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

Following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, and Richard Sydenham, Spokesman for the President of the General Assembly.

Briefing by the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

Good afternoon.  We will be joined today by Mahmoud Kassem, Chairman of the Panel of Experts on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and Other Forms of Wealth of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who will talk about the Panel’s report.

**Iraq/Secretary-General

Upon entering the Building this morning, the Secretary-General was asked about the prospects for a Security Council resolution concerning Iraq, and he said, “I do expect a Council resolution and I expect it to be unanimous.  There’s hard discussions going on, and I hope in the end they will be fruitful, and that the inspectors will go back to Iraq with the support of a united Council behind them.”

In response to a question about the progress of the negotiations, he said, “It’s democracy in practice; it takes a bit of time, but with patience, we’ll get an optimal decision.”

The Secretary-General also commented on the hostage situation in Moscow, saying that it is “unreasonable” and adding, “We cannot accept that innocent civilians should be trapped in this situation.”  He reiterated his demand for their release, adding his hope that, “in the end, the perpetrators would also be made to account”.

We have copies of his comments upstairs.

**Security Council

The Security Council is holding consultations on Iraq.

Yesterday, after the noon briefing, the Security Council, in a five-point resolution adopted unanimously, condemned the "heinous act" of taking hostages in Moscow and demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.  The Council said it "regards such acts, like any act of international terrorism, as a threat to international peace and security".

The Council President, Ambassador Martin Belinga-Eboutou of Cameroon, also read a presidential statement on Kosovo that called upon all eligible voters to take part in this weekend’s municipal elections.

**Afghan Poppy Survey

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime today launched its Opium Survey for Afghanistan for this year which confirmed a considerable level of opium production

in that country, with 90 per cent of opium-poppy cultivation concentrated in five provinces:  Helmand, Nangahar, Badakhshan, Uruzgan and Kandahar.

The total opium production in Afghanistan for this year is estimated to amount to some 3,400 metric tons, which is 25 per cent less than the record levels of opium produced in 1999, but considerably higher than the 185 metric tons produced there last year.

Antonio Maria Costa, the Executive Director of the Office, who launched the report in Rome today, said the high level of opium cultivation this year was not a sign of the failure of the Afghan authorities to fight drug trafficking.  Rather, he said, the planting of this year’s crop took place during the total collapse of law and order, in the autumn of 2001, before the present government was in place.

The survey adds that it would not be appropriate to see Afghanistan as a country entirely dependent on illegal activity, since a high level of economic dependency on opium-poppy cultivation is limited to a few provinces that have not complied with the Government ban issued this January on opium production.

We have copies of the report and an executive summary, as well as of

Mr. Costa’s comments in Rome, upstairs.

**Deputy Secretary-General Fréchette

On the United Nations Staff Day, the Deputy Secretary-General, Louise Fréchette, paid tribute to the 57 peacekeepers and six civilian staff who have lost their lives since Staff Day last year.

In her remarks at the Memorial Ceremony, she said that the Secretary-General was exploring the possibility of using the money from last year’s Nobel Peace Prize to establish a “United Nations Nobel Peace Prize Memorial Trust Fund”, for the education of children of staff members who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

In another address to mark Staff Day, the Deputy Secretary-General noted that this was a tense and troubled moment in world affairs, and said that the car bombing in Bali “underscored both the degree to which the fight against terrorism has quickly become one of the main priorities of the United Nations, and the importance of international cooperation in that struggle”.

She then listed some highlights of the Secretary-General’s report on UN reform.  “Together, they add up to a very different way of doing business”, she said.

We have both of her remarks available in the Spokesman’s office. 

**Democratic Republic of Congo

At the initiative of Moustapha Niasse, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy, the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Movement for the Liberation of the Congo, and the Congolese Rally for Democracy (Goma) agreed to hold informal consultations beginning today in Pretoria, South Africa, on an all-inclusive transitional political arrangement in the DRC.

Mr. Niasse is set to meet those three groups separately today and together over the weekend and into early next week. He will also be meeting representatives of other armed groups, as well as political parties, throughout next week.

These consultations are being held in close cooperation with the presidency of the African Union and with the active support of the Government of South Africa.

