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 Cyprus

Good afternoon.  The Secretary-General ended his trip to Cyprus today, following a meeting this morning for more than an hour with the

newly-inaugurated Greek Cypriot leader, His Excellency Tassos Papadopoulos, the outgoing Greek Cypriot leader, His Excellency Glafcos Clerides, and the Turkish Cypriot leader, His Excellency Rauf Denktash.

He said, as he departed Cyprus for London on his way back to New York, that he was satisfied with the outcome of his mission over the past few days to Greece, Turkey and Cyprus, and was pleased that Denktash and Papadopoulos agreed to meet him again in The Hague on 10 March.

He said, “I have asked the two leaders to arrive at The Hague prepared to tell me, there and then, whether or not they would sign a commitment to submit the Foundation Agreement to approval at separate, simultaneous referenda on 30 March to achieve a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem”.  He also asked them to have completed all necessary internal consultations by the time they get to The Hague, so their response on 10 March would be definitive.

The Secretary-General said he left the region convinced that all concerned understand that the holding of the referenda is the key to a reunited Cyprus joining the European Union on 16 April, and he emphasized, “There is a unique opportunity that must not be missed”.

He called the Plan for Settlement “fair and balanced”, adding, “of course, it is a compromise.  But all negotiated settlements require compromise.  I urge all concerned to catch the tide before it turns, perhaps irreversibly”.

Responding to a question, the Secretary-General reiterated that “if the answer from one party or the other is ‘no’, there should be no doubt that we are at the end of the road”.  He added that would be a sad day for the people of this island and the region.

The Secretary-General will spend tonight in London, and he’s expected to return to New York tomorrow.

**United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission

Yesterday afternoon, Hans Blix, the Executive Chairman of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) received a letter from the Iraqi authorities stating in principle that Iraq accepts the requests for the destruction of the al-Samoud missile.

On his way into the building this morning, Blix said that his deputy, Demetrius Perricos, who is currently in Baghdad, would discuss the programme of destruction with the Iraqi authorities.  Blix also said he had sent a letter back to the Iraqi authorities to clarify certain points.  Asked about the destruction of the missile, Blix said, “It’s a very big chunk of things.  There are very many of these missiles, a lot of items that pertain to them […] which are to be destroyed”.  Before heading into the elevator, Blix, when asked if he considered the glass half full or half empty, answered, “it’s a glass where they poured more water”.

As for UNMOVIC’s quarterly report, it will be made available this afternoon to all members of the Security Council.  We will advise you once it has been distributed to Council members.  Meanwhile, the inspectors from both UNMOVIC and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) continued their activities in Iraq today, and we have a detailed daily update available in my office.

**Security Council

As for the Council, there are no meetings or consultations scheduled for today.  At 3:00 p.m., there is a meeting of the Security Council Committee on sanctions against Al Qaeda.

Today is the last day of Germany's presidency, and Guinea takes over the Council presidency as of tomorrow.  The Council President for the month of March, Ambassador Mamady Traoré, is expected to brief you on the programme of work on Tuesday, 4 March following its approval in consultations by all members.

**Liberia

The Secretary-General’s report to the Security Council on Liberia is out as a document today.  The Secretary-General says that Liberia finds itself at a critical crossroads, with elections approaching.

He says, “It could either turn a new page towards sustainable peace and progress under enhanced governance or continue to fester in conflict and poverty, with deleterious effects for its people and the subregion”.  He says the first step is to end the fighting.  He commends the local and regional initiatives that have made it possible for the government and the LURD rebels to start dialogue.

He goes on to say that the International Contact Group on Liberia provides the best forum for the international community to constructively engage Liberia and to find a comprehensive solution.  That group is meeting at United Nations Headquarters today.  The United Nations is being represented by Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Tuliameni Kalomoh and the Secretary-General’s Representative, Abou Moussa.  The meeting is co-chaired by Ghana, the current chair of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and Sweden, the European Union Representative for the Mano River Union.

