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 Marie Okabe, Associate Spokeswoman for the Secretary-General.

** Secretary-General Arrives in Islamabad via Bangkok

Good Afternoon.  I understand we have a group of visiting journalists from Indonesia.  Welcome to the United Nations and welcome to the noon briefing.

We just learned that the Secretary-General arrived in Islamabad a short while ago.  He left Tokyo for Islamabad, Pakistan, this morning, stopping in Bangkok, Thailand, to pick up a private plane that Qatar made available to him for the next legs of his trip.

In Bangkok, he was greeted at the airport by the Thai Foreign Minister, Min Surakiart.  After a chat, they met with reporters.

A journalist asked whether the shooting incident in Calcutta, India, yesterday could lead to an escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan.  The Secretary-General responded, “It is worrying, but I hope it doesn’t escalate matters further.  I think the two countries can only solve their problems through political and diplomatic means”.

Asked if there could be a role for the United Nations in assuring humanitarian treatment of Afghan prisoners at the United States base in Cuba, the Secretary-General said, “Our position is very clear, that the prisoners must be treated humanely and in accordance with internationally accepted norms”.  “And we expect that to be done”, he added. 

Before leaving for Islamabad the Secretary-General met briefly with the former Foreign Minister of Thailand, Surin Pitsuwan.

On arrival in Islamabad, he was met by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, Abdul Sattar.  We have the transcript of the Secretary-General’s remarks in Bangkok and a short transcript of a Q and A he had upon arrival in Islamabad. 

The Secretary-General’s schedule for tomorrow includes a meeting with the Foreign Minister, followed by a press conference tomorrow afternoon.  The Secretary-General will also meet President Pervez Musharraf and have meetings with UN officials.

** Afghanistan -- Humanitarian

As of today in Afghanistan, more than 100 UN international staff are now inside Afghanistan, and there is a permanent UN international presence in all of the country’s regional centres.  However, access beyond the cities remains problematic in several locations, particularly in the south and east, including the city of Kandahar.

Today’s briefing note from Islamabad reports that significant numbers of Afghans have been returning from neighbouring countries in recent days.  Since the beginning of this year, about 10,000 refugees have come back from Iran, while

border officials report that around 3,000 people are returning to Afghanistan each day from Pakistan.

The World Food Programme (WFP) announced in Islamabad today that its Executive Director, Catherine Bertini, will arrive in Islamabad next Monday for a five-day trip to both Pakistan and Afghanistan.  WFP, in its briefing note, also reports that food prices in Kandahar, and wheat prices in Kabul and other cities, are declining.

You can read more about the humanitarian aspects of the UN operations in the briefing notes available in the Spokesman’s Office. 

** Goma

Now, turning to another humanitarian situation, this time in Goma, this morning, as we mentioned yesterday, food distribution got under way in Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo for the victims of the volcanic eruption.  One week’s worth of food supplies was to be distributed to 10,000 households at four points in the eastern part of town and six in the western part.  Distribution in the town of Sake, to the west of Goma began yesterday.

WFP oversaw the distribution of 258 metric tones of food, which included flour, oil and beans.

Non-food emergency relief -- such as plastic sheeting, blankets and jerrycans -- are to be distributed at those same sites tomorrow.

Estimates from our offices in Goma indicate that some 12,000 families are without shelter in the town.

It’s also believed that 70 per cent of schools were destroyed, as was 40 per cent of the town’s medical infrastructure.

The UN humanitarian office in Goma told us that bulldozers have now cleared a path for a land bridge over the lava, creating a much-needed corridor for foot and vehicle traffic between the western and eastern parts of the city.

Meanwhile the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been flying in, from Kinshasa to Kigali in Rwanda, over 80 tons of supplies provided by UN agencies and international non-governmental organizations.  These supplies are then trucked into Goma by road.

And with the Goma airport still closed to fixed-wing traffic, the UN mission has also been conducting helicopter flights for relief officials and volcano experts.

** Security Council

Security Council closed consultations began this morning with a briefing by Hedi Annabi, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations on the situation relating to the volcanic eruption in Goma.

Next, Carolyn McAskie, the UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, briefed on the security, political and humanitarian situations in Afghanistan and, of course, summarized events in Tokyo, where the International Conference on Reconstruction Assistance to Afghanistan concluded yesterday.

Ambassador Kishore Mahbubani of Singapore, Chairman of the Council’s Liberia sanctions committee, is also expected to brief on issues relating to his committee. 

This afternoon, Council members will hold a private meeting with troop-contributing countries to the UN mission in East Timor.

** Kosovo

As you recall, two days ago we mentioned a letter from the Secretary-General to the President of the Security Council regarding the appointment of the new Special Representative for Kosovo.

We have an official appointment today in the form of a statement.  The Secretary-General has appointed Michael Steiner of Germany to be his Special Representative for Kosovo.

