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.

We have some guest Palestinian journalists.  Welcome.

**Noon Guests

Our guest today, with me right now in fact, is the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Ethiopia/Eritrea, Legwaila Joseph Legwaila; and joining him in a minute will be Simon Nhongo, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Eritrea.  We’ll get to them in just a minute.

**Secretary-General on Cyprus

The Secretary-General, early this morning, issued a statement on Cyprus following talks that went into the late night on ways to achieve a comprehensive settlement to the Cyprus problem, in which he and his Special Adviser on Cyprus, Alvaro de Soto, participated.  A joint meeting of the parties was organized at

2 a.m. and broke up more than an hour later.

Efforts, made both with the Cypriot leaders and the guarantor nations –- Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom –- to salvage the process were not successful, he concluded.  De Soto than delivered a statement to the press on the Secretary-General’s behalf at 6 a.m., concluding that the talks had not reached a successful outcome.

In that statement, the Secretary-General said that Turkish Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos had told him that he was prepared to submit the February

26 plan for approval by referendum on 30 March, as long as “the people knew what they are being asked to vote on”.  To that end, he wished to be sure that gaps regarding federal legislation and constituent State constitutions would be filled.  Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash told the Secretary-General that he was not prepared to agree to put the plan to referendum, and that he had fundamental objections to the plan on basic points.

The Secretary-General concluded that “we have reached the end of the road”, adding that it will clearly not be possible to achieve a comprehensive settlement before Cyprus accedes to the European Union on 16 April.  That commitment is not in place at this time, he said, adding that the office of his Special Adviser on Cyprus, Alvaro de Soto, will be brought to a close in the coming weeks.

He said, “I share tonight with all peace-loving Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Greeks and Turks a deep sense of sadness.  I am not sure another opportunity like this one will present itself again any time soon”.  We have the text of the full statement upstairs.

De Soto told reporters afterward that this is the “sad culmination of a process that began in late 1999”.  He will provide a detailed report to the Security Council.

**Secretary-General on Criminal Court

Today in The Hague, on very little sleep, the Secretary-General attended the solemn inaugural ceremony for the International Criminal Court, at which the Court’s first 18 judges took the oath of office.  He said, “It has taken mankind many years to reach this moment”.  He asserted that the 11 men and seven women who were sworn in today as the Court’s first judges “have made themselves the embodiment of our collective conscience”.

He told the judges that honesty and efficiency of the Court’s administration must be beyond reproach, and he also told States Parties that, in the near future, they must choose a prosecutor for the Court.

He added, “The commitment shown thus far augurs well for the future”.  We have his statement upstairs, as well as one from High Commissioner for Human Rights Sergio Vieira de Mello that says today is a historic milestone reaffirming the commitment to human rights, fundamental freedoms and justice.

Immediately after the 18 judges were sworn in, they conferred in what was their first private meeting as a Court, and decided to elect Philippe Kirsch of Canada as their first President.  Two vice presidents were also elected, judges Elizabeth Odio Benito and Erkki Kourula.

**Secretary-General/Netherlands trip

Before the Secretary-General attended the inaugural ceremony of the International Criminal Court (ICC), he had met with the Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkanende and Dutch Foreign Minister Jaap G. de Hoop Scheffer for about half an hour.

The Secretary-General, in a press encounter afterward, said they had discussed the ICC, the question of Cyprus and Iraq.  On Iraq, he said, he and the Prime Minister agreed that “what is needed is united international action, constant and persistent pressure on the leadership of Iraq to disarm”.

The Secretary-General cautioned that everyone, from governments to the people in the streets, is insisting on disarmament and “the public mood must not be misread by the Iraqi authorities”.  He emphasized that a united Security Council, working with unity of purpose and direction, can make a difference, and he noted attempts that are being made by the Council to come together and move forward, as difficult as that is.  Regardless of any vote on Iraq, he said, “at the end of the day, the UN is going to be as important as ever”.

We have the transcript of that press encounter upstairs.

The Secretary-General is to meet this afternoon with Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim.  He will return to New York tomorrow.

**Security Council

The Security Council held consultations today on the UN mission on Ethiopia and Eritrea.  And Joseph Legwaila, who is here with us today, briefed Council members on the latest report, which we reported to you yesterday.

Then, this afternoon at 3 p.m., the Security Council will begin an open debate on Iraq, in response to a request from the Non-Aligned Movement.

As of now, there are 42 speakers inscribed for the debate, which is likely to carry on into tomorrow.

There are 100 tickets for journalists for the Council gallery and you can get them at the Media Accreditation Liaison Unit in Room 250 just down the hall from here.  They will be handed out on a first come, first served basis starting now.

**Iraq -- Security Council

Yesterday afternoon, the Security Council held consultations on Iraq, and Hans Blix, the Executive Chairman of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), answered questions on weapons inspections put forward by the Council members.

Blix spoke to the press at the stakeout afterwards, noting that some Council members had asked UNMOVIC to present its program of further work in Iraq, which was due by the end of the month, as early as next week.  He told the press that UNMOVIC would try to report on its further work by that time.

**DRC -- Security Council

Yesterday afternoon, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guehenno briefed the Council on developments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Afterwards, the Council President, Mamady Traoré of Guinea, said in a press statement that members of the Council expressed their deep concern at the continuation of fighting in Bunia.  They demand the immediate cessation of hostilities and that all parties ensure the security of civilian populations and guarantee full access of humanitarian organizations to those in need.

