DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL AND THE SPOKESWOMAN FOR THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT

  DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL   AND THE SPOKESWOMAN FOR THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT

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

Good Afternoon.

**Treaties/Guest

The United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime will enter into force next Monday, 29 September, which is 90 days after it had received its 40th ratification.

Here to talk about this week’s treaty signings and ratifications, and the entry into force of the Convention against Transnational Crime, will be Antonio Maria Costa, the Executive Director of the Office of Drugs and Crime, and United Nations Legal Counsel Hans Corell.

We’ll get to them in just a minute.

**Quartet

Just a few minutes ago, the Secretary-General hosted a meeting of the Middle East Quartet, which as you know, also included the United States, the Russian Federation and the European Union.

In reading a summary of the Quartet statement at a press conference, the Secretary-General said that “each party must do more to address, immediately and simultaneously, the core concerns of the other, as described in the Road Map.  The Quartet members reaffirm their commitment to the Road Map and to resumed progress by the parties towards its rapid implementation”.

He added that the members of the Quartet look forward to continuing to work together, as well as with regional parties, to help achieve progress between Israelis and Palestinians.  This group, he said, will meet again at the Principals’ level before the end of the year.

The Secretary-General then shared some of his own thoughts on the situation.  He said that the Quartet had presented the parties with the Road Map but, unfortunately, both of them have failed to take the steps along the road, even with the inducement of the international community.

He went on to say that while the peace process remains stalled, facts on the ground are being created which could complicate the vision of a two-State solution.  “I would like”, he said, “to remind the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority and the entire international community that the only alternative to a two-State solution is long-term conflict and chaos.”

The Secretary-General called for bold steps, in line with the Road Map, to salvage the peace process since small steps have not worked.  Such steps however must be taken with the consent of the parties, as well as through a revitalized and active international presence.

The full text of his opening statement, as well as the final communiqué of the Quartet are available upstairs.

**Democratic Republic of Congo

In a statement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General, which we put out yesterday afternoon, the Secretary-General expresses his gratification at the successful conclusion of the high-level meeting convened by him on 25 September.

The meeting brought together leaders of the Governments of Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda.

The Secretary-General pays tribute to the efforts of the Congolese people and their leaders, and the support provided by the African Union, as well as regional leaders.  He applauds the opening of a new chapter in the peace process in the Great Lakes region, and calls on all parties to seize this window of opportunity to take a range of steps to normalize their bilateral relations.

At the end of the meeting, the participants adopted the Principles on Good-Neighbourly Relations and Cooperation, in which they reaffirm their commitment, among other things, to refrain from interfering directly or indirectly in one another’s internal affairs and to normalize their bilateral relations.

We have the full text of the statement of Principles upstairs.

      **Security Council

There are no meetings or consultations of the Security Council scheduled for today.

On the Council agenda for Monday is Guinea Bissau and the Iraq

“oil-for-food” programme.

**Nigeria

The Acting High Commissioner for Human Rights, Bertrand Ramcharan, welcomed the decision taken yesterday by a court of appeal in northern Nigeria to overturn the death sentence against Amina Lawal, calling the outcome in her case a step in the direction of decency and justice.

He commended the work of those inside and outside Nigeria who had campaigned for Lawal, and expressed particular appreciation for Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo’s support on the issue.

The High Commissioner’s Office had been in constant contact with the Nigerian authorities on this matter, calling for international human rights standards to be upheld.

**Food Shortages in Southern Africa

The World Food Programme (WFP) today warned that millions of people in southern Africa will face massive food shortages as early as next month due to significant funding shortfalls.

The shortages will be most acute in Zimbabwe and Mozambique where food needs are greatest.

In July, the WFP had launched an appeal for $308 million to distribute more than 500,000 tons of food to 6.5 million people until next June in the countries of Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia, Swaziland, Lesotho and Malawi.  Despite repeated appeals, only 24 per cent of the needed money has been donated.

**Burundi

According to the World Food Programme today, over 53,000 people fled their homes, escaping fights in three provinces in Burundi, where looting of their houses and fields took place.

The WFP has succeeded in delivering food rations to about 60,000 displaced people in the past weeks.  However, it is deeply concerned with the security deterioration there, which is hindering its urgent food aid distribution and might interfere with the farming season.

We have a press release with more.

**Liberian Refugees

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees reports that Liberian refugees in Côte d'Ivoire have begun trickling back into the relatively peaceful Zwedru area in eastern Liberia.

The mission said the area was under the control of the rebel group Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD).

According to the refugee agency, some returnees said they felt they were no longer welcome in Côte d'Ivoire, which was engulfed in civil strife after a failed coup a year ago.  Others feared the continuing political uncertainty there.

**Liberia

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today urged the people of Liberia to fully support the campaign to return Liberian children to school as soon as possible.

We have a press release on that.

**Malaria

The World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and the Acumen Fund, today announced a breakthrough of long-lasting anti-mosquito nets that could drastically reduce death from malaria, especially in Africa, where 90 per cent of the world’s malaria deaths occur.

The mosquito nets, which cost $5 each, are being produced for the first time in Africa, and are expected to retain effectiveness for up to four years.

