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

DAILY BRESS 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 General Assembly President.

Briefing by the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

Good afternoon.

**Statement on Somalia

We have the following statement attributable to the Spokesman concerning Somalia:

“The Secretary-General welcomes the signing of a declaration on the cessation of hostilities and the structures and principle of the Somalia National Reconciliation Process at the Somali National Reconciliation Conference in Eldoret, Kenya, under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

“The Secretary-General urges the Somali parties to abide fully by the commitments they have made and to move into the next phase of the reconciliation process with determination and a true spirit of reconciliation.  The Secretary-General remains concerned about continued fighting and insecurity in some parts of Somalia.  He calls for an immediate end to all fighting, which not only undermines the reconciliation process, but also impedes the provision of humanitarian and development assistance to Somalia.

“The Secretary-General commends President Daniel arap Moi, the Government of Kenya and the IGAD countries for their efforts in support of national reconciliation in Somalia.  He reiterates the continued support of the United Nations to the IGAD effort on Somalia.”

**Security Council

The Security Council is holding consultations today on the latest report of the Secretary-General on the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Council members will hear briefings by the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Amos Namanga Ngongi, on the report and by Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Carolyn McAskie on her recent mission to that country.  Ms. McAskie’s briefing was focused on the recent violence and its grave effects on the humanitarian situation in Ituri, in the north-eastern part of the country, as well as in the Kivu provinces.

The Council has also scheduled three back-to-back formal meetings to consider presidential statements on small arms, the strengthening of cooperation between the UN system and the Central African region in the maintenance of peace and security, and on women, peace and security.  All three subjects were discussed in open meetings during the month of October.

After the formal meetings, the Security Council President for the month of October, Ambassador Martin Belinga-Eboutou of Cameroon, is scheduled to discuss the Council’s work during the month of October, including “Women, Peace and Security”.

**Security Council - Sanctions

At 3:30 p.m., the Security Council Sanctions Committee on Liberia is meeting.  The Chairman of that Committee, Kishore Mahbubani of Singapore, and members of the Panel of Experts on Liberia will be available to talk to reporters after the meeting in Conference Room 7.  Today is the last day of the mandate of the Panel of Experts.

And at 4 p.m., there is a scheduled briefing to Member States in the Economic and Social Council Chamber by the Chairman of the Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee, Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock of the United Kingdom.

On other sanctions matters, on the racks today is a letter from the Secretary-General, naming two experts to the monitoring mechanism for Angola sanctions, as requested by the Security Council.

**Security Council - Document

Out as a Security Council document is a letter from Ambassador Revaz Adamia, the Permanent Representative of Georgia to the United Nations, requesting an open meeting of the Security Council on the situation in Georgia.

**Afghanistan UNICEF

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) condemns the recent attacks on four schools in Wardak Province that took place on the night of Thursday,

24 October, and the early morning of Friday, 25 October, in Afghanistan.

The attacks, carried out by unidentified persons, caused damage to both school buildings and educational materials.  No injuries have been reported and three of the schools are open for business as usual.

A UNICEF education officer visited the affected schools on Wednesday, along with representatives of the provincial education office, to inspect the damage. The mission reported that local people are angry and outraged at these attacks, and many of the girl pupils were in tears on hearing the news.  However, with the exception of Jarlez School, where the owner has yet to decide if the school can continue, pupils have returned to the classrooms to take their end-of-the-year examinations.  Local residents have expressed their determination to continue sending their children to school.

The UNICEF believes that the majority of people in Afghanistan want to see their children educated, boys and girls alike, and attacks such as those in Wardak –- and other incidents elsewhere in the country –- will do nothing to crush the desire for education amongst ordinary people.

      **Security Council:  Afghanistan

Yesterday afternoon, the Security Council held a formal meeting, followed by closed consultations, on Afghanistan.

In his briefing to the Council, Lakhadar Brahimi, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, underscored that security remains a priority concern for the country.  He said: “Sporadic fighting continues to erupt from time to time.  The Government does not yet have the means to deal in an effective manner with the underlying problems, which are the cause of these threats to security.”  He also warned that unless and until a well-trained, well-equipped national police and army are in place, security would continue to be a problem.

The human rights situation also remains worrisome in many respects, he said. He used the abuses against Pashtuns and the domestic violence against women, among others, as illustrations of the seriousness of the situation.  On the humanitarian front, Mr. Brahimi noted that Afghanistan did not currently have the capacity to absorb the large numbers of refugees returning, and for this winter some

2.2 million people would need assistance and support.

**Secretary-General’s Report on Afghanistan

The Secretary-General’s report on “The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security” is out on the racks today.

