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 Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, and Jan Fischer, Spokesman for the General Assembly President.

Spokesman for Secretary-General

Good afternoon.

**Iraqi Talks

At noon today, the Secretary-General will have a brief one-on-one meeting with Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri, and then the UN and Iraqi delegations will begin their talks on compliance with UN resolutions.

On the UN side, the people who will be present at the talks are:  Hans Blix, the Executive Chairman of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission, and Mohamed El Baradei, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The Secretary-General, upon entering the building, said about the talks, “I would hope that we can spend a considerable amount of time on the return of the inspectors.”  He added that he had received “lots of encouragement” from the Security Council on the talks.

**“Quartet” Meeting

Tomorrow afternoon, at the invitation of the US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, the four parties that have been meeting as “the Quartet” dealing with Middle East concerns –- that is, the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russian Federation –- will convene in Washington. D.C.

The Secretary-General will attend that meeting, which begins at 3 p.m. at the US State Department, and which is to be followed by a joint press conference featuring the four principal participants -– the Secretary-General, Secretary Powell, High Representative for European Union Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov.  Also attending the meeting will be Foreign Minister Josep Pique of Spain, which holds the rotating presidency of the European Union.

Following the press conference, the Secretary-General will return to New York later in the afternoon.

On his way into the building this morning, the Secretary-General was asked about his hopes for the Quartet meeting, and he said he hoped that it would provide “a chance to speak frankly and share ideas and decide what happens next.”

**Middle East/SECCO

The Security Council is scheduled to return to consultations on the Middle East at 5 p.m. today, following the briefing early yesterday afternoon by Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Kieran Prendergast on the Israeli Government’s decision concerning the fact-finding team for Jenin.

He told reporters afterward that, in the Secretary-General's view, a thorough, credible and balanced report on recent events in Jenin refugee camp would not be possible without the full cooperation of the Government of Israel.  He added, “Since it appears from today's Cabinet statement by Israel that the difficulties in the way of deployment of the fact-finding team will not be resolved any time soon, the Secretary-General is minded to disband the team.”

The Council expects to consider how to respond to the recent developments in this afternoon’s consultations.  On entering the building this morning, the Secretary-General said he had indicated his inclination to the Council and would discuss further with them, and that he would wait to see how the Council discussion goes.

Since today is the first of May, the Council has a new President, Ambassador Kishore Mahbubani of Singapore, who replaces Ambassador Sergey Lavrov of Russia. So far this morning, Ambassador Mahbubani has held bilateral consultations with Council members on its programme of work for May.

In addition to the briefing on the Middle East yesterday, the Council also voted unanimously in the afternoon to extend the UN Mission in Western Sahara by three months, until the end of July, while it considers options for the way forward there.

**Security Council Mission

The UN Security Council delegation led by Ambassador Jean-David Levitte of France travelled to Kisangani in the north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as part of its mission to encourage peace efforts.  The delegation arrived in Kisangani around 1 p.m. today local time and have spent about five hours there so far.  They are expected to return to Kinshasa later this evening.  We have not heard from the mission so far today, and if and when we do, we will make the report available to those you who might be interested.

**Afghanistan

The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Lakhdar Brahimi is in touch with Interim Administration Chairman Hamid Karzai and other Afghan leaders to bring the fighting in the north under control.  UN mission personnel on the ground are in frequent contract with the parties concerned at the regional and national level.  According to the UN mission in Afghanistan, there are tensions in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif and fighting in two areas nearby.

**East Timor

In celebration of May Day, UN Transitional Administrator for East Timor, Sergio Vieira de Mello signed into force today a Labour Code aimed at ensuring that international standards of worker protection are recognized in an independent East Timor.

“It’s an appropriate time”, Mr. Vieira de Mello said at the signing ceremony, “to remind ourselves as to why any society requires legislation regulating the rights of workers and employers.”

The Labour Code was the result of a two-year extensive consultation process with workers, employers, NGOs and the International Labour Organization.  The key features include the minimum internationally accepted standards with which employers must comply, and prohibition on the exploitation of child labour.

At another ceremony today, a 680-strong Japanese Self-Defence Force Engineering Group took over command from the Bangladeshi Engineer Battalion.  The Japanese troops will be serving in East Timor until the mandate of the peacekeeping force ends.

**UNESCAP Document

Despite the rapid pace of globalization, in the Asia and Pacific region “many people are still excluded from its benefits,” according to a study by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific –- ESCAP.

