DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICES OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL   AND THE SPOKESWOMAN 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 Michèle Montas, Spokeswoman for the General Assembly President.

Spokesman for Secretary-General

Good Afternoon.

**Security Council

The Security Council is holding consultations on its programmes of work, and on Iraq.

The United States has introduced its latest draft resolution on Iraq.  The Security Council President, U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte, is expected to speak at the stakeout following consultations.  He will then host this month’s Council luncheon with the Secretary-General.

And at 3:30 p.m., the Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee is scheduled to meet in Conference Room 7.

**SG on Iraq

The Secretary-General was asked about the U.S. draft resolution on Iraq as he entered the building, and he said it would have to be studied to determine whether it is a radical change from the past.  He intends to discuss it with Security Council members as they hold their monthly luncheon today.

Asked whether the draft resolution fits with the plan he envisions for Iraq, the Secretary-General responded, “Obviously, it’s not going in the direction I had recommended, but I will have to study it further.”  He also noted that security conditions in Iraq are being monitored on a daily basis and added that, without a secure environment, “it’s going to be extremely difficult for us to take on major responsibilities”.

The Secretary-General was also asked about the situation in North Korea, which he is expected to discuss this afternoon with his Personal Envoy, Maurice Strong, and said he remains hopeful that the nuclear issue can be resolved diplomatically through the six-nation talks.  We have transcripts of his comments upstairs.

**Statement Attributable to the Spokesman

The following statement is attributable to the Spokesman:

“The Secretary-General is deeply disturbed by the Government of Israel’s decisions to proceed with the construction of the separation wall deep in the West Bank, and to build 600 new housing units in West Bank settlements.  In keeping with the 26 September statement of the Quartet, he views both the security wall and settlements in the West Bank built on Palestinian land as serious obstacles to the achievement of the two-State solution.

“Moreover, the wall continues to cause great hardship to thousands of Palestinian families.  In addition, the Secretary-General has repeatedly expressed his view that settlements are a clear breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention and also contradict Israel’s commitments under the Quartet’s Road Map.”

**Statement Attributable to the Spokesman

I have this statement concerning Mr. Razali’s visit to Myanmar:

“Mr. Razali Ismail, the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Myanmar, concluded his three-day visit to Myanmar on the 2nd October, after having separate discussions with Government leaders, including Prime Minister General Khin Nyunt, as well as Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and representatives of ethnic nationality groups.  He also called on Senior General Than Shwe, Chairman of the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC).

“Mr. Razali is pleased to confirm that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is well and in good spirits, recovering at her home from the recent surgery.

“During all his discussions on the roadmap announced by the Prime Minister on 30 August, the Special Envoy emphasized the need for the Government to begin by taking timely steps to include all parties in the various preparatory processes leading to the National Convention.  He urged the Government to release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other NLD leaders as soon as possible, and that they be allowed to participate in the preparatory process.

“The Special Envoy hopes that an understanding will emerge between the Government and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi shortly so that their dialogue on the country’s democratic transition may resume.”

**Statement Attributable to the Spokesman

I have a statement on Côte d’Ivoire that we issue in both French and English, and I’ll read the English version.

“The Secretary-General is deeply concerned about recent developments in Côte d’Ivoire, including the decision of the Forces Nouvelles to suspend their participation in the Government of National Reconciliation and in the programme of Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration, as well as the subsequent decision to close down the main road linking Abidjan and Bouaké.  These developments constitute a serious setback in the peace process.

“The Secretary-General urges all Ivorian political forces and their leaders to work together to build upon the steps already taken toward implementing the Linas-Marcoussis Agreement.  In this regard, the Secretary-General hopes that the Ivorian Government will continue to provide the necessary leadership in moving the peace process forward.  The Secretary-General calls upon the Forces Nouvelles to resume participation in the Government of National Reconciliation and to seek solutions to their grievances through dialogue and through the good offices of the Monitoring Committee, chaired by his Special Representative, Mr. Albert Tevoedjre.”

**Liberia

We spoke a few minutes ago to the UN mission in Liberia.

Monrovia, the Liberian capital, is reported to be tense today, following random shooting heard throughout the night.

The overnight shooting follows the incidents we reported to you yesterday, including one that occurred when the leader of the rebel group Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD), Mr. Sekou Conneh, was trying to make his way into the capital.  That situation was brought under control by the UN peacekeeping force, which took over peacekeeping duties in Liberia yesterday.  We also have a humanitarian update available.

**Burundi -- Humanitarian

Two weeks of fighting between two rival rebels groups have led to the displacement of an estimated 50,000 civilians in the east and in the north-west of the Burundian capital, Bujumbura.

Over the next month, the World Food Programme and its implementing partner, CARE, are targeting over 150,000 vulnerable farming households with food aid.  Some 750,000 people will benefit from the project.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is providing more than 210,000 farming households in Burundi with seeds and hoes, and the WFP is providing food rations to ensure the farmers have enough food, and do not eat their seeds.

**Afghanistan

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said that more than 1 million girls have entered the Afghan school system since the fall of the Taliban.

