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. 

I am going to start with two things that I don't have for you.  The first is a statement by me on behalf of the Secretary-General concerning the current situation in the Middle East.  I hope we will have it within the hour.  The second is the text of the Secretary-General's message to the African meeting in support of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.  That message was delivered today in Rabat, Morocco, on behalf of the Secretary-General by Mervat Tallawy, who is the Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia.  We understand there were some last-minute changes in the text and as soon as we get the final text, we will share that with you. 

**AIDS Report

A newly-released report finds that the level of awareness of AIDS is generally high but is higher amongst men than women and that awareness grows with the incidence of HIV/AIDS in the country.  The report, “HIV/AIDS:  Awareness and Behaviour,” was issued yesterday by the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs and it highlights findings from a series on national demographic and health surveys in 39 African, Asian and Latin American countries relevant to the AIDS epidemic.  Our guest at the briefing today, Joseph Chamie, is the head of the Population Division and he will give you more details and answer your questions in a short while.

**Iran Earthquake

Early on Saturday morning, an earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale shook western Iran.  The cities of Avaj and Razan, about 200 kilometres west of Tehran, were the most severely affected.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has mobilized a UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination Team (UNDAC).  Two members of that team arrived yesterday and met with the Resident Coordinator and another three arrive today.

The World Health Organization has already released five emergency kits that will serve the primary health care needs of about 50,000 people.  The WHO has also offered to procure scorpion anti-venom and is prepared to airlift emergency trauma kits if requested by the Government.

The United Nations Children's Fund is providing water tankers and chlorine tablets and other chemicals for water purification, while the World Food Programme (WFP) is prepared to feed 15,000 people for two to four weeks.

On Saturday the Secretary-General issued a statement through his Spokesman, conveying his condolences and deepest sympathy to the victims of the disaster and to the Government of Iran.

We have an update from the UNDAC team in Iran with more details.

**Secretary-General in Chicago

As you know, the Secretary-General went to Chicago Friday evening to deliver the keynote address at Northwestern University’s 144th commencement ceremonies in Evanston, Illinois, just outside of Chicago.

In his speech he encouraged the graduates to fully engage themselves in the interdependent world we now live in.  He told them that they held the power to change the world, more power than they probably realized they had.  In a world where there are no shortages of challenges, he encouraged them to use their power and energy in the fight against global poverty.

The Secretary-General also received an honorary doctorate of laws from the university.  Afterwards, the university’s President, Henry S. Bienen, announced the creation of the Kofi Annan Fellowship in African Studies, which will be awarded to a student from sub-Saharan Africa pursuing a graduate degree through Northwestern’s department of African studies.  The fellowship, Bienen said, would serve as a continuing memorial of the Secretary-General’s commitment to Africa and its people.

On Saturday morning, the Secretary-General, accompanied by his wife Nane, went to the national headquarters of the Reverend Jesse L. Jackson’s Rainbow/Push Coalition in downtown Chicago.

Prior to speaking at the organization’s weekly Saturday Morning Freedom Meeting, the Secretary-General addressed a number of local business and community leaders, as well as the representatives of Chicago’s consular corps.

In his introduction, Reverend Jackson spoke of how the ceremonies marking Ghana’s independence in 1957, when Kofi Annan was only a teenager, were attended by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other American civil rights leaders.  Noting the Secretary-General’s presence in Chicago among civil rights leaders, the Rev. Jackson said history had come full circle.

The Secretary-General spoke of that time and how Ghana’s independence movement had an impact on him.  “You grow up believing that change is possible, peaceful change is possible,” he said, “and one should dare to make a difference and change.  That’s a message I try to give young people:  keep hope alive, be courageous, dare to change.”

Following those remarks, the Secretary-General, accompanied by Rev. Jackson, moved to the main hall of the organization’s headquarters which was filled with more than 800 people for the weekly Saturday forum.  After a thundering rendition of the gospel classic “Oh Happy Day!” the Secretary-General spoke of the need for the building of coalitions bringing together governments, the private sector and organizations such as Rainbow/Push, in order to succeed in the struggle for human dignity, for equality of opportunity and for economic progress.

Before leaving, the Secretary-General was awarded the Rainbow/Push Coalition for Global Unity Award.  He returned to New York Saturday afternoon.

**Sierra Leone

The Secretary-General’s interim report to the Security Council on Sierra Leone is out on the racks today.  The report assesses the post-electoral situation and prospects for peace consolidation in that country.

The Secretary-General says that the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) is concentrating on maintaining a security environment that will allow the Government to establish authority.  The Mission is also addressing the unfinished aspects of the peace process, such as the reintegration of ex-combatants and the promotion of justice, human rights and national reconciliation.

He flags two factors that pose the greatest threat to stability in that country.  First is the escalating conflict in neighbouring Liberia.  The increasing incursions by armed elements into Sierra Leone portend a worrying trend, the Secretary-General notes.  He urges the Security Council to take concrete measures in support of efforts to address the conflict in Liberia, and to build confidence among the leaders of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

The second is the challenge facing the Sierra Leone army and police to develop their capabilities to effectively assume responsibility for the country’s security after the eventual departure of the UN Mission.

**Security Council

The Security Council held consultations on Burundi this morning.  Tuliameni Kalomoh, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, briefed Council members on the political and military situation.  He especially highlighted the dire socio-economic problems facing Burundi.

