DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

Following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's noon briefing by Stephane Dujarric de la Riviere, Associate Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

Briefing by Office of the Spokesman

Good afternoon.  Joining us today is our guest Khadija Haq, President of the Mahbub ul Haq Human Development Centre who will be talking to you about the 2001 Human Development Report for South Asia.  We’ll turn to her as soon as I’m done with your questions.

**Secretary-General -- Beirut

Turning to the Secretary-General, who left Beirut very early this morning New York time, before departing, he issued a statement attributable to him which reads:

“At the Arab League Summit yesterday I condemned suicide bombings against Israeli civilians as morally repugnant.  Last night’s heartless and indiscriminate attack in Netanya was an especially appalling example of this phenomenon.  This is terrorism, and it greatly damages the Palestinian cause.”

“As I said yesterday I believe profoundly in the right of both Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security.  I have just spoken to both Prime Minister Sharon and Chairman Arafat, and I urge the leadership of both peoples to stay the course and continue the quest for peace.  The essential first step is an immediate ceasefire.”

In terms of his activities in Beirut, today’s activities focused on UN business.  This morning, the Secretary-General visited UN House in Beirut, which he had inaugurated four years ago, to meet with UN staff.

In a meeting with the heads of UN agencies working in Lebanon, he urged them to realign their priorities to serve the Millennium goals and to press ahead with reform efforts.  They reported to him that they were working much more closely and effectively since being co-located at UN House.

He then addressed the staff as a whole in a “Town Hall” meeting.  To another question on the Middle East peace process, he replied, “In the desperate search for peace we should never lose hope.”

“Don't get discouraged,” he advised the staff.

The Secretary-General then met privately afterwards with the Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, Mervat Tallawy.

He then sat with the force commander of the three UN peacekeeping missions in the region: Major General Lalit Mohan Tewari, Force Commander of the UN Interim

Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), General Franco Ganguzza, Chief of Staff of the Jerusalem-based UN Troops Supervision Organization (UNTSO) and Major General Bo Wranker, Force Commander of the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF).  They reviewed the military and security situation in the region.

The Secretary-General is in the air now and is expected to land back in New York early this evening.

**Security Council

Following consultations this morning, the Security Council held three consecutive formal meetings on Angola, Sierra Leone and Afghanistan.

In its presidential statement on Angola, the Council urged the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) to recognize the present historic opportunity to end the conflict and to respond positively to the Government’s offer of peace.  Concerning the grave humanitarian situation, the Council said it expects the Government to cooperate fully with international donors in developing a humanitarian response.

Next, the Council also adopted a resolution extending the mandate of the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), which expires at the end of March, by another six months, until the end of September.

Voicing serious concern over allegations that some UN personnel may have been involved in the sexual abuse of women and children in refugee camps, the Council backed the Secretary-General’s policy of “zero tolerance” for such crimes. It also called on States to bring to justice their nationals who were responsible for that abuse.

After that, the Council adopted a resolution establishing the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), as outlined in the Secretary-General’s report --which we flagged for you last week -- for 12 months starting from today. 

Today is expected to be the last day of work under the Council Presidency of Norway.  Russia will take over the Council’s rotating Presidency on 1 April.

**Afghanistan

Amid aftershocks from Monday’s earthquake, UN agencies today continued rushing relief supplies to the affected areas as the country observed a national day of mourning.  This morning food was distributed to over 20,000 people in the earthquake zone, with an additional delivery to 25,000 more on its way.  Packages include wheat, oil, lentils, and sugar.  Thanks to a coordinated approach and the cooperation of the Afghan authorities, urgent needs in the area have been met, mostly through in-country stocks.

The acute phase of the earthquake response is winding down now as the UN and its partners begin tackling reconstruction needs.  Housing is the main problem, with an estimated 15,000 homes damaged or destroyed by the quake.  We have a lot more details upstairs in the briefing notes from Kabul as well as OCHA’s latest situation report.

**Other Announcements

The Under-Secretary-General for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Kenzo Oshima, will visit the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Belarus from

1 to 6 April to discuss recommendations of the recent report on the consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear accident and ways to mobilize support of the implementation of the recommendations.  On his way back to New York, Mr. Oshima will stop off in Geneva to brief donors on the results of his visit.  A note is available if anyone wants more information on that.

From East Timor, the UN Mission there reports that refugee returns from West Timor surged to nearly 4,000 in March, the highest monthly total in two years, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported today.  The total number of repatriated East Timorese refugees since October 1999 now stands at 198,000, and UNHCR estimates there are less than 60,000 refugees remaining in camps across the border.  There are briefing notes upstairs with more information.

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwandatoday reported that singer Simon Bikindi has been transferred to the Tribunal in Arusha from the Netherlands to answer charges of conspiracy to commit genocide, complicity in genocide, and crimes against humanity, as well as direct and public incitement to commit genocide.  The accused is alleged to have composed and performed songs which mobilized and incited the Interahamwe militia and civilians to kill Tutsis.

The Tribunal also announced yesterday that Joseph Nzabirinda, former organizer of the youth movement in Ngoma Commune, had pleaded not guilty to four counts charging him with genocide and crimes against humanity.  He had been transferred to Arusha on 20 March from Brussels, where he was arrested in December 2001.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is sponsoring a new "Earth Report" series, which broadcast first on BBC World and which will begin on 1 April and continue until August, to coincide with the World Summit on Sustainable Development to be held in Johannesburg from 26 August to 4 September.  UNEP sees the programme as a way of providing viewers with better insight into the policy issues to be addressed by world leaders at the Summit. 

This morning, Palau became the 122nd country to sign the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.

There will be a briefing this afternoon in the UNCA Club at 1:15 for members of the press and delegates to the third PrepCom on Sustainable Development. Presentations will be made by representatives of the Stakeholder Forum, a non-governmental organization working on preparations for the Summit. 

We also have our Friday feature being issued today, the "Week Ahead" at the United Nations.

That’s it. Do you have any questions for me?

**Questions and Answers

Question:  I know there was a statement, but can you put on the record here what happened at the meeting in Beirut between the Secretary-General and the Iraqi Vice-President and whether there was any indication that the Iraqis would be more forthcoming on allowing inspectors in when they arrive here on April 18?

Spokesman:  The Secretary-General did meet with Vice-President Ezat Ibrahim and they did discuss the ongoing talks.  The Secretary-General affirmed his goodwill and intention to carry these talks forward and the Iraqi delegation expressed the same intentions.  It is not to be taken as a substantive meeting nor

as follow-up to the meeting that happened here in New York earlier this month. That follow up will happen on April 18 and 19 here.

Question:  Will the Secretary-General be in the building on Monday?

Spokesman:  Yes, I expect so.

Question:  Has there been a ceremony announced for celebrating the 60^th  ratification of the International Criminal Court treaty?  I think I saw something in the calendar for April 11 in a conference room.

Spokesman:  I don’t have anything on that for you but I’ll do my homework and get back to you on that.  [It was later indicated that no formal meetings have yet been announced.]

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