The consultations follow extensive discussions and contacts with the Congolese parties undertaken by Mr. Niasse through shuttle diplomacy since June 2002.

The talks are part of his efforts to help the Congolese parties reach, on an informal basis, an all-inclusive transitional arrangement.  Such an arrangement, once reached, will be formally endorsed by the inter-Congolese dialogue under the chairmanship of its Facilitator, Sir Ketumile Masire.

I also want to flag a statement issued by Iulia Antoanella Motoc, the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights for the DRC, in which she expresses her concern about the increase of violations of human rights during the withdrawal of the foreign forces.  She underscored that the withdrawal of foreign troops must not be an opportunity or a pretext for the commitment of human rights violations.  She appealed to all the parties to respect all human rights. 

**DRC -- Humanitarian

On the humanitarian side, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) remains concerned about the situation in Ituri Province in the north-east of the DRC. 

There are an estimated half a million displaced persons in the area, including over 130,000 in Bunia alone.

The health situation is precarious.  There is little or no access to health centres due to insecurity and lack of income; 15 health centres have been looted and/or destroyed; and a cholera epidemic has broken out in Bunia and other localities.  Where nutritional centres are accessible to the population, the number of malnourished children seeking aid has increased.  Water systems have been sabotaged in Ngongo et Regideso à Bunia, and drinking water is insufficient throughout Ituri.  In addition, food production has been drastically reduced due to population movements. 

We have upstairs the full text of the press releases from OCHA and the Human Rights Rapporteur.

**Sudanese Refugees in DRC

The UN refugee agency is very concerned about the situation of 17,000 Sudanese refugees following the occupation of a Sudanese refugee settlement by a rebel faction in northern DRC.

Rebel presence in the locality caused panic among local and refugee populations who fled to the bush.  Since Monday, most of the 17,000 refugees have gone into hiding.  We are unable to reach the refugees as fighting continues nearby.

Sudanese refugees have been in DRC for the past 12 years.

A General Assembly document on the interim report of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation in the Sudan is out on the racks today.

The report concludes that the overall situation of human rights in the Sudan has not improved, and that the implementation of the peace agreement is key.

**UNAIDS Executive Director Speaks

 Peter Piot, the Executive Director of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS, or UNAIDS for short, today addressed a joint meeting of the General Assembly’s Second and Third Committees, telling them that, 16 months after the General Assembly’s unprecedented special session on AIDS, “already there are signs it was a turning point in the global response to the epidemic”.

But he cautioned, “History’s judgement on the session still hangs in the balance.”  While there has been progress in increasing the global momentum in the fight against AIDS, Dr. Piot warned the response is not yet strong enough to turn the epidemic back.

He notes that a report by the Secretary-General over the gains of the past 16 months shows that leadership in responding to the epidemic has undoubtedly increased, but, so far, too many of the efforts against AIDS are still small-scale efforts rather than nationwide comprehensive programmes.  He asserted, “The most emphatic lesson in over 20 years of fighting AIDS is that half measures do not work.”

We have copies of his speech upstairs.

**Iraq -– Human Rights

Out on the racks is the latest report from Andreas Mavromiatis, the Human Rights Commission’s Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iraq.

In the report Mavromiatis writes that he welcomed the dialogue he has been able to have on this issue with the Government of Iraq, but adds that the level of cooperation, although improved, did not attain the level, detail and substance he had expected.

**Sudan -– Human Rights

A General Assembly document on the interim report of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission of Human Rights on the situation in the Sudan is out on the racks today.

The report concludes that the overall situation of human rights in the Sudan has not improved, and that the implementation of the peace agreement is key.

**Côte d’Ivoire

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that in Abijdan, Côte d’Ivoire, people continue being displaced from their homes, especially among shantytown residents.  Some people are homeless overnight. Bulldozers, guarded by police officers, have demolished structures made out of wood planks, plastic sheeting and adobe.

Meanwhile, people displaced by the recent fighting continue to arrive in Abidjan, although exact numbers are not yet available.  However, the risk of epidemics due to population movement is imminent.  Health organizations are considering planning immunization days nationwide, with security for the teams becoming a main concern.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP)are making their ways with immediate assistance to Bouake and Yamoussoukro, as well as to the transit centres in Abidjan.

