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 Stéphane Dujarric, Associate Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

Good morning.  We’ll all pay for having a long weekend because we have a lot of stuff for you.

**Colombia

Yesterday, as most of you know, we issued a statement on the kidnapping of Ingrid Betancourt in Colombia.  I’ll read that statement to you:

“The Secretary-General condemns the kidnapping by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC) of the presidential candidate, Ingrid Betancourt, as a clear violation of international humanitarian law.  Such violent actions undermine the forthcoming election and intimidate the civilian population.  The Secretary-General urgently appeals to the FARC to release all those kidnapped, including

Ms. Betancourt and her campaign manager.  He further reiterates his call on all armed actors to respect international humanitarian law and the lives of civilians by ending all forms of violence against them.”

**Secretary-General

As you know, the Secretary-General is in the United Kingdom, and he began his official visit there today.  His first official meeting was slightly earlier today when he went to Lambeth Palace to meet with George Carey, the Archbishop of Canterbury.  Their conversation focused on the inter-faith dialogue in support of peace and against the spread of HIV/AIDS.  The Secretary-General then went on to hold a joint meeting with Deputy British Prime Minister John Prescott and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown.  They discussed the upcoming United Nations Conference on Financing for Development, which will be held in Mexico, and the Conference on Sustainable Development, which will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, later this year.  They agreed on the need for a focused approach to the former and achievable objectives for the latter, and also assessed prospects for increased development assistance in the long run.

After that, the Secretary-General went on to 10 Downing Street to meet with the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, with whom he also discussed preparations for the two upcoming conferences, focusing on development challenges in Africa.  The two also discussed the security situation in Afghanistan, including the role of the International Security Assistance Force as a prelude to the training of a national army and police force in Afghanistan.  They then discussed recent peace initiatives for the Middle East, the situation in Iraq, and the India-Pakistan dispute.

At a press encounter afterwards, the Secretary-General was asked about recent developments in the Middle East, and said, “I am worried.  I am concerned about the tragedy going on in the Middle East, and I’m not the only one.”  He said Prime Minister Blair shared his concern, and he underscored the importance of

finding creative ways to break the impasse, noting an interesting recent idea put forward by the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Prince Abdullah.  In response to another question, the Secretary-General said he was worried about the situation in Zimbabwe, and emphasized that the Zimbabwean people should be given the chance for a free and fair election.  He appealed to the Government of Zimbabwe not to interfere with this process.  And as you’ll recall, we put out a statement from the Secretary-General on Zimbabwe last Thursday, before we broke for the weekend.  And that statement is available upstairs.

Following his meeting with the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw hosted a working luncheon for the Secretary-General.  The two of them also met privately for about 15 minutes.  Over lunch, the discussion centred on Afghanistan, the Middle East, Zimbabwe, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Georgia.  After lunch, the Secretary-General inaugurated the new offices of the United Kingdom Department for International Development, where he was greeted by the Secretary of State for International Development, Clare Short.  He unveiled a plaque and addressed the assembled staff, thanking them for their strong support for the work of the United Nations.  He then met with Clare Short for a half-hour, discussing peace efforts in Africa, particularly in the Sudan, Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  And, they also discussed levels of official development assistance, and then turned to the security situation in Afghanistan, forthcoming elections in Sierra Leone and the Maoist uprising in Nepal.

Later that afternoon, the Secretary-General delivered an address at the London School of Economics, at which he declared that the World Summit on Sustainable Development “must mark a break with business as usual.”  We have copies of that speech available upstairs.  Following the speech, he was set to take questions from the audience for about half an hour, and we will have a transcript of that Q&A session available as soon as we get it from London.

**Iraq

Concerning Iraq, the Secretary-General and the Foreign Minister of Iraq, Naji Sabri, have agreed to meet in New York on 7 March to resume their dialogue.  The Secretary-General expects to have a focused discussion on the implementation of relevant Security Council resolutions, including the return of United Nations weapons inspectors to Iraq.

**Ethiopia-Eritrea Mission

The Security Council, as you know, sent a delegation to Ethiopia and Eritrea, and they are now on their way back to New York.  During the mission, they met with the Ethiopian Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi, and the Eritrean President, Isaias Afwerki, and they both agreed to work with the United Nations to move the peace process forward.  Ambassador Ole Peter Kolby of Norway, who is leading the mission, said:  “the Security Council, having had very useful meetings with the leaders of the two countries, is very pleased that a final legal settlement of the border issue is about to be reached in accordance with the Algiers Agreement that opened the way to peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea.”  He added that the United Nations was committed to assist in the implementation of the upcoming ruling by the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission.  The decision by the Commission, an independent body based in The Hague, is expected to be announced in about one month’s time.

During the extended weekend visit, the Council delegation, accompanied by the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Ethiopia and Eritrea, Legwaila Joseph Legwaila, traveled to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where they met with Prime Minister Meles and to Asmara, Eritrea, where they met with President Afwerki.  The mission is scheduled to be back in New York this evening, and the Council has scheduled closed consultations on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the mission.  We have a press release available upstairs, which will recount the activities of the mission over the past three days.

**Security Council

In terms of the Council’s work here in New York, after consultations this morning to decide whether to hold a public or a private meeting on Kosovo, the Security Council began a private meeting to hear from the Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Hédi Annabi, on recent developments in Kosovo, including the arrival this month of the new Special Representative, Michael Steiner.  Mr. Annabi told the Council that Mr. Steiner’s immediate challenge is to try to break the continuing political deadlock in Kosovo and facilitate an agreement to allow for the election of a president and formation of a government.  To that end, Mr. Steiner has met with the main Kosovo Albanian political leaders, as well as representatives of the Kosovo Serb Return Coalition.  All sides acknowledged the urgency of moving the political process forward.

