DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

AND THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT

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

Good Afternoon.

**Guest at Noon

I apologize for the delay.  Our guest at this noon briefing is
James Morris, here on my right, the Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), who will be talking to you in just a minute about the humanitarian situation in Iraq.

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

The Secretary-General this morning invited all 15 members of the
Security Council to join him in his conference room to discuss Iraq; and that meeting just broke up.  It lasted about an hour and a half.  I have the following statement attributable to the Spokesman concerning a Special Adviser on Iraq.

“The Secretary-General met today with members of the Security Council to inform them of his decision to formalize the role of Mr. Rafeeuddin Ahmed as his Special Adviser.  Mr. Ahmed has, since February of this year, assisted the UN system in thinking about possible UN involvement in a post-war Iraq.

“Given the pace of events in Iraq and the widespread discussions on a potential role for the United Nations in post-war Iraq, Mr. Ahmed will now act as the focal point in the UN system for discussions on the various scenarios for such a role.  He will also be advising the Secretary-General on any role that the Security Council might eventually mandate the United Nations system to carry out once the current military campaign has come to an end.”

**Secretary-General Trip

The Secretary-General will be traveling to four countries, starting on Wednesday of this week, to continue discussions about Iraq.  He will visit London, Paris, Berlin and Moscow -- not necessarily in that order -- returning back to New York this weekend after meeting British Prime Minister Tony Blair, French President Jacques Chirac, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

**Secretary-General on Iraq

As he entered the building this morning, the Secretary-General was asked by reporters about Rafeeuddin Ahmed’s role, and he said that Ahmed would be “thinking about the future, thinking about what is likely to happen and what the likely UN role will be”, and he would also be available to Council members and

others “to exchange ideas and then give me some advice”.  He noted that Ahmed has been doing that already, having been working on the issue since February.

By the way, we have copies of Ahmed’s bio-data upstairs.

Asked about the United Nations role in Iraq, the Secretary-General said, “I do expect the UN to play an important role, and the UN has had a good experience in this area, whether it is the issue of political facilitation leading to the emergence of a new or interim administration”, or work in reconstruction, human rights and the rule of law.

He added the cautionary note that each crisis has its own peculiarities and that “Iraq is not East Timor and Iraq is not Kosovo”, saying that “Iraqis have to be responsible for their political future, and to control their own natural resources, and whatever one can do to help the emergence of a new leadership or new situation is what one should focus on”.  We have the transcript of his comments upstairs.

**Iraq -- Humanitarian

Carol Bellamy, the Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), has reminded all parties in the Iraq conflict of their legal and moral obligation to protect the lives of civilians.  She noted that half of Baghdad's 5 million residents were children under the age of 18 and said experience in working with children in conflicts shows that there are profound and debilitating consequences that last for years.

The UNICEF, she said, is particularly concerned about reports of the use of cluster bombs in densely populated areas and called for an end to their use.  "The taking of a child's life is never an acceptable cost of war", she said.

Also, some members of the United Nations team that carried out a humanitarian assessment in Umm Qasr on Friday are back in the area to day, to continue their evaluation of water and sanitation requirements.  Based on Friday’s visit the team had concluded so far that the situation is stable.

The World Food Programme has, over the weekend, sent in the first major convoy from Turkey since the war began. WFP describes the convoy as a “test run” to demonstrate the feasibility of using this corridor for bringing food aid into northern Iraq.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says it expects a severe deterioration of the health situation during the days to come due to daily bombardment that results in damage of infrastructure and sharp rise in civilian casualties.  Many cities in the south and centre are virtually under siege and Baghdad is gradually being isolated.

The United Nations Environment Programme has recommended a scientific assessment of sites in Iraq targeted by weapons coated with depleted uranium.

**Security Council

The Security Council, in addition to their discussions on Iraq with the Secretary-General this morning, has scheduled an open meeting with WFP Executive Director James Morris at 3:00 p.m. today on “Africa’s food crisis as a threat to peace and security”.

Consultations on Cote d'Ivoire, originally planned for this morning, have been rescheduled to start following the close of the open meeting on Africa.

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

The following statement is attributable to the Spokesman on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“On 5 and 6 April, a MONUC team visited Ituri villages around Drodro to investigate reports of massacres in the area, allegedly committed by militias against civilians in the last weeks of March and early April.  The team found
20 fresh mass graves and interviewed local leaders who reported that up to
960 people may have been killed, allegedly because they refused to support Lendu-based militia offensives.

