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 Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

**Noon Guest

Good afternoon.  The guest at the noon briefing today will be Olara Otunnu, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.  He will be speaking about children in post-conflict Guatemala.  He should be here in about 10inutes.

**Secretary-General

The Secretary-General today concluded his official visit to Germany, beginning with a meeting with German business and labour leaders and civil society representatives who have an interest in the UN Global Compact.  As you know, this is an initiative by the Secretary-General to build support among businesses to uphold nine basic principles of human rights, the environment and labour rights.   Among the participants were representatives of seven German companies that have already joined in the Global Compact.  We have a list of the companies that attended available upstairs.  The Secretary-General said that his objective in proposing the Global Compact was to make globalization sustainable by underpinning the global market with strong social and ethical foundations.  He called on those present to begin practising good global citizenship.  We have his talking points also available.

After the meeting, he commented to reporters that he was encouraged by the progress being made in Germany on the Global Compact, and was also encouraged by "the fact that the workers of these companies are very, very happy to be working for something positive, something ethical, something that is socially responsible and gives something back to society".  At midday, he met with Edmund Stoiber, Minister President of Bavaria, who is challenging Gerhard Schroeder for the chancellorship in elections later this year.  They discussed the post-11 September global security environment and current attempts to get UN inspectors back into Iraq.  They also reviewed efforts to restart Mideast peace talks.

His last appointment of the day was with Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development.  She laid out Germany's strategy for the UN Conference on Financing for Development in Mexico later this month.  Germany's approach to reconstruction aid in Afghanistan, she said, was focused on the first 100 days for maximum impact.  She also raised the situation in Iraq. 

As he was leaving Germany, the Secretary-General met for about half an hour with Kamal Kharrazi, the Foreign Minister of Iran, who also happened to be at Frankfurt Airport at the same time that the Secretary-General was there en route for his departure to New York.  They discussed Afghanistan and the situation in the Middle East.  The Secretary-General is expected to return to New York this evening.

**Security Council

As you know, today is the first of the month.  There are no meetings of the Security Council scheduled.  Ambassador Ole Peter Kolby of Norway is consulting bilaterally with other Council members on the programme of work for the month of March.  On Monday, Ambassador Kolby will hold a press conference in this room at

1 p.m. to discuss Norway’s presidency of the Council.

**Liberia Statement

For those of you who may have missed it late yesterday afternoon, we issued the following statement on the recent meeting of the Presidents of the Mano River Union:  The Secretary-General welcomes the outcome of the Summit among the Presidents of the three Mano River Union countries -- Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone -- held in Rabat under the auspices of His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco.  He commends the three leaders for their renewed commitment to peace and security and for the practical steps they have pledged to take to that end.  The United Nations stands ready to help.  The Secretary-General expresses his gratitude to His Majesty for the timely good offices role he has played and will continue to play in the future for the cause of peace and stability in the Mano River Union subregion.

**Afghanistan

Turning to Afghanistan, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today kicked off a programme to help Afghans return home, as some

150 refugees returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan with the arrival of spring and growing stability.  Friday’s repatriation was the first UN-aided return movement to Afghanistan since last 11 September, and High Commissioner Ruud Lubbers said it heralds a new beginning for Afghanistan and the beginning of the end of exile for some 3.5 million Afghan refugees scattered outside their country.  There is a UNHCR press release on this.

And today in Afghanistan, UN Chief of Staff Iqbal Riza arrived in Kabul, where he was met at the airport by the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi.  Following a tour of Kabul, he met with the heads of UN agencies in Kabul.  They discussed the humanitarian and reconstruction assistance programme and, in particular, food assistance; refugee repatriation; and back-to-school programmes, in advance of the start of the school year on

23 March.  They also discussed security.  Later in the afternoon, Mr. Riza met with the Force Commander of the International Security Assistance Force, Major General John McColl, and then with Sima Samar, Minister for Women's Affair in the Interim Administration.

**Middle East Human Rights

On the Middle East this morning, Mary Robinson, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, issued a statement in Cairo on the situation in that region.  “It is clear”, she said, “(that the current situation in the occupied Palestinian territory) is having a very negative impact on respect for the integrity of international human rights.  I join the Secretary General in calling for the immediate withdrawal of the [Israeli military] from the refugee camps, for an end to the attacks in densely populated areas, and for ensuring full respect for the immunity of humanitarian facilities.”  As you’ll recall, the Secretary-General issued a statement on the situation early yesterday afternoon from Berlin.  The full text of Mary Robinson’s statement is available upstairs.

**Somalia Abduction Update

I was asked yesterday about the abduction of a UN staff member in Somalia, and confirmed that a local staff member had been abducted.  I have a few more details of that incident for you.

Ahmed Moalim Mohamed, a Somali staff member for the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), was on his way to work at the UNICEF office in Mogadishu at about

8:30 in the morning when he was taken.  Everything is being done, both by the UN country team and Headquarters, to secure his immediate release.  Information is very scarce at this time, and it is too early to speculate about why he was abducted.  There is currently no international UN staff in Mogadishu.  However, this was the second incident during the past week involving a local Somali doing UN work, after Hassan Sheikh Ali, a consultant for UNICEF, was accidentally caught in crossfire in Mogadishu near his home and died.  The United Nations and UNICEF remain extremely concerned about the safety and security of all staff and consultants, and place their safety at the forefront of their operations.

