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.

**Blix

A short while ago, Hans Blix, the Executive Chairman of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), gave what he said was likely to be his last briefing to the Security Council.

He presented Council members UNMOVIC’s latest quarterly report.  While stating that the report spoke for itself, he highlighted some points.

During the inspection process, UNMOVIC did not at any time find evidence of the continuation or resumption of programmes of weapons of mass destruction or significant quantities of proscribed items, he said.  He added that this did not mean such items did not exist and that it was not justified to jump to the conclusion that something did exist just because it is unaccounted for.

Blix also noted that neither UNMOVIC nor its predecessor UNSCOM had made any significant finds of weapons.  “The lack of finds”, he said, “could be because the items were unilaterally destroyed by the Iraqi authorities or else because they were effectively concealed by them”.  In Iraq’s new environment, the UNMOVIC Executive Chairman added, where there is full access and cooperation, it should be possible to establish the truth we all want to know.

The Council has now moved into closed consultations, and we expect Blix to be available for your questions at the Security Council stake-out afterwards.

**Vieira de Mello

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, today met informally with a group of Iraqi professionals at UN Headquarters in Baghdad, to listen to their views about the current situation in Iraq and what role they envisaged the UN playing in this new era.

The group comprised lawyers, judges, journalists, economists, human rights advocates, and other professionals, and came from various backgrounds, including Sunnis and Shiites, Kurds, and Christians.  There was a total of 15, including 3 women.

Speakers from the group emphasized their desire to see the UN assisting Iraq in a number of areas including political, humanitarian and reconstruction work.

Vieira de Mello briefed the participants about the Security Council and the role of the UN and its limitations and ambiguities in this regard.  He emphasized that the role of the UN is to assist the Iraqi people to participate effectively in the rebuilding of their country and made it clear that he places particular emphasis on the promotion of human rights and the role of women in promoting peace, unity, stability and justice.

He further explained that the power of decision making rests with the “Authority”, and he offered to convey the concerns of the Iraqis to the “Civilian Administrator”.

Earlier in the day, he was briefed on the security situation throughout Iraq by a US military delegation.

In the afternoon, Vieira de Mello met with Paul Bremer, the Civilian Provisional Administrator of Iraq, and John Sawers, the United Kingdom Special Representative, at the Office of Mr. Bremer.

A full round-up of Vieira de Mello’s activities today is available upstairs.

**Iraq

On the humanitarian front in Iraq, the UN Children’s Fund is working with the Iraqi Civil Defence Organization on the issue of Unexploded Ordnance, better known as UXOs.  Already, hundreds of children around the country have been seriously injured or killed by cluster bombs dropped during the war or by munitions stored by Iraqi soldiers in public places, such as schools.

One Baghdad hospital has seen well over 60 children seriously injured or killed by UXOs since the end of the war.  The Civil Defence Organization has mounted a public information campaign in schools, mosques, markets and other public areas to urge children, and adults to stay away from UXOs.   

Meanwhile, the Baghdad municipality has entrusted the UN Development Programme with the rehabilitation and maintenance of 50 sewage-pumping stations.  Due to the lack of maintenance during the past four months as well as the accumulation of garbage and solid waste through the manholes, more than 25 major clogging incidents have been reported.

We have available upstairs the notes from the Baghdad briefing, which also include an update on refugees and internally displaced persons by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

**Georgia

Today in Georgia at about 9 a.m. local time, a joint UN Mission and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) peacekeeping force patrolling in the upper Kodori valley was detained by unknown armed elements.  The CIS soldiers were released shortly thereafter. 

The UN personnel, consisting of two military observers, one paramedic and one interpreter, are still in the hands of the hostage-takers.  They managed to report by radio that they were unharmed.

The UN Mission is in contact with the Georgian authorities, who have the prime responsibility for the security of UN staff.  The representative of the President for the Kodori valley was flown into the valley to establish contact with the hostage-takers.  The UN is also in contact with the Abkhaz authorities and the leadership of the CIS peacekeeping force.

**Security Council -- Other

The Security Council is also expected to be briefed by Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hédi Annabi on the abduction of the personnel of the UN Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG).

Then, this afternoon at 3:30 p.m., the Council has scheduled a meeting with troop contributors to the UN mission in Cyprus.

Yesterday afternoon, the Council met on the UN embargo against the import of rough diamonds from Sierra Leone without a valid Certificate of Origin.

