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, and Richard Sydenham, Spokesman for the President of the General Assembly. 

Spokesman for the Secretary-General 

Good Afternoon. 

** Cyprus

The following statement was issued in Nicosia, Cyprus, this morning.  

"Letters from the Secretary-General were delivered this morning to His Excellency Mr. Glafcos Clerides, the Greek Cypriot leader, and His Excellency Mr. Rauf Denktash, the Turkish Cypriot leader, by the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus, Mr. Alvaro de Soto.  With these letters he conveyed a revision of his proposed Basis for Agreement on a Comprehensive Settlement of the Cyprus Problem, which had been conveyed to the two sides on 11 November 2002.

"The document was revised following intensive consultations with the two sides participating in the negotiations," the statement goes on.  "These consultations were stepped up in the past few days following receipt last week of the two sides’ comments, suggestions and requests, with Mr. de Soto and his colleagues shuttling between the two leaders and their colleagues with a view to improving the text.

"In his letter, the Secretary-General asks the two leaders to give the revision the most urgent consideration with a view to reaching a decisive conclusion this week, so that a reunited Cyprus may accede to the European Union. The Secretary-General has asked the two sides to be available in Copenhagen later this week should that prove necessary.

“'Cyprus has a rendez-vous with history' the Secretary-General said in this letter.  'It should not be missed.'”

** UNMOVIC

Today was the busiest day yet for United Nations weapons inspections in Iraq, with a biological team from the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) carrying out inspections at two sites, while the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) teams visited four different facilities.

The UNMOVIC biological team inspected the National Project for Controlling Brucellosis and Tuberculosis (NPCBT) and the Saddam Centre for Biotechnology (SCB).  The team accomplished its inspection objectives smoothly.  

Meanwhile, at Tuwaitha, an IAEA team continued to take a physical inventory of nuclear materials from Iraq’s past nuclear programme.  This work should be completed by the end of Thursday.

Another team investigated an outlying site of the Al Qa Qaa explosives plant, as well as the Al Furat State Company for Chemical Industries in Mussayib. Inspections were made at a complex of sites belonging to the Al Karama facility, and another IAEA team departed Baghdad for the Qaim Phosphate Complex near the town of al-Qaim on the western border of Iraq.  Qaim was previously associated with Iraq’s production of uranium from ores found in the area.

While the inspectors carried out their work, their ranks were bolstered by the arrival of 28 additional UNMOVIC inspectors today.  There are now a total of 70 inspectors in Iraq, with 43 of them from UNMOVIC and 27 from the IAEA.

** Oil-for-Food

The Weekly Update of the Office of the Iraq Programme is out today reporting that oil exports under the United Nations oil-for-food programme are down slightly for the week ending 6 December to 10.8 million barrels, compared with the previous week’s 11.9 million.

A cumulative oil revenue shortfall, dating from the second half of December 2000, has left some $3.2 billion worth of United Nations-approved humanitarian supply contracts without funds.

About $25.6 billion worth of humanitarian supplies and equipment have been delivered to Iraq under the oil-for-food programme since December 1996.

The full text of the oil-for-food update is available upstairs.

** Prevlaka

The following statement is attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General concerning Prevlaka. 

"The Secretary-General welcomes the signature of the Protocol between the Federal Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Government of the Republic of Croatia on the Interim Regime along the Southern Border between the two States.  With this agreement, the two countries have taken another encouraging step towards normal, good-neighbourly relations. 

"For 10 years, the United Nations Mission in Prevlaka (UNMOP) has monitored the demilitarization of the peninsula and thereby contributed to insulating it from tensions created by hostilities nearby.  The United Nations observers can now leave the area, when their mandate comes to an end on the 15th of December, in the full confidence that their mission has been successfully accomplished. 

"The United Nations Mission in Prevlaka has demonstrated that even a small United Nations presence, properly conceived and executed, can make a positive difference."

** UNRWA

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) today launched an appeal, amounting to $94 million, to allow it to carry out emergency relief work in the occupied Palestinian territory during the first half of 2003.

The Agency reports that two years of violence, curfews and closures have had a catastrophic impact on the 1.5 million Palestinian refugees living in the West Bank and Gaza.  Around 22 per cent of the children suffer from acute or chronic malnutrition, and more than 60 per cent of the population is living on less than two dollars a day.

Under the appeal, the Agency plans to launch the largest food aid programme ever seen in the territories, under which some 1.1 million people will receive regular supplies of flour, chickpeas, olive oil and other staple goods.  Also, UNRWA plans a major rebuilding programme for shelters damaged or destroyed by Israeli military operations, as well as additional efforts to provide employment.

The Agency’s Commissioner-General, Peter Hansen, said today, “So rapid has been the humanitarian collapse that it will take an emergency programme of the scale we present today to prevent a complete breakdown in Palestinian society.”

We have a press release and fact sheet with more details upstairs.

** Security Council

The Secretary-General addressed the Security Council in an open formal meeting on the protection of civilians in armed conflict.  He said, “What we need most of all is practical action and a clear path from policy to implementation.”

