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 Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

Good afternoon.

**Guest at Noon

Our guest at today’s briefing will be Olara Otunnu, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict.  And he will brief you on the situation of children and armed conflict in advance of the Security Council’s debate on that subject scheduled for next week.

**Statement Attributable to the Spokesman

We have the following statement attributable to the Spokesman concerning the death of Richard Conroy:

“The Secretary-General was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Richard Conroy, the United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Tashkent, in a plane crash in Uzbekistan.

“A dedicated and indefatigable international civil servant, Mr. Conroy had an exceptionally distinguished career in the United Nations.  He began his service in Uzbekistan two weeks before 11 September 2001, and was immediately plunged into one of the most challenging periods in the history of the region.  It was his steadfast efforts that led to the opening of the Friendship Bridge to Afghanistan, allowing for crucial provisions to flow in from the Uzbek border town of Termez -- the town he was returning from yesterday when the plane he was travelling on crashed on landing in Tashkent.  Throughout Mr. Conroy’s mission in Uzbekistan, and during his other highly demanding assignments in India, Sri Lanka and China, Mr. Conroy displayed unwavering integrity, professionalism, judgement and courage.  The Secretary-General remembers with gratitude the support and expertise provided by Mr. Conroy during the Secretary-General’s visit to Uzbekistan in October 2002.  He extends his profound condolences to Mr. Conroy’s wife and family”.

**Security Council

The Security Council President, Chilean Ambassador Heraldo Muñoz, just announced that there will be a private meeting at 5 p.m. Monday with Adnan Pachachi, Chairman of the Iraqi Governing Council.

The announcement came after the Security Council held brief consultations on an Iraqi request for a meeting with the Council on Monday, the same day the Secretary-General is scheduled to hold talks with an Iraqi delegation led by Pachachi and US representatives.

**Erez

The UN’s Middle East Envoy Terje Roed-Larsen this morning condemned the suicide bombing which took place earlier today at the Erez crossing between Israel and Gaza.

He extended his condolences to the families of the Israeli victims.  Roed-Larsen said this “terrible terrorist attack” now seems to be a part of a new upsurge in violence.

He added that the only way to keep this situation from spinning out of control was for the parties to return to the negotiating table and show progress.

**Democratic Republic of Congo Elections/New Road

It is technically possible to organize elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2005, as mandated by the peace agreement, according to William Swing, the Secretary-General’s Representative in the DRC.

However, Swing stressed that political will to hold these elections still needs to be shown, since most of the necessary electoral laws have not yet been voted on.

Speaking to the DRC’s Transitional Parliament, Swing said that there are still many obstacles to overcome before smooth elections can be held.  Among these are the presence of foreign armed groups and the conditions faced by refugees and displaced persons.

We have a press release on the subject upstairs.

In another piece of news from the DRC, a strategic road between Bunia and Kasenyi, on Lake Albert, was reopened yesterday after joint work by the UN Mission and a German NGO.

The road will facilitate trade between communities, notably the Hemas and the Lendus, and, therefore, is expected to contribute to reconciliation in the Ituri region.

**AIDS

The Secretary-General tomorrow will host a forum of major media executives from around the world, who will discuss how media can contribute to the fight against AIDS.

Starting at 11:30 a.m. in Conference Room Eight, he will discuss a Global Media Initiative on AIDS with those executives, while Peter Piot, the Executive Director of UNAIDS, will describe the challenges posed by the AIDS pandemic.  Other speakers at the day’s events will include Drew Altman, the President of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, and Bill Gates, chief software architect of Microsoft.

Then, starting at 2:15 in the Delegates Dining Room, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information Shashi Tharoor will moderate a press conference bringing together many of the media leaders, to discuss their efforts against AIDS.  You’re invited to participate.

We have an agenda for tomorrow’s events, as well as a list of participants.

**Burns Lecture

The past year has seen signs that the world is slipping into mutual distrust, protectionism and fear, the Secretary-General said last night at the inaugural Robert Burns Memorial Lecture.  At such a time, he said, the persistence of prejudice should be especially troubling.

One of the most disturbing manifestations of bigotry today is Islamophobia, he said, in which, since the September 11 attacks, many Muslims, particularly in the West, have found themselves the objects of suspicion, harassment and discrimination.  He added that too many people see Islam as monolithic and intrinsically opposed to the West -– belying the intermingling and shared experience between those two entities.

Another dangerous hatred, he added, blights our world:  anti-Semitism.  The resent upsurge of attacks on Jews in Europe and elsewhere show this hatred to be virulent still.

The Secretary-General said the United Nations is still living with the legacy of the unfortunate resolution that declared Zionism to be a form of racism, even though the General Assembly repealed it in 1991.

No one, he argued, should be allowed to use criticism of Israel’s actions as a mask for anti-Semitism -– nor should Israel’s supporters use the charge of anti-Semitism to stifle legitimate discussion.  We have copies of the speech available upstairs.

**UN World Economic Report

World economic growth is expected to accelerate to 3.5 per cent this year, up from 2.5 per cent last year, according to the UN’s World Economic Situation and Prospects 2004, which was released today.

