DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
| Press Briefing |
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 Hua Jiang, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Good afternoon.
**Secretary-General’s Travels
The Secretary-General today is in Abuja, Nigeria, where he arrived in the morning after ending his visit to Sudan.
That visit concluded last night with a meeting between the Secretary-General and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, which the Secretary-General told reporters afterwards focused on the Government’s determination to press ahead and work with its neighbours and the international community for peace. He said, “I think we do have a very good climate at the moment. There are very, very encouraging signs.”
He said that, on the humanitarian issue, he and the President agreed that “food needs to get to the needy, and that humanitarian workers must have free and unfettered access.” They agreed on the need for comprehensive access, except in 18 locations where the Government believes it is not safe to operate. The situation in those areas will be kept under review.
The Secretary-General added, “We have decided to intensify the liaison mechanisms for working out any of these differences,” adding that he and the President share the same concern for the security of humanitarian workers.
The meeting came in the evening, after the Secretary-General had received an honorary degree from the University of Juba.
On the telephone, he spoke with Javier Solana of the European Union.
Friday, in Abuja, Nigeria, the Secretary-General met with the UN country team shortly upon arrival. In the afternoon, he is to attend a round table with African business leaders on the challenges faced by the private sector in implementing the Global Compact and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, or NEPAD. He was then to meet with a group of representatives of non-governmental organizations on the role of civil society in conflict prevention, peace-building and human development.
On Saturday morning, he is scheduled to hold a breakfast meeting with Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, followed by a press conference prior to his departure to New York. The Secretary-General is expected to arrive in New York Saturday evening.
**Security Council
The Security Council is meeting in closed consultations this morning.
Council members were first given an update on the situation in Afghanistan from Kieran Prendergast, the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs.
France then introduced a draft resolution extending the UN Observer Mission in Prevlaka until 15 October 2002. That has gone into blue [The penultimate pre-vote version of a Security Council draft resolution is printed in blue.] and is expected to be adopted on Monday.
Following a short break, Council members resumed their discussions on the International Criminal Court and the UN Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
During their consultations yesterday afternoon, a US-sponsored resolution on the ICC was also moved into blue. Two other delegations introduced suggested changes to that resolution.
Consultations are continuing now.
**ISAF
We have put out on the racks today the final report from the United Kingdom to the Security Council on the work of the International Assistance Force in Afghanistan, covering the period up to the hand over of command to Turkey on
20 June.
**Sierra Leone
Earlier today, the head of the UN Mission in Sierra Leone, Oluyemi Adeniji, delivered a message of behalf of the Secretary-General at the ceremony marking the opening of Parliament and the inauguration of the President of the country.
In his message, he congratulated the President and the parliamentarians for the holding of an election that few people –- especially outside Sierra Leone -– ever thought could be held so soon after the end of the long and brutal civil war.
The election, he went on to say, “is a great demonstration of the political maturity of the Sierra Leonean people and their determination to make a clean break with their violent past. They have shown their preference for the route of democracy as the foundation for sustainable peace.”
For this achievement to be sustained the majority must not ignore the views of the minority and the minority must be constructive in its criticism, the Secretary-General said in his message. The Government must also take the lead in consolidating the newly found peace and address unfinished aspects of the peace process.
We have the full text upstairs, as well as a press release from the mission on the visit by the Acting Force Commander, General Martin Agwai, to newly arrived peacekeeping troops from Zambia and Nepal.
**Refugee News
The Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees remains concerned about the thousands of Sierra Leonean refugees and local Liberians who fled the Sinje refugee camp in north-west Liberia after attacks by rebels on 20 June. The camp housed some 24,000 people. Some have managed to reach Sierra Leone or Monrovia, but many still remain in the bush in deteriorating conditions due to seasonal rains. Those who have reached Monrovia said there are many who are too weak or wounded to manage the 80-kilometre trek to the Liberian capital. So far
3,800 refugees from Sinje have been registered in camps around Monrovia. The heavy rains are making already poor roads worse, and access to the camps around Monrovia is increasingly difficult.
The flow of Liberian refugees and Sierra Leoneans returning to Sierra Leone by the main Gendema crossing has slowed from a high of 1,700 a day two weeks ago to about 100-150 a day in the last few days. UNHCR is continuing to shuttle returnees and refugees from the entry points along the border to the Zimmi way station, where they spend a couple of nights before being relocated to UNHCR camps in Sierra Leone.
Also in Uganda, UNHCR is working with its partners to assist nearly
8,000 Sudanese refugees who fled their settlements in the north earlier this week following attacks by the Lord’s Resistance Army. In addition to supplies already in place in the region, UNHCR is preparing aid in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, for up to 5,000 people for immediate dispatch to the northern district.
We have more details in the briefing notes available upstairs.
**UNHCR/Zimbabwe
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today said it was distressed following the news that two members of a non-governmental organization, the International Catholic Migration Commission, were accused of alleged sexual misconduct against refugees in the Tongogora camp in Zimbabwe. Those two staff members were dismissed.
UNHCR welcomes the Commission’s swift response to the problem, and High Commissioner Ruud Lubbers reiterated that there is absolutely no place in the humanitarian community for those who exploit others, and emphasized the need for strict adherence to a “zero tolerance” policy.
We have further details in today’s UNHCR briefing notes.
**Bosnia
The UN Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina today commended the interior ministries of the Bosnian Federation and of the Republika Srpska for the successful security operation that allowed a religious ceremony commemorating the Srebrenica massacre to take place peacefully yesterday.