The document, entitled “Sustainable Social Development in a Period of Rapid Globalization:  Challenges, Opportunities and Policy Options”, will be presented to government ministers from 52 countries attending the 58th Commission session of ESCAP, being held from 16 to 22 May, and that will be in Bangkok, Thailand.

The report warns that “globalization, coupled with demographic dynamics, is resulting in increased exclusion and social dislocation in some situations.”  However, “on a positive note,” states the report, “globalization and the ‘opening up’ of societies have increased opportunities for people’s participation and contributed to the strengthening of civil society.”  We have a press release on that.

**Press Releases

Another press release to highlight.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) announced today that a bronze sculpture in honour of actress Audrey Hepburn will be unveiled at UNICEF House next week. 

The sculpture, called The Spirit of Audrey, conveys the unique bond between an adult and a child.  Audrey Hepburn was a humanitarian who brought the world’s attention to children and raised the profile of the challenges they face.  The ceremony on Tuesday will feature a number of celebrities who have followed in

Ms. Hepburn’s footsteps as special representatives of UNICEF around the world.  We have a press release on that.

**Budget

Dominica became the 71st Member State to pay its 2002 regular budget contribution in full, that’s with a payment of just over $11,000.

**Signing

Signings to announce this morning:

Egypt this morning became the 106th signatory of the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime.

**World Press Freedom Day

Then an observance of World Press Freedom Day, organized by the Department of Public Information, will be held tomorrow from 10 am to 12 p.m. in Conference Room 2.  The theme is “Covering the War on Global Terror.”  The programme will be moderated by Shashi Tharoor, the Interim Head of DPI.

The Deputy Secretary-General will open the programme, and then a panel of distinguished journalists will discuss freedom of the press in the context of terrorism.  Prior to the discussion there will be a screening of a videotaped interview with Mariane Pearl, widow of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, who was kidnapped and murdered earlier this year while on assignment in Pakistan.

**Press Conferences

On press conference to mention for tomorrow.  At 2:30 p.m., Ambassador Patricia Durrant of Jamaica, the Chair of the Preparatory Committee, and Carol Bellamy, the Executive Director of UNICEF, will brief on the status of negotiations and the expected outcome of the Special Session on Children, which takes place from 8 to 10 May.

That’s all I have for you.

**Questions and Answers

Question:  In what way is the Secretary-General looking for a recommendation or advice from the Security Council?  For instance, would a consensus statement or resolution do it?  Is he going to meet the President of the Council?  What indication, in other words, should we be looking at as to how the Secretary-General will be guided –- if you want to use that word –- by the Council?

Spokesman:  I think he’s been primarily in touch with certain members of the Council, bilaterally.  In other words, he’s made individual phone calls and individual contacts.

Question:   As a follow-up to that.  So does that mean, then, that he’s not waiting for any formal outcome necessarily before making his decision?

Spokesman:  I think that’s a fair assumption, that he may not be waiting for some formal action by the Council.

Question:  About that fact-finding team.  Is there any timetable regarding this issue, do you know?  When will he make that decision?

Spokesman:  He said last night, and we put out the transcript of his comments.  Twelve/twenty-four/twelve hours.  So, twelve hours from last night would have been this morning.  Twenty-four would be this evening.  So he seems to be indicating to you that he expects to make a decision today.

Question:   The Secretary-General said upon entering the building that he would hear by noon from folks in Israel, Government of Israel.  What has he heard from Israel between this morning and now?

Spokesman:  He’s had a number of phone calls this morning that I think have helped him firm up his position.

Question:   Can you elaborate on whom he spoke to?

Spokesman:  No, I really don’t want to get into the specifics, if you don’t mind.

Question:  Can you suggest to us in what form he might make this announcement?

Spokesman:  No.  Let’s wait and see how he decides to handle it.  I have nothing to tell you at this time.

Question:  Have we any timetable or we might get some information about the outcome of the talks with Iraq today?

Spokesman:  I don’t think we’ll be talking today.  There is a possibility that after the talks conclude on Friday that we’ll be saying something.  We’ll probably be discussing with the Iraqis today how to handle the press aspects.  But, I think the Secretary-General’s preference is not to give you bits and pieces, but wait until Friday when the talks wrap up.

Question:   Back on Jenin.  The Palestinian Authority, I believe, has dropped their estimate of the death toll from over 500 to something roughly like 56 at this point.  Given the sharp drop in the numbers, does that have any impact on the need for a team to go into Jenin?  Has the Secretary-General considered that?  What does that mean?  Is there still a need?