“As the MONUC continues to investigate the incident, the Secretary-General is deeply disturbed by these reports and demands that all concerned unconditionally respect the basic human rights of innocent civilians.
The reported massacres underscore the need for the local leaders to participate fully in the Ituri Pacification Committee, which has been established to find peaceful solutions in this troubled region.”

**Democratic Republic of the Congo

Also on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, at the initiative of the United Nations Mission for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, nearly
1,100 mines were destroyed on Saturday, 5 April, 4 kilometres from Bunia, by Handicap International Experts under the supervision of the United Nations Mine Action Coordination Centre.  It was the largest destruction of land mines since the United Nations mission’s deployment.  We have a press release with more details available upstairs.

**Liberia -- Humanitarian

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that United Nations agencies and their non-governmental partners have access to only an estimated 30 per cent of Liberia.  The majority of people in need are now out of reach.  In addition, the whereabouts of many of the 200 humanitarian workers with whom contact was lost on 27 March remain unknown.

In the areas to which aid workers do have access -- in the vicinity of the capital and Monrovia’s immediate southwest – United Nations humanitarian agencies and their NGO partners are running out of relief supplies.  Aid groups do not have enough shelter materials for internally displaced persons and have had to reduce the food rations they give to people in need.

**Cyprus

The Secretary-General's report on his mission of good offices in Cyprus, covering the period between late 1999 and the meeting in The Hague on
10 and 11 March, is out today.

Apart from thoroughly reporting on the developments during this period, the report also contains a detailed explanation of the Secretary-General's plan.  I would also draw your attention to the observations section of the report, which has two parts -- the first gives the Secretary-General's views as to why this unique opportunity was missed, and the second outlines what the
Secretary-General believes should be the way ahead.  He states that his plan remains on the table.  He does not propose to take a new initiative without a solid reason to believe that the political will exists necessary for a successful outcome. 

I understand Alvaro de Soto, the Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Cyprus, is scheduled to brief the Security Council this Thursday.

**Cambodia

Out on the racks today is the report the Secretary-General presented to the General Assembly last month about the progress of negotiations between the United Nations and the Cambodian Government to prosecute crimes during the period of Democratic Kampuchea.

It explains why, while the text that was finalized last month is a considerable improvement over the one which had been previously discussed between the two sides, doubts might still remain as to whether it would ensure the credibility of the Extraordinary Chambers for a trial of Khmer Rouge leaders, given the precarious state of the judiciary in Cambodia.

**SARS

The International Labour Organization is today mourning the death of senior official Pekka Aro, who died of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS, in Beijing yesterday.  Aro fell ill on 28 March and was hospitalized with suspected gastroenteritis on 2 April.  He was later diagnosed with atypical pneumonia.  He had been in Beijing preparing for the China Employment Forum which was due to start today, but which has been postponed.  Members of staff of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Beijing office are now under home quarantine.  The latest figures from the World Health Organization indicate there have been more than 2,400 reported cases of SARS and 89 deaths in
18 countries.

**World Health Day

Today on World Health Day, the World Health Organization calls for concerted action to protect three of our greatest assets:  children, the environment and health.  World Health Day has as its theme this year “Shape the Future of Life:  Healthy Environment for Children”.

In his message, the Secretary-General says that we have to recognize that healthy children are crucial to sustainable development.  “...Children are our future,” he says, “and a future of sustainable development begins with safeguarding the health of every child.”

The United Nations Children's Fund said the fundamental environmental health risks facing children include poor sanitation, unclean water, inadequate hygiene and pollution that can lead to fatal diseases such as malaria, diarrhoea and acute respiratory infection.  Carol Bellamy, the Executive Director of UNICEF, emphasized that a protective environment for children is crucial to their health and development.

**Press Releases

We have a press release from the World Health Organization on the largest polio immunization campaign in recent years.  Over 80 million children are to be vaccinated in six States in India over the next 60 days.  This follows a campaign in January and February during which 33 million were immunized in the Indian State of Uttar Pradesh.  India remains one of the seven countries in the world to remain infected by polio and accounts for 83 per cent of all new cases.

**Budget

Botswana became the seventy-first Member State to pay its 2003 regular budget contribution in full with payment of more than $135,000.

**Noon Guest tomorrow

The guest at the Noon briefing tomorrow will be Maurice Strong, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General, to discuss his recent mission to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

**World Chronicle

And the World Chronicle programme no. 884 will feature Tommy Koh, the Ambassador-at-Large of the Republic of Singapore; and that can be seen today at 3:30 p.m. on in-house television channels 3 or 31.