The report says that key factors for this year’s growth are low interest rates and stimulative fiscal measures, especially in the US, and the rapid rise of China as a major importer, as well as an export powerhouse.

The report adds that growth rates for developing countries are picking up in the wake of expansion in the major economies.

However, the outlook isn’t all rosy with employment generation continuing to be a problem in most countries and continued and growing international imbalances also posing a threat.

We have copies of the report upstairs.

**FAO/Ethiopia

Despite a good harvest 7.2 million people in Ethiopia will need food aid in 2004, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Programme.

In a joint report released today, the two UN agencies said seasonal rains have paved the way for a good crop this year, but it won’t be enough.

The report estimates that Ethiopia will still need 980,000 tonnes of food relief this year, down from 1.8 million tonnes last year.

So far, confirmed food-aid commitments stand at 160,000 tonnes.

We have copies of the report upstairs.

**WHO/Cholera

The World Health Organization (WHO) is working on a new way to control cholera.

In collaboration with bodies, such as Mozambique’s Ministry of Health and Médecins sans Frontières, WHO is testing an oral cholera vaccine.

The mass vaccination project is being tested in Mozambique in a small town called Beira where the community suffers from high levels of cholera.

The vaccine has been available for 10 years but this is the first time it’s been used so broadly to minimize the devastation of a cholera outbreak.

The project will finish by the end of the month and the first results of the mass vaccination will be obtained within a year.

We have more details on that upstairs.

**Western Sahara

Phone lines have been re-established this week to link refugees living in desert camps near Tindouf, Algeria and their relatives in the Western Sahara.

The re-establishment of phone lines after 30 years of isolation, is the first step of a confidence-building initiative coordinated by the UN refugee agency.

We expect to have further details in a press release from UNHCR later today.

**UNICEF/WHO/Polio

UNICEF and the World Health Organization are hosting a high-level meeting in Geneva tomorrow with ministers from polio endemic countries.

The two agencies will urge governments and leaders to commit to stopping the transmission of polio.

The Secretary-General will address the meeting via videoconference and journalists may join in on the meeting also by teleconference.

A media advisory is out on the racks.

**Liberia/UNDP -– Noon Briefing Tomorrow

And finally, tomorrow, a core group of donors, international organizations and civil society organizations will meet at the Secretariat for a full day of closed discussions on Liberia’s future.

The gathering is organized in preparation for the Liberia Reconstruction Conference at UN Headquarters on 5-6 February, and it will focus on Liberia’s priorities for the next two years.

Julia Taft, the Assistant Administrator of the UN Development Programme, will be the guest at tomorrow’s noon briefing, and she will discuss with you Liberia’s needs for financial assistance and prospects for the February donors’ conference.

**Questions and Answers

Question:  On Monday, is it possible that we can have a press conference with Pachachi and his group?

Spokesman:  We haven’t worked out the media arrangements for the meeting on Monday.  I don’t exclude that something like that might be possible.  But we haven’t worked out the details yet.  Of course, we’d have to discuss it with them.  Mohamed?

Question:  Fred, do you approve some reports that Mr. Secretary-General had a secret meeting with US officials and is under pressure for the returning of UN staff to Iraq?

Spokesman:  There was no secret meeting.  The Secretary-General had a meeting with Ambassador Negroponte last Friday, you’ll recall.  He has had telephone contact with senior US officials since Friday and there have been some meetings of his senior advisers with Ambassador Negroponte and other US officials since then.  All of this is to be seen as preparation for the meeting on the 19^th.  The Secretary-General will decide when to send UN staff back into Iraq on the basis of primarily security conditions there, which at the moment would not permit him to send anyone back.  Yes, Mark?

Question:  I was wondering if you could talk a little bit about what role Mr. Brahimi has been invited to play in terms of his advisory role to Mr. Annan?

Spokesman:  Not yet.  The meeting that I expected to take place today between the Secretary-General and Mr. Brahimi actually took place somewhat unexpectedly yesterday afternoon at 5 o’clock.  And I believe we will have something to say about a new role for Mr. Brahimi tomorrow.

Question:  Okay.  Well, then can I just ask which other US officials have senior UN officials been meeting?  And also, is there clarity yet as to who exactly is going to comprise the Iraqi delegation that’s going to meet the Secretary-General?

Spokesman:  I think I’ll refer you to the US mission for who participated in these meetings on the US side apart from Ambassador Negroponte whom I have already mentioned.  And we still have no indications from the US side who will represent the Coalition or the United States at the meeting on the 19^th.

Question:  And on the Iraqi side?

Spokesman:  The Iraqi side, I have nothing really further to say to what I said earlier.  In addition to the troika –- the current, past and future presidents of the Iraqi Governing Council –- we expect additional members; one or two additional members of the Iraqi Governing Council to attend.  I think there has already been a letter to the Security Council from the Minister of Planning.  I can’t confirm at this time that that Minister is indeed an official member of their delegation.  You might try to check with the Iraqis on that point.

