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

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 Stephane Dujarric, Assistant Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

**Guest at noon briefing     

Good afternoon.  Sorry for being a little bit late.  Joining me on my right is Gillian Sorensen, the Assistant Secretary-General for External Relations, who will brief you on next week's meeting of United Nations Goodwill Ambassadors, which will take place here at Headquarters.  [Ms. Sorensen’s briefing has been issued separately.]

**Secretary-General

The Secretary-General last night arrived back in New York.  He’ll be at Headquarters later this afternoon where, among other appointments, he is scheduled to meet with Terje Roed-Larsen, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process.

Mr. Roed-Larsen is scheduled to attend the Middle East “Quartet” meeting scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C. at the United States State Department on Friday.

**Afghanistan

Turning to Afghanistan, the Loya Jirga, the process which aims to elect the Transitional Government for Afghanistan for the next two years, has entered its second day.  The main agenda today is to elect the Bureau of the Loya Jirga, which will be composed of a Chairman, two vice Chairmen and two Secretaries.  The actual voting is expected to start shortly.

This morning, the delegates discussed the election procedures and a number of names were introduced for various positions.  All day long, many people took the floor, including candidates for the Bureau.  The debates ranged from political concerns for the future of the country to the logistical arrangement of the Loya Jirga.  The election of the head of State is likely to take place tomorrow.

**Security Council

Turning to the Council, the Security Council is being briefed as we speak by the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Amos Ngongi.  He introduced the Secretary-General’s latest report on the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), which came out as a document yesterday, which we've already flagged for you.  And a draft resolution on the subject was introduced.  Special Representative Ngongi has agreed to brief reporters at the stakeout and we will announce that when he is ready to come out to speak with you.

**Democratic Republic of Congo

Continuing on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as you will recall, I mentioned to you last Wednesday, the Secretary-General's intention to name

Mustapha Niasse of Senegal as his Special Envoy.  And we have upstairs copies of a statement making that appointment official.

**Small Arms

Also related to the Great Lakes region, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has set up a unit addressing the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the Great Lakes region.  The Small Arms Proliferation Project and its technical support unit are now operational and based in Nairobi.

In the press release issued today, UNDP says that in the past few years, there has been a dramatic increase in the availability, accumulation and uncontrolled proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the Great Lakes region.  This state of affairs, the statement says, has raised a number of humanitarian, developmental and security challenges in the region and we have the press release upstairs.

**Angola

Turning to Angola, the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Africa, Ibrahim Gambari, is continuing his mission to that country.

Gambari met yesterday with the Angolan Minister of External Relations, Joao Bernardo de Miranda.  Speaking to reporters at the end of the meeting, Gambari said he informed the minister of the objectives of his mission to Angola and the two discussed the new ways of providing and increasing humanitarian assistance to the populations.

Gambari also had a meeting with the National Commission for Social and Productive Reintegration of Demobilized and Displaced People.  The Commission’s main objective is to coordinate the Government’s efforts in the process of social reintegration of the demobilized troops resulting from the peace accords signed by Angola.

We also have upstairs a fact sheet on Gambari’s activities.  It says that the priority in this present phase is to overcome the humanitarian crisis.  The conditions of those in newly accessible areas -- about 800,000 -- are particularly worrying, Gambari says.

**Kosovo

In Kosovo today, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Michael Steiner, made a statement today on the occasion of the third anniversary of the arrival of the United Nations mission and KFOR (Kosovo Force) in Kosovo.

Saying there is much to be proud of, he lists 25 bullet points of achievements.  Among those are the fact that there are signs of continuing reconstruction and great personal energy.  And this is the result of people's initiatives, but it is also result of more than $2 billion committed by international community and various donors.

Kosovo no longer lives on donations alone, he said.  Ninety-three per cent of this year’s 374 million euro Kosovo consolidated budget will come from locally generated revenues with only seven per cent coming from outside donors.  There are 420,000 children attending nearly 1,200 schools.  And there are also some

15,000 students who are pursuing higher education in two universities in Kosovo.