There’s more in a press release.

**Guatemala

Another press release says that the UN Mission in Guatemala, MINUGUA, has expressed concern over the 2004 budget proposed by the Guatemalan Government.

MINUGUA notes that the budget proposes to increase military spending significantly, while decreasing funds for public security and the rule of law.

MINUGUA points out that these measures would run counter to the peace agreements and to commitments made with donors to the 2002 Consultative Group meeting.

There is a press release in Spanish on that.

**Deputy Secretary-General

Yesterday evening, Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette, on behalf of the United Nations, accepted a gift from Poland.

The gift, which was presented by the Foreign Minister, is a sculpture of Artur Rubinstein playing piano.

“You give us this remembrance of our shared past at a time when the present is troubling, and the future uncertain”, she said, adding that the gift would be placed at the Delegates’ Entrance to greet representatives of every nation as they arrived every day to discuss the challenges of our time.

**Olympic Truce

This evening at 6:30, the Secretary-General will join General Assembly President Julian Hunte, Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou and members of the Olympic Movement to mark the introduction, at this year’s General Assembly session, of a resolution calling on countries to observe the Olympic Truce.

The Truce revives an ancient Greek tradition establishing a period of time during which conflict ceased to allow athletes to participate in the Olympic Games.

The Secretary-General, in remarks we will make available upstairs, will use the occasion to call on States to express their resolve that peaceful competition, unmarred by violent conflicts anywhere, will mark the upcoming Olympics.

And we have the week ahead to help you in your coverage of the UN next week.

Questions and Answers

Question:  The Secretary-General mentioned bold steps in the Middle East. What specifically does he have in mind and would one of those be a quick move to statehood for Palestine?

Spokesman for the Secretary-General:  That is not, I believe, one of the things he had in mind.  Although, obviously the quicker you can move to the two-State solution, which is the ultimate goal of the “Road Map”, the better. But, he has mentioned in the past the sending, for example, of a multinational force to the region.  I think you would call that a bold step.  The question of course, is what is practically feasible in terms of what both parties would accept.

Question:  Fred, as you know, to bring the distinguished people, like the Quartet, to a press conference is not an easy job, I understand.  But why don’t you give the members of the press more time to ask questions?  There are a lot of questions that are not being able to be asked?

Spokesman:  I said, at the beginning, at least one of the Principals had to leave at 11:45.  We had no choice but to cut it off at 11:45.

Question:  Fred, what action has been taken in Iraq, concerning the redeployment of UN forces, no personnel so far?  And has it been determined just exactly what floor or what level you are going to move to?

Spokesman:  The Acting Head of Mission, the Officer-in-Charge, Kevin Kennedy, is still sorting out who will stay and who will go.  There actually continues to be some movement into Baghdad -- three people came in in the last two days, including the spokeswoman, Veronique Taveau.  So we don’t have a final figure.  I think less than 10, net, left in the last 24 hours.

Question:  There are so many speeches this week, in the Security Council regarding the resolutions, there are attempts to (inaudible) and increase the United Nations role in Iraq, to try and rebuild that country.  On the other end, we again had to learn about those terrorist acts and so is there any official reaction, what might come out? (inaudible) increase your role and (inaudible).

Spokesman:  I would separate those two things.  The security situation is one issue and progress on the political front towards a second resolution is another.  I think the Secretary-General is pleased that the members of the Council are working at such a high level and so seriously to bridge their differences, and he thinks that the extra time that they are taking to try to formulate a text is going to be good for everyone, including the United Nations. On the security situation, we just continue to reassess it day by day.  If we get the right kind of resolution, the hope is that the security situation could be ameliorated and that gradually the international community could get back to its work in Iraq with a full force of international staff.

Spokesman  Okay Michele, what do you have for us today in the Assembly?

Spokeswoman for the General Assembly President

Thank you Fred.  Good afternoon.

The general debate continues today with a number of interventions centring, so far, on the importance of multilateralism, on the central role of the UN and the reforms required for the continued relevance and credibility of the Organization.  Four heads of State and four heads of government spoke to the Assembly this morning.  One head of State will address the Assembly this afternoon.

President Hunte has continued his bilateral meetings also today.  He met briefly with President Jean-Bertrand Aristide this morning and will meet him again later this afternoon.  He also met with the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Myanmar, Viet Nam, Peru, Indonesia, China and Austria.  He also met with the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) today.

He is to meet at 4:30 this afternoon with President Nestor Kirchner of Argentina.

I’ve been receiving a number of phone calls from you and questions about rights of reply.  So I’ll just use this time to simply say that every Member State has a right of reply.  Rights of reply take place after all the speakers have spoken.  There is a separate list of speakers registered for replies.  There is no right of reply to a head of State.  The first intervention in the exercise of the right of reply for any delegation should be limited to about 10 minutes and the second intervention should be limited to five minutes.

I hope that answers the questions I had yesterday and this morning.

Spokesman:  If there are no further questions for Michele. If not, I’ll ask Mr. Costa and Mr. Corell to come up and we’ll begin the presentation on treaties.

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