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.

**Security Council

The Security Council is meeting in closed consultations this morning.

It first took up the Secretary-General’s report on missing Kuwaitis and third country nationals in Iraq.

You’ll remember that we flagged that report and its contents for you yesterday.

Ambassador Yuli Vorontsov, the High-level Coordinator, presented the report to Council members today.

The next item on the Security Council’s agenda is Burundi.  The Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Tuliameni Kalomoh is providing Council members with an update on the political, security and humanitarian situation in the country.  Kalomoh will also provide an update on the ongoing talks in Tanzania between the Burundian Government and various rebel groups.

We do expect the President of the Security Council, Ambassador John Negroponte of the US, to speak to the press at the stakeout on those two issues following the consultations.

**Paris Meeting

Tomorrow in Paris the International Task Force for Palestinian Reform will open a two-day meeting to review progress so far.

The Task Force is composed of the members of the Quartet -- that is the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia -- as well as Norway, Japan, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

When the task force was created in London last July during a meeting of the Quartet envoys, it set up support groups to look at seven specific areas:  Civil Society, Financial Accountability, Local Government, Market Economy, Elections, as well as Judicial and Administrative Reform.

These support groups operate on-site and work side by side with Palestinian officials to implement the 100-day reform initiative submitted by the Palestinian Authority earlier this year.

The Palestinian delegation will be led by the Information Minister, Yasser Abed Rabbo, and will include a number of other cabinet level officials.

Israel will be represented by Yossi Gal, the Deputy Director-General of the Foreign Ministry.  Also included in the Israeli Delegation will be, among others, officials from the Finance Ministry and the Israeli Defence Forces.

**Guéhenno

The Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Marie Guéhenno, wrapped up a three-day visit to Beijing today during which he explored with the Chinese authorities their expanded participation in United Nations peacekeeping.

During the visit he met top officials from the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Public Security.  He also visited the Police Academy which is setting up a new training centre for UN civilian police to meet the needs of China’s desire to be more active in United Nations peacekeeping operations.

Chinese officials also told Mr. Guéhenno that China has now a number of units on standby for UN operations ready to be deployed within 90 days.  These are mostly medical and engineering units, not infantry combat units.

Mr. Guéhenno was informed that, when required, China can dispatch a medical unit to the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  An engineering unit would also be ready in the future.

Mr. Guéhenno has agreed to send over a UN team to inspect the Chinese medical unit.

**Rwanda

Today in Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania, Augustin Bizimungu, the former chief of staff of the Rwandan Army, pleaded “not guilty” to 10 counts of genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide, crimes against humanity and serious violations of the Geneva Conventions.

Bizimungu was making his initial appearance before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, to which he was transferred by the Angolan Government last week after being identified and arrested while he was at a demobilization area for UNITA rebels in Angola.  He is one of the most senior former Rwandan military commanders to be apprehended to date by the Tribunal.

**Racism

On the racks today is a report on racism from the Special Rapporteur dealing with that topic, Maurice Glélé-Ahanhanzo, who notes the inhospitable climate that human rights promoters have had to contend with since the events of last

11 September.

He says that there has been a resurgence of racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia in various parts of the world, with the aftermath of the

11 September attacks seeming to have engendered “a stigmatization of Muslims and Arabs, who are supposed to be hand in glove with the terrorists”.  He notes numerous complaints about the rigorous treatment awaiting travellers from South to the North.

In parallel with the worsening tensions in the Middle East, the report says that anti-Semitic acts have also increased in number, with Jewish organizations reporting several thousands of incidents, ranging from anti-Semitic graffiti to attacks on synagogues.

The report concludes that it takes conviction, consistency, perseverance and determination to combat racism, and the current international context should not allow that to be lost from view.

**Press Releases

We have a press release announcing that the World Health Organization and the World Trade Organization secretariat will publish tomorrow a joint study of the relationship between trade rules and public health.  The study, “WTO Agreements and Public Health”, covers areas such as drugs, intellectual property rights, food safety and tobacco.  It outlines the implications of WTO agreements on health and trade policies. 

You can look at the press release if you have more interest.

(The Spokesman’s office announced after the briefing that the WHO/WTO joint study was embargoed until tomorrow morning Geneva time.)

