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

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

Good afternoon.

**Security Council Arrangements

I would like to brief you a little bit on press arrangements for tomorrow’s Security Council meetings which will start at 10:30 a.m.

As it happened last week, we expect a very large influx of journalists in the Building, so the access to the central stakeout area will have to be limited for your safety. The Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit will hand out

250 special passes for journalists and technicians, starting at 5 this afternoon.

Resident correspondents, that is, those of you who have offices here and have special credentials showing that you’re resident correspondents, you will not need a special pass this time for access to the stakeout area.  Okay?  So, your distinctive passes will get you access.  Among all the rest, you’d have to line up starting today, 250 of you will get the special passes.

Then on Wednesday morning at 8 a.m., the Media Accreditation and Liaison will distribute, on a first-come-first-served basis, 100 tickets for the press gallery in the Security Council Chamber.  Tickets for the Chamber will be needed though by both resident and non-resident correspondents.  So, no matter who you are, if you want to go into the chamber in the press section of the chamber, you will need a pass.  There are 100 seats, and a 100 tickets will be given out for that on a first-come-first-served basis, again starting on 8 a.m. Wednesday.

Then in addition to the Security Council stakeout, we’ll set up a second stakeout at the Delegate’s Entrance, so that you can see the arrival and departure of delegations.  UN-TV cameras will be at both from 9 a.m. onwards.  And UN-TV will also cover live the photo opportunity at the start of the luncheon that is being hosted by Germany’s Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer in the Delegate’s Dining Room here on the Fourth Floor.  You will not have access to the Fourth Floor for the purpose of covering this event.

The meeting in the Security Council, of course, will be covered live on   in-house TV and also will be web cast live.

**Lubbers

In speaking to reporters in Geneva today, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Ruud Lubbers, said that while all must be done to prevent a military intervention in Iraq, we must also be ready for the humanitarian outcome of possible military action in Iraq.  “During the day we buy supplies”, he said, “and then in the evening we pray for peace.”

He said his agency was doing contingency planning for a “best guess” of up to 600,000 refugees if there is military action.

Lubbers stressed that the UNHCR will primarily deal with refugees outside Iraq's borders and possibly internally displaced persons headed for the border but prevented from crossing it.  He reiterated that the UNHCR will work closely with the local Red Crescent Societies.

**Iraq Oil

According to the weekly update from the “oil-for-food” programme, Iraqi exports totalled 15.2 million barrels for the week ending 31 January.  This averages out to about 2.17 million barrels per day.

The week’s exports generated an estimated $405 million.

For more information, we have the full text of the weekly report in my Office.

**Security Council

The Security Council held consultations on its programme of work for February, and that ended just a few minutes ago.

And as soon as this briefing is over, the German Ambassador, Gunter Pleuger, will talk to you here about the Council's work during this month.

Then at 3 p.m., Under Secretary-General for Political Affairs Kieran Prendergast is expected to brief the Council on Côte d'Ivoire.  A draft resolution is expected to be introduced with a view to a formal meeting after the consultations.

**Côte d’Ivoire

In Guinea today, Carolyn McAskie, the Secretary-General’s Humanitarian Envoy for the crisis in Côte d’Ivoire, is continuing her assessment of the impact of the crisis on neighbouring countries.

The United Nations estimates that more than 50,000 Guineans have fled Côte d’Ivoire for Guinea since violence erupted in September.

Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees reports that the emergency repatriation of Liberian refugees from south-western Côte d'Ivoire continues despite a very volatile situation in Abidjan itself.

The UNHCR says it is planning an awareness campaign in the whole of Côte d'Ivoire, focusing on respect for refugees and calling on the local population not to blame them for the current turmoil.  Some local artists, TV and radio performers, as well as street theatres, will be hired to produce shows explaining the particularly vulnerable situation of Liberian refugees.  The campaign will also involve the production of T–shirts and posters conveying the message that refugees should not be equated with rebels.

**Afghanistan

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) confirms that there was a break in at one of its offices in Kabul on the night of Monday, 3 February.  The security guards were tied up, but no one was hurt in the incident, and there is a joint investigation underway by UN security officials.

We understand that two vehicles were stolen and a certain amount of cash was taken from the office.

**Secretary-General Appointment

The Secretary-General has appointed George Alleyne of Barbados as his Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean region.

The Special Envoy will be responsible for ensuring follow-up in the Caribbean to the General Assembly special session on HIV/AIDS and the Pan-Caribbean Partnership against HIV/AIDS.  In these efforts, Alleyne will work closely with Caribbean leaders, with UN country teams in the region and with Peter Piot, the Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), as well as Edwin Carrington, Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

Last month, Alleyne completed his second four-year term as Director of the Pan-American Sanitary Bureau regional office of the World Health Organization.  He is also a professor emeritus at the University of the West Indies and, among his other achievements, in 1990, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to the medical profession.

We have a copy of his bio if you’re interested.

**AIDS

Also on AIDS, Peter Piot, and Carol Bellamy, the Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund, have warned that South Asia has a narrow window of opportunity to turn back HIV/AIDS.

Piot said immediate action could prevent at least 5 million new HIV infections by 2010.  “Delay in preventing the further spread of HIV/AIDS”, he added, “will only aggravate the epidemic and reverse South Asia’s expected economic and social progress.”

Bellamy pointed out that the region, despite having low prevalence levels, was the most-affected region after sub-Saharan Africa.  She added, “It is the region’s young people, on whom the future depends, who are particularly vulnerable to the disease.”

The two spoke at the high-level conference on HIV/AIDS in South Asia, which began yesterday in Katmandu, Nepal, and ends today.  We have a press release on that.

