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.

**Secretary-General in Athens

Good afternoon.  The Secretary-General arrived in Athens, Greece, this morning.

Before his departure from Ankara, he said to the waiting press that he had had very good discussions with the Turkish leaders, saying, “I am encouraged and heartened that we can move ahead on our terms to settle the Cyprus issue and that real progress can be made.”

He again addressed the press upon arrival in Athens, when he stressed why it is so urgent to settle the Cyprus issue.  He warned that another postponement beyond early March would amount to saying “no” to the European Union accession by a united Cyprus.

The Secretary-General referred to the revision of the United Nations plan as the culmination of the most intensive process of negotiations that has ever occurred on the Cyprus problem, and represents the best of what the United Nations can do to help the parties reach an agreement.  We have the transcript of his press comments upstairs.

In the afternoon, the Secretary-General attended a signing ceremony of the Olympic Truce in the presence of Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou, with whom the Secretary-General also held a one-on-one meeting.  The Olympic Truce was endorsed in the Millennium Declaration, which calls on Member States to stop all wars and conflicts while the Olympic Games are being played.  The Secretary-General said that the brief moments when the guns fall silent for the Olympic Truce provided an important opportunity for United Nations peacekeepers and humanitarian workers to do their work.

This evening, the Secretary-General is expected to meet with Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis and with Foreign Minister Papandreou, before he attends a dinner hosted by the Prime Minister in his honour.

**Iraq

We have a few Iraq-related notes for you.

As you all well know, yesterday the Security Council met in closed consultations for close to three hours during which a draft resolution on Iraq was introduced by the United Kingdom and co-sponsored by the United States and Spain.

The French presented a joint memorandum, co-written with Germany and Russia, regarding the disarming of Iraq.

The resolution is now in blue and the memorandum is available on the racks as a Security Council document.  Also on the racks is a letter from Iraq’s Foreign Minister, Naji Sabri, replying to allegations made by United States Secretary of State Colin Powell during an open meeting of the Security Council on 5 February.  Consultations on Iraq are scheduled to resume this Thursday morning.

Here in New York, the College of Commissioners of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) continues to meet.  As we mentioned yesterday, they are discussing the upcoming quarterly report which their Executive Chairman, Hans Blix, is set to hand in to the Security Council on 1 March.  The oral presentation of the report to the Council will take place early next week, although no date has yet been formally set.

Today being Tuesday, we also have the weekly “oil-for-food” report.  Iraqi oil exports under United Nations auspices totalled 11.9 million barrels last week, for an estimated revenue of $338 million.  For more information, you can pick up the full text of that report in my office.  Meanwhile, the inspectors continue their work on the ground.  And as soon as we get the report on today’s activities, we’ll let you know.

**Security Council

Today, the Security Council heard a presentation in a public meeting by the State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Sweden, Hans Dahlgren, on the findings of the Stockholm process on the implementation of targeted sanctions.  Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Danilo Turk also made a statement.

Hans Dalhgren presented the final report of the Stockholm process -– Making Targeted Sanctions Effective:  Guidelines for the Implementation of United Nations Policy Options -- which puts forward a number of ideas and concrete recommendations on ways to strengthen the capacity of the United Nations system, and of Member States, to implement targeted sanctions.  The final report is available on the Stockholm process Web site.

The Stockholm process proceeds from the assumption that to make targeted sanctions effective, they have to be implemented through a chain of actions involving all levels of decision-making, from the Security Council to its sanctions committees, Member States and their administrative agencies.  International governmental organizations, the private sector and nongovernmental organizations also have roles to play.  It also suggests measures to be taken to deal with those who try to evade sanctions.

The Security Council President, German Ambassador Gunter Pleuger, is expected to read a press statement following the meeting.  And then Hans Dahlgren will be at the stakeout at that time to take questions from reporters.  The 3:15 p.m. press conference called by Dahlgren is also still on.

**Democratic Republic of the Congo

Out on the racks today is the Secretary-General’s latest report to the Security Council on the United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  In the report, he presents an overview of the political, military and humanitarian situation in the country.

