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.

**Guests at Noon briefing

Our guests at today’s briefing are Julia Taft, the Assistant Administrator of UN Development Programme (UNDP) and Jacques Klein, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Liberia.  And in just a moment they will be talking to you about Liberia’s needs for financial assistance and the prospects for the February donors’ conference.

**Statement attributable to the Spokesman

We have the following statement attributable to the Spokesman on the subject of Mr. Brahimi:

“The Secretary-General met on Tuesday afternoon with his former Special Representative for Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi, who has just completed an arduous assignment and needs some rest.

“The Secretary-General discussed with Mr. Brahimi a new assignment as Special Adviser with the rank of Under-Secretary-General, and Mr. Brahimi accepted.  The scope of his responsibilities is still to be worked out. 

“Meanwhile, we can anticipate that, as a member of the Secretary-General’s senior staff, Mr. Brahimi will advise the Secretary-General on a wide range of issues, including situations in the areas of conflict prevention and conflict resolution.”

**Security Council -- Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s Constitution provides a permanent foundation for re-establishing the rule of law in that country, the Secretary-General told the Security Council in the open briefing on Afghanistan this morning.

He congratulated the people and Government of Afghanistan on the Constitution’s adoption earlier this month, saying that the wisdom and flexibility shown in the process of finalizing it bodes well for the hard work ahead.

Yet the Secretary-General added that other challenges remain, including tackling the deeply troubling security situation; ensuring an inclusive, broadly representative Government; and quickening the pace of reconstruction.

Lakhdar Brahimi, who has wrapped up his work as the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, also briefed the Council.  He said that, although there were some worrying signs of polarization among ethnic lines at the Constitutional Loya Jirga, the delegates ultimately proved willing to reach compromises and arrive at a text acceptable to all.

Brahimi warned of continuing problems in Afghanistan, including a lack of sufficient progress in the disarmament programme, the use of terrorist tactics by extremists, and the drug trade.

Until Afghan security institutions are further built up, he said, there will be need in other parts of the country for the sort of international assistance that has been ably provided in Kabul.

The Secretary-General paid tribute to Brahimi today, saying that he has richly earned his honorary Afghan citizenship.  Chilean Ambassador Heraldo Muñoz, the Security Council President, also praised Brahimi and said all Council members wish him success in his future endeavours.

The Council has followed the formal meeting with consultations on Afghanistan.  We have copies of the Secretary-General’s and Brahimi’s comments upstairs.  A press statement on Afghanistan is expected from the Council President once consultations end.

**Afghanistan -– UN Mission

Also on Afghanistan, the UN Mission in that country today noted that the cantonment of heavy weapons is starting today in Kabul.

That cantonment is a long-standing commitment, enshrined in the Bonn Agreement, that needs to be fulfilled.  The UN Spokesman in Kabul called the start of cantonment today “a very welcome development”.

Today’s briefing notes from Kabul, which we have upstairs, also provide details on efforts to demobilize some 5,000 child soldiers in Afghanistan by 2004.

**Secretary-General’s trip announcement

The Secretary-General will be leaving for a 12-day, 7-city, European trip on Monday evening. 

His first stop will be Baden-Baden in Germany, where he will be receiving the German Media Prize on Wednesday and seeing the German Foreign Minister. 

The following day, he’s off to Davos for three days to attend the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting at which he will be delivering the keynote address on “The Challenges of Globalization and Governance”, and that will happen on Friday.

In Stockholm on Sunday, the 25th, he will meet the Prime Minister, and, on Monday, he will address the opening of the Stockholm International Forum 2004, which will be on the subject, “Preventing Genocide:  Threats and Responsibilities”.

Then he’ll be in Paris the next day, where he is scheduled to attend a working luncheon hosted by the French President, and address a Global Compact meeting.

The Secretary-General continues on to Brussels on Wednesday the 28th for meetings with the NATO Secretary-General, the European Union College of Commissioners, the European Commission President, and the Irish European Union Presidency.

On Thursday morning, he will receive the Sakharov Prize at a European Parliament ceremony, after which he is scheduled to have an audience with His Majesty King Albert II of Belgium and then have meetings with Belgian government officials.

Friday morning, together with the Belgian Prime Minister, the Secretary-General will be inaugurating the Regional UN Information Centre (RUNIC).