He went on to say, “We need to move forward and develop a more systematic approach to this issue.  We need to build a solid structure through which analysis and policy, and an awareness of best practices, will translate immediately into practical action that makes a difference in people's lives.”  He referred to his report, which contained recommendations.

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Kenzo Oshima and Angelo Gnaedinger, the Director-General of the International Committee of the Red Cross, were among the more than 30 speakers at the meeting chaired by Foreign Minister Carolina Barco of Colombia, which holds this month’s Council Presidency.

Security Council members have scheduled their monthly luncheon with the Secretary-General at 1:15 p.m. today.

We have copies of the statements by the Security Council.

We have also arranged for a stake-out on the fourth floor, by the delegates' dining area, and any media expecting to be at the stake-out should be in place by 1 p.m.

** Angola

The Security Council, welcoming progress in the Angolan peace process, yesterday ended the remaining sanctions on the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), beginning with resolution 864 of 1993.

The Council President, Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso of Colombia, also read a press statement at the end of two private meetings on the Central African Republic, which noted with satisfaction that both the Central African Republic and Chad are willing to show mutual restraint and to settle their differences through political dialogue.

** Côte d’Ivoire

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says it is drawing up plans to evacuate thousands of refugees from Côte d'Ivoire, once security and logistical arrangements can be worked out.

UNHCR says its efforts to draw up an evacuation plan suffered a setback on Sunday when Ivorian Government forces destroyed a river ferry belonging to the agency in the south of the country by detonating three grenades wired to the boat. The ferry, which had been used in the past for the repatriation of Liberians, could have been used to evacuate people to Liberia.

UNHCR says it is very concerned about the incident, which affects the ability of United Nations agencies to operate in a climate of safety and respect for the United Nations property guaranteed by various international agreements.

Meanwhile, people continue to flee from Côte d'Ivoire to the neighbouring countries, mostly to Liberia.  Over the past 10 days 32,000 persons have crossed into Liberia.

** Timor-Leste

Following the riots on 4 December in Dili, Timor-Leste, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Kamalesh Sharma, announced today that a number of steps will be taken immediately to strengthen the security capacity.

These measures include stepping up the training of the Timor-Leste Police Service (TLPS), developing a code of conduct and making efforts to improve community-police relationships.  The United Nations Mission in Timor-Leste also said that the police will now be asked to use teargas and other non-lethal means for crowd control if necessary.

We have more details in my office.

** Afghanistan

UNHCR announced today that it had begun the emergency distribution of more than 160,000 blankets around the Pakistani border city of Chaman, and in other refugee camps in the region, to protect thousands of Afghans threatened by a wave of freezing weather.

The United Nations refugee agency also is transferring 20,000 blankets from its Chaman warehouses for distribution among the internally displaced Afghans in Spin Boldak, the town just across the border inside Afghanistan.

The cold weather, with temperatures plunging at night to below -10°C, had triggered rumours of deaths among the refugees and internally displaced Afghans living across the frontier in five makeshift camps located at Spin Boldak.  While there have been deaths from various causes over recent weeks, UNHCR has been unable to verify that any were caused by the current low temperatures.

You can find more details on UNHCR’s Web site.

** Rwanda

Judge Navanethem Pillay, President of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, today expressed her regret that a senior Rwandan delegation, including that country’s Justice Minister and Prosecutor-General, cancelled an official visit to the Tribunal that was scheduled to begin today.

She noted that over the past year, the Tribunal’s relations with Rwanda have deteriorated to the point where two trial chambers were obliged to remind the Rwandan Government of its legal obligation to cooperate with the Tribunal.

She hoped that the Rwandan authorities would reconsider their position and visit the Tribunal in Arusha, Tanzania, to observe how the Tribunal functions and to discuss matters of mutual concern.

** Human Rights Day

Today is Human Rights Day, and the Secretary-General, in a message to mark the occasion, says that one of the most outstanding legacies of the last century was the development of a body of international law which can protect the individual from injustice, arbitrary treatment and assaults on fundamental security.  He appeals to all governments, communities and individuals to recommit themselves to the universal application of the rule of law.

Press releases were issued last week with the Secretary-General’s message as well as one by High Commissioner for Human Rights Sergio Vieira de Mello.

Other events that took place around the world to mark the Day, include the formal signing by Timor-Leste’s Government of all seven core international human rights treaties, about which the Ambassador and High Commissioner Vieira de Mello just spoke to you in a press briefing.  In Dili, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Kamalesh Sharma, praised the Timor-Leste Government, calling it “an example to other nations”.

In Afghanistan, meanwhile, Special Representative Lakhdar Brahimi said that the United Nations Mission in that country will continue to carry out its human rights mandate, by investigating violations, analyzing their root causes and proposing constructive measures in response.

We have copies of his talking points upstairs.

** BBC Lecture

At 3:30 this afternoon at the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, the Secretary-General will present a special BBC World Service lecture as part of the celebration of the seventieth anniversary of the British Broadcasting Corporation, and he will discuss a range of issues, from threats to peace and security, whether in Africa or the Middle East, to the goals enshrined in the Millennium Declaration.  And he will also pay tribute to another force that connected people around the world, long before the Internet -- a love of good radio.

