DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICES OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL AND THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT

DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICES OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

AND THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT

Following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, and Richard Sydenham, Spokesman for the General Assembly President.

Spokesman for the Secretary-General

Good Afternoon.

**Secretary-General in Geneva

The Secretary-General is in Geneva today, where he just recently spoke to the staff at the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, in his first opportunity to speak with the staff in Geneva since the 19 August bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad.

He told the staff, “This is a time of sorrow about what has just happened, and uncertainty about what may be ahead.  We are all wrestling with a mix of grief, anger and apprehension.”

He added that he hoped the staff would take some comfort from the outpouring of support for the United Nations that has been heard around the world since the bombing.  He said, “We must continue building up where others would seek to tear down.  We must persevere.”

One staff member thanked the Secretary-General for providing strength and comfort at this time, and he responded that the staff had given him strength, by taking a hard knock and carrying on.

The Secretary-General is scheduled to meet with Jakob Kellenberger, the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, later this afternoon.

**Middle East

Today in Geneva, the Secretary-General was asked about the two suicide bombings that took place yesterday near Tel Aviv and in Jerusalem, and he responded by sending his deepest sympathies to the families who have lost loved ones.

He said, “I have always maintained that the way to settle the dispute is through dialogue and I hope the parties will exercise restraint, because the cycle of violence, retaliation and vengeance is not going to resolve the issue.”

Yesterday evening, we put out a statement in which the Secretary-General condemned the two terror attacks, in which at least 12 people were killed and many others injured.

The Secretary-General called on Palestinian militant groups to halt these despicable and indiscriminate actions, which not only spread death and misery, but also harm the legitimate national aspirations of the Palestinian people.  He reiterated his insistence that both sides should fulfil their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians.

The Secretary-General reiterated his passionate conviction that peace and security in the region can only be achieved through political dialogue.  This will require statesmanship as well as maximum restraint on all sides.  We have copies of that statement upstairs.

      **Middle East -- Roed-Larsen

Today, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Terje Roed-Larsen, also expressed serious alarm over the latest violence in the Middle East, and deplored Israel’s bombing of a Hamas leader’s house earlier today in a densely populated Gaza neighbourhood, which killed three and injured at least 30.  This comes after an Israeli operation yesterday in Hebron, in which a 12-year-old boy was killed.

Roed-Larsen reiterated that the Government of Israel has an obligation under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and refrain from the use of disproportionate force.

In an effort to stop the violence, Roed-Larsen met with his Quartet counterparts yesterday and today; together with them, he is in close consultation with both parties.

We have copies of his statement available upstairs.

**Libya

Yesterday afternoon, the Security Council held consultations on Libya, after which it began a formal meeting on Libya by adopting the agenda.

The President of the Council, Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry of the United Kingdom, then spoke, saying that the 1988 bombing of Pan American flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, was “an appalling act of terrorism”, and adding that, “as a result of painstaking negotiations, we are moving towards a resolution of this terrible affair”.

He noted recent steps taken by Libya, which, he said, “open the possibility of Libya moving back into the international community and of the lifting of sanctions”.

The Council President said that Council members had decided that the appropriate course would be to adjourn the meeting on Libya until 10:30 a.m. on Friday.

In a procedural vote, the Council unanimously agreed to adjourn the meeting until that time, when it can vote on the draft resolution that has been submitted on the lifting of UN sanctions on Libya.

**Security Council

The Security Council today is holding consultations on Ethiopia and Eritrea, with the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Legwaila Joseph Legwaila, briefing on the latest report.

In that report, the Secretary-General notes:  “The time may be approaching when the parties will have to be more actively assisted in fulfilling both the letter and the spirit of the Algiers Agreement and concluding the process without further delay.”

In the meantime, he said in that report that the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) must continue to carry out its essential mandate and recommended a six-month extension until 15 March, next year.  Legwaila briefed troop contributors on the UN mission yesterday afternoon.

**Liberia

The UN Special Humanitarian Coordinator in Monrovia, Ross Mountain, called upon combatants to cease fighting following reports of renewed violence in Kakata, 50 kilometres north-east of the capital.

The clash in Kakata between government militia and Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) seriously endangered the lives of war victims and those trying to help them.  Although the fighting was not prolonged, preliminary reports indicate that as many as 3,000 civilians fled the area.

The instability comes as the humanitarian community had begun to make inroads into addressing some of the needs of Liberians who had fled recent fighting.  Some 650 West African peacekeepers from Guinea-Bissau established a base in Kakata just hours after the clash. 

Here in New York, we have invited to the noon briefing on Friday the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Liberia, Jacques Klein, who is here for the Security Council deliberations on Liberia early next week.

**Afghanistan

The Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Antonio Maria Costa, warned that continuing opium cultivation in Afghanistan threatens peace and security in the region, providing traffickers and terrorists with a major source of income.  We have a press release with more details on that.

