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

**Cyprus

Alvaro de Soto, the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus, has held intensive consultations in Copenhagen on 12 and 13 December 2002; that’s yesterday and today.  Unfortunately, it has not proved possible to achieve a comprehensive settlement.  However, the parties’ positions have never been closer and agreement seemed possible up until the last minute.  The Secretary-General’s revised 10 December proposal remains on the table.  While it is regrettable that the current opportunity has been missed, both sides have expressed their willingness to continue negotiations.

It is very important that the unprecedented progress that has been made should be consolidated, and that all concerned redouble their efforts to achieve a settlement in the coming period.  An opportunity remains, particularly until 28 February, to resolve this problem and achieve a comprehensive settlement which would allow a reunited Cyprus to accede to the European Union.  The Secretary-General’s Special Adviser is travelling to New York tomorrow to report to the Secretary-General.

**Statement Attributable to the Spokesman

The following statement is attributable to the Spokesman.  If I can just read it into the record.

“The Secretary-General is concerned about the recent decision by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to lift the freeze on its nuclear facilities maintained pursuant to the 1994 USA-DPRK Agreed Framework and to resume the operation and construction of nuclear facilities to generate electricity.

“The Secretary-General urges the DPRK to comply with its safeguards agreement cooperating fully with the IAEA and not to undertake any unilateral act that might complicate the IAEA's ability to carry out its responsibilities under the IAEA-DPRK safeguards agreement.

“The Secretary-General calls upon all concerned to cooperate to resolve the complex situation through peaceful means and strongly urges the continuation of international efforts to reach a positive outcome of the situation, consistent with international norms.”

**North Korea/IAEA

The Secretary-General spoke to reporters about North Korea as he entered the building today, saying that the United Nations was in touch with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Koreans on the issue.

He said, “I hope we will not get to the stage where they will kick out the inspectors.  I know there are hints about that, but I hope it doesn’t happen.”

IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei today said at a press conference in Vienna that if the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea were to operate its nuclear facilities, it would have to be under proper safeguards.

Yesterday, in a press release we made available upstairs, Mr. ElBaradei called upon the DPRK to act with restraint.  Noting a letter that he had received yesterday from the DPRK, which requested that the IAEA remove seals and monitoring cameras on its nuclear facilities, Mr. ElBaradei said, “It is essential that the containment and surveillance measures which are currently in place continue to be maintained.”  Any unilateral attempts to remove or impede the functioning of the seals or cameras, he added, would not be in compliance with the Safeguards Agreement between the DPRK and the Agency.

**Iraq Inspections

According to our daily update from Iraq, a United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) team went to inspect the Communicable Diseases Control Centre in Baghdad today.  The centre is a Government facility under the Ministry of Health.  This is a new site which was included in Iraq’s declaration of 1 October.  The team arrived at the site at 9:00 a.m.  As today is a Muslim holy day, the site had only one guard and a duty officer, who is an assistant technician.  The duty officer did not have the keys to the rooms and could not locate the central key holder.  The team then decided to tag seals on several rooms they wanted to inspect later.  In the process, questions arose on the procedures for tagging.  At this point, a decision was made to involve the Iraqi National Monitoring Directorate, known as the NMD.

The Director of the United Nation’s Ongoing Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Centre in Baghdad, Miroslav Gregoric, and General Hossam Amin of the NMD arrived at the site, and the matter was resolved quickly.  Seals were tagged on several rooms and the team left the site at around 1 p.m.

A UNMOVIC team inspected the Al Kadhimiya plant and the Shumouk stores adjacent to that plant.  The site is involved with the Al Samood missile programme.

Another UNMOVIC team inspected the Al Mussaib Pesticide Store, which sells ready-to-use pesticides.  Meanwhile, the IAEA undertook hydrological sampling at three major Iraq surface water drainage basins of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, just south of the thirty-third parallel.  Several samples were taken at each site, including water sediment and vegetation.  A separate IAEA team conducted a wide-area gamma survey of the Baghdad area, which included the Karama Sumood missile facility.

The full report from Baghdad is available upstairs.

**Afghanistan

Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hedi Annabi briefed the Security Council on Afghanistan this morning in an open meeting.  He looked at the current security situation in the country, and underscored the importance of establishing the Afghan National Army.  He appealed to the international community “to provide both political and financial support to the reform of the security sector, which is absolutely vital to the peace process”.