**Smallpox Research

A team of international biosafety experts appointed by the World Health Organization (WHO) has completed an inspection of a smallpox research laboratory in Koltsovo, part of Russia’s Novosibirsk Region, and has concluded that the laboratory can safely be used for work with the Variola virus, which causes smallpox.  The team said all previous safety recommendations for the site have been implemented.

The team plans to make a follow-up visit to the facility, which is one of two centres collaborating with the WHO that currently houses stocks of the virus causing smallpox; the other one is the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

We have a press release from the WHO with more details.

**World Food Programme

The World Food Programme said that in addition to Guatemala and Honduras, it had now added El Salvador to its list of Latin American countries facing food problems.

The Week Ahead at UN

Monday, 28 October:  The Security Council will hold an open meeting on women, peace and security.

Tuesday, 29 October:  The Secretary-General is to speak at a seminar, sponsored with the International Peace Academy, commemorating the tenth anniversary of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations.  The event will begin at 10 a.m. at the Millennium UN Plaza Hotel.

The Security Council intends to hold private meetings with the President of the International Court of Justice, Judge Gilbert Guillaume, and with the Presidents of the International Tribunals for Rwanda and the Former Yugoslavia, Judges Navanethem Pillay and Claude Jorda.

The Global Mountain Summit will begin in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

The guest at the noon briefing will be Joseph Chamie, Director of the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, who will discuss international migration.

Wednesday, 30 October:  The Secretary-General is to address the General Assembly on his report on UN reform.

The Security Council will hold an open briefing, followed by consultations, on Afghanistan.

Thursday, 31 October:  The Security Council expects to hold consultations on the UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC).

Friday, 1 November:  The presidency of the Security Council will rotate from Cameroon to China, and new Council President Wang Yinfan of China is expected to hold bilateral consultations with Council members on its programme of work for November.

**Questions and Answers

Question:  When do you think the Security Council will vote about Iraq and what type of resolution will it be –- a resolution backed by strength or a resolution backed by the United States and the United Kingdom?

Answer:  That’s entirely in the hands of the Council, and I have no basis on which to judge when they might act.  All I can give you is what the Secretary-General has consistently said, they will act and they will act unanimously, he hopes.

Comments:  Three of our colleagues from the United Nations press corps did a really fine job for two hours live on C-span this morning, the Washington Bureau, which is in New York now, and I think they re-run those shows in the afternoon.  I’m not sure, but I think I’ve seen the re-runs.

Answer:  Okay, thank you for that.  If there’s nothing else, we’ll go to Richard and then to Mr Kassem.

Briefing by the Spokesman for the President of the General

Thank you and good afternoon.

Speaking at the flag-raising memorial ceremony this morning on UN Staff Day, General Assembly President Jan Kavan paid tribute to the contributions made by many of the staff members whose lives were cut short in accidents or due to malicious acts in foreign lands while serving the United Nations.

“We mourn their loss and pay homage to their courage and devotion”, the President said.  He went on to appeal to Member States to ensure the safety and security of United Nations and associated personnel on their territories and requested and invited Member States who have not yet done so to ratify the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel.

In his message, he also saluted the staff of the United Nations in all corners of the world and paid tribute to their unflagging spirit to make our world more humane.

“In this tribute, I would also like to include some 47,000 United Nations retirees who dedicated their working years and helped evolve this Organization to the powerful force that it is today”, he said.

The statement may be found on the Assembly President’s Web site.

The First Committee continues its discussion of draft resolutions on all disarmament and international security agenda items, and the Fifth Committee discusses the current financial situation of the UN and starts a general discussion of the capital master plan.

Just a look ahead to next week.  Next Monday, 28 October, the General Assembly plenary takes up report of the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and the report of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

On Tuesday, the General Assembly plenary takes up the report of the International Court of Justice, and on Wednesday and Thursday, next week, the plenary discusses the report of the Secretary-General on strengthening of the United Nations -- an agenda for further change.

As Fred just briefed you about Dr. Piot’s address today to the Second and Third Committees, this briefing is in preparation for consideration of this item which will take place on 8 November in plenary session.

Any questions?

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