About 1,500 police were on hand, and the Mission gave credit to Republika Srpska police on the ground for diligently implementing the security plan for the event. The Mission says in a release, which we have upstairs, “The professional conduct and efficient performance of local police guaranteed that yesterday’s ceremony could pass in a peaceful and dignified atmosphere.”
**Deputy Secretary-General
The Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette is in London today, where she is chairing the second meeting of the Global Compact Advisory Council.
The meeting is to discuss how the Global Compact has evolved, and how best to consolidate its efforts and its core areas of activity. The meeting will also discuss how to build a future vision for the Compact.
The Advisory Council consists of representatives of business, labour, civil society and academia, as well as representatives from major UN partners in the Compact.
**Monthly Summary of Troop Contributions to Peacekeeping Operations
We thought that today might be a good day to share with you the most recent list of contributions to the current 15 United Nations peacekeeping operations.
At the end of June, 88 countries were providing just over 45,000 military and police personnel. Copies of the list are available in my office.
**ICT Task Force
In Conference Room One today, the UN Information and Communication Technologies Task Force is sponsoring a round table discussion on how service in such technologies can be effectively provided to Africa. The discussion, called “The Digital Bridge to Africa,” brings together leaders from technology corporations, foundations and non-profit organizations, and journalists are welcome to attend.
**Southern African FamineKenzo Oshima, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, and Emergency Relief Coordinator, will address the Economic and Social Council next Monday on the issue of relief for vulnerable populations, after returning from a recent mission to the southern African region.
Other events of the Economic and Social Council humanitarian segment on Tuesday morning, 16 July, will include a panel on complex humanitarian emergencies, with United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Carol Bellamy among the speakers.
**Week Ahead
And we have the Week Ahead at the United Nations out today. And I would like just to highlight one thing. On Wednesday, 17 July, the Secretary-General is expected to open a meeting of the friends of the Chair for the World Summit for Sustainable Development, which will begin next month in Johannesburg, South Africa.
And that’s all I’ve got for you. Any questions? Yes.
Questions and Answers
Question: In Conference Room One where the journalists are invited -- are they only to be there or are they able to participate?
Deputy Spokesperson: Well, it just says journalists are welcome to attend.
Question: Attend just as listeners or attend as participants?
Deputy Spokesperson: Well, I’m not quite sure about that. I think attend is something that you will need to be there physically. Yes, please?
Question: Do you have any information about the Quartet meeting which is scheduled to be held next Monday? I heard that it’s going to be postponed to until Tuesday.
Deputy Spokesperson: Well, the Quartet meeting this time around, the United States is organizing all the invitations. And the planning in the past few days has been changed in terms of dates and participants. I think the best way really to have the update is to call the United States Mission here. I heard the latest is that the date will be changed to the 16th instead of the 15th.
Question: Is this just a one-day meeting or two days?
Deputy Spokesperson: Again, that hasn’t been finalized yet. Because as I was saying, some participants have some problems with attending. So, you’ll have to call the United States Mission to get the latest.
Question: When you say some participants have problems, that means Arab countries have got problems in participating?
Deputy Spokesperson: Yes. That’s my understanding, yes. Serge.
Question: Recently in Barcelona there were some demonstrations against the way that the Global AIDS Fund was going on. Do you know which institution here at the United Nations is monitoring the expenditure of this Fund?
Deputy Spokesperson: I think UNAIDS. That would be the agency that you should get in touch with.
Question: Can we get from time to time their activities or what they are spending or why? Because there were a lot of complaints from the African countries in Barcelona. So that means that somewhere somehow somebody has to monitor this Global Fund which is almost $2 billion.
Deputy Spokesperson: UNAIDS has all the details in terms of their activities and how much they have already received, and also how the money is going to be allocated to what programmes. It has all the details on their Web site. So if you have, you know, difficulty in access to that Web site, we can help you to find out more.
[The Spokesman’s office announced later that the Global Fund on AIDS was run by an independent body on whose board the two United Nations agencies, WHO and UNAIDS, sat as ex-officio members.]
Question: And also, you just talked about peacekeeping operations and congratulated the countries which are providing the United Nations troops. It seems to me that we’re involved in a revolving door. The same countries, members of the United Nations -- Bangladesh, India, Pakistan –- are still providing the troops. It has become, doesn’t seem to be a United Nations operation anymore. Why is the Secretary-General not trying to have other countries in Latin America, other countries in another part of the world participate in the peacekeeping operations, so we do not see only one face of people as peacekeepers at the United Nations? What can be done?
Deputy Spokesperson: It’s not that the Secretary-General hasn’t tried. But I think you’ll have to talk to those Member States which haven’t responded to the Secretary-General’s appeal.
Question: But the question is that the peacekeeping operations become a big business. You know, they are well paid, well fed and if the Secretary-General is not putting this thing on the market for other countries to become involved in it, well, there you are. You see that Bangladesh has 10,000; India, Pakistan. But there are other countries at the United Nations who can contribute. Are we going any further? Is an effort being made to have other participants? That’s my question.
Deputy Spokesperson: Yes. Again, as I have said, for that you’d have to talk to those country members who haven’t so far volunteered for the peacekeeping operations. Yes, please?
Question: Regarding the Bosnia Mission talks in the Security Council. Do they have to decide the extension; I mean, today or it could be done next Monday?
Deputy Spokesperson: The deadline, as we all know, is midnight on Monday. So, we’ve still got time.
Question: So, they don’t have to adopt anything today?
Deputy Spokesperson: No. They don’t have to. All right. Thank you, and have a very good weekend.
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