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.

**UN Witnesses Ceasefire Agreement for Ituri

The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Amos Namanga Ngongi, today witnessed the signing in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, of a ceasefire agreement for the Ituri region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The signatories included DRC President Joseph Kabila, representatives of the democratically-elected Ituri Pacification Commission and leaders of the various armed groups who have been fighting for control of Ituri’s administrative capital, Bunia.  By the agreement, the parties also recommit to the political process, agree to canton their troops within their respective headquarters and support the immediate deployment of a multinational force.

This morning, the Secretary-General sent a letter to the President of the Security Council saying that he considers it likely that the situation in Bunia could worsen and asking Council members to urgently consider his proposal for the rapid deployment to Bunia of a highly-trained and well-equipped multinational force.

That force would be under the lead of a Member State, he said, and would be authorized under the Chapter VII enforcement provision of the Charter.  It would stay in position only until the UN peacekeeping mission in the country could be considerably reinforced.

Because the situation in Bunia threatens to undermine the peace process in the DRC and thereby threaten international peace and security in the region, he concluded, the international community must act decisively.

The search for troop-contributors to the multinational force continues to go well, with generous responses from several Member States offering both troops and logistical and financial support.

Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guehenno is briefing Council Members on the latest developments in the eastern DRC, as we speak.  He reports that the situation in Bunia continues to be volatile.  Attempts by the UN to broker a local ceasefire have so far been unsuccessful, although there was no fighting in the town today.

Two UN military observers continue to be missing, and the search for them continues.

Humanitarian agencies took advantage today of a brief lull in fighting to increase the number of humanitarian personnel in Bunia to 20 and to step up services.  There are now about 12,000 civilians seeking refuge with the UN, 4,000 at the Headquarters compound in Bunia, 6,000 at the UN logistical base at the airport and 2,000 along the airport road.

They have been given plastic sheeting and high protein biscuits, as water and sanitation experts work to restore electricity and water supplies to the town.  Humanitarian workers are also setting up latrines at the camps and are establishing a cholera clinic.  Congolese Red Cross personnel are clearing dead bodies from the streets.

The UN Mission issued a press release today providing more gruesome details on the deaths that have occurred in Bunia during the week, and it’s available in my office, along with a UNICEF press release describing their activities in Bunia.

**Security Council

The Security Council, following consultations on the situation in the DRC, is expected to introduce a draft presidential statement.

Earlier this morning, the Security Council held a private meeting with troop-contributors on the mission in Timor-Leste.

**Central Africa Message

In a message to the 19th ministerial meeting of the UN Standing Committee on Security Issues in Central Africa, the Secretary-General noted that there had a been a number of positive developments in the region, notably the political reconciliation in Angola and the Republic of the Congo.

Nevertheless, the Secretary-General said, the peace process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as other countries, remains fragile and it is clear that the signing of ceasefire or peace agreements are not enough –- the parties must honour their agreements and work with good will to implement them.

Leaders, he said, must have the courage to put the interest of their people above their own personal interest.  They must truly choose the path of dialogue and fight with determination against the violation of human rights and ensure that civilians are given the protection they have a right to expect.

The full text of the message, which was delivered in Brazzaville by the Secretary-General’s Representative in the Central African Republic, General Lamine Cissé, is available in French in my office.

**Iraq

Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs Kenzo Oshima arrived in Baghdad earlier today to gain a first-hand appreciation of the humanitarian situation in the Iraqi capital.

Oshima met with the Heads of UN Humanitarian Agencies in Iraq and spent 90 minutes discussing the problems they currently face in delivering emergency relief.  Principal among these is the lack of security, which is seriously hampering the ability of the UN to deliver humanitarian assistance to those who need it.

He then met with a number of senior Iraqi officials from the ministries of trade, labour and social affairs and foreign affairs.  The Iraqis told him that the delivery of humanitarian assistance would change the somewhat negative view that many Iraqis hold of the United Nations because of the sanctions regime.  They also raised the issue of security, which they said was a serious problem that needed a rapid solution.

During a subsequent meeting with US Presidential Envoy for Iraq, L. Paul Bremer, and officials from the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance, Oshima raised the UN’s concern with security.  Another issue raised with US officials was the payment of salaries to civil servants.  Public sector workers must be paid if essential services are to continue, Oshima said.

Oshima will visit Basra tomorrow and Umm Qasr on Sunday.

Also, this weekend, UN Children’s Fund Executive Director Carol Bellamy will arrive in Iraq to draw attention to the difficult situation of children.  Her three-day stay will encompass activities in Baghdad and the north of the country.

More information on these items is available upstairs.

