 14 January.  He notes the firm assurances given to the Summit by the Government of Zimbabwe on the free and fair conduct of the approaching elections.

“The Secretary-General is acutely concerned by the promulgation in Zimbabwe of laws that would severely restrict the ability of political parties to campaign freely, and would limit freedom of the press.  He emphasized that freedom of assembly and association, as well as free and vigorous mass media, protected by a strong and independent judiciary, are essential building blocks of democracy. These are key features of the New Partnership for African Development, to which all African States have subscribed -- and indeed, basic principles of SADC itself.

“The Secretary-General is aware of the importance of Zimbabwe to Central and Southern Africa, and strongly supports the steps taken by the SADC to facilitate free and fair elections in Zimbabwe.  He encourages the Government of Zimbabwe to implement fully and faithfully the actions it has promised to take, including ensuring freedom of speech and assembly, admitting international observers, investigating political violence and scrupulously respecting the rule of law.”

**Colombia

Last night at about 9 o'clock, we put out to the lid list this statement welcoming developments in Colombia yesterday:

"The Secretary-General welcomes the news that the Government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have reached an agreement allowing for peace talks to continue.  The Secretary-General is encouraged that this important development will lead to resumption of the talks, which he considers the only viable means for solving the conflict in Colombia.

“President Pastrana and his Government are to be congratulated for demonstrating their commitment to keeping the peace talks alive, as are Commander Marulanda and the FARC-EP.  The Secretary-General urges the parties to maintain the momentum generated over the past 48 hours, with a view to making substantive progress towards a peaceful settlement.

“The Secretary-General wishes to reiterate his concern about the welfare of the civilian population in the zone and urges them to conclude rapidly a humanitarian accord.  The events of the last week serve to emphasize the need to take additional steps to protect civilian non-combatants.

“The Secretary-General would like to thank regional leaders, the

10 facilitating countries and the Catholic Church for the indispensable support that they have extended to his Good Offices and to his Acting Special Adviser, James LeMoyne."

**Security Council

The Security Council is meeting this morning in closed consultations.

They first received a briefing on the political, military and humanitarian situation in Burundi by Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Kieran Prendergast.

Following that, the Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Hédi Annabi, presented the Secretary-General’s interim report for Western Sahara, which was published last week.

Following consultations, Council members are expected to hold two formal meetings, one to adopt a draft resolution extending the mandate of the United Nations observer force in Prevlaka, and the second to adopt a draft resolution lifting the restrictions on Ariana, Afghanistan’s national airline.

The President of the Security Council,Ambassador Jagdish Koonjul of Mauritius, is expected to make a statement to the press following this morning’s meeting.

**Sierra Leone

Tomorrow in Freetown, the signing ceremony of the agreement between the Government of Sierra Leone and the United Nations establishing the Special Court will take place.

The agreement will be signed in the presence of President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah by Attorney-General Solomon Berewa on behalf of the Government, and by Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs Hans Corell on behalf of the United Nations.

Also this week in Sierra Leone, the eighth meeting of the Joint Committee on Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration, composed of the Government of Sierra Leone, the Revolutionary United Front, and the United Nations mission, will be held.

And on Friday, the government of Sierra Leone is organizing a symbolic weapons bonfire to mark the end of the war.  Several heads of State from the subregion have been invited.

**Cyprus

The direct talks on Cyprus between the Greek Cypriot leader, His Excellency Mr. Glafcos Clerides, and the Turkish Cypriot leader, His Excellency Mr. Rauf Denktash, will begin tomorrow at 10 a.m. local time in the United Nations Protected Area (UNPA).

The Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Cyprus, Mr. Alvaro de Soto, will be present.

**Iraq

The Executive Director of the United Nations Iraq Programme, Benon Sevan, arrived in Baghdad yesterday, at the start of his three-week working visit to Iraq.

This morning he held a meeting with officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iraq and was scheduled to meet with officials at the Ministry of Oil later in the evening. 

Mr. Sevan is in Iraq to discuss with Iraqi Government officials and United Nations senior officers ways to improve the overall implementation of the oil-for-food programme.  

Iraqi oil exports plunged drastically to 3 million barrels in the week ending 11 January, down from the previous week’s high of 15.5 million barrels, with only one loading each from the loading terminals of Mina al-Bakr and Ceyhan. This was, so far, the lowest level of weekly exports in current phase XI of the Programme, which began on 1 December 2001 and ends on 29 May.