Mr. Steiner has also identified three key challenges for the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and for the Kosovar people: laying the foundations for economic success; tackling crime and violence; and creating a fair and safe society for all communities.  The private meeting is continuing right now.  Once that is concluded, the Council is set to hold a formal meeting to adopt a presidential statement on the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  And at 3 p.m., the Council will hold a private meeting with troop-contributing countries for the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO).

**Inter-Congolese Dialogue

Concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo, just before we broke for the long weekend, we issued a message from the Secretary-General, in which he welcomed the opening of the inter-Congolese dialogue in Sun City, South Africa, today.  The meeting, he said, represents a unique opportunity for the Congolese parties to engage in substantive political discussions, and agree on a new political dispensation in the Democratic Republic.  The Congolese parties have a primary responsibility in ensuring the success of the dialogue, he said.

In the message, the Secretary-General reiterated his strong support for the work of the Facilitator and called on all the parties to fully cooperate with him.  We understand the dialogue is set to start in the next half hour.  It had not started as of air-time.  We have the full text of the Secretary-General’s message available upstairs.

Also on the Democratic Republic of the Congo:  today, and not by coincidence, the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) announced the launch of Radio Okapi, a radio network created by the mission with support of the non-governmental organization Foundation Hirondelle, which is a Swiss-based organization.  Programming was launched simultaneously in Kinshasa, Goma and Kisangani, and reporting will be done in Lingala, Swahili, Tshiluba and French.  The radio is run by about 50 Congolese journalists from all parts of the Democratic Republic, with the assistance of international staff.  Radio Okapi is designed to accompany the peace process throughout the territory of the Democratic Republic.  For more information, we have a press release from the mission upstairs.

**Statements

And for those of you who missed it, just before we broke, we put out a number of additional statements, which I won’t read but just flag for you.  One was on the death of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.  Another was on the situation in Madagascar.  We also put out a statement on the demarcation agreement between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

**Sri Lanka

I also have a statement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General on Sri Lanka:

“The Secretary-General welcomes the ceasefire agreement signed last Friday between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).  He congratulates the parties and the Norwegian facilitation for this important step.  The Secretary-General hopes that this agreement will soon be followed by peace negotiations leading to a political solution of the protracted internal conflict in Sri Lanka.  To this end, he reiterates his full support for Norway’s ongoing facilitation efforts.”

**East Timor

From the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) today, they note for us the start of a week-long, nationwide consultation on the East Timor draft constitution.  We have a lot more information about East Timor in the notes upstairs, which you can take a look at.

**Palestinian Women

On the racks upstairs is also a report from the Secretary-General on Palestinian women.  The report paints a grim picture of their plight.  Palestinian women have been injured and killed during the conflict, or have lost family members.  On the economic and social front, poverty rates are rising while education for girls has been “severely curtailed.”  The report provides extensive information on how United Nations agencies are responding to the crisis, and the Secretary-General calls these operations “essential” and says they deserve further support.  At the same time, he calls for new efforts to end violent confrontation in the occupied Palestinian territory, saying women should be involved in all conflict resolution initiatives.

**Cloning Treaty

Today, the General Assembly committee set up to consider the elaboration of a treaty against human cloning opened its first session.  At today’s meeting, experts on genetics and bioethics are exchanging information and technical assessments.  The week-long session is being held in Conference Room 1 and we have a media advisory on the meeting, which you can pick up upstairs.

**Geneva Office

Also, Vladimir Petrovsky, the Director-General of the United Nations Office in Geneva, released a statement today on his retirement after decades of service in diplomacy.  Mr. Petrovsky said that working for the United Nations, “especially in the time of unprecedented changes that we are witnessing in the world today, requires an idealistic mindset and a realistic approach to actions.”  You can pick up a copy of his statement upstairs.

**Children and Armed Conflict

Also note, please, that Olara Otunnu, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, will visit Guatemala starting today through 28 February.  He will assess the long-term impact of three decades of civil conflict on Guatemalan children.  We have a press release upstairs with more information.

**Budget

Mauritius today became the 50th Member State to pay its regular-budget dues in full for the year, paying more than $122,000.

**Press Conferences

Nothing’s scheduled for today.  For tomorrow, the Department of Public Information (DPI) is conducting a press conference to launch the Secretary-General’s report on abuse of older persons.  Tomorrow we expect to have a guest at the noon briefing.  That’ll be Ambassador Herb Oaken of the United States, who will launch the 2002 report of the International Narcotics Control Board.  And at 2 p.m., the United States is sponsoring a press conference by the International Federation and the East Timor Action Network, which will brief on the role of the United Nations in East Timor.

Done.

**Questions and Answers

Question:  Any more details on the meeting between the Secretary-General and the Iraqi Foreign Minister?  Will it be the same format as the last time?  How long will it last?

Associate Spokesman:  It will be a one-day meeting.  Part of the issue is that the Minister has to return the next day to attend a Foreign Ministers meeting of the Arab League.  But the Iraqis have indicated to us that they are willing, if necessary, to continue that dialogue, after 5 April, I believe.

Question:  Time and place for the DPI briefing, please?

Associate Spokesman:  I’ll check.  I gave you all I had.

Question:  Has anyone asked for monitors to go to Colombia?

Associate Spokesman:  I have no information on that.

Question:  On that Iraq meeting, have they agreed on letting the monitors back in?

Associate Spokesman:  What I told you is what we expect the dialogue to be.  We have to wait and see what happens.  I can only speak for the Secretary-General.

Question:  Have they agreed on the agenda?

Associate Spokesman:  Let me get back to you on the question of the agenda.

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