Any questions?  Yes?

Questions and Answers

Question:   What was the meeting with the Security Council about, because the door is slamming very quickly on the structure?  The train is leaving Washington quickly on what they want to do with Iraq after the war.  What are some of the ideas?  Is the Afghanistan proposal still on the table?

Spokesman:  No, I think I said last week the Secretary-General will not be naming a Special Representative for Iraq until the job description had been defined by the Security Council.  The reaffirmation today of Rafeeuddin Ahmed’s role as Special Adviser, merely provides the UN system with a focal point for planning of post-conflict Iraq.  It’s our first official discussions with governments today of a possible UN role.  No specific formulae were put forward by the Secretary-General.  It’s up to the Council to decide what that role will be, and in their deliberations, Rafeeuddin Ahmed will be available to them.

Question:   He had some proposals in his February report.  Are they still valid or what?

Spokesman:  He continues to refine those notions.  And as I said, he’s available to advise Council members, discuss various options with them.
But it’s the Council that will have to decide.

Question:   And is he going to Washington also, the Secretary-General, or is it just the countries you mentioned?

Spokesman:  Just those four countries.  Yes?

Question:   Colin Powell is cited in Le Figaro following the meeting he had with NATO in Brussels.  He is being cited as saying that “the United Nations itself declared by the Secretary-General that it did not want to govern Iraq”.  Can you make any comment?  Did he say that, the Secretary-General?

Spokesman:  I don’t believe he said that publicly.  But I have told you more than once that in our contingency planning we have considered things that we feel we can’t do; things that we could do but might not want to do; and things that we could do and are prepared to do.  So, that’s a little private list that we have as we wait for the Council to decide what it is that they want us to do.  Yes?

Question:   Do you have that statement of the Secretary-General about Cyprus that you read?

Spokesman:  I can give it to you.  Well, I mentioned the report.

Question:   Yes?

Spokesman:  Yes, it’s on the racks today.

Question:   Okay.  The second one is, you know, what is the reason he is going to these four cities?

Spokesman:  To follow up on wide consultations he’s had on a…

Question:   I mean, is there any reason that, you know, that he’s going?

Spokesman:  These four countries are actively engaged in the current debate on the UN role for Iraq, and he felt that he wanted to have discussions at a higher level than what he’s been able to have here at Headquarters when it comes to these four actors.

Richard?

Spokesman for General Assembly President

Good afternoon.

In his message for World Health Day today, General Assembly President Kavan notes that, “Healthy Environments for Children, the theme for World Health Day this year, is indeed a timely reminder of the world community’s responsibility towards our future generations.  The dire situation facing children in unhealthy environments is intimately linked with issues such as poverty, lack of adequate nutrition, education and poor sanitary conditions.  These issues are included in and have priority within the UN Millennium Development Goals.  Because of their importance, WHO has continued to make strides in championing the plight of the vulnerable, mainly because they suffer disproportionately from the consequences of polluted environmental conditions.  It is obvious that affording children at least the minimum in environmental standards is necessary to empower them for their future.”  President Kavan’s message says, “As such, I believe it is imperative that we continue to push for measures at all levels of society that alleviate these worsening conditions”.

This message is available as a press release and on the General Assembly President’s Web site.

President Kavan started a two-day visit to Austria today with a meeting with Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria.  During his meeting with the Austrian Foreign Minister, a number of topical issues were discussed including the current situation in Iraq; the road map for a peaceful solution of the Middle East crisis; principles and mechanisms to prevent armed conflict; the strengthening of the ICC; the promotion and implementation of human rights; and the fight against the spreading of HIV/AIDS.

After that, President Kavan met with the second President of the Austrian National Assembly, Heinz Fischer.

After a tour of the Vienna International Centre, President Kavan attended a luncheon hosted by Antonio Maria Costa, Director General of the UN Office in Vienna, and met with the Austrian Federal Chancellor, Wolfgang Schuessel.
He also had a meeting with Andreas Khol, President of the Austrian National Assembly, and is scheduled to hold a lecture in the Vienna Global Agenda Forum on “The Role of the UN in Maintaining Peace and Security”.

On Tuesday, 8 April, Mr. Kavan will also address the forty-sixth Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs.

A summary of President Kavan’s meetings today, provided by the UN Information Service, Vienna, is available at the 3^rd floor documents counter.

Any questions?

Thank you.

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