Mr. Steiner, who replaces Hans Haekkerup as head of the UN Interim Administration in Kosovo, known as UNMIK, is an experienced diplomat and former Foreign and Security Policy Adviser to the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Mr. Steiner was Principal Deputy High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1996 to 1997.  He was Germany’s Ambassador to the Czech Republic after previous postings in Zagreb and at the Permanent Mission of Germany to the United Nations here in New York. 

Mr. Steiner is the third Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Kosovo since the mission was established in 1999.  He follows Mr. Haekkerup of Denmark and Bernard Kouchner of France.

The new Special Representative will take up his duties in Pristina early next month.

We have copies available of his CV in our office.

** Georgia

The latest report by the Secretary-General to the Security Council on Georgia is out on the racks today.  In it, the Secretary-General notes that the political process in dealing with the situation in Abkhazia took a significant step forward last month when his Special Representative, Dieter Boden, was able to finalize a paper on the basic principles for the distribution of competences between Tblisi and Sukhumi.

The paper, he says, now enjoys the support of all members of the Group of Friends of the Secretary-General.  However, noting continuing objections, particularly on the Abkhaz side, he underscores that the paper is simply a means to open the door to substantive negotiations, and he urges both sides to seize the moment.

Relative calm has returned to the UN Observer Mission’s area of operations, but the report notes that tensions remain high with the continuing presence of Georgian troops in the upper Kodori Valley and the uncertainty over the mandate of the peacekeeping force from the Commonwealth of Independent States.

The Secretary-General recommends that the Security Council extend the Observer Mission’s mandate, which is to expire at the end of this month, for an additional six months, until the end of July.  The Council expects to hold consultations on Georgia this Friday, and Dieter Boden is expected to brief the Council then. 

** Human Rights

The UN Human Rights Commission’s Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers today expressed his concern over a growing confrontation between Italy’s Government and its judiciary.

He sent an urgent appeal to the Italian Government, noting a nationwide protest this month by hundreds of Italian magistrates who were voicing their concerns about political interference in trials.  The Special Rapporteur drew attention to the UN basic principles on judicial independence and said he is seeking an urgent visit to Italy to help find a solution to the present dispute.

We have a press release with more information upstairs in the Spokesman’s Office.

** ICTY

Turning to The Hague, the trial of two Bosnian Serbs accused of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions began.  Radoslav Brdjanin and Momir Talic, who have both pleaded “not guilty” to the charges against them, are accused of involvement in the killings and expulsions of hundreds of Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats during 1991 and 1992.  We have more details available on the Tribunal’s Web site.

** Budget

Today, two more Member States paid their 2002 regular budget contributions in full.  Armenia made a payment of more than $22,000 and Indonesia more than $2 million.  We now have 31 fully paid up Member States so far this year.

** Signings

This morning, Finland became the twenty-fifth country to sign the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Their Parts and Components and Ammunition, supplementing the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.

** World Chronicle Programme

The World Chronicle Programme number 845 with Jennifer Klot, Senior Governance, Peace and Security Advisor of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) will be shown today at 3:30 p.m. on in-house television channel 3 or 31.

** Announcement

There are no press conferences scheduled for today or tomorrow, but the UNCA Club has asked me to make the following announcement.  The European Union will present its new Web site with information for journalists today at 12:30 at the UNCA Club in 15 minutes. 

** UNICEF Visitors Centre

There is an invitation from UNICEF.  Carol Bellamy, the Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund, will open the reconstructed Visitors Centre in UNICEF House.  The new Visitors Centre will feature a history of UNICEF and of child rights and includes interactive components. 

The ceremony begins at 6:15 and you are all invited to attend.

That is what I have for you today.  Do you have any questions for me?

** Questions and Answers

Question: Does the Secretary-General or the United Nations have a reaction to the resignation of Francesc Vendrell?

Answer: We announced at the noon briefing a couple of weeks ago that he will be moving on at the end of his contract, which will be expiring at the end of the month.  

Question: Has anyone been named to replace him?

Answer: No replacement has been named.  I think the next step will have to be discussed in the Security Council in terms of the future shape of the United Nations mission in Afghanistan. 

Question: Yesterday, Mr. Brahimi gave an interview where he listed several steps including the assembly of the elderly, the drawing up of a constitution, the elections and that the new government would arrive from there.  Do you know who will be drawing up theconstitution?

Answer:  The steps outlining the political transition for the future of Afghanistan are outlined in the Bonn Agreement in great depth.  The next pivotal step in the political transition is the appointment of the Special Commission to appoint the Loya Jirga and that deadline is around now.  We are expecting an announcement in the next few days when Hamid Karzai returns to Kabul from the Tokyo Conference.  So we are expecting an announcement shortly.  In answer to your question, the constitution will be the end-product of this multi-step process and I would suggest that you look at the Bonn Agreement for accuracy in terms of the times and deadlines.

Any other questions?  If not, have a good afternoon.

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