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

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 Michel Montas, Spokeswoman for the General Assembly President.

Spokesman for the Secretary-General

Good afternoon.

**Guest at Noon

Our guest today is Dileep Nair, the Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services, and he will be talking to you shortly about his Office’s annual report.  Copies of that report, which are document A/58/364, are available at the press documents counter on the third floor.

**Security Council

The Security Council has no meetings or consultations scheduled for today.

At the end of the open debate yesterday on the Counter-Terrorism Committee, Ambassador James Cunningham of the United States, which holds the rotating Presidency of the Security Council, said in a Presidential Statement that 48 Member States are late in submitting their reports to the Committee and called on them urgently to do so.  By 31 October, the Committee’s Chairman, Ambassador Inocencio Arias of Spain, will send to the Security Council the list of the States which at that date are late in submitting their reports.

Also yesterday afternoon, in a press statement on Kosovo released by the Security Council President, members welcomed the opening of a direct dialogue on practical issues of mutual interest between the authorities in Belgrade and Pristina on 14 October in Vienna.  They asserted their commitment to the direct dialogue as a means to foster confidence between the parties and to improve people’s daily lives.

**Liberia

A large quantity of arms and ammunition in the possession of the Government of Liberia was voluntarily turned over to peacekeepers of the United Nations Mission in Liberia yesterday by former President Moses Blah.

United Nations Force Commander Daniel Opande and his troops inspected the weapons that were stored in a shed at Mr. Blah’s Monrovia residence.  The arms included AK-47 Kalashnikov machine guns, anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade launchers, anti-air defence missiles, mortars and other ammunition.

Hundreds of weapons at the barracks in the Executive Mansion of the former government’s Anti-Terrorist Unit, as well as others at the Armed Forces of Liberia Camp near Roberts International Airport, have also been turned over to the United Nations Mission.

Peacekeepers were registering the weapons at the different locations in preparation for their transport to a safe location.  The weapons will eventually be destroyed by a specialist team.

In the humanitarian area, the World Food Programme (WFP) and its partners have nearly completed their first cycle of food distribution in camps for displaced persons in Montserrado and accessible areas farther outside Monrovia. Plans are being finalized for the next distribution to begin in a week’s time.

**Ethiopia-Eritrea

The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Ethiopia/Eritrea, Legwaila Joseph Legwaila, held an extensive press conference yesterday.

In response to questions, he said the Ethiopia-Eritrea peace process right now is under “severe stress”.

He also went on to say that the border remains militarily stable and there are no signs of an impending war.

In addition, he appealed for calm by saying, “In my experience with peacekeeping, rhetoric about war has never been helpful.  I would like, therefore, to appeal to the people of Ethiopia and Eritrea, and to you as journalists whose influence on the public consciousness is so powerful, to stay calm; not to frightenpeople”.

We have a full transcript of his comments upstairs.

**Iran

Yesterday, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei met in Tehran with Hassan Rohani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.  Following their discussions, Dr. ElBaradei indicated that he had received assurances that Iran would accelerate its cooperation with the IAEA and provide without delay information and necessary clarification on all outstanding questions regarding Iran’s nuclear programme.

He said that the Iranian Government had expressed its readiness to sign an Additional Protocol to Iran’s nuclear safeguards agreement with the IAEA.

On 18-19 October, a team of IAEA experts will visit Iran with the objective of providing to Iranian authorities any necessary clarifications with regard to the Additional Protocol.

We put out a press release from the IAEA yesterday afternoon with more details.  Also on Iran today, we have a press release announcing that the Special Rapporteur for the Commission on Human Rights on freedom of expression and opinion, Ambeyi Ligabo, will visit Iran from 4 November through 10, at the Government’s invitation.

**WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) today welcomed the research published in the British medical journal, the Lancet, which shows a substantially increased survival rate for people with HIV/AIDS who have access to highly active antiretroviral therapy.

These findings give added backing to WHO in its push to deliver antiretroviral treatment to 3 million people in developing countries by 2005.  This project is commonly known as the 3 by 5 target.

The Lancet findings focus on rich countries; the experience of WHO and other public health officials around the world shows that antiretroviral therapy can be delivered effectively and with equally dramatic effects in poor countries.

For more on this issue, please pickup the WHO press release in my office.

