DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
| Press Briefing |
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 Stephane Dujarric, Associate Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
Good Afternoon.
**Statement Attributable to Spokesman for Secretary-General
We have a number of statements attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General. First, on the attack in Moscow this morning:
“The Secretary-General was appalled to learn of yet another indiscriminate act of terrorism in Moscow this morning. Once again, the world bears witness to dozens of innocent lives lost and many more injured, all of whom were merely going about their daily rounds on a rush-hour subway train.
“The Secretary-General is adamantly opposed to all acts of terrorism, from whatever quarter. No cause whatsoever can justify such heinous crimes. The Secretary-General conveys his heartfelt condolences to the Government and citizens of the Russian Federation and to the families and friends of the victims. He hopes that the perpetrators will swiftly be brought to justice.”
**Russia
Also on this subject, the Security Council President, Ambassador Wang of China, today expressed the Council’s outrage at the terrorist attack in Moscow, saying that the Council condemns this act of terrorism in the strongest possible terms.
**Liberia
Turning to Liberia. You know, the conference is going on right now. After 14 years of conflict and misrule, Liberia today has arrived at a moment of hope, the Secretary-General told the International Reconstruction Conference on Liberia this morning.
With a transitional government in place and the UN Mission in Liberia making good progress, he said, today’s conference is meant to demonstrate international solidarity with Liberia at a decisive moment.
He noted the overriding concern for security, including the need to consolidate and extend the security perimeter beyond Monrovia and to restructure and retrain the Liberian armed forces. He urged the delegates at today’s meeting, “Let us all seize this moment to end a long-running nightmare that has disgraced humankind.” We have copies of the Secretary-General’s statement upstairs.
Other officials, including the Transitional Government’s Chairman, Charles Bryant, US Secretary of State Colin Powell, and French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin, are also participating in this morning’s events. The United Nations and the World Bank have said that Liberia will need some $488 million for recovery.
And at 12:30 p.m. –- in just over 20 minutes, in this room -- Chairman Bryant will address the press about Liberia’s reconstruction needs. Other speakers will include Andrew Natsios, the Administrator of the US Agency for International Development; Thomas Kitt, the Minister of State for Development Cooperation and Human Rights of Ireland; and Mark Malloch Brown, the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, as well as Mats Karlsson, the World Bank Country Director for Liberia.
**Secretary-General Stakeout
And just a short while ago as he left the Liberia meeting, the Secretary-General took a few questions from reporters, and noted that Secretary Powell and Foreign Minister de Villepin would meet today. Governments, he said, “are putting the divisions over Iraq behind them”, and he called today’s meeting a sign of “evolution in the right direction”.
Asked about reports of nuclear technology transfers in Pakistan, the Secretary-General said he had met with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in Davos last month, who assured him that “they’re going to take every effort to make sure this trafficking does not take place”.
The Secretary-General also said that he had spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon concerning the question of Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and he said the Prime Minister told him that Israel fully supports the Road Map.
**Statement Attributable to Spokesman for Secretary-General
-– Recent Violence in Haiti
I have a statement here concerning the violence in Haiti:
“The Secretary-General has been closely following the situation in Haiti and is deeply concerned about the increasing violence. Yesterday’s events in the city of Gonaives constitute a further escalation in the violence that is affecting the country.
“The Secretary-General regrets the loss of life and calls upon all Haitians to resolve their differences peacefully and through constitutional means. He underlines his full support for the efforts of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in seeking a solution to the current political impasse, as well as the continuing work of the Organization of American States (OAS) Special Mission in Haiti.”
**Statement Attributable to Spokesman for Secretary-General
-- Earthquake in Indonesia
I have another statement regarding the earthquake in Indonesia:
“The Secretary-General was profoundly saddened to learn of the tragic loss of life and terrible damage caused by yesterday’s earthquake in the Papua province of Indonesia. He extends his sincere condolences to the people of Indonesia as they cope with the effects of the disaster. The Secretary-General hopes that the international community will give generous and timely assistance to the Government and people of Indonesia. And the United Nations stands ready to lend its support in mobilizing international relief efforts.”
**Indonesia
And the local office of the UN Humanitarian Coordinator tells us they are in contact with national and local authorities and are ready to help in whatever way they can.
**Security Council
Turning to the Security Council. The fate of missing persons in Kosovo is one of the main practical issues that needs to be resolved in a dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade, the senior UN official in Kosovo told the Security Council today.
