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.

**UNDP - Guests

The UN Development Programme’s Human Development Report for 2003, which was issued today, says that the pledges in the Millennium Development Goals to lift hundreds of millions of people out of poverty by 2015 can only be achieved if poor countries pursue wide-ranging reforms and wealthy countries respond with improved trade terms and increased aid.

This year’s Human Development Report introduces a new plan of action, the Millennium Development Compact, and it also documents an unprecedented slide backward in human development in some of the world’s poorest nations.

We are pleased to have with us as our guests today one of the co-authors of this year’s Report, David Stewart, and the chief of UNDP’s Media Section, William Orme.  In case you wonder who is who, this is David and this is William, and they will talk to you about the Report after the briefing.

**Secretary-General Travel

The Secretary-General arrived in Maputo, Mozambique, midday today from Switzerland.

He was briefed by Tuliameni Kalomoh, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, on the status of the African Union ministerial-level meeting which he has been attending.  The Heads of State-level meeting will start on Thursday.  The Secretary-General will address that meeting.  We have already put out embargoed copies of his address upstairs, and please check the embargo time.

The Secretary-General is scheduled to meet with the President of Mozambique, Joaquim Alberto Chissano, early this evening.

**Statement Attributable to Spokesman for Secretary-General

The following is a statement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

“Special Representative of the Secretary-General Michael Steiner today completed his term as head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).

“During Mr. Steiner’s 18 months as the head of UNMIK, Kosovo’s first government was established, a multi-ethnic judiciary and police force has been strengthened and expanded, refugee returns have increased, and both Pristina and Belgrade are now prepared to engage in direct dialogue on practical issues of mutual interest.

“Mr. Steiner also recently promulgated the Provisional Criminal Code and the Provisional Criminal Procedure Code of Kosovo, which will bring the criminal laws in Kosovo in line with international law and human rights standards.

“The Secretary-General would like to express his gratitude for Mr. Steiner’s contributions to the United Nations’ efforts in Kosovo, and commend his hard work and dedication in implementing Security Council resolution 1244.

“Mr. Steiner, who has been appointed Permanent Representative of Germany to the United Nations Office in Geneva, is the third Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Kosovo, following Bernard Kouchner of France and Hans Haekkerup of Denmark.

“The successor to Mr. Steiner will be announced in the near future.  The Principal Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Charles Brayshaw, will act as Officer-in-Charge in the interim.”

**Middle East

The Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Terje Roed-Larsen, strongly condemned last night’s suicide bombing in central Israel, killing a 65 year-old woman, and sent his condolences to the victim’s family.

Roed-Larsen noted that, while a cell of a Palestinian militant group claimed responsibility, the group’s leadership denied involvement, emphasizing that they remain committed to a cessation of hostilities announced last week.  He stressed that this ceasefire must be strengthened, with the Palestinian Authority and all Palestinian groups doing everything in their power to halt further attacks.

In spite of this tragic and murderous terrorist attack, Roed-Larsen said it is essential that political and security talks continue at full speed, adding that such discussions are the best way to broaden and solidify the ceasefire and prevent future violence -- a prerequisite for the success of the Quartet’s Road Map.

**Liberia

In a statement issued after the noon briefing yesterday, the Secretary-General welcomed Liberian President Charles Taylor’s decision to resign from office and leave Liberia in the interest of peace in his country.  The Secretary-General described this development as a significant turning point as Liberia strives to move from war to peace.

As a first step to that end, the Secretary-General encouraged the Liberian stakeholders to elaborate an inclusive and orderly transitional arrangement as envisaged in the 17 June ceasefire agreement.

Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees reports that its national staff in Monrovia are still struggling to cope with thousands of refugees and displaced who have converged on the Liberian capital.

**Democratic Republic of Congo

The new Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, William Swing, has had meetings in Bunia with the multinational Force Commander, representatives of the humanitarian community and the Ituri Interim Administration.

To address the concern that a security vacuum might follow the withdrawal of the multinational Force scheduled for 1 September, he announced that the deployment of some 3,000 Bangladeshi troops was due to begin in the next few weeks.

Once deployed, the Force will be comprised of about 3,800 soldiers from several countries.

To address another concern over the continued insecurity and impunity in Bunia, he announced that more UN police officers would be arriving soon to give a refresher course, particularly in the areas of peacekeeping and judicial police, to some 200 police officers whose names were provided by Ituri Interim Administration.

**Security Council

There are no meetings or consultations of the Security Council scheduled for today.

British Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock is scheduled to brief the Security Council in an open meeting tomorrow on the just-concluded mission to West Africa.

A written report on that mission is expected to be out tomorrow, as well.

**Iraq

A team from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is in the northern Iraqi town of Kalar today to look into reports that large numbers of Iranian refugees have left a camp located west of Baghdad and relocated to the north because of insecurity and lack of assistance.  The camp, called al-Tash, is currently a “no-go” zone for aid workers, with security problems making it difficult for UNHCR to have regular contact with the refugees there.  We have more details in today’s UNHCR briefing notes.

**Eritrea

In the last two and a half weeks, UNHCR has helped more than 1,400 of Africa's longest-standing refugees –- Eritreans, some of whom have never even seen their homeland -– return to their country.  The Eritrean refugees, many born in exile since the 1960s, have returned to Eritrea in four convoys from refugee camps in eastern Sudan.  The convoys began on 23 June.

**Namibia

The United Nations has responded to the worst flooding Namibia had seen in 21 years, which recently displaced 12,000 people in the Caprivi region of that country, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.  Days of torrential rains caused the Zambezi River to burst its banks, submerging 22 villages, damaging grain stores, and destroying crops in the field.

The UN response included food distribution by the World Food Programme (WFP), and delivery of water purification tablets by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

**Food and Agriculture Organization

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for the first time has delivered a shipment of urgently needed agricultural aid to previously inaccessible rebel-held areas in the Nuba Mountains in southern Sudan.

The region is controlled by the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) and it has been a conflict zone between the Sudanese Government and the rebel group since 1985.  The delivery became possible after a ceasefire agreement between the two parties in January 2002.

And, we have a press release with more details.

**UNICEF – Africa

And, on the occasion of the African Union Summit in Mozambique, Executive Director of UNICEF Carol Bellamy said that the only chance for sustaining development and progress in African countries is for their leaders to invest in children and to do so “early and often”.  And, we have a press release with more details on that two.

And, that’s all I have got for you.  Any questions for me before we move on to our guests?  Yes, please?

Questions and Answers

Question:  Who has the Secretary-General spoken to about Liberia in the past 24 hours?

Deputy Spokesman:  He has called Colin Powell, the Secretary of State of the US, yesterday, and he also spoke to French President Chirac, but I don’t know the subject of that one.

All right, we have two guests; I have just introduced them.  They’d like to make some brief remarks first before taking your questions.

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