**Poverty Day

Today is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, and the Secretary-General, in a message, says that approximately 1.2 billion people are now struggling to survive on less than a dollar a day.  An estimated 840 million people suffer from hunger, with some 24,000 people dying every day from it.

The Secretary-General argues that a world that is not advancing toward the Millennium Development Goals will not be a world at peace.  His message has been issued as a press release.

**ICTY

Today in The Hague, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia found one Bosnian Serb suspected of crimes in the Bosanski Samac area, Blagoje Simic, to be guilty for crimes against humanity, for acts of persecution committed against Bosnian Muslims and Croats.  The court, in a two-to-one ruling, sentenced Simic to 17 years’ imprisonment.

Two other Serb suspects, Miroslav Tadic and Simo Zaric, were also found guilty of crimes against humanity, and received sentences of eight and six years in prison, respectively.

**Sierra Leone -- Special Court

Former Liberian President Charles Taylor remains a clear and present danger to Sierra Leone and the West African region as long as he is at large, argued David Crane, the Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, in a statement we have available upstairs.  The prosecutor contends that Mr. Taylor, currently living in Nigeria, will not stop until he is turned over to the Special Court, where he faces 17 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

**Press Releases

We have three press releases to signal for you today.  The Arab Human Development Report 2003 will be launched in Amman, Jordan, on Monday, in a ceremony sponsored by the Jordanian Government, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development.  Written by a distinguished group of Arab scholars and opinion leaders, the new Arab Human Development Report analyzes the current state of knowledge in the Arab world.  UNDP has press releases, and embargoed copies of the report, available.

The second press release is from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which today said that by the year 2005, almost half a million children’s lives can be saved every year if efforts are expanded to immunize and protect all children against measles.

And the third, also from UNICEF, is an embargoed press release written jointly with the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and WHO, about a report to be issued on Monday concerning new findings on maternal mortality.

**World Chronicle Television Programme

The DPI asked me to announce that the World Chronicle programme 903, a special edition on indigenous issues featuring Dr. Kouevi, an Africa expert, and Mililani Trask, a Pacific expert, both of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, will be shown today at 3:30 p.m. on in-house television channel 3 and 31.

**The Week Ahead at the United Nations

We have the Week Ahead for you.

**UNCA Club

And also, I was asked by UNCA to tell you about the forty-second annual luncheon of the Dag Hammarskjold Memorial Scholarship Fund, which will take place next Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. in the Delegates Dining Room.

The Secretary-General will be the guest of honour; special guest will be Paula Zahn, the CNN news anchor. 

You are all invited and if you haven’t bought your tickets yet, you’re invited to do so.

Yes?

Questions and Answers

Question:  Two questions:  Is it possible to give a UN analysis of what yesterday’s Security Council resolution actually does as there’s a lot of confusion?  More specifically, does the UN have any plans in the immediate future, either (a) to appoint a Special Representative to Iraq from the UN and who might that be; and (b) to send more staff into Iraq?

Spokesman:  Those are two very separate questions.  So, the first one is a simple one; you never ask the Secretary-General to interpret Security Council resolutions; you ask the Council members.  On the second one; I think you should look at what the Secretary-General said in a statement yesterday to the Council, namely that he will do his utmost to implement this resolution; bearing in mind his special responsibility for the security of his staff.  So, I think that’s your guidance as to what might happen.

Question:  Are there any immediate plans to increase the UN presence in Iraq?

Spokesman:  The security situation in Iraq does not permit us to send any additional staff into Iraq at this time.  Yes, Evelyn?

Question:  I was going to ask on the same topic.  The SG made some comments on Monday when that draft of the resolution, the almost-final draft, came out; do they still hold?  He was quite critical; I’ve heard he hasn’t changed that much since then.  I know I saw his comments yesterday, but they don’t really say as much as his comments on Monday did.  And then secondly, the Pakistanis raised a question on the multinational force yesterday saying that it really wasn’t much different from the occupation force and still reported to this.  Do you have any kind of definition on what was said on the force aside from what the resolution says?

Spokesman:  On your first question, the debate is over, the resolution is passed and the Secretary-General has said he will do his utmost to implement it.  On your second question, I revert to what I said earlier -- the Secretariat doesn’t interpret Security Council resolutions.  Yes?

