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.

**Guest at Noon

Olara Otunnu, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, will join us later today to talk about the situation of children in Liberia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo following recent developments in those countries.

**Liberia

The President of the Security Council, Ambassador Sergey Lavrov of the Russian Federation has scheduled informal consultations at 3 p.m. today on Liberia, including the letter dated 28 June 2003 from the Secretary-General to the President of the Security Council, which is out as a document today.

In that letter, the Secretary-General requested that the Security Council take urgent action to authorize the deployment to Liberia of a highly trained and well-equipped multinational force, under the lead of a Member State, to prevent a major humanitarian tragedy and to stabilize the situation in that country.  Such a force, he said in the letter, would be authorized under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations.

In response to reporters’ questions in Geneva today, he said, “What we need now is the political will to act in face of this gross violation of human rights, this serious and tragic humanitarian situation, with innocent civilians caught in the middle.”

He also said, “The Council is going to discuss my proposal and I hope that they will approve it.  And just as we have seen in the recent past, the UK working with the West African and UN peacekeeping operations to calm the situation in Sierra Leone, the French taking leadership of the multinational force in the Congo, and also helping in Côte d'Ivoire.  There are lots of expectations that the US may be prepared to lead this force.”  “Of course”, he said, “that is a sovereign decision for them to take, but all eyes are on them.”

At the 3 p.m. consultations, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Tuliameni Kalomoh is expected to brief the Council on the latest situation in Liberia.

**Security Council Presidency

And today is the last day of the Russian presidency of the Security Council.  Spain takes over the Council presidency starting tomorrow, 1 July.

**Security Council Mission

The situation in Liberia, together with Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea-Bissau, were discussed in meetings yesterday in Abuja, Nigeria, between the Security Council mission to West Africa and President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, the Executive Secretary of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, and other ECOWAS officials.

The head of the mission, British Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock noted the likelihood that the Security Council would be “supportive” of a force for Liberia, noting that it was made clear to the delegation that ECOWAS would need help in this regard.  “This help could come in a variety of forms from a variety of nations”, he said.

From Abuja, the mission travelled yesterday afternoon to Accra, Ghana, from where it is travelling today to Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

The mission began on Friday in Guinea-Bissau, where at the end of the two-day visit, Mexican Ambassador Adolfo Aguilar Zinser, acting head of the mission, said, "We leave confident that the President will be ready to announce a new date for the elections very soon."

We have details of the mission up until now for those of you who are interested.

**Secretary-General on Middle East

Earlier today, the Secretary-General welcomed the announcement made today by Palestinian groups regarding a ceasefire.  A statement released in Geneva said he hopes that the groups, the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority will do everything necessary to ensure that the ceasefire represents a full and complete end to violence and terror and is a turning point in breaking the cycle of violence between Palestinians and Israelis.

In the statement, the Secretary-General commends the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt for its sustained efforts to help bring about this ceasefire.

Late on Friday, we issued a statement here in which the Secretary-General welcomed the withdrawal agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.

The Secretary-General, the statement said, looks forward to continued implementation of the Road Map, leading to a permanent settlement of the conflict based on Security Council resolutions 242, 338 and 1397.  He also commended the vital role played by the United States in facilitating this critically important agreement.

With these two agreements, the task now is to press ahead with the difficult process of implementing the Road Map, so as to make a reality of the vision of two States, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and security.

The full text of both those statements attributable to the Spokesman are available upstairs.

**Secretary-General Activities in Geneva

This morning in Geneva, the Secretary-General addressed the high-level segment of the Economic and Social Council.  In his remarks, he underlined that the challenge now was not to decide what to do, but rather, simply, to do it.  He also said that the Doha programme was more than just another round of trade negotiations, but aimed to eliminate the unfair competition faced by farmers and producers in poor countries.  It could provide a powerful engine of growth, thus facilitating the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals.

The Secretary-General then had back-to-back meetings with José Maria Figueres-Olsen, his Special Representative on Information and Communications Technologies; John Negroponte, Permanent Representative of the United States to the UN; and Martti Ahtisaari, his Special Envoy for the Humanitarian Crisis in the Horn of Africa.

The Secretary-General took a few questions from journalists before attending a luncheon hosted by Gert Rosenthal, President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).  He took this opportunity to commend ECOSOC once again for choosing to focus on the key subject of rural development, which lay at the heart of the hopes of achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

In the afternoon, the Secretary-General chaired a meeting on migration and asylum issues, before he visited the International Labour Organization.

