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 Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

Good afternoon.

The guest at today’s noon briefing will be Olara Otunnu, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.  And he will be brief you on his recent visit to the Russian Federation, including to the northern Caucasus.

**International Criminal Court

Today, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court has entered into force.  The following statement was issued at midnight last night on behalf of the Secretary-General:

“The entry into force of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court is an historic occasion.  It reaffirms the centrality of the rule of law in international relations.  It holds the promise of a world in which perpetrators of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes are prosecuted when individual States are unable or unwilling to bring them to justice.  And it gives the world a potential deterrent to future atrocities.

“I congratulate all the States parties on taking the lead in ratifying the Statute, and I appeal to all States that have not yet done so to ratify or accede to it as soon as possible.  There must be no relenting in the fight against impunity or in our efforts to prevent genocide and the other horrendous crimes that fall under the Court’s jurisdiction.”

As of this morning there are 75 ratifiers of the treaty.

The text of that statement is available upstairs.

Today in The Hague, an advance team for the Criminal Court, consisting of technical experts, began its work on preparing the ground for the Court to start recruiting and beginning its basic operations.  The team consists of eight experts, and will work closely with the Government of the Netherlands on preparatory work before the first budget of the Court is to be adopted by its States Parties when they meet this September.  At that time, recruitment and procurement can formally begin.

The States Parties to the Statute expect to elect a prosecutor and 18 judges for the Court in another meeting which is scheduled for January 2003.

We have several background notes with more details for you upstairs.

And in that connection, you’re all invited to a celebration:  The Bureau of the Preparatory Commission for the International Criminal Court, as well as the NGO Coalition for the Court, invite you to mark the entry into force at a reception at Labouisse Hall -- that’s at UNICEF building across the street.  And that’s from 6:30 to 8:30 tonight.

**Security Council

Yesterday afternoon, the Security Council, after closed consultations, went into a formal meeting to consider the mandate of the UN Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The United States vetoed a resolution to extend the mandate by six months, while 13 other members voted in favor and Bulgaria abstained.  US Ambassador John Negroponte, in the public meeting on Bosnia, linked that veto to US concerns about obtaining immunity for US peacekeepers from the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.

The Secretary-General told the Council that it would be “most unfortunate” if the premature termination of the Bosnia Mission’s mandate set back efforts to help the country after it had been ripped apart by the 1992-95 war.  He appealed to Council members to intensify their high-level negotiations to find a solution on this issue.  He warned, “The world cannot afford a situation in which the Security Council is deeply divided on such an important issue, which may have implications for all UN peace operations.”

He told reporters at the stakeout afterwards that the search for a solution was continuing, adding, “I don’t think this should be beyond the creative minds of all these brilliant lawyers around the world to come up with a solution.”  He said that, if a solution is not found, the mandates of other peacekeeping missions –- including the UN Interim Force in Lebanon -– could be affected.

The Security Council followed the US veto with further consultations, and then, in a Sunday evening vote, agreed to extend the Bosnia Mission’s mandate by 72 hours, until the end of Wednesday.

The Council is not holding any consultations today, which, being the first day of the month, brings in a new Council President, British Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock.  Ambassador Greenstock is holding bilateral discussions with other Council members on the program of work for July.  He plans to talk to you tomorrow in this room at 12:45.

**UNSCO

Terje Roed-Larsen, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, will join the other three members of the so-called Quartet for meetings in London tomorrow afternoon and evening.  The other three are US Assistant Secretary of State William Burns, Russian Envoy Andrei Vdovin, and EU Middle East Envoy Miguel Morratinos.  The issues of Palestinian Authority reforms and the security situation are among a number of issues that are expected to be discussed.

**Cyprus

The last meeting of the fourth round of talks in Cyprus between His Excellency, Glafcos Clerides, the Greek Cypriot leader and His Excellency Rauf Denktash, the Turkish Cypriot leader, will take place tomorrow 2 July in the presence of Alvaro de Soto, the Special Advisor to the Secretary-General on Cyprus.  Mr. de Soto will leave the island to meet the Secretary-General in Vienna on 3 July.  He will brief members of the Security Council at United Nations Headquarters in New York during the following week.  Talks are to resume after Mr. de Soto’s return from New York. 

The goal of resolving the core issues has eluded the negotiators in the fourth round.  This is regrettable, Mr. de Soto thinks, for such a breakthrough by the end of June would have greatly facilitated the detailed legal drafting of a comprehensive settlement, which must be completed by the autumn of this year if the unique opportunity that is now open is to be seized. 

It has become all the more necessary that when the talks resume, all concerned show the necessary political determination and willingness to compromise that are required for a decisive move forward in the summer.

**ECOSOC

The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) today opened its three-day high-level segment, bringing together government officials and analysts from around the world to discuss the importance of human resources development in the effort to foster progress towards the Millennium Development Goals.

