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 Michele Montas, Spokeswoman for the General Assembly President.

Good afternoon.

**Iraq

On Monday, the Secretary-General will hold consultations on Iraq with representatives of that country’s neighbours, as well as other interested parties, including selected members of the Security Council.  The group includes all of Iraq’s neighbours plus Egypt, five permanent members of the Security Council and four elected members.

**IAEA

The Board of Governors of the UN’s nuclear agency adopted a resolution on the implementation of Non-Proliferation Treaty safeguards in the Iran.

This a good day for multilateralism, said Mohamed ElBaradei, the agency’s Director-General, because the international community has decided to stand as one in addressing what is clearly a very critical issue, with serious implications.

He went on to say that with this resolution, the international community had clearly laid down a marker that Iran must strictly adhere to its obligations under the safeguards agreement.

Importantly, and in addition, Mr. ElBaradei went on to say, the resolution makes it clear that any serious failures in the future by Iran to comply with its obligations will be met with an appropriately serious response.

The full text of the resolution, which was adopted earlier today in Vienna and ElBaradei’s statements are available upstairs.

**Democratic Republic of the Congo:  SG’s report issued today

The fourteenth report of the Secretary-General on the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was issued today and is available on the Security Council website.  The report says that, while significant progress has been achieved in the past five months, much work remains to solidify the peace process and ensure that it is irreversible.

On the positive side, the Secretary-General reports that former belligerents are working together in the Transitional Government, the process of uniting the territory of a formerly divided country has begun, and there are encouraging trends in peace-making at the local level.  Also positive are the recent improvement of relations between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, and other initiatives to build good neighbourly relations.

However, the Secretary-General also points out as a significant challenge the continued presence of foreign armed combatants in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, which affects the overall security in that part of the country.

The report notes that in spite of the progress made against difficult odds, the tangible benefits of peace have not yet filtered down to the war-weary Congolese population.

The Department of Peacekeeping Operations expects to introduce the report to the Security Council in early December.

**UN Office on Drugs and Crime:  cleared of corruption allegations

Also in Vienna today, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Oversight Services, Dileep Nair, announced that the investigation conducted following allegations of corruption within the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, has not uncovered evidence to support these charges.

Presenting the findings, Mr. Nair stated:  “The investigations did not substantiate the allegations of corruption in the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.”

A press release is available upstairs and the full report released by the Office of Internal Oversight Services is available on the websites of the Office on Drugs and Crime and of UNIS Vienna.

**Ethiopia

On Ethiopia, aside from malnutrition, malaria will be the single biggest health problem in Ethiopia in 2003/2004.

The UN’s team in Ethiopia says that this comes during an existing complex humanitarian emergency in the country, in which some thirteen million people are affected by food shortages.

In response, UNICEF has procured $1.2 million dollars worth of medicines and ordered 156,000 insecticide-treated tents or nets for sleeping.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has also supplied some drugs and laboratory supplies.

And for more details about the UN's response to Malaria in Ethiopia, we have a press release from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

And there is also an update upstairs from that same office on the recent floods in the Dominican Republic.

**Security Council

From the Security Council, they have no meetings scheduled for today.

**SG Messages

The Secretary-General has several messages out.  I’ll go over them quickly for you.  First, in a message to the Fifth Annual Conference of High Contracting Parties to the Amended Protocol II to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, the Secretary-General said that since its inception in 1996, this protocol had helped to trigger a wider movement for the total ban and destruction of anti-personnel mines.

Yet, these efforts, he said, have not been sufficient to stop the continued killing and maiming caused by landmines.

In the message, which was delivered by the head of the UN office in Geneva, Sergei Ordzhonikidze, the Secretary-General appealed to those countries that have not yet ratified this protocol to do so in the interest of promoting human security and preserving human life.

The full text is available upstairs.  As well we have the text of a message to be delivered tomorrow in Geneva to a meeting of the States Parties to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.

**AIDS Orphans

On the subject of AIDS, AIDS has already orphaned more than 11 million children in Africa, and the United Nations Children’s Fund, in a report released today, warns that “the worst is yet to come”.

Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland have HIV prevalence levels higher than previously thought possible, exceeding 30 per cent, and will likely see large increases in their numbers of AIDS orphans.  UNICEF warns that in those three countries and in Zimbabwe, more than one in five children will be orphaned because of AIDS by the year 2010.

UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy warned, “We must keep parents alive, and ensure that orphans and other vulnerable children stay in school and are protected from exploitation and abuse”.

**Great Apes on Brink of Extinction

From the Environment Programme, the world’s remaining apes (those are gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans) are facing extinction.  The head of the United Nations’ Environment Programme told a group of delegates attending a crisis meeting at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris today that 25 million dollars are needed urgently to lift the threat of extinction from the world’s great apes in Africa and South East Asia.

“The clock is standing at one minute to midnight for the great apes, animals that share more than 96 per cent of their DNA with humans,” said UNEP Executive Director Klaus Toepfer.  He added:  “If we lose any great ape species, we will be destroying a bridge to our own origins, and with it part of our own humanity”.

We have a press release on that subject.

**UNMIK

From Kosovo, the UN mission there today signed a memorandum of understanding with the International Commission on Missing Persons.

The agreement is designed to reinforce procedures regarding the DNA-led identification process with the aim of better assisting families in their search for information on the fate and location of their loved ones.

We have a press release with more.

**Information Summit

And then, in advance of the World Summit on the Information Society, which is to be held in Geneva next month, the Secretary-General met this morning with Jean Stock, the head of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).  They discussed the important role of the media as key stakeholders in the summit.

They also discussed the World Electronic Media Forum, a parallel event to the summit being organized by the UN, in cooperation with the EBU and Switzerland, and that will be from the 9th to the 12^th of December.

**UN Stamps

For those of you who have dreamed of seeing your face on a stamp, we have good news.

This morning the UN Postal Administration launched a new personalized stamp service, available in the visitors’ lobby.

This is how it works:  once your picture is taken at the shop, a digital image is then affixed to a blank tab next to an actual stamp.

The whole process takes less than two minutes.  Looks a little like this.  [Shows a sample.]

A minimum purchase of 20 stamps, each valued at 37 cents, is required.  And the total cost is 14 dollars and 95 cents for a complete set of 20 stamps.

More information upstairs.

**Press Conferences

Finally for today, press conferences at one o’clock in this room.  Ambassador Dan Gillerman of Israel will brief you following the proceedings in the General Assembly’s Third Committee.  It’s one o’clock today in this room.

That’s all I have for you.  Anything before we go to Michele?  Kirk?

Questions and Answers

Question:  The letter from the Iraqi Governing Council to the Security Council last Friday was reportedly sent in error and prematurely.  Is there an updated and current, official draft of that letter?

Spokesman for the Secretary-General:  We saw that press account and we were informed this morning by the Security Council that they have not to date received any new letter from the Iraqi Governing Council.

Yes, Mohammed?

Question:  I have two questions.  One is the name of the five selected countries of the Security Council, and the second is, are there any developments [inaudible].

Spokesman:  I’d have to check on the latest security update on Afghanistan.  I know there has been some restriction of movement in the south, but I don’t have those details with me now.  The five permanent members of the Council.  Are you talking about this advisory group on Iraq, so I said there would be five permanent members, and four elected members, and you want the four elected members.  Chile, Germany, Angola and Pakistan.  Or, properly put in alphabetical order:  Angola, Chile, Germany, and Pakistan.

Question:  Did the SG go to Washington this weekend to talk to Powell?

Spokesman:  He didn’t go there…Well, how can I put this?  He went someplace further south for a social engagement and on the way back, stopped into Washington for a chat with Secretary Powell.  It was a private exchange at the Secretary’s home.  Yes?

Question:  On what subject?

Spokesman:  I can’t give you…

Question:  Georgia?

Spokesman:  …anything too specific, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Middle East.  Pretty much what you’d expect and yes, Georgia was one of the things they discussed.

Question:  On the Advisory Group, excuse me if I missed this, are they to meet on Monday, as has been reported?

Spokesman:  Yes.

Question:  And what’s their [inaudible].

Spokesman:  It’s not unusual for the Secretary-General to form a small group of advisors on any given subject.  This is a group he intends to consult periodically for his own purposes.  Also, he’s emphasized, for a long time, the importance of keeping the neighbours and the other actors in the region on board and pulling in the same direction on Iraq.  And, I think, the combination of the neighbours, Egypt and selected members of the Security Council gives him the collective weight he feels he needs on consultations on Iraq.