**Côte d’Ivoire

The High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva today reported that an advance team to look into conditions of setting up a possible commission of inquiry on violations of human rights and humanitarian rights in the context of the current crisis had arrived in Abidjan.  The advance team was made up of representatives of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Department of Political Affairs, as well as a forensic expert.  The team would be in Côte d'Ivoire until 11 March and would then submit a report to the Secretary-General, through the High Commissioner.

**Somalia

In a report to the Security Council on Somalia, the Secretary-General notes the Somali national reconciliation process that began with the convening of the Eldoret Conference in Kenya last October under the auspices of the region’s Intergovernmental Authority on Development.

The Secretary-General encourages all the Somali leaders participating in the Conference to rededicate themselves to the search for national reconciliation in their country, and to agree on an inclusive political dispensation for the country’s future.

He says that “it has become increasingly clear that inside Somalia, the continued outbreaks of hostilities are motivated by individual rivalries of faction leaders and criminal activities, rather than wider issues”.  The Secretary-General also notes recent hostilities involving the militias, which have seriously affected humanitarian aid delivery, notably around Mogadishu and Baidoa.  We have copies of that report in my office.

**Sierra Leone

At the conclusion of a week-long visit to Sierra Leone, Olara Otunnu, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, has called upon the international community to continue to support the country in the peace-building period, so that the impressive gains made so far in the rehabilitation and protection of war-affected children can be strengthened and sustained.

**International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia

Today in The Hague, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia released Agim Murtezi, one of a group of four Kosovo Albanians who had been detained in Kosovo and transferred to The Hague earlier this month, following a statement issued by his defence attorney that Murtezi claimed he was “not the person referred to in the indictment”.  The indictment against Murtezi was withdrawn today, and he was ordered to be released immediately.

**Human Rights

The Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Bertrand Ramcharan, will begin a visit to Central Asia next week, to follow up on the visit the Secretary-General made to the region last October.  Ramcharan will travel to Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan over the next two weeks, to enhance dialogue and technical cooperation on human rights in those countries.

Also, the special rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights dealing with adequate housing, Miloon Kothari, will visit Peru starting next week, at the Government’s invitation.  During his visit, from 3 to 14 March, Kothari will meet with the Government, United Nations and civil society representatives and will visit communities in Lima, Iquitos and Ica to assess housing and living conditions.  We have two press releases with more details on those two items.

**United Nations Development Programme

Today in Burkina Faso, some 150 participants in Africa’s premier film festival, the Pan-African Film and Television Festival, took time out from the movies to discuss what African actors can do to help fight HIV/AIDS, at a panel organized with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

In a message of support, the Secretary-General said that creative artists can “help us to better understand contemporary Africa –- not only its problems, but the positive changes that are happening everywhere and are a real cause for hope”.  The UNDP has a press release on the racks on that matter.

**Tobacco Convention

The sixth and final round of negotiations for the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control are expected to close in Geneva late tonight, with a final text expected to be produced that can then be presented to the World Health Assembly in May.

The World Health Organization (WHO), under whose auspices the negotiations are being held, said that the treaty is to include international rules on tobacco taxation, smoking prevention and treatment, illicit trade, advertising and promotion, and product regulation.  The WHO says that last year, 4.9 million people died due to the use of tobacco.

**Week Ahead

And finally, we have the week ahead for you to help you plan your week.

Any questions?

**Questions and Answers

Question:  Is the Secretary-General proposing that the United Nations organize these referenda that he wants held in Cyprus, or is he just asking the two communities to do it?

Spokesman:  I believe he expects the two sides to organize their referenda.  I’m not aware that there’s any provision for United Nations technical assistance.

Question:  Are you going to release the letter from General Al-Sadi to

Dr. Blix?

Spokesman:  I’m not sure we have even seen that letter.  I’ll have to check for you.  This went directly to Dr. Blix, so we’ll have to check with his office what he intends to do with it.

[Dr. Blix later said that he would not make the letter public.]

Thank you very much.

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