In the report, the Secretary-General notes that while efforts have been made to resolve conflicts between still-powerful leaders in some areas, a number of acts of terrorism and political violence have been perpetrated, including attacks against United Nations premises and personnel.  He calls for the international community to take more emphatic security measures beyond the capital.  We have the copy of that report in my Office.

**UNIFEM Report

      The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) is launching today its Independent Experts Assessment on the Impact of Armed Conflict on Women and Women’s Role in Peace-building.

The assessment, which was conducted by Elizabeth Rehn, the former Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights, and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, attempts to bring to the world’s attention the voices, feelings and experiences of women affected by conflict.  It looks at violence against women, health and the impact of HIV/AIDS in conflict situations, reconstruction and prevention and women’s role in peacekeeping and peace-building.

The Independent Experts recommend that international laws and standards need to be revisited to recognize the vulnerability of women in conflict situations, including targeted sanctions against the trafficking of women and girls.  Another area of concern is in women’s representation at the highest level within the United Nations system.  The assessment recommends an increase in the number of women appointed as special representatives and special envoys and adds that senior gender advisers should be appointed in the field, especially in peacekeeping operations.

The report will be launched at a panel discussion this afternoon at 1:15 in Conference Room 4.  You are all welcome to attend.

**Timor-Leste Human Rights Report

Finally, the report on the situation of human rights in Timor-Leste is out on the racks today.  The report, prepared by the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, underscores that serious concerns continue to persist in the newly independent country.

The report highlights concerns over a weak justice system, increasing domestic violence and assaults, and intimidation against returnees from West Timor.  Moreover, the report says, accountability for the serious crimes that took place in 1999 remains the key concern of the Timorese.  The report also urges international community to continue to support the country’s efforts to develop a uniquely Timorese society with respect for human rights.

That’s all I have for you.  Yes?

Questions and Answers

Question:  Is the meeting of Greenstock, is that an open meeting in the Economic and Social Council Chamber at 4 p.m.?

Spokesman for the Secretary-General:  I don’t believe so.  I think we said that that’s just a briefing for Member States, so that will be closed.  You can hang out outside the room, if you like, to try to catch them as they come out afterwards.  Yes?

Question:  Do you have an answer to the question that I asked yesterday, if the Secretary-General invited Mr. Clerides to come to New York?

Spokesman for the Secretary-General:  No.  We looked into that and we have no information on that at this time.  But, we’ll keep after it for you, though.  Yes?

Question:  Do you have anything on Mr. de Soto’s visit in Turkey?

Spokesman for the Secretary-General:  I have nothing today, no.  You can ask me afterwards and we’ll see if we can get a line for you.  But, I wasn’t given anything for this briefing.

Okay.  Richard.

**Briefing by Spokesman for General Assembly President

Okay.  Good afternoon.

The General Assembly plenary continues discussion of the report of the Secretary-General on strengthening of the United Nations:  an agenda for further change.

This morning, 42 Member States were inscribed to speak.  As President Kavan said in his opening statement yesterday, after the plenary debate ends, which should be this afternoon, he will launch open-ended informal consultations with further clarification provided by the Secretariat.  Then he will introduce a draft

resolution, in which he will reflect the views of Member States.  As the President said in his opening remarks, he hopes to have a workable endorsed resolution before Christmas.

The Special Political and Decolonization Committee continues debate on questions relating to information.

The Second Committee continues discussion of the implementation of the UN Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006) and starts general discussion on the Secretary-General’s report on implementation and follow-up to the outcomes of the major UN conferences and summits in the economic and social fields, including the UN Millennium Summit.

The Third Committee discusses human rights questions, namely, the report of the Secretary-General on the status of the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery and implementation of human rights instruments, including the report of the Committee against Torture, and report of the Secretary-General on the UN Voluntary Fund for the Victims of Torture.

The Sixth Committee discusses the report of the International Law Commission and the report of the Special Committee on the Charter and on Strengthening the Role of the Organization.

And coming up tomorrow, the Committee on Relations with the Host Country will meet in the Trusteeship Council Chamber, and there will be a panel discussion on the theme “Managing Globalization” organized by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs.  This panel will be co-hosted by the Chairmen of the Second and Third Committees and moderated by the UNDP Administrator, Mark Mallock Brown.  Media are invited.  This is tomorrow.

In response to a question yesterday, the statement of the Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, Shashi Tharoor, to the Special Political and Decolonization Committee at the opening of their debate on the question of information is outlined in Press Release GA/SPD/248.  Mr. Tharoor will again address the Committee at the conclusion of their debate this afternoon, at which he will answer the questions raised by delegates over the last three days.

Any questions?

Thank you.

* *** *