**WSSD -- Malaria

Finally, our sustainability feature today focuses on the third priority area for the Johannesburg Conference, that is, health.

Malaria is a serious life-threatening disease transmitted by mosquitoes.  Africa accounts for 90 per cent of deaths from malaria worldwide.  Malaria costs Africa more than $12 billion annually in slowed economic growth.  And it affects fertility, population growth, worker productivity and savings and investments.

In 1998, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Children's Fund and the World Bank got together and started the Roll Back Malaria Initiative.  Its aim is to cut in half the world’s malaria burden by 2010 by involving all areas of society.  And they are well on their way to accomplishing this.

One of the most successful projects has been the introduction of insecticide-treated mosquito nets. 

In Viet Nam the use of the mosquito nets has resulted in a 97 per cent decrease in deaths from malaria. 

Delivering mosquito nets alone does not get the job done, however.  Mothers actually have to use them. 

In Viet Nam, Kenya and other countries, local communities are involved in actually making the nets.  This not only generates interest in their use locally, but employment as well.

This is one more illustration of how development can be made sustainable.

You can find information on this and other success stories on the Roll Back Malaria Web site.

That’s all I have for you. 

Questions and Answers

Question:   Yes, Fred, could you tell us about Ms. Bertini’s return? 

I understand she gave a preliminary report to the Secretary-General yesterday before flying to Washington today.  Could you tell us a bit more about the trip?

Spokesman:  She did talk to the Secretary-General by phone.  She has not finalized her report to him.  I believe she was intending to go to Washington.  I didn’t hear that she actually went today.  And we’re arranging for her to come here to brief you either tomorrow or Friday.  So, we’re waiting to hear from her office, and she will be my guest at the noon briefing one of those two days.

(The Spokesman’s office later confirmed that Ms. Bertini would be the guest at Thursday’s noon briefing.)

Question:   Fred, you said something about China’s wish to participate actively in peacekeeping.  Have they, how did they express that wish?  Is it in writing is it orally?

Spokesman:  It was as a result of Mr. Guéhenno’s visit.  He went there knowing that China had an interest in expanding its presence in United Nations peacekeeping.  And so, he explored with them during this visit various ways that they could do that.  He did make it clear that they are not yet talking about combat troops, but support units of various sorts.  And I mentioned an engineering unit and a medical unit.  Whether they had conveyed that interest initially to DPKO (Department of Peacekeeping Operations)orally or in writing, I don’t know. 

I can try to find out for you.  Liz?

Question:   On the story about the mass graves in northern Afghanistan.  Yesterday there was some sort of statement that you gave on this.  Is there any update on that?  And is there some sort of United Nations memo, confidential or otherwise, which is reference to this Newsweek article, a confidential memo.  Is there such a document that actually says an estimate of bodies found, thoughts that this, you know, war crimes may have been committed?  Is there any such United Nations document that actually says “here is what we saw”?

Spokesman:  Mr. (Lakhdar) Brahimi will not confirm the existence of a leaked memo, as a matter of principle.  So, there is no confirmation from the Mission that such a memo exists.  However, in the statement issued by the Mission yesterday, they reiterated the findings of the forensic experts that had visited the sites, and they said that they were ready to work with all Afghans in carrying out an investigation.  With the major warning they were giving to the Afghan authorities that any investigation would have to be accompanied by a witness protection programme.  So, it’s in the hands of the Afghans.  We mentioned that there is a Government in place now.  And that Government had set up a human rights commission.  We realize that this is more than just the matter of an investigation here.  There is also a national effort at reconciliation going on.  And we stand prepared and ready to help in any effort the Government may want to undertake.

Question:   They announced, I think today, that they are prepared to do that.  So, there has been no communication yet that you know of between Afghanistan and the United Nations on this issue?

Spokesman:  No.  No.  We have not heard from the Mission today.  So, there was no update.  Manoel called me twice yesterday and I assume phones are working, and if he had something to add he would have called me today.

Question:   Is there any indication who was responsible for these prisoners, can you say that?

Spokesman:  I don’t want to get into any conclusions of the investigation before it’s even been launched.  Yeah?

Question:   Any update on the Cambodia Tribunal story?  Has there been any response from Cambodia or any reaction from Member States?

Spokesman:  No.  We did notice some press reports of comments out of Cambodia but we’ve not received anything officially.

Thanks very much.

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