While the signing of an all-inclusive agreement in December of last year was an important step for peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he says there continues to be military confrontation on the ground.  He notes that the situation in the Ituri region and in the Kivus continues to be volatile.

Meanwhile, the mission said late yesterday that a United Nations helicopter carrying the Force Commander, General Mountago Diallo, was shot at

15 minutes after taking off from Bunia.  No one was hurt, though a bullet pierced the cockpit window.  The helicopter continued its flight unhindered.  While the source of the fire has not yet been established, the United Nations mission strongly condemned this attack and reminded all the parties of their responsibility for the safety of United Nations personnel in the country.

As a follow-up to the 17 December all-inclusive agreement, two technical committees have been meeting in Pretoria, South Africa, since yesterday under the auspices of the joint United Nations/South Africa mediation team.  The United Nations side is headed by the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy Moustapha Niasse.

Of the two committees, on which all the parties of the Inter-Congolese Dialogue are represented, one is working on the constitution of the transitional committee and the other on military and security issues. 

All the parties seem determined to quickly move forward the outstanding issues and expedite the conclusion of the Inter-Congolese Dialogue and the establishment of the transitional government.

**Cambodia

The Secretary-General has informed Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, in a letter that went out yesterday, that a United Nations team led by Legal Counsel Hans Corell will arrive in Phnom Penh on 13 March, for negotiations on an agreement between the United Nations and Cambodia regarding the trial of Khmer Rouge leaders.  The team is to remain in Phnom Penh until 17 March.

The Secretary-General said in his letter that he looks forward to fruitful negotiations in Phnom Penh on the remaining parts of a draft agreement, which was discussed during exploratory meetings held in New York last month.  The General Assembly has asked the Secretary-General to report to it by 18 March on the progress of negotiations.

**Timor-Leste

Many of you have seen a number of different reports by major news agencies today concerning a United Nations indictment of a leading Indonesian general in connection with crimes in East Timor.  I have to remind you that those indictments were issued by the Office of the Prosecutor General of Timor-Leste, and not by the United Nations, which merely provides advisory assistance to the East Timorese in this matter.  So, we hope that in future you’ll say, “East Timor indicts”, and not “the United Nations indicts”.

**Human Rights

The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Sergio Vieira de Mello, today addressed the start of a workshop on regional cooperation on human rights in Asia and the Pacific, which is taking place in Islamabad, Pakistan, and he said that we currently live in a world in which “there is a sense that no one is safe”.

In a world marked by insecurity and awareness of terrorism, he said, “it may sometimes feel as if we no longer have any stable points of reference to chart our way through the uncertainties of the world”.  But he said he was firmly convinced that a comprehensive strategy for security can and must be guided by the rule of law and respect for human rights.  We have copies of that speech upstairs.

**West Africa

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports today that in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberian refugees continue to demonstrate in front of the UNHCR office asking to be evacuated out of the country or moved to a safer location inside the country.  Many of them have been in dire conditions in makeshift sites in Abidjan since the conflict erupted last September.  To date, efforts to get the government to identify a safer location for the Liberians have produced no results, according to UNHCR.

      **AIDS News

On AIDS news -- when the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for AIDS in Africa, Stephen Lewis, briefed you here a short time ago, he stressed that hunger and AIDS combined were devastating populations in Africa.  Hungry people are too weak to fight off infection and the ill don’t have the energy or strength to work the land.

Today, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) launched a new guide for people living with HIV/AIDS.  Recognizing the link between infection and nutrition, the manual offers simple and practical suggestions for a diet designed to bolster the immune system, boost energy levels and help the body fight the ravages of the disease.  Almost 95 per cent of people with HIV/AIDS live in developing countries where access to health care, resources and drugs is poor.  A balanced diet provides them with a positive way to respond to the illness and help them to live longer, more comfortable and productive lives.

The manual is available on the FAO Web site and we have a press release with more details.

      **Budget

Budget news.  Big payment today from Italy, which became the fifty-first Member State to be paid in full for its regular budget assessment, and that’s with payment of more than $68 million.