Mr. Annabi also reviewed the progress of institutions of the Bonn Agreement, in particular the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission.  He drew attention to the continuation of intimidation and violence by regional and local commanders against civilians, intimidation and violence against women and persecution of minority groups.

Though progress has been made one year after the Bonn agreement, he concluded, “we have not reached a point where the international community can afford to lapse into a state of complacency".

**Security Council Consultations

Following the open briefing, the Security Council went into consultations on Afghanistan, on a presidential statement on Liberia and on the elections of judges to the Rwanda Tribunal.  Formal meetings on Liberia and the Tribunal are expected afterwards.

Then at 3 p.m., the Council is scheduled to hold consultations on the Democratic Republic of the Congo for a briefing by Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guéhenno.

**Kosovo Council Mission

This evening, a Security Council mission that will travel to Kosovo and Belgrade, Yugoslavia, will leave New York to start a four-day visit.

Tomorrow, the Council mission, which is led by Ambassador Ole Peter Kolby, will arrive in Kosovo, where it will meet over the weekend with senior officials of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and with Kosovar political and civil society leaders.

Then, on Monday, the Council mission will leave Pristina after a press conference and travel to Belgrade, where it will meet with Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica, Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic and other senior officials.  It will return to New York the following day, and brief the Council on its trip on Thursday.

**UNHCR in West Africa

United Nations Assistant High Commissioner for Refugees Kamel Morjane today arrived in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, on the first leg of a six-day trip to West Africa that will focus on the Côte d'Ivoire crisis.  He will visit Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, Ghana and Togo.

In Côte d'Ivoire the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) sent a team on Wednesday to Guiglo, in the west of the country, to re-establish contact with thousands of refugees stranded by fighting.

**Cote d’Ivoire

Kenzo Oshima, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator, today issued a statement in which he expresses his grave concern over increasing violence against civilians in Cote d'Ivoire and the impact of worsening humanitarian conditions on the people of both Cote d’Ivoire and neighbouring countries.

Since the beginning of the crisis on 19 September, escalating clashes between government and rebel forces have caused some 100,000 people to flee the country and have slowed economic trade throughout the region, already among the world's poorest.

Reports from United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations, especially the disturbing news of mass graves near Vavoua and Bouake, indicate that flagrant violations of international humanitarian and human rights law have occurred.

Fighting along the western border has made it nearly impossible for humanitarian aid to be delivered to thousands of Liberian refugees and internally displaced persons, who have fled fighting in the area.

Humanitarian efforts have been further hindered by the destruction of a UNHCR ferry used to transport refugees between Côte d'Ivoire and Liberia, and the confiscation of some 20 United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) vehicles.  The Emergency Relief Coordinator reminds all parties to the conflict of their obligations to ensure that civilians are protected during armed conflict.

We also have a press release on the deteriorating humanitarian situation.

**Timor-Leste

In Timor-Leste, the United Nations Police have arrested seven suspects in the burning of the house of Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri, and 10 people for looting.  A quantity of stolen property, including vehicles, television sets and refrigerators has been recovered.  The police are in the process of identifying the owner of the goods.

The Special Representative, Kamalesh Sharma, announced that the investigation of the 4 December violence continues.  He said that some discipline problems were evident within the Timor-Leste Police Service during the 4 December events, and immediate steps have been taken to deal with it.  They include the suspension, pending investigation of conduct, of six officers.

**Al Qaeda Report

The latest report of the group monitoring sanctions against Al Qaeda is expected to be presented on Monday afternoon to the Security Council sanctions committee dealing with that issue.

We hope to have Michael Chandler, the head of the group, and his team to discuss the report at the noon briefing on Tuesday.

**Children and Armed Conflict

The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Olara Otunnu, will introduce his latest report, which lists parties that continue to recruit and use child soldiers.  He will do so on Monday, as our guest at the noon briefing.

We have copies of an embargoed press release.  The report is expected to be available first thing Monday morning.  There is a contact listed on the embargoed press release for further information.

**ILO/Real Madrid

The Real Madrid Football Club and the International Labour Organization (ILO) are teaming up to raise a "red card" to child labour in its worst forms.  About 246 million children worldwide are involved in child labour and nearly three-quarters of them, about 180 million, are exposed to exploitative, often dangerous work.  That equals one out of every eight children around the world.