Spokesman:  Well, I think the purpose of the team wasn’t to establish a body count.  I think the Secretary-General felt that it would be in everyone’s interest if we could clarify once and for all exactly what happened.  He, as you know, originally had assurances from the Israelis that they had nothing to hide.  That they would welcome and cooperate with a fact-finding team.  Those assurances were also given to the United States.  The United States took the lead in the Council to put forward a resolution.  The Council welcomed the team and then things started to turn around.

So, I think the Secretary-General probably regrets that in the end we may never know the precise facts of what happened in Jenin. 

Question:   About Iraq.  In the last round of talks, Naji Sabri presented to the Secretary-General a list of questions and he was hoping to hear the answers to these questions in this session.  Do you know whether the Security Council has responded to the Secretary-General yet?

Spokesman:  You’ll have to ask the Council that.  Whether or not individual members might have responded directly to Iraq, I don’t know.  It’s Hans Blix’s intention today to answer those questions that are within the competence of the Secretariat to answer.

Question:   The questions were submitted to the Secretary-General and the Secretary-General directed the questions to the Security Council members.  Did they respond to the Secretary-General?

Spokesman:  No.  To my knowledge they did not.  So it’s really up to the Council members then to do whatever they thought appropriate.

Question:   One more follow-up.  Were they supposed to collectively present an answer or each individual country would decide what to do?

Spokesman:  There was no specific guideline.  Iraq presented the questions.  The Secretary-General relayed the questions to the Security Council.

Question:   The meeting with the Iraqis tomorrow is, as you said, going to be at the expert level.  Is that going to be at the level of Mr. Blix, or is it going to be . . . ?

Spokesman:  That’s going to be worked out between the two sides.  It’s really an option that we have presented to them, should they want to work at something under the head of delegation level.  So, we’ll just have to see what they work out today.  We’ll let you know either later today or tomorrow.

Question:   Will the experts be only in terms of weapons inspection or weapons in general or will there be other legal . . . ?

Spokesman:  That has to be worked out between the sides.  You know from what we’ve been saying repeatedly that the Secretary-General would like to focus the discussions on weapons inspectors.  Iraq has indicated a desire to discuss other issues.  We’re not restricting the agenda.  We’re just trying to focus it.

Question:   On the agenda and on Iraq.  Among the things that Iraq has made clear they want to talk about is the issue of U.S. threats against Iraq.  Is that something that Annan considers to be on the table or a fair discussion?

Spokesman:  I don’t think the Secretary-General is in a position to respond to those questions.  Those were among the questions submitted by the Iraqis.  And I think that would be for members of the Council, and specifically for the United States, to respond to.

Question:   There was a series of meetings in Moscow between the Saudi Foreign Minister and then Dr. Blix and then Sabri, lately.  Anything come out of those discussions in terms of a list of goods?

Spokesman:  You should direct that question to Dr. Blix’s spokesman.  He reports to the Security Council.  He has his own spokesman.  So anything on his specific activities there, I think I’d defer to his spokesman.

All right, I’ve got to go these talks here.

Question:   The Secretary-General met with Larsen this morning.  Can you tell us anything about that?  What they discussed, anything bit of read out about that?

Spokesman:  No, I don’t have anything.  I’ll see if we can say anything.  But I think the purpose of the meeting was to prepare for the Quartet meeting in Washington tomorrow.

Question:   Did the discussion on Jenin, uh . . . .

Spokesman:  I can’t say whether that came up.  It seems likely that it would have, but I just can’t say.

Question:   I am not sure if this was the question that you were just asked or not.  The list that was offered to the Secretary-General by the Iraqis the last time they met.  How’s that being dealt with by the Secretary-General?  Is offering a response?

Spokesman:  I answered that question.

Question:   Was that the question?

Spokesman:  Yeah.  All right, so I’ll have to go.  I’ll leave you in Jan’s good hands. 

Spokesman for President of General Assembly

Good afternoon.

Thank you Fred.  Let me just go back to what Fred said about this briefing tomorrow with Ambassador Durrant and Carol Bellamy.  That will be followed immediately afterwards with a more informal briefing, on security, access, accreditation and things like that.  So, first, Ambassador Durrant and Carol Bellamy at 2:30 in this room and then probably McCann from Security and Sonia Lecca from Media Accreditation and Liaison.

I would actually suggest that you have a look at the information note on arrangements for the special session before this informal briefing.  On pages 12 to 16 you will find a lot of information on media arrangements and services.  It is document A/S-27/INF/1/Rev.1.  I also have a provisional list of speakers for the special session; you can pick up a copy at the door or upstairs in a few minutes.  Remember, it is provisional.

