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 Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

Good afternoon.

**Security Council

The Security Council met in closed consultations this morning on the Secretary-General's latest report on the UN mission in the Golan Heights, in which he recommends a mandate renewal.  A draft resolution and a draft statement by the Council President were introduced.  Both are on the Web site of Singapore, which holds the Council Presidency.

Benon Sevan, the Executive Director of the Iraq "oil-for-food" programme, then introduced his statement, which was circulated last week, and I’ll tell you more about that in a minute.

Lastly, members are expected to be briefed by Jean-Marie Guéhenno, the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, on the peace process involving Ethiopia and Eritrea.

**Oil-for-Food

As I just mentioned, Benon Sevan updated the Security Council on the status of the oil-for-food programme, as well as steps taken, thus far, by his Office in putting in place the new procedures for the processing of contracts, as required under Security Council resolution 1409, which was adopted on 14 May.

That resolution introduced the Goods Review List and a new set of procedures for the processing and review of contracts for the purchase of humanitarian supplies and equipment by the Government of Iraq under the oil-for-food programme.

The next phase of the oil-for-food programme, phase XII, becomes effective tomorrow and will last for six months.  Yesterday, there was an exchange of letters between the United Nations and the Permanent Mission of Iraq, extending the Memorandum of Understanding on the oil-for-food programme.

In his update, Sevan told the Council that the Office of the Iraq Programme (OIP) will be applying the revised procedures gradually, with a goal of having them fully in place no later than July 15th.  In the application of these new procedures, Sevan said there already is much closer cooperation between the OIP, UNMOVIC and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The weekly oil figures show that, while remaining well below the expected average, Iraqi oil exports totaled 9 million barrels in the week ending 24 May. The week’s exports generated an estimated $205 million in revenue.  On the same subject, the full text of the OIP weekly report, as well as embargoed copies of Benon Sevan’s statement, is available upstairs.

**Sierra Leone

The Force Commander of the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), Lieutenant General Daniel I. Opande, yesterday toured several border towns to assess the impact of the current influx of Liberian refugees on security along the Sierra Leonean border.

Some of the Liberian refugees told the Force Commander that they had fled their homes when the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) warned them that the rebels were coming to attack them.  They also said that Liberian troops were demanding money from them before they could be allowed to go through the Dar es Salaam border crossing point into Sierra Leone.  An average of slightly more than

100 refugees were crossing the border into Sierra Leone daily.

The Force Commander then crossed the Mano River Bridge to the Liberian side of the border at Bo Waterside for a meeting with the Liberian Minister of Defence. During that meeting, Opande appealed to the Liberian Government to monitor its side of the border to prevent cross-border attacks against Sierra Leonean villages.

Opande stressed that the UN mission was doing everything in its power, in collaboration with the Sierra Leone Armed Forces, to police the Sierra Leonean side of the border.  He requested the same from Liberian authorities, emphasizing that “peace in one of the Mano River Union countries without peace in the others is no peace at all.”

**ODCCP

Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna and Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention (ODCCP), Antonio Maria Costa, today gave his first press briefing since taking up duties earlier this month.

On Afghanistan, Costa said that ODCCP had 35 projects ranging from assisting the Afghan Authority in establishing a counter-narcotics agency to the establishment of border police.  He said the Office had initiated a comprehensive study on the economics of narcotic dependence, as this was key in trying to undermine the narcotics trade.  He also pointed out that only 2.5 per cent of the land in Afghanistan was used for opium cultivation and yet opium was the country’s largest single export item.

Costa also announced that there would be a terrorism symposium in Vienna next week to discuss ideas and proposals for tackling terrorism worldwide.  We have more details in a press release upstairs.

**Press Releases

Other press releases for today, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Programme warned today in a press release that at least 10 million people in Malawi, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Swaziland are on the brink of starvation and the number could rise when reports from Zambia and Mozambique are completed.  Over the next year, about 4 million metric tonnes of food will be required to meet the minimum food needs of populations under threat and 1.2 million metric tonnes of emergency food assistance is needed immediately.  The press release has more details.

In another press release from the Food and Agriculture Organization, Director-General Jacques Diouf says that Europe can do more and better to help less advanced countries by investment and technology transfer.  Speaking at the Regional Conference for Europe in Nicosia, Cyprus, Diouf said that assistance programmes for developing countries are an ideal framework and would confirm Europe’s central role in ensuring stability and progress worldwide.

**United Nations Medal Parade

Thirty military officers and six civilian police officers from 25 different countries will be awarded the UN Service Medal today by the Under-Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Marie Guéhenno.  The medal, which has a plain blue ribbon, is awarded after six months continuous service.  The medal parade will begin at 4.30 p.m. today at the UN plaza outside the visitors’ entrance and you’re all welcome to attend.

**UNRWA

We had told you last week that Karen Konig Abu Zayed would be here for the noon briefing and unfortunately she won’t make it back in time from Washington today.

If any of you are interested in speaking to her one-on-one, please contact my office in the course of the afternoon.

**Press Conferences

One press conference to announce today.  At 3:30 today, in this room, you will have an opportunity to meet the new Pakistan Ambassador to the United Nations, Ambassador Munir Akram.  He presented his credentials to the Secretary-General yesterday.  He will be discussing the situation in his country.

That’s all I have for you.

**Questions and Answers

Question:   Fred, is the United Nations concerned at all about the chief war crimes prosecutor turning over information to the United States about possible terrorist operations or people involved in terrorist activities?

Spokesman:  No.  The Security Council and the General Assembly have both called on all Member States to cooperate fully in the fight against terrorism.  The United Nations considers that it too has an obligation to assist countries, particularly if a State has been the target of terror activities.  Yes?

Question:   Do you have a list of the United Nations peacekeepers that will be receiving the awards at 4?

Spokesman:  We can get it for you from the Peacekeeping Department, if you check right after the briefing.

Anything else?  Sorry it’s such a slow news day. 

Thank you.

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