**Peru

On Peru, High Commissioner for Human Rights Sergio Vieira de Mello yesterday expressed his satisfaction with the steps taken by Peru’s Government to comply with recommendations from international bodies that sought the redress of human rights violations committed during the previous Government of President Alberto Fujimori.

He said that the 3 January ruling by Peru’s Constitutional Court, concerning the unconstitutional nature of several legal norms designed to combat terrorism, was a first step in complying with those recommendations.  He also noted that the fight against terrorism must respect fundamental rights, including the right to defence; the right to be judged by a competent, independent and impartial jury; the right not to be tortured; and the right to the presumption of innocence.

We have a press release, but it’s in Spanish only.

**Human Rights

Vieira de Mello today left Geneva for Brussels, where he is holding meetings with the European Commission and members of the European Parliament.

Then, starting tomorrow, he will travel to Paris for his first official visit to France, where he will meet with President Jacques Chirac and other senior officials; and on Friday, 7 February, he will make his first official visit to Spain, where he is to meet in Madrid with Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar and other officials.

We have a schedule in my Office.

**Law -- Africa

Legal Counsel, that is of the UN, Hans Corell, is in Abuja, Nigeria, today, where he delivered a message on the Secretary-General’s behalf to the All-Africa Conference on Law, Justice and Democracy.

In that message, the Secretary-General says that respect for the rule of law, both at home and globally, will continue to be a key barometer of Africa’s progress.  In that regard, he adds that it is not enough for States simply to give their consent to be bound by treaties or create the appearance of compliance; rather, they must respect and implement the obligations embodied in treaties, norms and laws.  He asserts, “Just as the quest for justice motivated many past African causes, so let it govern the continent’s future.”

**Secretary-General’s Advisory Board

The Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters will meet in closed sessions in New York from 5 to 7 February 2003.  The Board will address, among other issues, disarmament and development against the background of rising global military expenditures, estimated at $839 billion in 2001.

The Advisory Board, which meets twice a year, is tasked with advising the Secretary-General on arms limitation and disarmament.

This session will be chaired by Ambassador Kostyantyn Gryshchenko of Ukraine.

We have a press release on that.

**Press Releases

Other press releases, UNEP, the United Nations Environment Programme, announced that a new initiative is under way to encourage more environment-friendly consumption.  Studies have found that traditional methods of marketing environmentally friendly products are too guilt-laden and disapproving, and rather than turn people on to the products they turn them away.  The new initiative will look at a wide range of issues, from labelling to product design, to make a sustainable lifestyle “cool”.

Our next press release was issued in Kathmandu, Nepal, today, where Carol Bellamy, of UNICEF urged parties to find a peaceful resolution to the country’s conflict following the recent ceasefire.  She said women and children had been increasingly affected by violence and fear and that not even schools could provide a safe haven for children.

**Signings

The Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment today received its first two signatures when Senegal and Costa Rica signed in separate ceremonies.

And then in another ceremony this morning, Mongolia became the 53rd country to sign the Agreement on the Privileges and Immunities of the International Criminal Court.

**Budget

Finally, budget news:  Two countries made large payments to the peacekeeping budget today.  The Russian Federation made a payment of more than $17 million and Spain more than $7 million.

That’s all I have for you.  Anything before we bring in Ambassador Pleuger?

Questions and Answers

Question:  What can you tell us about the meeting with the Iraqi Ambassador?

Spokesman:  Nothing, in fact.  The Secretary-General asked for the meeting.  The subject, you can no doubt guess, was Iraq.

Question:  What can you tell us?  Keep going.  What can you tell us about Annan’s prospective take on what we’ll see in the Powell meeting?  How does he view this meeting?

Spokesman:  No.  I answered that question yesterday.

Question:  You mean his opinion has changed?

Spokesman:  No, I didn’t give you an opinion.  He’s not going to prejudge or give his opinion on a meeting that’s about to take place.  This is a Council matter, and the United States has asked to brief other Council members, and we’re all waiting to see what the Secretary of State will bring to the table tomorrow.

Question:  Fred, what is the Secretary-General’s position on a trip to Baghdad?

Spokesman: By?

Question:  By him.

Spokesman:  He has no plans to make such a trip.  I thought you were going to refer to the Blix and ElBaradei visit this weekend. 

Question:  How many States have now signed the Protocol against torture?

Spokesman:  I don’t have that figure.  I mean, if you check with my Office afterwards, I will tell you.  Liz, did you have something else?

Question:  Just the latest on the pronouncement on the Blix trip, his opinion on it, because that was something that would have conferred (inaudible) with him and Powell?

Spokesman:  I did say yesterday that the Secretary-General had spoken to Hans Blix over the weekend and I also reminded you that Hans Blix takes his instructions directly from the Security Council not from the Secretary-General.  But I said there was no distance between them as far as Blix and ElBaradei’s decision to go to Iraq.

Okay.  We’ll bring in the Ambassador, please.  Serge?

Question:  Fred, for the benefit of ... as a matter of housekeeping, do you think the UN can publish the Convention on Bio, Nuclear, so we can understand what’s going on tomorrow morning?  And also since tomorrow is going to be a Powell, Stevenson.  We used to have a special archive here.  Do you think we can find the speech of Ambassador Stevenson for the broadcasters so we can ... ?

Spokesman:  I’ll see.  If you just check with us afterwards.  Any documentation we can find, if we can dig out the old Stevenson tape, if there’s one, we’ll be glad to share it with you.  Okay?

Ambassador, come forward please.

* *** *