The Secretary-General opened the high-level segment by saying that the past year has put the United Nations to new tests, with the world economy suffering its biggest setback in a decade, and the September 11 attacks also affecting world economies.  Only limited improvement is foreseen in the developing world for the current year, with the world economic outlook plagued by an unusual degree of uncertainty, he warned.

He told ECOSOC that “health and education are the twin pillars on which we must build the well-being of individuals, and thus a more healthy, equitable and peaceful tomorrow.”  He stressed in particular the importance of girls’ education, noting that the majority of the 120 million children, who should be in school, but are not, are girls.

He added that the Economic and Social Council must make the implementation of the Millennium Declaration’s goals its first priority.

The opening of the substantive session will also feature a report by the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on the Millennium Development Goals, Jeffrey Sachs, on financing requirements to meet health and education targets.  Professor Sachs and ECOSOC President Ivan Simonovic will talk to you about the high-level segment at a press conference in this room at 1 o'clock today.

**Somalia

The report of the Secretary-General on the situation in Somalia is out on the racks today.

The Secretary-General notes that the regional peace effort spearheaded by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) is at an impasse because of differences on how to proceed on national reconciliation in Somalia.  He also says that Somalia has witnessed an escalation of violence in recent months, which has cost many civilian lives and resulted in a worsening of the humanitarian crisis.

The Secretary-General urges Somali leaders to refrain from military action and violence and make every effort to participate constructively in the peace process.  “It is the duty of leaders to lead,” he says,  “not to pursue narrow partisan advantage”.  He also appeals to the IGAD member States and other countries in the region not to allow differences among themselves to impede the national reconciliation process in Somalia.

**Sierra Leone

The UN mission in Sierra Leone reports that over the last three months, the situation in Liberia has precipitated a steady flow of Sierra Leonean returnees and Liberian refugees into Sierra Leone.  Since the beginning of June, over

17,000 refugees and close to 8,000 returnees have arrived in the country, the mission says in a fact sheet available for you upstairs.  The mission warns that if rates of influx follow similar trends over the next few weeks, agencies will be unable to respond appropriately to the needs of newly arriving refugees and returnees and there will be a serious humanitarian crisis in the Sierra Leone.

We also have a press release on the visit to Sierra Leone by the Chairman of the UN Security Council Sanctions Committee on Sierra Leone, Ambassador Adolfo A. Zinser of Mexico.  The Ambassador yesterday visited the district headquarters town of Kenema and Koidu in the diamond-rich district of Kono to assess the current peace process and political developments in Sierra Leone.

**WFP

A short while ago, James T. Morris, Executive Director of the World Food Programme, launched a massive appeal to provide emergency relief food to six countries in southern Africa, where millions of people are threatened with starvation over the next nine months.

The agency is asking for $507 million to fund close to 1 million tonnes of food, enough to feed 10.2 million people until the next main harvest in March 2003.  WFP has only one quarter of the food it needs for the next three months. WFP says the humanitarian crisis –- which affects Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, Lesotho and Swaziland -– is the worst that southern Africa has experienced in a decade.

**Angola

In Angola, the number of people in urgent need of food assistance is estimated at 1.4 million, according to a joint report released today by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and WFP.

**WFP/Indonesia

The WFP has also launched a $65-million relief operation in Indonesia today. The operation, running from 1 July to 31 December 2003, will help 2.1 million Indonesians who face the highest risk of hunger and malnutrition because of the spiraling costs of food and other commodities.

“The operation is designed to solve at least one problem for these people says WFP Country Director Mohamed Saleheen, “getting enough to eat”.  Through the relief operation, WFP will enable 1.5 million urban poor to buy subsidized rice at a fraction of the normal price.  It will also give rice to 300,000 internally displaced people and a vital nutritional supplement to children under two years of age and their mothers.

**ILO/Cambodia

The International Labour Office (ILO) today reports "encouraging signs of improvement" of working conditions in some 30 garment factories located in Cambodia.  The "Third Synthesis Report on the Working Conditions Situation in Cambodia's Garment Sector" provides an overview of progress made by the factories in implementing suggestions made by ILO monitors.

The report said recent monitoring found no evidence of child labour or sexual harassment in the factories.  While some problems remain, the report found improvements in ensuring freedom of association and the correct payment of wages.  These reports are critically important, as foreign buyers, mostly from North America and Europe, say they use ILO monitoring information to make purchasing decisions. 

**Population Award

This afternoon, the twenty-first annual United Nations Population Award will be presented to a Ghanaian doctor and an NGO from the United States.

The winner of this year’s individual award is Dr. Kwasi Odio-Agyarko, the Executive Director of Rural Help Integrated in Ghana, for his outstanding leadership and achievements in promoting community-based reproductive health services in his country.  The institutional award will go the EngenderHealth for its work all over the world in safe and voluntary sterilization and family planning counseling programmes.  Gillian Sorensen, Assistant Secretary-General for External Relations, will deliver a message on behalf of the Secretary-General.  We have the text of that statement upstairs.