We have embargoed copies of his lecture upstairs.

** The Blue Planet Screening

Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information Shashi Tharoor will be among the speakers at a special screening of the first episode of the BBC/Discovery Channel series “The Blue Planet”.  The series is the most complete exploration of the marine world, with footage of many new species and previously unrecorded marine behaviour.

The screening takes place in the Dag Hammarskjöld Auditorium at 1 p.m.  We have a press release with more details.

** Signings

We have a number of treaty signings taking place today.

The Agreement on the Privileges and Immunities of the International Criminal Court was signed this morning by Portugal and now has 24 signatures.

The Protocols on the smuggling of migrants and trafficking in persons, supplementing the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime, were each signed by the Czech Republic, Latvia and Saudi Arabia.

** United Nations Correspondents’ Association Elections

The United Nations Correspondents’ Association (UNCA) Elections will begin tomorrow, Wednesday, and will end at 5 p.m. on Friday.  All members are urged to cast their votes.  For a list of candidates please see the UNCA bulletin board next to the UNCA Club.  That announcement is from UNCA.

** Press Conference

And finally, one press conference to announce for tomorrow.  At 12:30 p.m., in this room, Ted Turner, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the United Nations Foundation will be joined by Timothy Wirth, the President of the Foundation, to discuss the partnership between the United Nations and the United Nations Foundation.  That is all I have for you.  Any questions?

** Questions and Answers

Question:  What time should one be at the stake-out at the end of the lunch?

Spokesman:  I can’t really predict that.  They want people in place when the Secretary-General and the members of the Council go in.  It is much harder to predict when they will go out, but the Secretary-General has a 3 o’clock appointment so it will be before then.  My guess would be about 2:30 p.m.

Question: Concerning the statement made yesterday by the Security Council President on the examination of the Iraqi report, what did it mean when he said that a “working version” of the declaration would be produced as soon as possible?

Spokesman:  I think the intention of the Council, as the President explained on Friday, was to produce a sanitized version of this documentation which would expunge any sensitive information that might be covered by international treaties prohibiting the sharing of information on how to make such weapons and also prohibit parties from trying to acquire such information.  I believe that once that material has been taken out, the sanitized version of the document could be made available to the other 10 members of the Council.

Question:  How extensive are the revisions on Cyprus?  Mr. Denktash stated today that it is an old plan. 

Spokesman:  I am not going to comment on any statement by either of the parties.  As you know, Mr. de Soto said that he will not comment on the substance of what is going on.  There will not be any executive summary of the revised plan submitted to the Security Council, therefore all the discussions taking place now are strictly confidential.  I have no information on how many changes or how extensive the changes are in the revised document.  The clock is ticking, please be patient and wait to see if Mr. de Soto can bridge the gap. 

Question:  Has the Council received the revised document?

Spokesman:  No they have not and they will not.

Question:  Finally, Mr. Denktash is going to Ankara for an operation; how will this affect the talks and the 12 December deadline?

Spokesman:  We’ll have to see.  From the Secretary-General’s view, he has no objection in dealing with anyone that Mr. Denktash might designate to negotiate on his behalf.  So from our point of view, this is not necessarily an obstacle. 

Question:  Even for a signature?

Spokesman:  Anyone who is designated from the Turkish Cypriot side can sign as far as we are concerned. 

Richard.

Spokesman for the President of the General Assembly

Good afternoon.

In his message for Human Rights Day today, General Assembly President Jan Kavan notes that 54 years since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, there are many whose human rights and fundamental freedoms are still not respected.

The President points out that respect for human rights are best fostered where conflicts are prevented through preventive diplomacy and other actions.  “It is crucial to enhance the United Nations preventive capacity and in so doing move from a culture of reaction to a culture of prevention.  The recommendations of the Secretary-General’s report on Prevention of Armed Conflict serve as a guide. United Nations and other international organizations side by side with world leaders, civil society, non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders must do their best to prevent armed conflict in all parts of the world.  But even while waging a justifiable war against terrorism it is clear that the universality of human rights and fundamental freedoms must be fully respected.” 

The message will be available shortly as a press release and on the President’s Web site.

Continuing its discussion of Oceans and the Law of the Sea this morning, the Plenary, in regular session, heard from Brazil and the United States, who introduced draft resolutions.  There were 52 speakers inscribed in this debate, which will continue this afternoon.

       This afternoon, the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) takes action on sustainable development and international economic cooperation and environment and sustainable development draft resolutions.

       Also this afternoon, the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) will conclude its general discussion on the proposed programme budget for 2004-2005, and programme budget for 2002-2003.

As Fred has already told you, there is a screening at 1 p.m. in the Dag Hammarskjold Library auditorium of the “Blue Planet: Seas of Life” video.

And tomorrow, the Plenary takes up the report of the Credentials Committee and reports of the Special Political and Decolonization (Fourth) Committee.

Any questions? 

Thank you.

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