The crime rate has fallen dramatically -- from 245 murders in 2000 to 118 in 2001 -- with only 30 so far in the first half of this year.

We also have upstairs the remaining bullet points as well as a press release from the Mission announcing that members of the Kosovo Government today took the oath of office, thus marking the completion of the Government.

**Bosnia and Herzegovina

Concerning the United Nations Mission in Bosnia, the Secretary-General’s report to the Security Council on the Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina is out on the racks today.  In it, the Secretary-General notes the Mission’s achievements towards the goal of completing its core mandate by the end of 2002, including the process of reform of the police services.

The Secretary-General flags two core projects that will require additional support for their completion this year.  The first is the establishment of the post of Police Commissioner in the Federation.  And the second is the deployment of the State Border Service, known as the SBS.  He said that delays in completing the deployment of the SBS caused by lack of funding would negatively affect the fight against illegal immigration, organized crime and terrorism in Europe.

While the Mission’s core mandate will be completed by the end of 2002, the systemic weakness of the rule of law in Bosnia and Herzegovina will require continued international attention.  “There will be a need for monitoring of and assistance to the local police to preserve what the Mission has achieved and to ensure further progress towards the rule of law", the Secretary-General said.  "This will be the task of the European Union follow-on mission.”

In conclusion, he recommends that the Security Council extend the mandate of the Mission at an authorized strength of 1,600 monitors, to be reduced after the

5 October elections to 460, with that mandate coming to an end on 31 December 2002. 

**World Food Summit

From the World Food Summit, which has been going on, as you know, in Rome, Jeffrey Sachs, the Secretary-General's Special Adviser on the Millennium Development Goals addressed the Summit.  He said:  “The world has the means and the know-how to end hunger and poverty, but it has lacked the ability to move from words to actions.” 

He went on to say that there is no excuse for further lack of progress in fighting hunger and poverty.  He suggested that if rich countries would provide investment to agriculture in poor countries, the rural poor would be able to grow out of poverty and have a better future.  He said that donor countries would have to put aside five cents out of each $100 of their gross national product to finance the $24 billion estimated by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for its recently launched Anti-Hunger Programme.  The programme would save millions of people from starvation and death.  And we have a press release available upstairs.

**Ebola

The World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of the Congo are investigating six suspected cases, including five deaths, of acute haemorrhagic fever syndrome in the Mbombo district of the country, near to the

border with Gabon.  Samples are being sent to the International Centre for Medical Research in Gabon for verification.  A team from the Central African Forest Ecosystems has also been sent to the area to investigate the deaths of wild animals.  And we have a press release upstairs with more information.

**Press Releases

Just a few more press releases before we reach the end of this briefing. 

On the racks today is the Report of the Commission on Population and Development to the Economic and Social Council.  The report contains a summary of the thirty-fifth session of the Commission, which took place in April here in New York.  During that session, the Commission adopted one resolution calling on the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs -- known as DESA -- to continue its programmes on reproductive rights and health and HIV/AIDS in collaboration with other relevant United Nations bodies.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announced today that renowned Nigerian musician Femi Anikulapo-Kuti is its newest Special Representative who will help further broaden UNICEF's outreach towards young people, especially on HIV/AIDS.  Kuti has used his popularity as one of the stars of Afro-beat music to send a clear and strong message on preventing HIV/AIDS to young people in Nigeria and around the world.

**Signings

In a short while Luxembourg is due to become the first country to sign the United Nations Convention on the Assignment of Receivables in International Trade.  This signing was postponed from yesterday.  And this Convention deals with international trade contracts.

**UNIS Graduation

And lastly, an announcement from the United Nations International School (UNIS).  The graduation of the school’s class of 2002 will take place tomorrow in the Trusteeship Council chamber at 3 p.m.  Kate Burton, most recently seen on Broadway in “Hedda Gabbler” and “The Elephant Man,” and a graduate of the UNIS in 1976, will deliver the commencement address.  And a note to correspondents is available upstairs should you require more information. 

That's it for me.  Anything from you before we turn to Gillian?  Great.  Gillian, welcome.

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