Question:  Is the Secretary-General going to the donor conference next week?

Spokesman:  We have nothing to announce on that at this time.  Yes?

Question:  (Laughter) Does that mean Yes?  [No response.]

Question:  You mentioned 850 million who live under the poverty line (840 million, actually) or conditions of malnutrition; could you tell us in which part of the world the most in need people are, or who suffer malnutrition?

Spokesman:  Could you go to the agencies with that question?  It’s not something that I have at my fingertips here.  Yes?

Question:  Does the Secretary-General have any response to President Bush’s statements in Japan this morning?

Spokesman:  No.  All right, Michele, and then we’ll go to Dileep.

Spokeswoman for General Assembly President

Thank you Fred, and good afternoon.

As you know, there was no plenary this morning as the President of the Assembly was holding open-ended informal consultations, at the ambassadorial level on the revitalization of the work of the General Assembly.

After a very rich and intense debate on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development that ended yesterday, the Plenary will resume again this afternoon on the Question of equitable representation on and increase in membership of the Security Council.  Ten more speakers are expected to address the issue.  After that debate this afternoon, President Julian Hunte will summarize and assess the statements made during the joint debate early in the week, specifically on the report of the Security Council.  We have copies of the statement available on the third floor.  The statement is embargoed until delivery.

President Hunte is to hold informal consultations following the assessment of the debate, to determine if there are recommendations that might be made to the Security Council.  He will be consulting informally, including with those delegations that made specific proposals, to make a determination of any further action that might be taken in respect of the Security Council’s report.  There will be an assessment made also next week of the positions expressed by the Plenary on the second aspect of that joint debate, the Question of equitable representation.

On the peace and security front, as you know, the General Assembly will resume, on Monday afternoon, its tenth emergency special session on Palestine.  The request came on Wednesday afternoon, to the President of the General Assembly, from the Permanent Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic, Chairman of the Arab Group for the month of October.  The request received the support of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), through a letter addressed to President Hunte by the Ambassador of Malaysia, Chairman of the Coordinating Bureau of the NAM.

The United Nations General Assembly resumed its tenth special emergency session on “Illegal Israeli actions in Occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory”, less than a month ago, on 19 September.  It was a move by Arab and Non-Aligned Movement States to circumvent a United States veto earlier in the week, in the Security Council.

There is no draft resolution out yet for the new resumption but the request as you know was made after the US veto in the Security Council this week on a resolution declaring illegal the construction by Israel of a wall in the occupied territories, departing from the armistice line of 1949.

As Fred mentioned earlier, the International day for the Eradication of Poverty and World Food Day are being observed today at United Nations Headquarters.  In a statement that will be released this afternoon, President Julian Hunte says:  “It is time for us to take action, to make good our promises and to fulfil our commitments.  We have a moral obligation to join the International Alliance against Hunger, the theme of this year’s World Food Day.  Such an alliance of endeavour will better position people and nations to feed themselves.  It should ensure the required international commitment to close the gap between rich and poor countries and to eliminate barriers to trade, increase market access and enhance the productive capacity of countries, particularly developing countries.”

The statement will be available this afternoon.  Thank you.

Spokesman for the Secretary-General:  Any questions?  Yes?

Questions and Answers

Question:  I have a couple of questions:  One, do we have a time for the Monday special session?

Spokeswoman:  Three o’clock.

Question:  Three o’clock.  And also, I cannot remember from President Hunte’s news comments that he said that he’d have a paper on the General Assembly, but…

Spokeswoman:  Yes, what he has preferred to do is do first the assessments because the debate lasted much longer than he had envisioned.  So he’s making the assessment after the debate and from there there will be recommendations.

Question:  So he doesn’t have anything, whatever it is…?

Spokeswoman:  Except this assessment this afternoon, no.

Question:  And, I am sorry, the assessment this afternoon will be …

Spokeswoman:  The assessment is on one part of the debate, which was the Security Council report.

Question:  And this will be a speech that he’s giving and we’ll be able to get a text of that?

Spokeswoman:  We have embargoed copies now on the third floor.

Spokesman for the Secretary-General:  If there are no more questions for Michele, we’ll turn to Dileep Nair, the Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services.

* *** *