**Iran -- Human Rights

Maurice Copithorne, the Special Representative of the Commission on Human Rights for the situation of human rights in Iran, has expressed deep concern over the continued detention of about 10 supporters of the Freedom Movement of Iran and the Religious-Nationalist Alliance, detained since March and April of last year. 

The Revolutionary Court of Iran began closed trials of the first group of detainees in November, and lawyers are being denied access to files because they refuse to sign non-disclosure commitments.  The second set of trials began on     8 January and Copithorne is urging the Government to honour its commitment to release the detainees on bail and guarantee all the defendants a fair trial.

We have a press release from Geneva with more details.

**East Timor

We have upstairs the briefing notes from the United Nations mission in East Timor, which mention the receipt this morning by the Constituent Assembly of a letter from eight members of the US Congress proposing that the Assembly extend its deliberations beyond its current 25 January deadline.

Upon receipt of the letter the Assembly members discussed its contents, and subsequently agreed to formulate a response based on input from each of the political parties represented in the 88-member body.  However, no decision was taken regarding a shift in the deadline.

You can pick up the briefing notes in my Office.

**Canadian Supreme Court -- Human Rights

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today welcomed the recognition by the Canadian Supreme Court of the need for States carefully to balance domestic security concerns with human rights protection.

The UN refugee agency referred to a decision released on 11 January of this year in the case of a refugee from Sri Lanka whom the government was seeking to remove from Canada and who claimed that he would face torture if deported.  The court said the refugee was entitled to a new deportation hearing.

You can see the notes from UNHCR with more information.

**Press Releases

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) announces in a press release today that a secretariat for the Millennium Ecosystems Assessment has been opened in Malaysia.  The Millennium Assessment was launched on World Environment Day on  5 June last year here at Headquarters, and will provide authoritative information on all of the world’s ecosystems.  The Secretariat will be based in the World Fish Centre in Penang, Malaysia.

We have a press release on that.

**Budget

Last item for today is Bulgaria, making its full payment of its 2002 regular budget contribution with a payment of $144,000, becoming the 24th Member State to be paid in full for this year.

That's all I have for you.

**Questions and Answers

Question:  Is tomorrow's meeting with the Cypriots and Denktash open or closed?

Spokesman:  I assume that's a closed meeting, but I'll check and get back to you.

[The Spokesman's Office later announced that there would be a photo-op at the beginning of the Cyprus meeting, but the rest of it would be closed.]

Question:  The new administration of Afghanistan has recruited around

137 policemen in Kabul, of whom only 70 have uniforms.  This means they have no money at all, even to obtain uniforms.  So this amount that you mentioned, how will it be spent and when will it be released?

Spokesman:  You'll have to ask the donors when they're going to give the money, not just when they're going to pledge the money.  And then you'd have to

ask the Interim Administration how they're going to spend those funds.  What we are doing is highlighting the urgent need for funds to prop up this administration, everything from paying salaries to things like you just mentioned, buying uniforms for the police.

What you may find of interest if we can arrange it for a little later is the needs assessment breakdown.  That will not take care of the kinds of things you're talking about, which are immediate needs, but the long-term development plans that are being finalized now prior to the Tokyo meeting, that would start the beginning of next week.  As I said, we're trying to arrange a background briefing on those numbers.

Question:  Will we be able to get copies of the needs assessment document?

Spokesman:  I'm told it's posted on the Web site.  I think we have the Web site address in my Office.

Question:  Is that the UNDP Web site?

Spokesman:  I don't know if it's UNDP or World Bank or both, Asian Development Bank, all of them, I'm not quite sure.

Question:  Is the briefing you're talking about going to be by an anonymous official?  Because I think in Washington the World Bank President is briefing on the record.

Spokesman:  Well, I don't know what the World Bank is doing.  But what we're going to offer you is a senior UNDP official to walk you through the numbers.

Question:  Is there any further word on the Secretary-General's post-Tokyo plans?

Spokesman:  No, we may make an announcement on Friday, but probably not before.

Question:  Has the Secretary-General made any comments about what he hopes to discuss with the Japanese Prime Minister during his visit?

Spokesman:  No, that would be the bilateral part of the official visit.  I would have nothing to say beforehand as to what would be discussed.  You can always ask us in Tokyo after the meeting takes place what they said to each other.

Question:  Will you be joining him, Fred, in Japan?

Spokesman:  Yes.

Okay, thanks very much.

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