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.

**Iraq -- Humanitarian

A small United Nations humanitarian assistance team went to the southern Iraqi town of Umm Qasr today, to make a first evaluation of local water, sanitation and food needs, as well as the condition of the port.  The team will return to Kuwait this evening.

Also today, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is sending
six trucks to the outskirts of south Basra, marking the first time that the trucking operation it has been using has reached that far inside Iraq.  Eleven trucks in all made their way today across the Kuwaiti border, to deliver UNICEF supplies to the towns of Safwan and Zubair, as well as to the southern fringes of Basra.  The trucks are bringing supplies of water and emergency health kits.

Meanwhile, a World Food Programme (WFP) convoy carrying about 475 tonnes of flour aboard 19 trucks headed this afternoon towards the Turkish border with Iraq, to provide food for the three northern governorates, which, unlike the rest of Iraq, had not received wheat flour rations through the distribution system in March.  The WFP says that wheat flour stocks have all been used up in the northern governorate of Dohuk, and are negligible in the other two, Erbil and Sulayminiyah.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is receiving reports of growing numbers of civilian casualties, in and around Baghdad, Basra and many other towns in southern and central Iraq.  The WHO is deeply concerned that injuries suffered as a direct result of the Iraq conflict are the number one public health problem in Iraq today.  The WHO again reminds all parties to the conflict of their obligations under humanitarian law to respect the neutrality of civilians and especially that of hospitals, health workers and the entire medical infrastructure.

We have more details in today’s briefing notes from Amman, Jordan.

**World Food Programme

James Morris, the Executive Director of the World Food Programme, today welcomed the response by the international community to the agency’s emergency appeal for $1.3 billion for Iraq.  In the first five days since the appeal was launched, the agency received more than $270 million and 100,000 metric tonnes of wheat.  “This is the best possible start to the biggest single appeal in the WFP's 40-year history”, he said.  We have a press release with more details.

**Iraq –- Secretary-General meetings

The Secretary-General today will be wrapping up his effort, conducted throughout this week, to brief all the Member States about the current

humanitarian situation in Iraq and to exchange views with them.  He’s just finished a meeting with the African Group, taking place in Conference Room One.  Then, from 4 to 5 this afternoon, he will meet with the Latin American and Caribbean Group in Conference Room Five.

By the end of today, then, he will have met with all five regional groups at the United Nations, as well as with the Arab Group.  As you’ll recall, he also met the members of the Security Council at lunch at his office on Wednesday, also to discuss Iraq.

**Security Council

The Security Council is holding an open meeting on “Threats to International Peace and Security Caused by Terrorist Acts”.  United Kingdom Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock, in his capacity as the Chairman of the
Counter-Terrorism Committee, briefed the meeting for the last time before handing over the chairmanship to Spanish Ambassador Inocencio Arias.
The meeting began with 30 speakers on the list.

Council members expressed their gratitude for Ambassador Greenstock’s chairmanship of the Committee and paid tribute to his work over the past
18 months.  A Presidential Statement on the work of the Committee and a press statement paying tribute to the outgoing Chairman are expected to be read by Council President, Ambassador Adolfo Aguilar Zinser of Mexico.  Following that open meeting, the Council has scheduled another to vote on a resolution involving adjustments to the size of the United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor.

**Security Council -- Somalia

Then in the afternoon, following the two meetings, the Security Council sanctions committee on Somalia is scheduled to meet in Conference Room 7. 

**UNIKOM

Following yesterday’s Security Council briefing on the United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission (UNIKOM) -- which currently is maintaining a presence of 12 military officers and 20 civilian staff, supported by some local staff, in Kuwait City -- the members of the Council agreed with the
Secretary-General’s recommendation to maintain a peacekeeping presence for
three months.

In a letter to the Secretary-General, the Council members noted that UNIKOM is currently unable to fulfil its mandate as a result of the situation on the ground.  They agreed to maintain the Mission’s presence until 6 July, subject to any further decisions the Council may take on its mandate.

**Liberia -- Humanitarian

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports that its operations for refugees from the Ivoirian conflict in Liberia are now severely hampered by an upsurge of recent fighting in the eastern border regions.  Most of the United Nations refugee agency’s staff -– except for those hired locally
–- have been pulled out of eastern Liberia.  This follows generalized violence and two attacks on areas where the UNHCR operates transit centres.  The fighting has made nearly all eastern regions inaccessible to humanitarian agencies.

In the briefing note from the UNHCR, you can read more about the plight of the thousands who have been forced to flee as a result of the recent fighting and the efforts being made to assist them.

**South Africa

A joint report on corruption by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the South African Government was presented to that country’s Parliament earlier this week, and it says that four in ten South Africans believe that corruption is one of most important problems to be addressed there.