**International Day of Cooperatives

The International Day of Cooperatives will be observed on Saturday and in his message to mark the occasion the Secretary-General urges the international community “to make the best and widest possible use of the cooperative spirit and experience” in the service of the global community.  To commemorate the occasion there will be a panel discussion tomorrow on the theme:  “Society and Cooperatives Concern for the Community”.  That will be in Conference Room D at 1 p.m.  Members of delegations, staff and the media are invited to attend.

The Secretary-General’s message has been issued as a press release and it’s on the racks.

**World Cup

Then for you World Cup fans -- in a message delivered to the Organizers of the World Cup on Friday, the Secretary-General said:  “You have all united the world, at least for this month, through our love for this sport.”

In the message, which was delivered in Japan by Carol Bellamy, the Executive Director of the UN Children’s Fund, the Secretary-General said that it is the worldwide passion for football that enables the sport to have a broader impact on the lives of millions around the world, particularly children.  Football, he said, ”can promote improved health and education for the world’s children, prevention of HIV/AIDS and, yes, a child’s right to recreation.”  We have the full text upstairs.

**Signings

In addition to the ICC, we have a couple of other signings today.

This morning, Cyprus became the 42nd country to ratify the International Convention on the Harmonization of Frontier Controls of Goods.

And then this afternoon Turkey will become the 37th country to ratify the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism and they will sign the Protocol on the Trafficking of Firearms supplementing the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime.

**Press Conference tomorrow

Two press conferences tomorrow, and I will finish with this.  At 11:15 a.m. Dr. Peter Piot, the Executive Director of UNAIDS and Desmond Johns, the Director of UNAIDS New York, will launch the “New Global AIDS Report.”

And then our guest at the noon briefing will be Peter Hansen, the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).  He will brief you on the agency’s recently launched supplementary appeal.  That’s what I have for you.

You want to come up Olara and we’ll get to you just after the questions?  Yes, Erol?

Questions and Answers

Question:   Fred, did you put in some contingency planning actually, in light of the US veto on the United Nations mission in Bosnia.  Actually, how are you going to spend these next 60 hours.  Are you ready to go if something happens in Bosnia Herzegovina?  I mean, how does it look?

Spokesman:  No.  I mean, it’s hard to imagine that the mission would not be substantially damaged if it had to shut down midnight Wednesday.  There has been planning going on for months on the orderly transition to the European Union mission for the end of December this year.  And that was going to take place gradually over six months.  I think we’re very concerned about what will happen in Bosnia if the mission has to be abruptly terminated at Wednesday midnight.  That’s why the Secretary-General said yesterday that he urges the high-level negotiation in search of a solution to continue.  And he hopes that the parties will be able to find some kind of solution.  He said it’s within the scope of human imagination to come up with something to save this mission.

Question:   If I can follow up?

Spokesman:  Yeah.

Question:   But again, if you really have to go down there.  How many days will you take, for example, to leave Bosnia?

Spokesman:  It takes months to close down a mission.  The substantive activities of the mission, though, would have to stop if the Council doesn’t make some provision for it to continue beyond midnight Wednesday.  But, otherwise, we would have to get from the General Assembly a budget for the orderly phasing out of the mission which just means closing up offices, packing up materials.  In this case, because of the unexpected suddenness of the ending of the mission, there would be contracts that would have to be cancelled.  Probably something like a million dollars worth of fines or penalties paid for the early cancellation of those contracts.  And people would have their contracts terminated earlier than usual.  To move the police out of the mission or hurry them into some European-led mission.  You’ll have to ask the European Union what it’s prepared to do and how

quickly it could move for it to accelerate its takeover of this mission.  But, it would be very disruptive, that’s clear, no matter what’s done.

Question:   Could this affect, actually as a sort of collateral damage to the Prevlaka Mission [in Croatia], for example?  Since it has been financed

from . . . .

Spokesman:  Well, the Secretary-General mentioned yesterday that this has an impact, or could have an impact on all peacekeeping missions.  And one he mentioned yesterday that we’re all a bit worried about that comes up for renewal this month is the mission in Lebanon.  Any other questions?  Bill.

Question:   What would you say are the Secretary-General’s expectations or hopes in terms of talks in Vienna of moving beyond the exchange of information to questions and answers that real negotiations that can resolve the issue of inspection?

Spokesman:  I think we really would like to see this time some kind of concrete understanding on the return of the inspectors.  The Iraqis have signaled that they have much broader agenda.  That’s fine.  But from the beginning the Secretary-General’s emphasis has been on the inspectors.  So, we will continue to push for an agreement on the inspectors and we would hope for something concrete to come out this next meeting. 

If there are no other questions, welcome Olara Otunnu, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.

(Issued separately.)

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