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.

**Elizabeth Neuffer

Elizabeth Neuffer, the UN-based correspondent for The Boston Globe, was killed in an auto accident on Friday north of Baghdad.  Words can’t express the shock we all felt in receiving this news, and the sorrow we feel for her family and her companion, Peter Canellos.

Our spokesman in Afghanistan, Manoel de Almeida e Silva, said Elizabeth was a fine example of a very serious professional journalist and a warm, compassionate human being.  We send our heartfelt condolences to all those of you whose lives have been touched by knowing her.

**Noon Guest

Our guest today is Lee Swepston.  He is Chief of the Equality and Employment Branch of the International Labour Organization (ILO).  He’s here to launch ILO’s global report on discrimination in the workplace, which is entitled “Time for Equality at Work”.  We’ll have copies of that report in six languages and briefing kits by the door.  We’ll be getting to Lee in just a minute. 

**Democratic Republic of Congo

After on-again, off-again fighting over the weekend between Hema and Lendu militia in north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, two Hema groups joined forces and retook control of the town of Bunia today.  Rival Lendu offered little resistance, and the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is patrolling the town, report low casualties.

In a brief but violent clash on Saturday, at least 12 people were killed, including three babies, at the home of a leading Hema political figure.  The UN Deputy Force Commander, Brig. Gen. Roberto Martinelli, negotiated the withdrawal of the two forces on Saturday, and the situation remained stable until this morning.

The Secretary-General issued a statement Saturday afternoon expressing his alarm at the situation in Bunia.  He called on the Government of Uganda to use its influence with the militias to maintain calm and on the international community “to make every effort to quickly address this dire situation”.

From 8,000 to 10,000 internally displaced persons have taken refuge with the UN, most at a compound near the airport.  The UN fed those people today and is bringing in fresh water and medicines for them.

The Security Council will shortly be briefed on the latest situation in Bunia by the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Marie Guéhenno.  The full text of the Secretary-General’s statement is available online and in my Office.

**Iraq -- Humanitarian

During a press briefing in Baghdad today, the World Health Organization’s representative in Iraq, Dr. Ghulam Popal, stressed the urgent need for increased security for health workers and facilities.  When asked what WHO’s three priorities in Iraq were, he said, “security, security and security”.

Popal also told journalists that all public health programmes -- control measures, health education and all other aspects of public health -- that contribute immensely to the prevention of diseases and the promotion of health have collapsed.  WHO, he said, had more than 20 teams in the country trying to assess what the most urgent needs are.

On Sunday, James Morris, the Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), was in Baghdad, where he met with local Iraqi officials from the Ministry of Trade, as well as US officials attached to the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Affairs.

In a press conference in Baghdad, Morris said he expected the food distribution system to be fully operational by 1 June.  Morris also noted that security continues to be one of the overwhelming issues in terms of WFP’s operations in Iraq. 

In southern Iraq, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is now sending in around 67 water tankers daily from Kuwait.  This translates into more than 2 million litres of water per day.  UNICEF staff is also working on repairing the water distribution system, which has been severely damaged -– both during the war and afterwards by looters.

Lastly, the Swedish Rescue Service is providing the UN with tents and equipment to enable us to increase our international presence in Baghdad.  More staff is expected on Wednesday, including UN human rights officers with the UN Humanitarian Coordinator, Ramiro Lopes da Silva.  More information is available on these items in my Office.

**UNRWA

A complete closure of the Gaza Strip imposed by Israel on UN international staff has crippled the Gaza operations of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). 

This closure, imposed as of last night, has prevented UN international staff from entering or leaving Gaza.  The UN’s diplomatic pouch was also blocked.  This follows two weeks of delays, obstruction and interrogations of UN staff at the Erez crossing point into and out of Gaza.  None of UNRWA’s 7,800 Palestinian staff in the Gaza Strip have been able to enter Israel on duty for the Agency since October 2000.

Karen Koning AbuZayd, UNRWA’s Deputy Commissioner-General, said, “UNRWA understands Israel’s security concerns, but the fact is that nothing has ever been found on an UNRWA international staff member to warrant the searches and procedures.”  She said she finds it incomprehensible that all UNRWA staff are locked in or locked out of the Gaza Strip.  “The Israeli authorities must lift this closure to allow us to carry out our humanitarian mandate”, she said.

UNRWA’s protests to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defence have so far had no effect.  For more information, please pick up the press release upstairs.

**Security Council

The Security Council is holding consultations this morning on Côte d'Ivoire, during which a new draft resolution has been introduced.