The report says that South Africa contributes actively and substantially to international and regional anti-corruption efforts and that the country is improving in terms of anti-corruption legislation, although it still lacks a comprehensive, specific law on that subject.  It says South Africa requires major efforts in public education and systematic prevention of corruption.
We have a press release from Vienna with more details.

**UNICEF

The United Nations Children's Fund, in conjunction with Fox Kids Europe television network, has launched an online campaign to support UNICEF's
“Go Girls! Education for Every Child” campaign.  The online pledge campaign has a five-point pledge, which outlines what it will take to ensure the best possible education, and that includes the best start in life, the best schools, the best teachers and safety, protection and fairness.  We have a press release on that.

**UNFPA Lecture

At 4:30 this afternoon in the Trusteeship Council Chamber, Jeffrey Sachs, the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on the Millennium Goals, will deliver the United Nations Population Fund’s eighth Rafael Salas Memorial Lecture on population and development.  Sachs will look at the effect on economic development of the shift from high mortality and high fertility rates to low mortality and fertility.  A speedy transition to lower mortality and fertility rates will help countries achieve the Millennium Goals of poverty alleviation.  You are all invited to attend.

**Budget

Today, Uzbekistan became the seventieth Member State to pay its regular budget contribution in full with payment of more than $148,000.

**Week Ahead at United Nations

And we have the Week Ahead for you to help you prepare your work for next week.

That’s all I have.  Okay, I hope you’ll have a quiet weekend.

Questions and Answers

Question:   Fred, as humanitarian operations gear up, is the
Secretary-General concerned that the United States humanitarian operation is being run by the Department of Defense?

Spokesman:  We have issued guidelines -- I think that was mentioned at the supplementary briefing that we had here earlier this week on the “oil-for-food” programme -- guidelines on relations with the military.  And in short, it says that the international community -- and that includes not only United Nations agencies, but also non-governmental organizations -- would rely on the military for delivery of goods only as a last resort.

So, our preference is to work on our own among civilians for the delivery of aid.  That said, in the current situation where the military are in control, and here I’m talking either about the Iraqi military or the coalition forces, those who exercise de facto control over the territory, have primary responsibility for the well-being of the civilian population.  So, we’d expect aid to be brought in to those populations, as needed, by whoever is in control on the ground.  Does that answer your question or not quite?  Okay.

Question:   Fred, can those rules be changed as the situation evolves?  Because it seems to me that you have some sort of, I’d really not say “hostility” toward the occupying power, but some type of neutral situation which you will not be able to satisfy while they’re established there.

Spokesman:  No, our intention is to try to run a totally civilian aid operation.  And that’s standard procedure, not just in this conflict, but in all conflicts.  In Bosnia, for the longest time we tried to carry out an aid operation in wartime conditions, and it was only well into that conflict that, out of necessity, we accepted military escorts for certain aid convoys.
So, it’s always as a last resort that we rely on the military.

Question:   I have some news from parts of Baghdad where buildings are damaged and so on.  There is some smell there of the dead bodies and so on.
Is there any possibility for the United Nations to do something, because people are afraid to go near these dead bodies and environments and what have you?
Can anything be done to minimize this bombardment, so the people can bury their dead and so on?

Spokesman:  We will just repeat our appeals to the combatants to do everything possible to limit collateral civilian casualties.  We’re entering what may be a very intense, and perhaps the most intense phase of the war, when concern about civilians is at its height, I would say.  But in war conditions, there is very little that we, the international community, can do to bring relief to the areas where there is intense fighting.

Question:   Fred, if there’s a new government established by the occupying power in Baghdad in the next 48 hours, and Ambassador Aldouri here is declared persona-non-grata without having the coordination of his Government in Baghdad,

what will be the position of the Secretariat regarding the Headquarters agreement?

Spokesman:  I don’t know about the Headquarters agreement.  First, that’s a hypothetical question.  But I don’t know whether you’re asking about the credentials of the Ambassador?

Question:   Yes, because if there’s a new government in Iraq in the next 48 hours, I am sure the Americans are going to declare him persona-non-grata.  So...

Spokesman:  That’s speculative, but all credentials matters are handled by the Credentials Committee of the General Assembly and it’s through that Committee that credentials are accorded to delegations.  So, I think you’ll just have to wait to see how whatever situation emerges is handled by the
General Assembly.

Question:   Is there any (inaudible) of any move or communication of the General Assembly?

Spokesman:  What, the Credentials Committee?

Question:   No, no, for this question.  Because the Secretary-General talked about the General Assembly, that it did not have any information on that yesterday?

Spokesman:  Is there any move for the General Assembly to meet on the question of Iraq?  Well, you’re probably aware of discussions that have been taking place among regional groups or other groupings of States.  But, as of yesterday, there was no formal move to convene the Assembly on this subject.

Question:   Does the Secretary-General have any view on that?

Spokesman:  This is a matter for Member States.  Thank you very much.

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