**Georgia

The UN Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) today expressed its concern at the intention by the authorities in Sukhumi to hold self-styled elections of deputies to their Abkhaz Parliament.  Since large number of refugees and displaced persons are still prevented from returning to their homes, these self-styled elections are to be considered unacceptable and illegitimate, just as similar elections held in the past in Abkhazia were deemed.  The UN Mission in Georgia appeals to the Abkhaz authorities to refrain from acts that may hamper the peace process, particularly when a UN-prepared document, intended to pave the way to a comprehensive settlement, is ready to be tabled.  We have a press release from the Mission with more information.

**Human Cloning Committee

The UN Ad Hoc Committee on an International Convention against the Reproductive Cloning of Human Beings, chaired by Ambassador Peter Tomka of Slovakia, is today concluding its first session, and is expected right about now to adopt its report.  During discussions this week at the Committee on cloning, a strong sentiment arose among member governments that the possible dire consequences of some of the emerging biotechnologies have to be averted.  This Committee, at this stage, is only entrusted with negotiating the mandate for a future convention to ban human reproductive cloning.  Its work is scheduled to continue for another week from 23 to 27 September.  If all goes well, a finalized mandate will be presented to the General Assembly at its fifty-seventh session for adoption.

**Press Releases

We have a number of press releases.  In Dakar today, Catherine Bertini, Executive Director of the World Food Programme, reminded the international community that hundreds of thousands of victims of war in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone continue to depend on international assistance.  She said the situation in the region was still fragile and villages could fall back into chaos if they were not assisted back to a normal life.

Also today, the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) announced the formation of a 12-member Global Advisory Committee.  The 12 experts, all African information technology experts, will work with UNIFEM to provide training for African women’s organizations and business associations in the use of information communication technologies.

      **Commission on Status of Women

The Commission on the Status of Women will begin its forty-sixth session on Monday.  The two-week session will focus on two thematic issues, eradicating poverty and environmental management of natural disasters.  Also among the items on the agenda are the situation of Palestinian women and discrimination against women and girls in Afghanistan.

**Annual Peacekeeping Meeting

Also next week, the Department of Political Affairs will be hosting its annual week-long meeting of the heads of UN political and peace-building offices around the world.  On Tuesday afternoon, the Secretary-General will address the

15 heads of mission on the issue of transitional justice.  Members of the Security Council and senior officials from the Secretariat will also participate in that discussion.  All the sessions will be closed, but the list of special envoys and representatives is available upstairs and if any of you are interested interviewing them while they’re in New York, please let us know and we’ll see what we can arrange.

**Budget

And today, on the budget, the Holy See became the first non-Member State to pay its regular budget assessment for 2002, with a payment of more than $2,000.

**New Stamps

And finally, I have an announcement about new stamps.  The UN Postal Administration today issued eight new stamps, six Euro definitive stamps and one each in US and Swiss currency values.  The Euro currency value stamps are being issued as the Euro becomes the single legal tender in 12 countries of the European Union.  We have more information for you on that and if you want to look at these stamps, we have samples here.  That’s what I have for you today.  Olara Otunnu should be coming down in a few minutes.  Do you have any questions for me?

Questions and Answers

Question:  What was the UN reaction to the United States criticism of the international war crimes tribunals?

Associate Spokeswoman:  We have a reaction from the tribunals.  Let me read it to you.  It is the presidents of the two international tribunals, Judges Claude Jorda and Navanethem Pillay, who have taken the lead in outlining the process by which the tribunals will complete their work.  In the summer of 2000, in fact,

Judge Jorda told the Security Council that he hoped the Yugoslav tribunal’s work would be completed by 2007, and the two presidents have kept up the dialogue with the Security Council to find ways to expedite the tribunals’ work and complete their mandate by that year.  Among the steps that have been taken, as you know, are short-term or “ad litem” judges that have been appointed, and judges have streamlined the procedures of the tribunals to get their work accomplished more promptly.  And finally, next week, tribunal officials will be coming to New York to meet with the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) to discuss the budget and their needs and priorities.  And at that time, they’re expected to outline their strategy to complete the tribunal’s work.  You can probably get a copy of this from the Spokesman’s Office.

Question:  As you know, after the Secretary-General made his statement yesterday, the Israeli army this morning went into another refugee camp.  Aside from the statement by Mary Robinson that you mentioned earlier, have there been any other communications that you know of, from either the Secretary-General himself to the Israeli Government, any responses from the Israelis to what he said, privately, publicly?  Anything?

Associate Spokeswoman:  I don’t have anything new from today.  The statement yesterday from the Secretary-General, which was issued in Berlin and here, is the latest that I have on that.  And I have not heard anything new from our communications this morning with the party, which, as you know, is in the air and on the way back to New York.

Question:  And there is no response from the Israelis that you’re aware of?

Associate Spokeswoman:  I’m not aware of that, but I can look into it and get back to you after the briefing.  [The reporter was told that the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East, Terje Roed-Larsen, was continuing his contacts with both Israeli and Palestinian officials.

Question:  Was Mary Robinson adding to the Secretary-General’s statement?

Associate Spokeswoman:  You have to ask her about her intentions.  She issued a statement and it’s available upstairs.

Question:  Do you know what day Jacques Klein will be here?

Associate Spokeswoman:  As you know, the Council’s programme of work will be discussed in informal consultations on Monday, so that’s when they technically approve their programme of work.  But from what I understand, he will be here for the consultations on Bosnia, which are tentatively scheduled for Tuesday.

Question:  Do you have a time for the meeting between the Secretary-General and Mr. Solana on Tuesday?

Associate Spokeswoman:  No, we don’t get his schedule this far in advance.  Come back to us on Monday and we’ll probably know more definitively.

There are no more questions, Olara Otunnu on children in post-conflict Guatemala -- welcome.

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