Real Madrid and the ILO will bring the "Red Card to Child Labour" campaign to Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on “World Football Day”, 18 December, when the football team marks its centennial anniversary with a match against a world selection team.

We have more details in a press release.

**Bali Condolences

The United Nations is marking the occasion of the terrorist bomb attacks in Bali, Indonesia, two months ago, by opening a book of condolences, which all United Nations staff who want to pay their respects can sign at the main lobby of the Secretariat building.  It is open for signing through today, after which it will be presented to the Indonesian Mission.

Last night at the Dag Hammarskjöld Auditorium, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Nitin Desai presented Indonesia with a plaque that is to be incorporated in a memorial on the site of the Bali attacks.

**Signings

This morning, Trinidad and Tobago ratified the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, which now has 152 parties, and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, which now has          42 parties.

We have "The Week Ahead" for you.  If you want to prepare your work for next week, pick it up in my office.

**Guest Introduction

I see Jacques Klein in the back of the room, Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Head of Operations also, in Bosnia and Herzegovina.  He is our guest at the briefing.  We're glad he got out of his meeting with the Secretary-General in time to join us.  Please come up, Jacques.

And then Monday, as I mentioned to you, Olara Otunnu will be our guest.

**UNCA

And a final announcement for UNCA.  If you haven't voted yet, today is your last chance.  Polls close at 5 p.m., so please vote.

Any questions?

**Questions and Answers

Question:  (inaudible) (on Cyprus)

Spokesman:  We have nothing more than what I read out.  If you want the text of what I read, I can make it available to you afterwards.

Question:  What were the main reasons for the failure of the talks on Cyprus?

Spokesman:  I don't want to get into that.  I think, if you've been reading the newspaper, you can figure it out.

Question:  Do you have any further information on what was said in the meeting in Copenhagen concerning the Cyprus issue?

Spokesman:  No, everything I've had to say, I'm afraid, is in this statement that I made.

Question:  What about the Security Council?  Will it meet on Monday or Tuesday?

Spokesman:  I don't have that information.  Check with my office afterwards.  I assume we didn't have that specific information, or I would have had it here.

Question:  What is the next procedure now?

Spokesman:  Well, as I mentioned in the statement, we have until         28 February, if that's the date, to bring this matter to a close.  Both parties have indicated they're willing to continue talking.  So we'll try to bring them together before that date.

Question:  Are you in a position to tell us anything about the meetings that will be happening with regard to the Iraqi declaration at the Security Council?

Spokesman:  I have nothing on that to give you.  You might want to try the President when he comes out of the consultation room.

Okay, over to you, Richard.

Spokesman for President of the General Assembly

Good afternoon.

The Plenary is not meeting today but the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) is.  They are in informal consultations this morning and are scheduled to meet this afternoon in open session to take action on the remaining drafts for consideration at this session.  These agenda items include:  programme planning; scale of assessments; United Nations common system; United Nations pension system; the financing of international tribunals; financing of peacekeeping; financing of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL); programme budget for the biennium 2002-2003; pattern of conferences; proposed programme budget outline for the biennium 2004-2005; and, finally, closure of the work of the Fifth Committee.

The Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) is scheduled to complete its work this morning.

            Informal discussions continue on two draft resolutions; one on religious and cultural understanding, harmony and cooperation (A/57/L.12); the other under agenda item 52 (strengthening of the United Nations system).

       This afternoon there will be a briefing entitled:  “The Role of the Tajikistan Drug Control Agency in Combating the Traffic in Narcotics from Afghanistan”.  It will be chaired by:  H.E. Mr. Rashid Alimov, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Tajikistan to the United Nations; and Mr. Vincent McClean, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Representative in New York.  The speaker will be General Rustam Nazarov, Director of the Tajikistan Drug Control Agency, and the special guest will be H.E. Mr. Talbak Nazarov, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan.  Contrary to the note in the Journal today, this briefing will be open and media are invited to attend.

Next Monday the Plenary will take action on draft resolutions on eight agenda items.  These are:  follow-up to the outcome of the twenty-sixth special session on HIV/AIDS [42]; follow-up to the outcome of the Millennium Summit

[44]; strengthening of the coordination of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance, including special economic assistance [21];  cooperation between the United Nations and regional and other organizations [22]; United Nations Year of Cultural Heritage [23]; assistance in mine action [28]; situation in Central America [38]; and International Year of Rice, 2004 [168].

Any questions?  Thank you.

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