UNICEF hailed the development as a testament to the courage and wisdom of the Afghan people and the generosity of the international community.  Its Executive Director, Carol Bellamy, will pay her third visit to the country from 5 to 7of this month.

Meanwhile, UNICEF and the UN Mission deplored the burning of two schools on 27 of September in Balkh Province.  “Incidents such as these fly in the face of the collective efforts to build Afghanistan’s shattered education system”, the UN Mission said, “and the overwhelming desire amongst the Afghan people to see their children educated.”

Also on Afghanistan, the World Food Programme has signed an agreement with the Afghanistan’s New Beginnings Programme to support the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration programme, targeting 100,000 active soldiers.

The WFP will offer a one-time food incentive package to the soldiers who choose to re-enter civilian life. The package will be given only to the soldiers who have undergone demobilization.  And you can get more details in the Kabul briefing notes available upstairs.

**Tours

The General Assembly’s general debate is ending this afternoon, Michèle will tell you more about that in a minute.  But, as a result, the United Nations will be open to the public once more, starting tomorrow morning.  At 9 tomorrow morning, the UN Headquarters building will re-open to the public, and guided tours will resume.

There will be a press conference here tomorrow at 11.  Anna Tibaijuka, the Executive Director of the UN Settlements Programme or Habitat, will be joined by Jeffrey Sachs, the Secretary-General’s special adviser on the Millennium Development Goals, and they will be here to brief you on the “Global Report on Human Settlements –- The Slum Challenge”.

That’s all I have.  Yes?

Questions and Answers

Question:  Fred, please do you have the figure about the amount of money requested at the Madrid conference by the UN?

Spokesman for the Secretary-General:  I can confirm a figure that appeared in the press today of $35.589 billion over four years.  This is based on the needs assessment conducted by the UN Development Programme and the World Bank.  And it does not include the coalition estimates of an additional $19.4 billion over those same four years.  We will have a senior UNDP official joining us at the briefing on Monday, and any more detail that you want on this matter I’d recommend that you talk to the UNDP office here, or the World Bank in Washington.  Yes.

Question:  Elaborate a bit more on what Annan meant when he said not going in the direction he recommended?

Spokesman:  I cannot, for the simple reason that his discussions on how he would want things to go have been confidential with members of the Council or their foreign ministers or heads of State.  And he did say that he wants to study the text further.  His own advisors will be providing him with analysis of the text, and he’ll shortly have the chance to discuss it with the Council members at the luncheon.  So, I think you should see that as a preliminary indication of his reaction, but not his final judgement.  Yes.

Question:  The Secretary-General said this morning that the draft resolution doesn’t quite go in the direction he’d recommended.  I was wondering if you could elaborate a bit on that.

Spokesman:  We just had that question.

Question:  Oh, sorry

Spokesman:  Alright, if there is nothing else, Michèle.

Spokeswoman for General Assembly President

Today, the General Assembly hears the last 21 speakers on the list.  The general debate will end this evening on the closing remarks of the President of the Assembly, summarizing the general debate and the work of the session since it started on 16 September.  A total of 189 speakers will have expressed their views by this afternoon.  Only three Member States, originally scheduled to speak, will not intervene during the general debate, ending tonight:  this is the case for Turkmenistan, Libya and Djibouti.  Fifty heads of State, 25 heads of government, four vice presidents, 12 deputy prime ministers, 81 foreign ministers, two deputy foreign ministers, 14 chairpersons of delegations, and one observer delegation will, by this afternoon, have participated in the general debate.  The eleventh and last speaker inscribed for this afternoon is Iraq, a rectification on the information we had yesterday, listing Iraq as the eighth speaker.

On this last subject, we have been receiving again a number of questions concerning the delegation of Iraq.  We cannot confirm at this point who will speak on behalf of Iraq.  The original request sent to the Assembly had stated that the Iraqi delegation would be headed by Ahmad Chalabi.  We have no further information.  [The Spokesman’s office later announced that Ahmad Chalabi would address the General Assembly on behalf of Iraq this afternoon.]

As I mentioned before, under the rules of procedure of the General Assembly, Member States submit credentials for each session.  A Credentials Committee has been appointed and is headed by the permanent representative of Fiji.  It usually takes several weeks to examine the credentials of each Member State, and a report is not expected until much later in the session.  In the meantime, representatives of Member States sit provisionally, with full rights of participation, unless there is a formal objection from another Member State.  The Credentials Committee can then be convened on short notice in the event of such an objection by any Member State.

So far, the Presidency of the General Assembly has not received any objections on the credentials of the Iraqi delegation or its presence on the speakers’ list, but such objections are still possible, on a point of order requested at any time by any other delegation this afternoon.

Thank you.

Questions and Answers

Question:  (inaudible) Why Turkmenistan, Libya and Djibouti will not be speaking?

Spokeswoman:  No, I spoke to all three delegations this morning, and they could not give me a specific answer.  The only thing I got, in one case one Foreign Minister had to go for another appointment.  There is really no further explanation received by me.

Question:  Can you say which Foreign Minister that was?

Spokeswoman:  That was Libya.  The Foreign Minister was here, was listed to speak, and did not speak.

Spokesman:  O.K.  Thank you very much.

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