Question:  Yes.  It’s just the definition of (inaudible) and the issue of there being no secret meetings.  I mean, at yesterday’s meeting there was no confirmation.  No announcement from your side.  No announcement from the American side.  And the only thing that seems to make it not a secret is the fact that it leaked out.  Do you guys have a different idea what a secret meeting is?

Spokesman:  Well, meetings take place here at the Under-Secretary-General level and below everyday.  I don’t, as a matter of policy, announce those meetings.  So, the fact that there was a follow-up meeting at the Under-Secretary-General level, we did not feel it was necessary to formally announce.  Had I been asked, I would have confirmed.  I had guidance to confirm if asked.  Yes, Benny?

Question:  Yes, in a speech -– an earlier version of yesterday’s speech –- included a reference to a conference with free psychoanalysts that would, I guess, solve Islamophobia and anti-Semitism.  It was dropped from the speech.  Does that mean that conference doesn’t happen any more?  Does that mean psychoanalysts are not...?

Spokesman:  Benny, Benny, we can’t give you embargoed copies of speeches if it’s going to trigger comparisons or questions in public about earlier drafts and later drafts.  The Secretary-General, I think I indicated to you in a background briefing yesterday, has a personal hand in the drafting of these things from the very beginning.  And he was making changes yesterday.  I can only comment on the speech as he delivered it.  But in specific reference to the two meetings or conferences you refer to; they will take place.  It’s not that they were cancelled.  Yes?

Question:  What’s the time and location of the Monday morning, the three-party, two-party talks?

Spokesman:  We still can’t confirm that.  I think I have already told you that it’s too big a group to meet in the Secretary-General’s conference room; therefore, it will probably be in a conference room downstairs.  It is scheduled for the morning, and I can’t give you a time yet but 10-ish on Monday morning somewhere downstairs.

Question:  Is it scheduled to resume of is there a specific idea that it will resume after the Security Council luncheon?  Or just whatever time the luncheon begins and that’s it?

Spokesman:  I don’t think we want to limit their flexibility.  But as the moment the assumption is they would finish in the morning.  The Secretary-General would then brief the Security Council at the monthly luncheon and then we have the meeting with the Council members that was just announced by the Council President in the late afternoon.  Yes, Mark?

Question:  The UN has indicated that it wants the meeting on the 19^th to have as representative a cross section of Iraqis as possible.  Is the troika, as you mentioned, considered by the UN to be sufficiently representative of a broad spectrum of opinions amongst the Iraqis?

Spokesman:  Are you confusing our position on the political process in Iraq overall with the invitation list for the 19^th?

Question:  I don’t think so.  I just thought that on the 19^th you’re looking to meet basically a representative cross section of Iraqis to get a view, because obviously different Iraqis have different views as to what role the UN might play?  So, I was wondering if the UN is happy that the troika is going to give you a sufficiently balanced broad-ranging view of...?

Spokesman:  Well, we have to assume that the president of the council can speak for the whole council.  The fact that you are also getting the past president and the president for the next month already broadens the base considerably.  I think we’re happy with the troika.  If additional members of the council were going to come, we certainly would welcome their presence as well.  Yes, Bill?

Question:  And now we’ve got a positive indications from the US as to their facilitation and assistance for the four-person security team that’s going to be planning to go to Iraq, can you say more about when they will go, how long they will stay and specifically who is on that team?

Spokesman:  I never said there was such a team.

Question:  Will you say now there is such a team?

Spokesman:  I won’t comment on confidential correspondence between the Secretariat and Member States.  You know that we have concerns about the security situation in Iraq.  You know we need to plan for the eventual return of our international staff.  You know we have had ongoing concern about the security of our national staff who are still working in Iraq and we are making provisions to deal with that situation.  But that’s all I will confirm.

Question:  If I may, just one more.  Could you clarify, has the UN indicated in any way to the Coalition or Iraqis yet as to the kind of role it might play before the hand-over of sovereignty on June the 30^th?  Is there any thinking within the UN further to that as to what kind of role the UN might play before the hand-over of sovereignty on June the 30^th?

Spokesman:  We have ideas on that.  The Iraqi governing council has put some ideas on paper and I think that’s the kind of thing we expect to discuss with both Iraqis and the Coalition on the 19^th.

Question:  But can you say what those ideas are?

Spokesman:  Not in advance of that meeting.  If there is any press availability after the meeting, you’re welcome to ask all the parties.  Yes?

Question:  When you say the IGC has put ideas on paper, you’re referring to the Hakim letter or there is something separate?

Spokesman:  I don’t believe that the letter you’re referring to has been circulated as a document; so I have to consider that it’s a confidential document of the Security Council and the Secretary-General.  I can confirm that at the Council’s request the letter from the Iraqi [Governing] Council president and the Secretary-General’s response to that letter were made available to the Council but not circulated as documents.

Question:  What about that Minister of Planning letter?  Why is that not made public?

Spokesman:  That was addressed to the President of the Council.  I believe the Council President referred to it in comments to the press at the stakeout; which is why I felt at liberty to mention it.  But it was not asked to be circulated as a document.  And that would have been either primarily the sender’s option to request that it be circulated as a document.  And that request was not made.

Olara are you still with us?  You want to come and talk to us about children and armed conflict?

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