Question:  [Inaudible]

Spokesman:  I’m assuming it’s at the permanent representative level, the Ambassador level.  I’m also assuming it’s somewhere in this building, I can’t tell you exactly where.  The Secretary-General’s conference room is probably a good guess.  But we’ll have more details on these things closer to the date.

Question:  On Iraq.  Has there been any decision on where the UN will have its offices for overseeing operations in Iraq?

Spokesman:  That’s subject to security operations, which are still not complete.

Question:  Whether it be [inaudible].

Spokesman:  I understood your question and that was my answer.  Yes, Mark?

Question:  On the elected members, was there some particular reason why some where chosen and not others?

Spokesman:  The reason that the entire Council was not brought into this group was because the Secretary-General wanted to keep it, keep the size of the group manageably small.  He did consult with the president of the Council with the selection of these four.

Question:  Did…What will happen?  This group will be a standing group?  What will…  Will the groups manage to change next year?

Spokesman:  It’s not his intention to rotate it with the changing membership of Council.  This is a group he has identified to work with him now.  He will work these same ambassadors next year, as long as is necessary.

Michele?

Spokeswoman for General Assembly President

Thank you Fred, and good afternoon.

President Julian Hunte met, this morning, with the Permanent Representative of Cameroon, Ambassador Martin Belinga Eboutou, Chairman of the Third Committee, and later on with the Chairmen of the Main Committees of the General Assembly, on the remaining work of the Committees.  As you know, the Third Committee -– social -- is still meeting, as is the Fifth Committee on financial matters, with 32 resolutions to be voted on today.  The second -- economic -- Committee is still engaged in informal meetings on the many remaining draft resolutions on its agenda.

I know that a number of you have been closely following the Third Committee with the issue of Israeli children, with two draft resolutions on the table, one sponsored by Israel and one submitted by Egypt.  As I came up to join you, there was no vote on the issue yet.  The Chairman of the Third Committee, I spoke to him this morning, I understand had met with the Israeli representative on withdrawing of the Israeli draft, but Ambassador Dan Gillerman, the Permanent Representative of Israel, will meet with you later and will explain what happened.  I still don’t know what happened.

President Hunte is to discuss revitalization issues at a working luncheon today with the facilitators on the issue, as well as with Officers of General Assembly Affairs in the Secretariat.  On Friday, a working text was submittedto all 191 Member States.  It contains specific proposals:  first on enhancing the authority and role of the General Assembly, and on the relationship between the GA and the other main organs of the UN.

Member States would reaffirm the central position of the General Assembly as the chief deliberative, policy-making and representative organ of the United Nations.  In order to enhance that authority and its role, it would be asked of the Security Council that it submit its annual report in two parts, in order to facilitate more topical consideration of its contents.  The first part shall cover the period

The first of April to 30 September; the second shall cover the period 1 October to 31 March.  The General Assembly shall consider each part separately.

The Security Council would also be invited, in accordance with Article   24 of the Charter, to submit special, periodic, subject-oriented reports to the General Assembly for its consideration on issues of current international concern.  The President of the General Assembly would be briefed regularly by the President of the Security Council on the work of the Council.

Moreover, the Presidents of the General Assembly, the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council shall meet together regularly with a view to ensuring increased cooperation, coordination and complementarity of the work programmes of the three organs.  The President of the General Assembly will inform Member States about the outcome of their meetings.

And the President of the Security Council is invited to discuss the Security Council’s plans for thematic debates with the President of the General Assembly and the President of the Economic and Social Council.

In June of each year, the General Committee would consider recommending a theme or themes for the General Debate.  The Secretary-General would be invited to make recommendations to the General Committee in this regard.  I will cover some other aspects of these revitalization proposals at another meeting but you can have additional information on our website, the project proposal will be posted today.

Questions and Answers

Question:  I know the President of the General Assembly is very keen on making more official the work of the committees.  Is the President adequately satisfied with the attendance record of the chairman of the Third Committee?       

Spokesman for General Assembly President:  He hasn’t said anything concerning this, but it is obvious that we have had a number of complaints from Member States on that attendance.

Spokesman:  If there are no more questions then, thank you very much.  Happy Thanksgiving.  See you on Friday.

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