He will then be receiving in person a doctorate honoris causa from the University of Ghent.  That was awarded last year and he was unable to attend the ceremony.

Continuing in Brussels, he has a working lunch hosted by the Prime Minister before proceeding to Geneva.

In Geneva that afternoon, he is expected to meet with President Lula of Brazil and President Chirac of France on the Fight against Poverty and Hunger.

He will then spend the whole of Saturday, first meeting separately, and later jointly, with President Obasanjo of Nigeria and President Biya of Cameroon.

He is expected to return to New York on Sunday, the 1st of February.  We will be working out the detailed programme for you for later this afternoon.

**Security Council -- Other

Later today, the Security Council will hold a formal meeting to consider a resolution on the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  This afternoon, the Council will also hold consultations to consider the Secretary-General’s latest report on the UN Mission in Côte d’Ivoire.

**AIDS

The Secretary-General today launched a Global Media AIDS Initiative, calling on media organizations to reach the world’s people, especially youth, with information about how to prevent and treat HIV and to help combat discrimination related to AIDS.

In a meeting with the heads of some of the world’s leading media organizations, which is going on right now, the Secretary-General said that among the public at large, there is still a profound lack of knowledge and awareness about AIDS.  Recent surveys from more than 40 countries, he said, show that more than half of all adolescents and young adults have serious misconceptions about AIDS and about how the virus is transmitted.

What needs to be done, he is telling the media leaders now, is to designate the fight against AIDS as a corporate priority; to dedicate airtime to public service messages; and to provide prominent news coverage to the epidemic to ensure that it remains high on the political agenda.

He told them that one lesson has been learned over the past two decades of fighting AIDS:  “Silence is death”.  We have copies of his speech upstairs.

The launch is going on right now, and will be followed by a luncheon hosted by the Secretary-General in honour of the media executives, in the Delegates Dining Room, which Bill Gates, the co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is expected to address.

Then, starting at 2:15, still in the Delegates Dining Room, there will be a press conference with many of those media leaders, moderated by Under-Secretary-General Shashi Tharoor.

You are all welcome to attend.  We have Press Releases with further details upstairs.

**UNDOF

Major-General Bala Nanda Sharma of Nepal has been named the new Commander of the UN Disengagement Observer Force, which operates in the Golan Heights.

He succeeds General Franciczek Gagor of Poland who will relinquish his command this Friday.  We have a Press Release with details upstairs.

**Liberia -- Disarmament

The UN mission in Liberia announced today that on the 20th of January, the disarmament, demobilization, rehabilitation and reintegration (DDRR) programme will commence with a 15-day information and sensitization campaign for all combatants in locations around the country.

The announcement followed a meeting of the leadership of two rebel groups, the UN mission and the National Transitional Government of Liberia.  I am sure Jacques Klein can elaborate on that later.

**Sudan -- Humanitarian

Tom Eric Vraalsen, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Humanitarian Affairs for Sudan, today urged a group of donors in Geneva to provide more than $4 million to cover the needs of Sudanese refugees on the Chadian border, over the next three months.

Vraalsen also briefed reporters on the humanitarian situation in Sudan’s Darfour region and along the Chad/Sudan border.  Fighting has to stop, he said.  We have a Press Release and highlights from that press conference.

**Refugee exodus from Ethiopia?

The UN refugee agency and other aid workers travelled today to the town of Pochalla in southern Sudan to investigate reports that thousands of people are fleeing across the border to escape violence in western Ethiopia.

You can read more about this on the UNHCR Web site.

**WHO/Polio

At a high-level meeting co-sponsored by UNICEF and the World Health Organization in Geneva today, health ministers from the six remaining polio-endemic countries have declared that polio should be relegated to the history books within the next 12 months.

To achieve this aim, the ministers unveiled a plan to immunize 250 million children multiple times during a series of massive polio immunization campaigns this year.  We have more details on that upstairs.

**FAO/Bird flu

The Food and Agricultural Organization today expressed serious concern about the spread of avian flu, also referred to as “bird flu” or “chicken flu,” in East Asia.

Citing an apparent regional dimension to the spread, FAO called for an investigation into possible links between the outbreaks in South Korea, Viet Nam and Japan.

There have been three confirmed cases of bird flu victims in Viet Nam, and thousands of birds have been killed in an effort to stamp the virus out.  We have more on that.