As you will have noticed from the daily Journal, the General Assembly will meet in plenary this afternoon at 3 p.m.  It is expected to decide that a number of entities will be invited to make statements to the General Assembly meetings on information and communication technologies for development, scheduled for 17 and 18 June this year.  The entities are listed in draft resolution A/56/L.76.

The Assembly will then take up a list of candidates for a five-year term as members of the Joint Inspection Unit.  The list of candidates from Cuba, China, Russia, the United States and United Republic of Tanzania was put together by the President after consultations with a number of parties.  More in A/56/110.

Then there is a draft resolution which, if adopted, will remove East Timor from the list of Non-Self-Governing Territories upon its accession to independence.  It is document A/56/894.

The Assembly is expected to decide that the Prime Minister of Nepal will co-chair round table three during the special session, instead of the Republic of Korea.

Also, the Assembly is expected to decide to hold the General Debate of its 57^th session from Thursday, 12 September, to Sunday, 15 September, and from Tuesday, 17 September, to Friday, 20 September 2002.  This means that the General Debate will take place over eight days with a high-level plenary meeting on Monday, 16 September, devoted to the New Partnership for Africa’s Development.  The draft decision is contained in document A/56/L.77.

Finally, Friday is World Press Freedom Day and, in a message on the occasion, General Assembly President Han Seung-soo says among other things that,

“The third of May is the day we pay tribute to the far too many journalists who have lost their lives trying to inform us of what is going on in almost every corner of the world, but particularly in zones of conflict or crisis.  Every day, these dedicated professionals subject themselves to the dangers presented by accidents, natural disasters, landmines and, increasingly, to deliberate targeting by the parties to a conflict.  The latter hazard is totally unacceptable, and I would like to take this opportunity to urge State and non-State actors alike to take all measures possible to make the media profession a less dangerous one.”

The message is available upstairs and it should also come out as a press release.  Questions?

Question:   Let me get that right.  The general debate starts on September 12^th? 

Spokesman:  Yes.

Question:   That’s a Thursday.

Spokesman:  That’s a Thursday.

Question:   That’s kind of unusual.  They usually don’t start on Thursdays.

Spokesman:  No. It’s the general debate which will open.  It’s not the General Assembly itself.  The General Assembly itself will start on Tuesday the 10^th at 3 p.m. in the afternoon.  Then, on Wednesday there will be a meeting of the General Committee, which is basically meeting to set the agenda for the session.  Then we’ll have the general debate starting on the Thursday and then running Thursday, Friday, Sunday, a break on Monday for Africa Development.  And then again running from Tuesday to Friday.

Question:   So it’s got nothing to do with September the 11th?

Spokesman:  The general debate, you may remember, was scheduled last year first, from the 24th to the 28th September; and from the 1^st of October to the 5^th of October.  So, yes, it is almost two weeks earlier than scheduled last year and it does have something to do with September 11.

Question:   What?

Spokesman:  There was a request by the U.S. authorities to have the debate earlier than normal to tie it in with September 11.  For further details on the request by the Americans, I think you should talk to the U.S. mission.

Question:   You mentioned East Timor. When is the date we can say they’re a member of the United Nations?

Spokesman:  That remains to be seen. I was actually preparing something about the procedure for becoming a member and so on.  I have done some study on that, but I haven’t had General Assembly Affairs sign off on it yet.  But it’s basically a question of a prospective member State sending a letter to the Secretary-General saying that they will abide by the provisions of the Charter, and then, it goes to the Security Council, and if there’s no objection there, it goes to the General Assembly.

Question:   Will it occur close to May 20^th, do you think?

Spokesman:  That depends on when they send the, let’s call it “application”.  As far as I understand it, they become a member of the United Nations the day the General Assembly takes action.

Question:   On the speakers list for the children’s summit.  Does “CD” stand for ‘Chief of Delegation’?

Spokesman:  It does indeed.

Question:   Is there a way to know when this application process for East Timor has begun so that at least we will know that there’s a process?

Spokesman:  I have not heard anything about them having forwarded an application.  They may have done so, but I haven’t heard about it.  But it can happen quite quickly after an application is sent to the Secretary-General. First the Security Council is meeting, then if the General Assembly is meeting it can take action immediately.  If not, a meeting will have to be called specifically for that purpose perhaps.

Question:   If you could let us know?

Spokesman:  I’ll keep an eye on that.  Thank you.

* *** *

NOTE: In the press briefing on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea issued

30 April, the final sentence should read:  Mr. Oshima said the United States had contributed $103 million for 2001.