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 Hua Jiang, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

Good Afternoon.

**Hispanic Student Journalists

It’s nice to see so many new faces here.  We have participants in the 2003 National Association of Hispanic Journalists Student Campus programme visiting us today.  Welcome to the UN.

**Iraq

Mark Malloch Brown, the chair of the UN Development Group, this morning opened an informal meeting on the reconstruction and recovery of Iraq.

In his opening remarks, Malloch Brown said delegates at the meeting would have to decide what framework to adopt when discussing Iraqi reconstruction.  This would include choosing a time frame for projects.  Should projects be aimed for 2004 or beyond?  Should they address only the immediate needs of the Iraqi people or look at long-term issues, he asked.

It is vital, he said, that the international community have Iraqi civil and political interlocutors.  He added the UN Development Group and the World Bank will be sending experts to Iraq to identify needs in 11 key social and infrastructure sectors.

Delegates at today’s gathering would also have to plan a meeting for next fall and identify sponsors for it. 

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, Ramiro Lopes da Silva, also addressed the meeting this morning.  He reiterated the strong belief that a fundamental precursor to any process is the establishment of a representative Iraqi interim administration to lead the reconstruction effort.

Before moving into a closed session, Akila al-Hashimi, of the Coalition Provisional Authority also addressed the delegates.

Later this afternoon at 4 p.m., Mark Malloch Brown will be joined by the Under Secretary of the US Treasury Department John Taylor, and others to brief you on the outcome of today’s proceedings.

** Vieira de Mello

The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, is now back in Baghdad after having spent a few days in Jordan where he met with, among others, the Secretary-General.

He held a press conference a short while ago and we expect to have a transcript soon.

We will let you know when it becomes available.

**UNIKOM

Out today is the Secretary-General’s latest report on the UN Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission, which covers the period of 22 March to 15 June.

In this report the Secretary-General suggests that the Council may wish to consider whether the continued presence of the UN Mission is still desirable now that the conditions have changed; notably with the subsiding of the conflict in Iraq and with the adoption of resolution 1483.

He recommends that a final three month’s extension of the Mission’s mandate be granted during which a scaled-down staff would undertake the liquidation of its assets and make appropriate arrangements for the handover of its humanitarian operations to other entities in the area.  There is currently a staff of 11 military officers at a small headquarters in Kuwait City, along with about 150 civilian staff, both nationals and internationals.

You’ll recall, that on 17 March, in advance of the military campaign against Iraq, the Secretary-General decided to suspend the mission’s operations and withdraw its personnel from the demilitarized zone.  During the conflict, most of the Mission’s property on the Iraqi side of the border was totally destroyed or stolen during or soon after the conflict.  On the Kuwaiti side, some property was also damaged and some other properties have been occupied by British troops.

On the ground, the UN Mission continues to provide support to other UN activities in the area, including humanitarian agencies and the Office of the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq.

The full report is available in our office and should be out on the racks later this afternoon.

**Security Council

At 3 p.m. today, the Security Council is holding consultations on the implementation of the latest resolution on Iraq with a briefing by Special Adviser Rafeeuddin Ahmed.

In other Security Council matters, the Council mission to West Africa is scheduled to leave tomorrow, and British Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock who is leading it will brief you on that trip tomorrow at 12:45 p.m. in this room.

**Secretary-General Travels

The Secretary-General touched down in London about an hour ago where he will have meetings tomorrow with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams.

Before leaving Amman, Jordan, this morning he met with the heads of UN agencies, funds and programmes working in Jordan, and thanked them for their coordinated aid effort in Iraq.

**SARS

Effective today, the World Health Organization (WHO) is removing its recommendation that people should postpone all but essential travel to the Chinese capital.  Beijing, which was the last area in the world where WHO still had a SARS-related travel advisory in place.

The situation in Beijing has improved significantly, WHO says, with more than 20 days having passed since the last new case of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) was isolated there.  Beijing has, therefore, also been removed from the list of areas with recent local transmission of SARS.

WHO Director-General Gro Harlem Brundtland said, “This is very good news and shows the great progress the world has made against SARS.”  We have a press release upstairs with more information.

**Tobacco convention

WHO also says today that 40 countries signed the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in just the first week that it was opened for signature, with Norway becoming the first country to accept the treaty.

Director-General Gro Harlem Brundtland said the rapid amount of signings demonstrate how strongly the Convention is supported, and added, “It is only through a concerted worldwide effort that we can make global tobacco control happen.  The benefits for health will be immense.”  And we have more details in a press release upstairs.

**ICTY

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia confirmed that Ivica Rajic, a Croat paramilitary leader who was indicted for war crimes and grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions for commanding attacks on Bosnian Muslims in central Bosnia in 1993, was transferred today to the Tribunal’s Detention Unit.  And we have a press release with more details.

**Press Conferences Tomorrow

At 9 a.m. in this room, Ramiro Lopez da Silva, Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, will be here to brief you on the humanitarian appeal and reconstructions needs for Iraq.

At 11 a.m., Ian Kinniburgh, Director of Development Policy Analysis in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, will be here to launch the 2003 World Economic and Social Survey.

**UNCA Memorial Service

And the UN Correspondents Association would like to remind everyone that the memorial service for Elizabeth Neuffer will take place at 1:30 p.m. today at the Church Center across the street.

The memorial service is open to all those who wish to attend.

That’s all I have got for you.  Any questions?

All right, have a very good afternoon.

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