**Secretary-General –- WTO Message

In Cancún, Mexico, today, Rubens Ricupero, the Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development, delivered a message on the Secretary-General’s behalf, warning that sadly, the reality of the international trading system today does not match its rhetoric.  In the statement, the Secretary-General says, “Instead of open markets, there are too many barriers that stunt, stifle and starve.”

He says that, with too many countries left on the margins of the world trading system, nations must eliminate the subsidies that push prices down and make it impossible for poor farmers in developing countries to compete.  Trade liberalization, he adds, must be carefully managed as part of comprehensive development strategies that encompass health, education, the empowerment of women and the rule of law.

“Let Cancún send the world a message of hope”, he says, “hope that trade will make good on its promise for all.”

We have copies of the full text of that message upstairs.

**Secretary-General’s Message

In another message, the Secretary-General warns that “the greatest danger today may be the weakening of the substance of democratic government, even as its outward forms appear intact”.

In a message to the Fifth International Conference of New or Restored Democracies, held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, the Secretary-General notes that today democracy is being rendered fragile in new ways.  He says, “In many countries, people feel that decisions which affect their well-being are out of their hands, and even beyond the control of their elected representatives”, adding “as the world we live in grows increasingly complex and complicated, more and more decisions are taken by ‘experts’ at a technical level.”

He underscores the important role that civil society plays in good governance; saying:  “If there is no space for civil society, the simple casting of votes becomes an empty exercise.”

He goes on to say that, while democracy cannot be imposed from abroad, it can be encouraged and assisted through international efforts.  He says, “Let us not look at our work as the export of one form of government from one part of the world to another.  Rather, let us focus on common challenges to governance in the 21st century, and ensure that democracy is at the heart of our solutions.”

**FAO

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) yesterday warned that fires are increasingly damaging the world's forests, destroying millions of hectares of valuable timber and other forest products every year.

According to FAO, this year's fire season has been one of the worst in recent history, both in terms of loss of human life and damage to forests and infrastructure, including housing, roads, bridges and telecommunications.  We have a press release on that.

**SARS

The World Health Organization (WHO) today announced that the laboratory-confirmed case of SARS discovered in Singapore is in fact mild, isolated and has not produced secondary cases.  Therefore, the agency concluded that it is not regarded as a public health concern, and Singapore continues to be a safe destination for travellers, and travellers from it pose no risk to other countries.

WHO also praised Singapore’s public health officials “for the openness with which they have responded to this event and the rapid precautions taken to contain a possible threat”.

There is a press release on that.

**Human Rights

The Special Rapporteur dealing with the human rights of migrants,    Gabriela Rodríguez Pizzaro, will pay an official visit to Spain from 15 through  26 September, while the UN working group on arbitrary detention will visit Argentina from 22 September to 2 October at the Government’s invitation.  We have press releases on those visits.

**Sorensen

Gillian Sorensen, who has served as Assistant Secretary-General for External Relations, is leaving her UN job, but not her relationship with the United Nations.  Starting 1 October, she will begin an appointment as a Senior Advisor to the United Nations Foundation, the US-based group created in 1998 to support UN causes.

In a letter he wrote responding to Ms. Sorensen’s letter of resignation, the Secretary-General told her that during a period of extraordinary challenges, “your voice –- passionate and articulate -– has been very effective in telling the United Nations story to the global public”.

In her new position, Ms. Sorensen will work on expanding and mobilizing support for the United Nations and its partners across the United States – so, although we’re sad to see her go, we’re happy that we’ll still be working together, and that she will continue to push for UN goals.

**Press Conferences

A couple of practical announcements here.  Our guest at the noon briefing tomorrow will be Major-General Patrick Cammaert, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations’ Military Advisor, to talk about peacekeeping, in general, and also on the military side of the UN operation in Liberia.

And then, in just a few minutes in this room, Sadako Ogata will give a press conference in her capacity as Chair of the Independent Advisory Board on Human Security, and she will be joined by Roland Wiederkehr, a member of the Swiss Parliament and founder of the Green Cross.  They will be talking to you about the DPI/NGO Conference that’s taking place here now.

That’s all I have for you, anything before we go Richard?  Good, nice quiet day.  Richard, over to you.

Spokesman for General Assembly President

Thank you, Fred.

Good afternoon.

The General Assembly Committee on Conferences is holding open meetings today on the calendar of conferences, on information technology and the adoption of the Committee’s report.

Coming up, the closing plenary meeting of the fifty-seventh General Assembly will take place next Monday, 15 September, at 3 p.m., and the opening of the fifty-eighth session will take place next Tuesday, 16 September, at 3 p.m. also.

And I would like to announce again that President Kavan’s press conference will be in UNCA tomorrow at 4 p.m.  This will be his final wrap-up briefing for the fifty-seventh General Assembly session. 

Any questions? 

Thank you.

* *** *