The Council President, Ambassador Sergey Lavrov of Russia, in a press statement, announced that:  “In the light of the Government of Sierra Leone’s increased efforts to control and manage its diamond industry and ensure proper control over diamond mining areas, and the Government’s full participation in the Kimberley Process, members of the Security Council have agreed not to renew these measures”.

The ban expired at 12:01 a.m. this morning.

**Sierra Leone Court

David Crane, the chief prosecutor for the Special Court in Sierra Leone, today voiced his disappointment that Liberian President Charles Taylor, whom the Court indicted yesterday for war crimes and crimes against humanity, had not been arrested and had fled a meeting in Ghana to return to Liberia “as an international fugitive”.

The prosecutor said that all States are on notice that they cannot provide him with safe harbour and that any nation that finds Taylor within its borders is legally bound to execute the arrest warrant against him.  Asked about the timing of the announcement of Taylor’s indictment, Crane added that Taylor was indicted on the basis of the evidence and that the indictment was made public because of his travels.

As I told you yesterday, the Secretary-General supports the work of the Special Court in Sierra Leone.  He also continues to attach great importance to the peace process in Liberia, since that country’s problems can only be solved through political means.

The coincidence yesterday of the indictment of President Taylor by the Special Court as a high-level political effort was under way in Ghana was unfortunate, but illustrates the tension sometimes between the imperatives of justice and peace.

**Afghanistan

In Afghanistan, there was another rocket attack this week on the deminers along the Kabul-Kandahar Road.  The UN Mission and the Afghan Authorities are looking into why deminers have been frequently targeted.  There are about 8,000 deminers in the country.

The UN Mission said that whatever the motivation is, the impact is tremendously negative, as about 55 per cent of the areas contaminated by mines and unexploded ordnance is in grazing areas and about 29 per cent of all the contaminated area is agricultural land.

We have in my office a briefing note from Kabul with more information.

**Kosovo

The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Kosovo, Michael Steiner, today announced that he is offering a reward, worth 50,000 Euros, to anyone who can provide information leading to the arrest and conviction of those who are responsible for yesterday’s murder of three members of a Serb family in Obilic.  We have a press release with more details on that.

**World Environment Day

Today is World Environment Day and the theme of this year’s observance is “Water:  Two billion people are dying for it!” 

More than a billion people live without access to safe drinking water and more than 2.4 billion lack access to adequate sanitation.  The challenge, according to the Secretary-General, is to provide water services to all, especially to the poor.  “What is needed along with fresh water”, he said in a message for the Day, “…is fresh thinking.  We need to learn how to value water”.  The Secretary-General’s message has been issued as a press release.

Here at Headquarters, the Day will be observed tomorrow, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, in the Dag Hammarskjöld Auditorium with a multi-media program devoted to the Year of Freshwater, which will feature remarks by Nane Annan, the Secretary-General’s wife, and include an interactive discussion with student groups in New York, Kenya, Lebanon and Peru on water-related issues. 

**SARS

The World Health Organization (WHO) said that yesterday was the first day with no deaths reported in the global outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) since 28 March 2003.

With the outbreaks in the initial ‘hot zones’ either contained or coming under control, SARS is clearly in decline, said WHO, which indicates that recommended control measures are effective when combined with political commitment and determination.  WHO however stresses the risk of a resurgence of cases, emphasizing the constant need for vigilance.

The latest statistics indicate a total of 8,402 cases with 772 deaths, reported from 29 countries.

**UNCA

The UN Correspondents Association has asked me to remind you of the book party tonight with Gary Weiss, starting at 5:30 p.m. in the UNCA club.  Food and drink will be available and all are welcome.

That’s all I have for you.  Akram, what’s your question?

Questions and Answers

Question:  Is Dr.  Hans Blix going back to Iraq or was today his final report to the Security Council?

Spokesman:  He said he expected it was his final report to the Council.  Yes?

Question:  Fred, yesterday the (inaudible) Research Centre, a well-respected Centre, issued a global survey indicating that public confidence in the UN is declining.  What measures can the UN take to reverse this trend?

Spokesman:  I think you need to ask the communicators and the information people in the UN that question.  It wasn’t just the UN, it was international institutions, including NATO.  These numbers go up and down.  I think that the best thing the UN can do is to tell its story straight and hope that people will listen.

Thank you very much.

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