**Noon guest tomorrow

A reminder that the noon guest at the briefing tomorrow will be Joseph Chamie, Director of the Population Division of the United Nations.  And he’ll be joining us here to brief you on revised United Nations population estimates and projections.

That’s all I have for you.

**Questions and Answers

Question:  There was a call for women’s participation in the

Inter-Congolese Dialogue.  Do you know if there are women members of the delegations you mentioned?

Spokesman:  There are, I just don’t have the numbers.  Let me see if I can get them for you after the briefing.  [He later said the United Nations has strongly encouraged the participation of women in the process, as we have no specific numbers.]

Question:  You have two different dates for Mr. Blix’s report to the Security Council.  One is Saturday, 1 March and the other is Friday, 7 March.  Which is correct?

Spokesman:  The 7 March date has been discussed in the press as a possible date for Mr. Blix’s oral presentation to the Council.  As I said just this morning, no date has yet formally been presented or agreed upon -- or announced rather -- for the oral presentation.  The Security Council resolution calls for Blix to report by 1 March.  My understanding is that he intends to submit his written report to the Council on 1 March, and we’re waiting for the Council to say when they want to hear from him for the oral presentation.

Question:  Does Mr. Blix have the authority to ask Iraq to destroy the missiles before reporting to the Security Council?

Spokesman:  As you know, they discovered these missiles, and they determined that they had a range that exceeded that permitted under the Security Council resolution.  Before issuing any demand of Iraq, he consulted here in New York with missile experts to make sure that his judgement call concerning the range was solid.  Following that consultation, he wrote a letter to the Iraqi Government.

So yes, as the Chief United Nations Weapons Inspector, he has the obligation to make a determination as to what weapons he might find are prohibited under the Security Council resolution, and that’s what he did.

Question:  But where does that fit in with the response that he reports to the Security Council and then the Security Council gives instructions.  Are you saying that that was satisfied, or this was an exception?

Spokesman:  No, I’m saying that in the normal course of his duties, this is something he would do.  What he would report to the Council would be whether

Iraq complied with his request or not.  So, he reports to the Council on Iraqi compliance, but he makes the judgement calls as to what Iraq is obligated to do in a practical sense vis-à-vis the kinds of things that he discovers on the ground, in this case, missiles.

Question:  Resolution 687 -– the ceasefire in the Gulf War –- set up a demilitarized zone between Iraq and Kuwait and United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission (UNIKOM) peacekeepers, a thousand of which, whose mandate is to deter an incursion mounted from either side of the border.  And in a later resolution they were given the right to use all necessary measures to do that.  It also calls on the Secretary-General to immediately inform the Security Council of any hostile action or serious violation.  If the United States invades Iraq on the ground from Kuwait, they have to go through the demilitarised zone.  Would the Secretary-General have to inform the Security Council of this violation?

Spokesman:  [The following response was issued at the end of the briefing.]  The resolution calls on the Secretary-General to report regularly to the Security Council on the operations of the peacekeeping unit on the border and to do so immediately if there are serious violations of the zone or potential threats to the peace.  That would be from any quarter, not just from Iraq or Kuwait, and it would involve reporting overflights, that is, violations by air, sea, or ground.

Question:  The Secretary-General encourages the participation of civil society, and civil society has arrived in the form of the people who presented themselves as a human shield.  Where are they physically and how does that affect the United Nation’s activities in Iraq?  How many are there?

Spokesman:  I don’t know that we have any count.  And I don’t know that we have any direct contact with people who have gone to Iraq to present themselves as human shields.

I also don’t know what arrangements, if any, might have been made for their safe evacuation should hostilities break out.  I guess their intention is to go there and stay there throughout whatever might happen.  We, in the meantime, would merely do planning on a contingency basis for the safety of our own people.  And again, I don’t know what contact, if any, we’ve had with these people.

Question: Do you know how many there are?

Spokesman: I don’t know.  I’d have to check.  But I don’t think we would be counting noses.  But whether we would have some incidental knowledge or estimate, or whether we’d even want to share that with you, we’d have to check.

Thank you very much.

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