At 3 p.m. today, the Council’s Working Group on Peacekeeping Operations is scheduled to meet.  The consultations on Angola, which had been scheduled to take place tomorrow, have been postponed until after the next report is issued.

**Afghanistan

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi, this afternoon attended the swearing in of Afghanistan's new cabinet.  Yesterday he held his first formal meeting with members of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, which was set up on 6 June.  According to that decree, the Commission is charged with developing a national plan of action for human rights in Afghanistan.

Brahimi said at the meeting that their success would be measured by how much help they would provide to those who need it in the country, and by how much respect they would have from their countrymen.

Brahimi reiterated the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) support of the UNAMA for the work of the Commission.

**Central African Republic

The Secretary-General’s latest report to the Security Council on the situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) is out on the racks today.  In the last six months, the Secretary-General writes, the situation in the country has developed favourably in many respects.  The lifting of the curfew, the return of large numbers of refugees and the start of dialogue between the Government and the political opposition are but a few of the tangible signs of progress, he says.

However, he adds, the difficult financial and economic situation is liable to threaten the social peace.  To that end, the Secretary-General once again calls on the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to rapidly conclude an agreement with the Central African Republic so as to give the Government access to external financial assistance -– something it has lacked since January 2001.

The full report is out on the racks.

**Human Rights in Colombia

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, today called on the Colombian Government to protect human rights defenders in the wake of reports of escalation of violence and intimidation against human rights defenders.

“I have seen for myself,” she said, “the commitment and courage of Colombian human rights defenders, who, despite horrific violence and ongoing turmoil, continue to work tirelessly to build peace and respect for fundamental freedoms in the country.”

We have a press release with more details.

**Children in Armed Conflict

The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Olara Otunnu, today concluded a week-long visit to the Russian Federation, including the northern Caucasus. 

He called for several specific actions for the benefit of children affected by the armed conflict, including the observance of the voluntary return of displaced persons.  He also called for the end of the use of landmines and for an increase in assistance for children who have been maimed by landmines and unexploded ordnance, and particularly for more resources for the production of prosthetics.

We have that press release.

**Chernobyl

Kenzo Oshima, Under-Secretary-General for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, is scheduled to be in Geneva tomorrow for the launch of a new Web site on assistance to the victims of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor disaster.

Then, between 26 June and 1 July, Mr. Oshima will be speaking with government officials and UN Country teams in Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, and Angola to discuss approaches to the humanitarian needs created by the food crisis in the region.  

He will be in Angola at the beginning of July.

**Secretary-General's Lecture Series

This afternoon, at 1:30, noted United States novelist and Nobel laureate Toni Morrison will be the first person to deliver a lecture as part of the Secretary-General’s new lecture series.

The Secretary-General’s intention in inaugurating a lecture series was to strengthen the sense of community among those who work at the United Nations, including members of delegations, UN staff and accredited representatives of non-governmental organizations.

The lectures will be designed to bring in speakers from a wide range of disciplines and regions to discuss issues of interest that are outside the normal work done at the United Nations, in fields like the natural sciences and the humanities.

The lecture will not be open to the public, but UN staff and NGOs, among others, are invited to attend, and we have available embargoed copies of the Secretary-General’s introductory remarks.  In them, he praises his fellow Nobel Laureate, saying, “If there is one Nobel Prize that all other prize winners should envy, it is the Prize for Literature.”

**Fire drill

Yesterday morning, the United Nations and the New York City Fire Department conducted their first-ever simulated fire drill here at Headquarters, in an exercise designed to show how they could work in unison should an explosion and fire occur in the Headquarters building.

To make the simulation as real as possible, smoke machines started pumping in non-lethal smoke into the 26th and 27th floors at about 9 a.m.  Once those floors had filled up sufficiently with the simulated smoke, the fire drill began at about 9:55, with the first fire truck entering the premises at about

10 o'clock.

Some 26 vehicles and about 150 firemen were used to deal with the scenario, which involved a hypothetical explosion on the 26th floor and subsequent fire, and also included the possibility of injuries to two civilians.  Water was pumped up to the 26th floor, and was later mopped up.  After the exercise ended at about

11 o'clock, Michael McCann, the Chief of UN Security, and other UN Security officials met with their Fire Department counterparts in the cafeteria to review and critique the experience.  UN Security officials agreed that the exercise had gone well.

**G-8 Summit

Finally, regarding the G-8 summit that the Secretary-General will be attending, tomorrow will be his last day in the building before he leaves for Canada on Wednesday.  We have arranged for him to be doorstepped by you on his way into the building tomorrow morning should you have any questions about his participation in the G-8 summit.

And then we will transcribe anything he says and put it on the “Off the Cuff” feature on the Spokesman's Web site.

That is all I have for you.  Any questions?

**Questions and Answers

Question:  What time will the Secretary-General arrive?

Spokesman:  His arrival will be around 9:30.

Question:  Fred, wouldn't it be more realistic to have a fire drill on a workday rather than on a Sunday morning?

Spokesman:  More realistic, but much more disruptive.  The main thing was to test the communications between our security personnel and the fire department.  It wasn't so much about seeing how fast we could get people out of the building, but to see how well these two teams cooperated and coordinated.

Thank you. 

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