Council members also heard briefings from Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hedi Annabi, and Carolyn McAskie, the Secretary-General's Humanitarian Envoy for the Crisis in Côte d'Ivoire, on the latest situation in that country.

At 12:30 p.m., here in room S-226, Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock of the United Kingdom is scheduled to brief you on the upcoming Security Council mission to West Africa.

Then at 3:30 p.m., the Security Council Sanctions Committee on Somalia is meeting in Conference Room 7.

**Côte d’Ivoire Refugees

The UN refugee agency chief, Ruud Lubbers, today met with Côte d'Ivoire's top leaders to discuss possible solutions for refugee populations in the strife-torn West African country.  The High Commissioner for Refugees said UNHCR was particularly concerned about an estimated 9,000 Liberian refugees in Nicla camp, in the west of the country.  There’s more on the UNHCR Web site.

**Cyprus

The UN Mission in Cyprus tells us that over the weekend a new crossing point opened in West Nicosia. This will be fourth crossing point between the two sides.  The UN Chief of Mission, Zbigniew Wlosowicz, welcomed the fact that "another road to reconciliation on the island has been opened".

**Indigenous Forum

The Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues began its second session this morning, and Assistant Secretary-General Angela King, at the opening of the meeting, read a statement on behalf of the Secretary-General saying that it is all the more urgent now to establish indigenous issues firmly as part of the UN system’s daily work.

The Secretary-General said there is no time to lose, since indigenous peoples continue to be subjected to systematic discrimination and exclusion from economic and political power, and are more likely than others to suffer extreme poverty.  We have copies of his message upstairs.

Among the many events taking place in conjunction with the Permanent Forum is an exhibit in celebration of indigenous peoples that will be officially opened tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. in the Public Lobby, with a reception to follow afterward.  The press is invited. 

**Signings

In a short while, Lithuania is expected to ratify four treaties, including the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.  We have a complete list in my Office.

And that’s all I have for you. 

Questions and Answers

Question:  Regarding the Congo, can you go into more detail about what exactly the UN Peacekeeping Department is requesting in terms of some rapid deployment force in the Congo?  Also, to what extent the UN Secretariat might be concerned that, while Iraq remains the sort of focus of attention in the Security Council, there’s a serious crisis taking place in the a region without enough attention.

Spokesman:  On Friday, the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Marie Guéhenno, briefed the Council and relayed the Secretary-General’s strong concern about the situation there and indicated that something stronger was needed in the way of a military force to deal with the problems in Bunia.  The peacekeeping troops we have there are neither trained nor equipped to deal with the kind of violence that erupts from time to time.  They’re there to help implement a peace agreement, not to deal with militia that are at war.

So that is the reference in the statement that I read from that the Secretary-General released on Saturday, when he calls on the international community “to make every effort to quickly address this dire situation”.  The Council is being updated this morning.  We’ll see what kind of response we get.  There’s always the risk that Iraq can dominate everything that the Council is doing and thinking about. 

If you recall, the reason the Secretary-General cut short his last trip to Europe was Iraq and the situation in north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.  He has been intensely following the dramatic developments there.  There was a question on Friday about a comparison with Rwanda.  The Hema are ethnically people from the north, like the Tutsi, traditional herders who gravitated to this area.  The Lendu are people from the west, who are traditional farmers, like the Hutu.

So there’s the ethnic similarities, and the fact that these two groups have been fighting since time immemorial, which is also similar to the situation in Rwanda.  That’s why we think it’s explosive.  When the Ugandans withdrew, as they were obliged to do under the peace agreement, from the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, this fighting erupted.

Follow-up Question:  Is it possible to be more specific about what kind of rapid deployment force the Secretariat might be suggesting?

Spokesman:  I can’t give you any more than I’ve given you now.  These discussions are going on in closed consultations of the Council.  Until the Council gives a formal reaction, I don’t think we want to get into any more detail as to what we’re proposing.

Question:  Does the Secretary-General agree with the description of the UN’s role in post-war Iraq as a vital role, as contained in the resolution introduced by the US?  Does he think that’s what it really amounts to?

Spokesman:  I’ve said in the past that the adjective used to describe it is irrelevant without a definition.  The definition is being debated by the Council now and I’ll repeat what I said on Friday, that the Secretary-General doesn’t want to get in the middle of this debate among Member States.  He will not tell you what he thinks about the draft. 

Even at the retreat he had with Security Council members over the weekend, there was no formal discussion of the draft.  They were there to discuss new threats to international peace and security.  They pretty much stuck to that agenda.  I’m not saying that there weren’t views exchanged in the margins, but the Secretary-General did not share his views and will not at this time.

* *** *