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 Marie Okabe, Associate Spokeswoman for the Secretary-General.

**Secretary-General Addresses Donors Meeting in Tokyo

The Secretary-General, who had arrived in Tokyo on Sunday afternoon, this morning met informally with the co-sponsors of the International Conference on Reconstruction Assistance to Afghanistan for a brief exchange before the Conference opened.  He also met face to face for the first time with the Chairman of the Afghan Interim Authority, Hamid Karzai.

The Conference was opened by Sadako Ogata, the Special Representative of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi for Afghanistan, who emphasized the need for a seamless transition from relief and recovery to reconstruction.  The Prime Minister then spoke, pledging $500 million from Japan within the next two and a half years.  He also mentioned that the demining of Afghanistan was a priority for his Government.

The Secretary-General then took the floor, calling for $1.3 billion right now to meet Afghanistan’s immediate needs, saying that relief, recovery and reconstruction are inextricably linked.  Two months from today, he said,

1.5 million Afghan girls and boys will return to school -- teachers must be paid, and supplies and safe learning spaces must be provided.

“The people of Afghanistan”, he said, “battered yet resilient, are looking to us for assistance.  We must not and we cannot turn our backs on them.”

At the end of the first day of the two-day Conference, the needs for 2002 were met and the requirements for the first two and a half years were on the way to being achieved.

In the margins of the Conference, the Secretary-General held four bilateral meetings this morning.

In the afternoon, the Secretary-General began his official visit to Japan with an audience with His Majesty the Emperor of Japan at the Imperial Palace.

He then met with the Japanese Prime Minister.  The Secretary-General mentioned two areas of concern.  First, that Afghanistan was going to need humanitarian assistance over and above the reconstruction funds.  Second, because security was essential for reconstruction, the army would have to be built at a sustainable level and police trained and deployed throughout the country.  This would be costly, he warned.

The Secretary-General mentioned the upcoming international conferences this year, on financing for development and sustainable development, and said he was counting on full Japanese participation.  He also said that while he understood the reasons Japan was reducing its development assistance to poor countries, he hoped that Japan could sustain its leading role as an aid-giver.

Upon arrival in Tokyo yesterday, the Secretary-General met for half an hour with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell.  They discussed Afghanistan’s needs, the need to stay focused on the tensions between India and Pakistan, the deteriorating situation in the Middle East, the encouraging direction in Cyprus, and the humanitarian crisis in Goma.

The Secretary-General continues his official visit to Japan tomorrow.

**Afghanistan

We also have the humanitarian briefing notes from the field.

They contain reports of pockets of insecurity hindering relief operations in parts of Afghanistan.

The Humanitarian Coordinator’s Office reports that the first UN flight took place on 17 January after the airport was repaired.  A total of 2,600 metres is now usable.  Further repairs are needed to make the full length of over 3,000 metres usable at Kabul airport.

**Afghan Sanctions Report

The Security Council’s Monitoring Group on Afghanistan, which met last week, says in its first report that the Taliban and remnants of Al Qaeda are likely to remain a potential threat to the peace process in Afghanistan for some considerable time to come.  As such, the Group recommends that the weapons embargo placed on those groups and their sympathizers be maintained.

The Monitoring Group also recommends that, as soon as the situation on the ground permits, it must be verified that all known terrorist training facilities in Afghanistan are inoperable.  Such verification would be carried out by the deployment of monitoring teams, as part of the monitoring mechanism established by Security Council resolution 1363.

The report by the five-member Monitoring Group is available on the racks today, as an annex to a letter issued by the Sanctions Committee’s Chairman, Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso of Colombia.

**Colombia

I have two statements attributable to the Spokesman today.  The first is on Colombia.

"The Secretary-General congratulates the Government of Colombia, President Andres Pastrana Arango, and the Revolutionary Armed Forces, led by commander Manuel Marulanda, for the accord they signed on 20 January 2002.  This accord establishes a promising roadmap for peace talks in Colombia, as it provides for the negotiation of a ceasefire, an end to hostilities, and ways to stop the violence by all sides, including by the paramilitary. 

"The Secretary-General has stated repeatedly that there is no military solution to Colombia's 40-year conflict.  Therefore, he is particularly encouraged that despite extreme pressure, both parties showed wisdom and agreed on a new way forward for the country.

"The Secretary-General considers that only negotiated and verifiable accords can address the social and political causes of the conflict.  It is now essential that the parties take further steps to rebuild confidence and reduce the suffering of the civilian population through the adoption of a humanitarian accord.

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

10 facilitating countries and the Catholic Church for the invaluable support that they have extended to his good offices and to his Acting Special Adviser, James LeMoyne, who will continue his facilitation efforts at the request of the parties."

**Middle East

On the Middle East I have the following statement:

"The Secretary-General continues to follow closely the worrying developments in the Middle East.  He deplores the destruction of the Palestinian radio and television station in Ramallah by Israeli forces on 19 January, and he is very concerned by the major Israeli incursion today into the Palestinian city of Tulkarem, in contravention of signed bilateral agreements. 

"The Secretary-General reiterates his conviction that a solution to Israeli-Palestinian conflict cannot be reached through force.  He again urges both sides to make every effort to stop the violence and rededicate their efforts to achieving a durable ceasefire leading to the implementation of the Mitchell recommendations and starting a meaningful dialogue aimed at a just and lasting peace based on United Nations Security Council resolutions 242 and 338."

**United Nations Special Coordinator for Middle East

Today in Ramallah, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Terje-Roed Larsen, is meeting with the President of the Palestinian Authority, Yasser Arafat.