**Iraq –- Displaced Persons

The Secretary-General’s Representative on Internally Displaced Persons, Francis Deng, today issued a statement underscoring the need to address the problems of the 1 million people previously displaced in Iraq because of the policies of Saddam Hussein’s Government, as well as those caused by the current expulsion of people from their homes by others who are seeking to reclaim their own lost homes and properties.

The Representative suggests that, in northern Iraq, all relevant authorities should undertake the rebuilding and de-mining of thousands of destroyed Kurdish villages, so that Kurds can return to their home areas.

He asks for an Iraqi commission, with a representative ethnic and religious makeup, to be established in the Kirkuk areas to enable all displaced persons to regain their land and property, while assuring fairness for the more than 200,000 Arabs who have been brought into these areas.  Deng adds there must be an acknowledgement of the damage done to the Marsh Arabs and their culture and habitat in southern Iraq.  We have his statement upstairs.

**DSG in Brussels

Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette continued her visit to Brussels today, meeting this morning with Chris Patten, the European Commission’s External Relations Commissioner.

Following that meeting, she addressed the Council of Ministers of the joint African, Caribbean and Pacific Group and the European Union.  She said a lot had changed in the world since the adoption of the Millennium Development Goals three years ago, making achieving the goals more challenging.  The goals can be achieved, she said, “only if efforts in developing countries are supported by those with the means to provide the official development assistance, the debt relief, market access and stimulation of foreign direct investment that are needed”.

She went on to say that the United Nations is mounting a four-pronged strategy to support the Goals.  The first is to develop the tools to monitor progress at the global, regional and country level.  Second is the launching of the Millennium Project, to identify the best strategies and practices for achieving the goals, and the Millennium Campaign is the third prong, to build popular and political support for the Goals.  Finally, she said the United Nations would concentrate efforts to provide concrete, coordinated assistance to partner countries.

She will return to New York tomorrow, and we have the full text of her speech upstairs.

**Lubbers in West Africa

The High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers, who is in Sierra Leone today, has described the situation in neighboring Liberia as going from “bad to worse”.

During the meeting yesterday with Sierra Leone President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah, Lubbers praised the progress the West African country has made in normalizing the situation after 10 years of civil war.  He also urged the Sierra Leone leader to continue supporting the return of Sierra Leone refugees from neighbouring countries.

Lubbers visited a camp housing Liberian refugees to check to what extent women are now involved in the management of the camps, food distribution and other key tasks.  The need for greater involvement in the management of camps by refugee women was one of the key recommendations made in the wake of allegations of sexual abuse in West African refugee camps last year.

**UNHCR and Colombia

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today signed an agreement with the Colombian Senate and its human rights commission to reinforce the Senate’s capacity to legislate on internal displacement issues. 

Under the agreement, UNHCR will help with the dissemination and promotion of national and international refugee and internal displacement legislation and will provide advice and specialized training for members of the Senate and other institutions.  UNHCR will also advise on mechanisms to protect the rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs), to prevent displacement and provide assistance to displaced persons.  Official government statistics put the number of IDPs in Colombia at about 1 million, while NGOs claim the figure is nearer 3 million. 

We have a press release with more information.

**World Health Assembly

The 56th World Health Assembly will start next week on Monday in Geneva, and will end the following Friday.  Highlights of this year’s meeting of the

192 Member States will include the confirmation of the new WHO Director-General, Dr. Jong-Wook Lee from the Republic of Korea, and the possible adoption of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which would be WHO’s first global treaty.

WHO is scheduling a series of daily media briefings on key global public health issues throughout the Assembly, including the latest on SARS and emerging global epidemics, tobacco control and the post-conflict health challenges in Iraq.

In other news, WHO Director-General Gro Harlem Brundtland today had consultations with representatives of 15 leading health and consumer NGOs, to discuss the growing toll of death and disability from chronic diseases.  Further consultations are scheduled in June with UN agencies and industry trade associations.  The outcomes of these consultations will be used for the drafting of the Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health, which will be presented to the World Health Assembly in 2004.

We have a press release on that.

**Week Ahead at the United Nations

And we have the Week Ahead for you.

That’s all I have.  Akram?

Questions and Answers

Question:  Did you mention that there is an assessment of damages of the Arab Marshes and is there any plan to try to help these people?

Spokesman:  I have nothing to add to what I said.  If you missed some of it, you can pick up the text after the briefing.  Yes?

Question:  I heard there are reports today that Sergio Vieira de Mello may be a candidate for the Secretary-General’s Special Representative to Iraq.  Is he someone that the Secretary-General has been considering or…?

Spokesman:  We don’t discuss whom the Secretary-General is considering for this job.  The [Security] Council is still debating the resolution and a decision will not be made until after the resolution is adopted.  And until then, Mr. Vieira de Mello is very busy as the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and we’ll make an announcement when the time comes as to who the Secretary-General’s choice for the Iraq job would be.

Good, enjoy your weekend.

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