The Secretary-General has departed for Bern, Switzerland this afternoon.

**Hans Blix

As you know, this is Hans Blix’s last day as Executive Chairman of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) for Iraq.

In a letter sent to Blix over the weekend, the Secretary-General expresses his profound gratitude and admiration for the way he handled the intense demands of the job.

“Few United Nations officials”, the Secretary-General writes, “have demonstrated the calm, grace and professionalism that you have in the face of virtually unprecedented pressure and attention over the past several months.”  “Your steadfast integrity, objectivity and sound judgment were an asset to the organization and the international community as a whole”, the Secretary-General went on to write.

Blix has served as head of UNMOVIC since 1 March 2000.  The full text of the letter is available upstairs.

**Letter to Oshima

And today is also the last day of Kenzo Oshima, and the Secretary-General has written a letter to him, as well, and as soon as it’s ready, we’ll announce it and make it available to you.

**Vieira de Mello

As we had announced at the end of last week, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, travelled to the city of Najaf on Saturday.

There he met Ayatollah Ali Mohammad al-Sistani.  During the hour-long meeting, Sistani expressed his concern at the slow pace and many other issues derailing the process of permitting responsible Iraqi leaders to take charge of their affairs.  The idea of writing a new constitution for Iraq was also discussed at length.

Vieira de Mello also met Imam Muqtada Al-Sadr, leader of the Sadriun Movement, for over 30 minutes.  Al-Sadr emphasized the fact that any formation of any political entity was doomed to failure unless it is supported or endorsed by the Iraqi people themselves.  He suggested to conduct a referendum to approve or reject the “Political Council” suggested by the Coalition Provisional Authority.

Lastly, he met with Imam Mohammad Baqir Al-Hakim, leader of the Supreme Council of Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI).  Hakim underlined the fact that there are many ways to reach a more representative Iraqi body.  He said that only Iraqi people can choose their representatives and any imposed leadership would fail and hurt those who will impose it.

The Special Representative, in his remarks, promised to convey the views of the leaders to the Authority and will work hard to get those views across.

More details on his activities in Najaf are available upstairs.

**Vieira de Mello – Continued

This morning again in Baghdad, Sergio Vieira de Mello opened a two-day workshop on the justice system and accountability for past human rights violations committed in Iraq.

In his opening remarks, he said that for more than a decade the UN human rights system and human rights non-governmental organizations documented the gross violations of human rights suffered by the Iraqi people.  Thousands of men, women and children, he went on to say, from all walks of life had often been targeted by Saddam Hussein’s regime simply because they disagreed -- or were thought to disagree -- with those in power.  The mass graves that are being unearthed, he added, “are a witness to some of the most egregious violations of our most fundamental right:  the right to life”.

The sheer scale of this problem is daunting, Vieira de Mello told the delegates.  Conservative estimates talk of some 300,000 missing people.  Their families want to know.  Their families want justice, he said.

This meeting is an important first, Vieira de Mello declared.  Iraqi lawyers and human rights experts along with international specialists and representatives of the Coalition will discuss and identify guiding international principles and policy options to ensure accountability and justice for past human rights violations committed in this country.

In addition, Vieira de Mello today met Imam Husain Al-Sadr, a religious leader in Baghdad, Mr. Chadirji, leader of the Democratic Union and will meet later tonight with Ahmad Chalabi, leader of the Iraqi National Congress.

Vieira de Mello’s speech and more details on his activities today are available upstairs.

**Democratic Republic of Congo

The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo reported that yesterday three armed components –- the Government, MLC and RCD and three armed entities (RCD-ML, RCD-N and Mai Mai) signed a memorandum on the army and security.  And this signing was facilitated by the UN and South Africa.

**Ethiopia/Eritrea

The Secretary-General’s report on Ethiopia and Eritrea is out today as a Security Council document.

He notes that the peace process is at a critical stage, and emphasizes that lasting peace cannot be built on the basis of temporary arrangements and that in the absence of significant forward movement, precious momentum could be lost and prove difficult to regain.

He says progress is required in the expeditious demarcation of the border and political dialogue between the two countries with a view towards consolidation of the peace process.

He also says that the completion of the peace process will allow the parties to address the humanitarian emergency caused by the protracted drought and the effects of the long conflict.