Mr. Larsen’s office issued a statement earlier today which we have available upstairs.

**Goma

On the humanitarian situation in Goma, Ross Mountain, the Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, just held a press conference in Gisenyi in Rwanda which is just across the border from Goma, in which he said the situation had changed in the last days, but the needs of the people remain the same.

The return flow of Goma residents heading back to their homes after having sought shelter in Rwanda continues, according to UN agencies in the field.

It’s estimated that 50,000 Congolese remain in and around Gisenyi, but that number is heading down.

As for the situation in the town itself, although the water intake plant on Lake Kivu and the power station are intact, the distribution systems for both water and electricity are heavily damaged.  Water and sanitation, food and non-food items, shelter, and health risks are among the primary concerns of humanitarian workers.

Fears of cholera, polio -- which had been eradicated from Rwanda, but which remains endemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo -- and measles are of particular concern to health organizations, as well as respiratory infections.

The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and head of the UN mission there, Amos Namanga Ngongi, is heading for Goma tomorrow to assess the situation.  The mission will also be sending 30 tons of supplies to the area.

As for the impact of volcano on the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the use of Goma as a logistical base will not be able to continue due to the damage sustained at the airport.  Lava flowed both on top of and beneath the runway, rendering it unusable for the time being.  The mission is currently looking at other towns for relocation of the logistics base.

The main body of the Moroccan contingent in Goma has been moved to Kisangani, while a platoon will remain in Goma for guard duty at UN installations.

Here, in the first row today, we have Steven Johnson, the Deputy Chief of the Humanitarian Emergency Branch for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, to answer any questions on the humanitarian crisis in Goma, if you are interested. 

**Security Council

Here at United Nations Headquarters, the Security Council is currently holding a public meeting on the UN Mission in Kosovo.

Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guéhenno briefed the Council on the latest developments in the Mission.

He told the Council that the high level of involvement by Kosovo’s minority communities in last November’s elections is evidence of some success in the UN Mission’s work to create an environment in which Kosovo’s minorities will feel secure.  Over the last three months, he said, the situation in Kosovo has remained calm.

The Council President, Ambassador Jagdish Koonjul of Mauritius, informed Council members during the meeting that he had received a letter from the Secretary-General today, in which the Secretary-General announced his intention to appoint Michael Steiner, currently Director-General in Germany’s Federal Foreign Office, as his Special Representative for Kosovo.

This afternoon, the Council will gather in a private meeting with Member States contributing troops to the UN mission in Lebanon.

The Secretary-General’s report on the mission came out last week.  In it, he recommends that its mandate be extended by a further six months until 31 July 2002.

**Cyprus

The first of the regularly scheduled face-to-face talks between the Greek Cypriot leader Glafcos Clerides and the Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash got under way today.

The talks, which are taking place in the UN-protected area in Nicosia, are being held in the presence of the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser for Cyprus, Alvaro de Soto.

As you’ll recall, following their meeting last Wednesday, both leaders agreed to meet every Monday, Wednesday and Friday starting at 5 p.m.

As agreed by both, no press statements are expected.

**East Timor

On the racks today is the Secretary-General’s report on the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET), covering the period 16 October 2001 to 18 January 2002. 

The report makes recommendations about the successor mission to UNTAET, which should last about two years, and in particular a reduction of troops to a two-battalion force once security conditions are met.  The military component will provide support for external security while handing over responsibilities to the East Timor Defence Force. 

The report also recommends the extension of the mandate of the current mission until 20 May 2002, the date set for East Timor’s independence.

**Press Releases

The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) announced today that independent experts Elisabeth Rehn and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf will travel to Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia to assess the impact of conflict on women and women’s role in peace-building.  Rehn is the former Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Sirleaf is a member of the Organization of African Unity’s Panel of Eminent Persons to investigate the genocide in Rwanda. 

There is a press release with more information. 

**Signings

Today, Lesotho both signed and ratified the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, bringing the number of signatures to 113 and the number of parties to three.

**World Chronicle Programme

World Chronicle programme No. 844 with Joachim Muller, author of Reforming the United Nations, "The Quiet Revolution", will be shown today at 3:30 p.m. on in-house channel 3 or 31.

We have no press conferences scheduled for today or tomorrow as of now.

And finally, from the United Nations Correspondents Association, the European Union will present the Web site to the press during a reception at the UNCA Club, this Wednesday, 23 January, at 12:30 p.m.

And that is all I have for you.  Before we can turn to Steven Johnson for an update, do you have any questions for me?

**Questions and Answers

Question:  On the Middle East, do you have any more information on what the Secretary-General plans to do concerning the Israeli atrocities?

Answer:  I have no more than the statement that I just read to you.

Question:  Is there a possibility that the Security Council will meet?

Answer:  You will have to ask the Security Council about that, I have not as of now heard of any meeting.

Any other questions?  Thank you.

STATEMENT ON GOMA HUMANITARIAN CRISIS

Steven Johnson, Acting Chief of the Humanitarian Emergency Branch of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, announced that a $15 million Inter-Agency Flash Appeal had been prepared in response to the aftermath of the eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on

17 January.

The Appeal, which will be issued tomorrow, will cover food and non-food items, as well as coordination and further needs assessment, he added.

While the population had "voted with their feet" and had, for the most part, moved back from Rwanda to Goma, the United Nations was still worried about air and water quality, he continued.  There were urgent assessments of both being undertaken today, and the results would hopefully be available in the course of the day.  That would be the trigger for any food distribution.  The World Food Programme (WFP) had been reluctant to open their warehouse and provide food until it was safe for people to stay in one place.

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