Addressing the Council in a public meeting on Kosovo this morning, Harri Holkeri said that Kosovo’s Provisional Institutions should engage in direct dialogue with Belgrade without further delay.
He noted that a clear political target has been set out for Kosovo, in the “Standards for Kosovo” document that he launched last year. Now, he said, what we need to do is reach that target.
We have copies of his statement to the Security Council upstairs, and the Council’s public meeting is continuing on as we speak.
**IAEA
From the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), experts in nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament issues are taking part in a two-day seminar, hosted by the IAEA in Vienna, to explore new approaches to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and enhance nuclear security.
In opening the session, IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei told reporters that it is clear that the control system now in place is not working to prevent “black market” trafficking.
The black market cases that have been exposed so far, he said, are “just the tip of the iceberg”, with more work needed to examine the “chain of activity” in the nuclear black market and ensure that such cases are not repeated.
**Afghanistan
Turning to Afghanistan, Antonio Maria Costa, the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, will attend an international conference on counter-narcotics in Afghanistan that will take place in Kabul this Sunday and Monday.
Before leaving Vienna for Afghanistan, Mr. Costa warned, “If we don’t start translating counter-narcotics commitment into lower levels of production, we run the risk of the opium economy undermining all that has been achieved in creating a democratic, new Afghanistan.”
**Global Compact
And lastly on the Global Compact. Next Monday, there will be a national launch of the Global Compact to be held in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, marking the first time that the initiative has taken root in the Arab world. Some 200 representatives of Egyptian businesses, government, civil society, labour and the UN system will convene, and we expect a message from the Secretary-General to be delivered at that time.
**The Week Ahead at United Nations
That’s it for me. And today being Friday, we have the Week Ahead available for you. Do you have any questions for me? Debbie?
**Questions and Answers
Question: Stephane, has Mr. Denktash accepted the Secretary-General’s invitation for Tuesday?
Associate Spokesman: I have no updates, as of a short while ago, on official confirmations to the invitations.
Question: I just wanted to check because he apparently made remarks a short while ago that seemed to indicate that he was coming.
Associate Spokesman: Okay, I will check again. But we had received nothing formally last time.
Question: So far, can we be informed that the Greek Cypriot side will be represented by Rauf Denktash or someone else?
Associate Spokesman: No. As I said, we have seen the press statement, but we have not seen any formal indication from the invitees as to exactly who will attend.
Question: Today, Mr. Denktash accused the United Nations of putting a lot of pressure and that is not a negotiating strategy. What is your comment?
Associate Spokesman: Invitation letters went out to both the Turkish Cypriot leader and Greek Cypriot leader on Wednesday inviting them to come here to resume negotiations on the basis of the Secretary-General’s plan. And the objective of the negotiations would be to put a completed text to referenda in April 2004 in time for a reunited Cyprus to accede to the European Union on 1 May 2004. So, I don’t have any specific remarks as to whether or not this constitutes undue pressure. All I can tell you is that invitations were sent out to both the Greek Cypriot leader and the Turkish Cypriot leader.
Question: Regarding the UN team that will be going to Iraq, is it your understanding that their assessment will be the final word in terms of the June 30th (inaudible) today? What I am trying to ask is before this team left, did you have an agreement with the US that the UN would have the final authority if they didn’t think that elections would be possible before June 30th, then that would be the final word, and the US would abide by that?
Associate Spokesman: Well, you know when the Governing Council and the Coalition Provisional Authority met with the Secretary-General on January 19th, they encouraged the Secretary-General to send this assessment team. They will be going very shortly. They will then report back to the Secretary-General and then we will take it from there. Yes?
Question: Is the team going to brief the press before they leave? Will there be an opportunity, say here? Has anyone asked for that?
Associate Spokesman: No. Because of very, I think understandable security concerns on our part, we will confirm to you once the team has arrived in Iraq. They will then come back and report back to the Secretary-General. But you should not expect any press availability by the team while they are on the ground in Iraq or even before their departure in terms of what the results of their work has been. Yes?
Question: The last question about the Iraq issue: is the agenda being officially refined? How many meetings will there be?
Associate Spokesman: No. Let’s get to Tuesday and let’s get the meetings started and then we can see how long these things last. We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves.
Thank you. Thank you very much.
* *** *