**Central African Republic

Out on the racks is the Secretary-General’s latest report on the situation in the Central African Republic.

In the three months since the coup d’état on 15 March, the overall situation in the Central African Republic is being brought under control with considerable difficulty, the Secretary-General says.  Although somewhat improved in the capital, the security situation along the country’s roads and outlying towns remains difficult.  The restoration of security, he says, remains the prerequisite for a smooth transition and the holding of elections.

To that score, the UN political office in the Central African Republic, under the leadership of the Secretary-General’s Representative, Lamine Cissé, will work the restructuring of the country’s defence and security forces.

**Balkans

The UN Liaison offices in Zagreb, Sarajevo and Belgrade will complete their mandate and close at midnight today, 30 June.

These offices were established following the closure of the peacekeeping missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH) and Croatia (UNMOP) to provide continuity, disseminate information, and facilitate contacts with local authorities.  This marks the end of UN peacekeeping’s 10-year presence in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The UN Liaison Office in Belgrade will merge with the UN mission in Kosovo’s office in Belgrade to create a new UN office in Belgrade.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the UN will continue to stay actively engaged in Bosnia and Herzegovina through the work of the UN family of specialized agencies.

**Kenzo Oshima

And I have just got this letter from the Secretary-General to Mr. Kenzo Oshima.  In the letter, he said he would like to place on record his enormous appreciation and regard for his exemplary service to the United Nations.

And the Secretary-General also said his efforts, Oshima’s efforts to alleviate suffering always showed great skill and sensitivity.  And the Secretary-General went on to say that Oshima’s voice also played a key role in focusing attention on the ongoing fallout of the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl.  And last but not least, the Secretary-General said his professionalism and strong commitment to the ideals of the United Nations endeared himself to colleagues throughout the world.

And you can have the whole text of the letter upstairs.

**FAO/UNAIDS

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) today issued a joint report on the devastating impact of HIV/AIDS on agriculture in eastern and southern Africa.

In the report, the UN agencies urgently called on the Ministers of Agriculture to include HIV/AIDS in their programmes and activities to fight the growing epidemic, which last year claimed the lives of more than 3 million agricultural workers.

**Secretary-General’s Statement on International Convention

  On Protection of Rights of Migrant Workers and Their Families

In a statement issued today, the Secretary-General called the entry into force of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families not only a milestone in international cooperation on migration, but also a landmark in the broader struggle for the international protection of human rights.

Noting that only 22 countries have ratified the Convention, the Secretary-General encourages other countries to sign and ratify this important instrument.

The Secretary-General’s statement is available upstairs.

**Human Rights

And also, in a joint statement, experts of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights expressed alarm at the growing threats against human rights as a result of the policies and practices used by many countries to combat terrorism.

We have the full statement from the Human Rights office available upstairs.

**Population

And World Population in 2300 is the focus of a population experts meeting today at United Nations Headquarters.

This is the first time that the United Nations Population Division has looked so far into the future -- 300 years -- with its population projections.

A press release will be issued at the end of the one-day meeting.  For additional information, please contact Joseph Chamie, Director of the Population Division.

And that’s all I have for you.  Any ... Yes, please?

Questions and Answers

Question:  Hua, there was a report over the weekend that there was a UN investigation, (that) charged that a UN boat chartered by the United Nations to transport peacekeepers was also used; this is in East Timor, I am sorry; used in trafficking child prostitutes.  I am wondering if you can give us any information about these allegations and what might have been the UN findings?

Deputy Spokesman:  Okay, there are two points I would like to make about this issue.  First of all, that we have just received the, in fact two articles written on this issue by a journalist here.  Because it’s directly related to DPKO’s operations in that country, DPKO is looking at the matter now and it would like to make a proper response after studying the two articles.  Another point I would like to make is that this matter has been investigated by Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) of the UN and the investigation is still ongoing and before we see the end of the investigations we cannot make any comment.  However, OIOS did say to me that they found some of the allegations in these two reports are unsubstantiated.

Question:  So they were not true?  Do we have any information on where these allegations came from and precisely what they are?

Deputy Spokesman:  I think apart from what I have just said now I can’t really add anything to that.  As we said, the investigation is still ongoing and we cannot make any comment on an ongoing investigation.  Anything else?

Okay, Mr. Otunnu, would you like to join us here now? 

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