**Shanghai

The establishment of a permanent secretariat for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is the logical extension of the valuable experience in dialogue and cooperation gained by its six members in the past few years, the Secretary-General said in a message delivered today in Beijing by a senior UN official.

In his message, the Secretary-General said the organization, which comprises China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, has evolved into an increasingly important regional security organization.

He added that the UN looks forward to working with this new regional partner.  We have a full text of the message upstairs.

**Population trends in Europe

On population trends in Europe:  at the end of a three-day European Population Forum held in Geneva, experts have concluded that in a region where rates of HIV/AIDS and other diseases are rising, young people must be empowered to have healthy sexual and reproductive lives.

The matters discussed in the Forum reflected the diversity of Europe.  They included persistent low fertility rates, an ageing population, declining workforces, human trafficking and gender-based violence.

Special attention was paid to the social, economic and health challenges facing countries in transition in Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia.

There is a press release on that.

**SG at gala tonight

The Secretary-General and Nane Annan tonight will attend the annual gala event of the International Women’s Health Coalition, which this year is being held in the Secretary-General’s honour.

In his keynote address at that event – embargoed copies of which we have upstairs – the Secretary-General will underline the importance of education for all and the empowerment of women.

**Press Conference tomorrow

And lastly, a press conference tomorrow:  Following her meeting with the Secretary-General, the French Minister of Defense, Madame Michele Alliot-Marie will hold a press conference at approximately 5 p.m.

Yes, Colum?

Questions and Answers

Question:  A couple of things on Iraq.  Will Mr. Brahimi attend the Monday meeting?  Can you describe in any more detail on his general portfolio?  How much will he be involved in Iraq policy?  And then on the issue of Bremer’s apparent decision to come on Monday, did the Secretary-General signal or indicate to the Americans that, you know, ‘if you really are serious about the UN playing a role in Iraq you should send your number one guy -– Bremer to attend the talks’?

Spokesman:  On your last question, I am not going to comment on what the Secretary-General might have said in private conversations.  And I have to also say that we’ve only seen press reports thus far of Mr. Bremer’s attendance on Monday.  If the press reports are true, I think the Secretary-General will be very pleased and feel that that’s the maximal position we will be working from on Monday, with that kind of representation.

On your first question, I don’t believe Mr. Brahimi will be here on Monday.  But I’d have to double-check that.  And as for the details regarding his role as Special Adviser, I can’t give you anything further than what I gave in the announcement.  Yes, Liz?

Question:  Also on Brahimi.  It’s no secret that the US is a big fan of Mr. Brahimi.  We’ve also understood that perhaps because of his age he may not want the Special Representative position.  Has the Secretary-General offered that position?  Is it possible that we will see Brahimi take up that role of Special Representative in Baghdad, or has he made it clear that it is absolutely out of the question?

Spokesman:  The Secretary-General has not offered that job to Mr. Brahimi.  If he did offer it, I doubt Mr. Brahimi would accept it.  And I don’t think I need to say any more than that.  Mark?

Question:  I was wondering if you could specify or give details of why exactly the UN thinks it’s inadvisable and not possible to hold elections before June the 30^th in Iraq?

Spokesman:  The Secretary-General cited the time that would be needed to properly organize those elections and the prevailing security conditions in the country as two major reasons why he thought it was impractical to try to organize nationwide elections in six months.  Debbie?

Question:  Fred, do you have any information on Monday?  How will you proceed?

Spokesman:  I don’t.  We’ll have to give you details on the press arrangements.  I think it’s been difficult to plan since we haven’t had any hard and fast details on who would be coming.  Tentatively the plans are for the meeting to begin at 10:00 and take place in a conference room downstairs, as I have already told you.  That would be followed by the Security Council lunch with the Secretary-General and, as announced by the Security Council president, a private meeting with the Security Council members and the Governing Council members.  We don’t know yet whether there will be a press event.  We’re preparing for a press availability after the morning meeting and before the Security Council lunch, which I think, would be the best time for you.  But we haven’t firmed up those details yet.  Yes?

Question:  Who are some of the top media leaders attending the daylong event with the Secretary-General today?

Spokesman:  We have the complete list for you in my office.  I wouldn’t want to mention a few without mentioning the whole list and it’s too long a list for me to read out.  And I don’t have the list with me any way, but it is in my office.

Okay, can we go to Liberia now?  Who shall we start with?  Start with Jacques.

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