**Statement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

We have the following statement concerning the killing of humanitarian workers in Liberia:

“The Secretary-General strongly condemns the killing of Emmanuel Sharpulo, and Musa Kita, Liberian nationals, and Kaare Lund, a Norwegian national, three humanitarian workers of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), who were brutally killed in eastern Liberia on 28 February 2003.

“The Secretary-General extends his deepest sympathy to the families and colleagues of these three humanitarian workers, and demands that the Government of Liberia determine the exact circumstances under which the incident took place, and bring the perpetrators to justice.  He further calls on all parties to the conflict in Liberia to reinforce measures taken to ensure the protection of civilians, including relief workers.”

**Sierra Leone Court

The Special Court for Sierra Leone yesterday announced indictments against seven suspects on a wide range of charges.

The Court said that, in accordance with arrest warrants authorized by its judges, five people had been arrested and taken into the Court’s custody, including former Internal Affairs Minister Sam Hinga Norman and former Revolutionary United Front leader Foday Sankoh.

The other three men arrested were Issa Sesay, Alex Tamba Brima and Morris Kallon.

Two other indictments were announced, for Sam Bockarie and Johnny Paul Koromah, but neither is in the Court’s custody.

The charges against them involve acts ranging from murder and rape to forced conscription of children and attacks on UN peacekeepers.

**Secretary-General on Africa

We have available in my office copies of a message by the Secretary-General to a conference in Tokyo on the consolidation of peace in Africa.  It is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow by the Secretary-General’s Special Advisor on Africa Ibrahim Gambari.

**Côte d’Ivoire - SRSG

Also on Africa, this is to let you know that the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Côte D’Ivoire, Albert Tevoedjre, is scheduled to brief the Security Council on Friday and has agreed to talk to you immediately afterwards.

**CAR-Humanitarian

The World Food Programme says the Central African Republic is probably the most silent humanitarian crisis in the world, with the drama of its civil war unfolding in front of total indifference.  You can read more about this in the UN briefing notes from Geneva today.

**UNRWA

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, or UNRWA for short, is protesting to the Israeli Government damage done to one of its schools during Israel’s occupation this past weekend of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip.

The agency says that the Ezbet Preparatory Boys’ School had its entire front wall, gate and playground outbuilding demolished by an Israeli bulldozer, and most of the windows in the front of the school -– which flew the UN flag and carried the UN symbol -– were broken.

**Oil-for-Food

This week’s Oil-for-Food update notes that Iraqi oil exports under the oil-for-food program slipped to 10 million barrels for the week that ended on

7 March.

Exports averaged 1.4 million barrels a day, compared with 1.9 million the previous week.  The estimated revenue earned for the week was $287 million, with an average price of Iraqi crude for the reporting period of approximately $28.45 per barrel.

You can get the full text upstairs.

**Afghanistan

With the support of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), Afghanistan has officially planted its flag in cyberspace, gaining legal and technical control of the “dot-af” domain for Afghan Web sites and email addresses.

“For Afghanistan, this is like reclaiming part of our sovereignty”, said Mohammad Masoom Stanakzai, the Minister for Communications in Afghanistan's transitional Government.

This marks a symbolic break with the recent past:  under the Taliban regime, use of the Internet was ruthlessly suppressed, with non-governmental use of email services and Web site punishable by death.

You can find more details on the UNDP Web site.

Also on Afghanistan, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said that the spring repatriation season to Afghanistan is getting underway.  In the past two days, more than 2000 refugees have returned from Pakistan and Iran, signaling an important increase over recent months.

We have a press release from the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees with more details.

**Human Rights/Kazakhstan

Deputy United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Bertrand Ramcharan has ended his visit to Kazakhstan today.

During the visit, he held talks with government officials and UN representatives in the country.  He was informed by the Government that the signature process will be concluded in the very near future of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and of the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights Covenants.

From Kazakhstan, Mr. Ramcharan travels to Uzbekistan to continue his Central Asia trip. 

**Press Releases

Two press releases to highlight for you today.

The first is from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), which is providing special therapeutic food to over 400,000 malnourished children in Iraq in the hopes of boosting their chances of survival in the event of conflict.  UNICEF has delivered more than 1,000 metric tonnes of high protein biscuits and 155 metric tonnes of therapeutic milk into Iraq, which the Iraqi Ministry of Health is distributing to health centres all over the country.

The second press release is from the Food and Agriculture Organization on its report “Forestry Outlook Study for Africa” which was presented today to the Committee on Forestry, meeting in Rome this week.  The report is a 20-year perspective and long-term planning framework for forestry development in Africa.

**Death of Nauru’s President

Finally, you’ve probably noticed that the United Nations flag is being flown at half-mast today.  This is to observe the official mourning of the President of Nauru, Bernard Dowiyogo, who died on Sunday.  As is the custom, no other flags are flown when the United Nations flag is at half-mast.

That is all I have for you.  Let me quickly welcome Simon Nhongo who’s joined us.  We’ll get to him in just a minute.  Do you have any questions for me first?  Yes?

Questions and Answers

Question:   Can you tell us, who is responsible for the collapse of the talks for Cyprus?

Spokesman:  I have nothing to add to what I said.  You saw in my statement that the Greek-Cypriot leader indicated a willingness to put the matter to a referendum under certain conditions.  The Turkish-Cypriot leader said the plan was unacceptable.  So, you can draw your own conclusions.

Question:   So, the feeling is that both of them are responsible?

Spokesman:  Draw your own conclusions, please.  Yes, Lee?

Question:   Do you have a list of the speakers and will the Security Council members speak first?

Spokesman:  I don’t have that list with me.  But if you check with my office they will make it available as soon as they get it.  Okay.

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