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 Stéphane Dujarric, Associate Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

Good afternoon.

**Guest at Noon

Excuse the delay.  On my right is Ambassador Javier Ruperez, the Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate, who is our guest today and will be happy to take your questions as soon as I am done with the briefing.

**Secretary-General/Sudan

The Secretary-General is in Khartoum right now, where tonight he is scheduled to meet with the President of Sudan, Omar Hassan al-Bashir.

This morning, the Secretary-General visited a camp for Sudanese refugees in eastern Chad.  He touched down in the provincial capital of Abeche, where he was briefed by the Governor, Haroun Saleh, on the devastating impact on his province of the surge of some 250,000 refugees from Sudan streaming across the border.

The Secretary-General and his party then travelled to Iridimi Camp, about 60 miles from the border, which houses some 15,000 refugees.  He was briefed by a representative of the refugees, as well as by members of non-governmental organizations who described their work in the camp.  Thousands of refugees stood and sat in an orderly semi-circle, holding placards that read “Stop the ethnic cleansing and the genocide” and “Security first, then voluntary return”.  He also held a private meeting with women community leaders and then spoke to the international and local press.

The Secretary-General summarized his impression of the last few days by saying that the story he has received from the refugees, as well as internally displaced people, he has met has been one in which they fled “serious violations of human rights –- gross and systematic ones”.  He added that “Security is paramount for all of them and, of course, that security would have to be assured before they go back”.

Yesterday, the Secretary-General met in the capital of Chad, N’Djamena, with President Idriss Deby, and told reporters afterwards that the international community must do everything it can to work with the Sudanese Government and the President of Chad to find a solution.  Otherwise, the Secretary-General warned, “the drama that we are now living is nothing compared to what will come next”.

He added, in response to a question, that the international community has tried to help Chad deal with the influx of refugees from Sudan, but added, “I think the pace of the assistance and the urgency with which we are dealing with it doesn’t measure up to the nature of the crisis”.

And we have that transcript upstairs.

**Darfur

Yesterday we reported to you that a camp for displaced persons in Darfur, which had at one point housed some 1,000 families or over 5,000 people, was empty when the Secretary-General’s convoy arrived there.

In an update on the situation that we received from our Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, they tell us that the Government of Sudan had transported the inhabitants from Meshtail camp to another camp for displaced persons called Abu Shouk between the evening of 30 June and midday on 1 July, yesterday.  According to various humanitarian sources, those who had been moved maintain they had been pressured to move from Meshtail.

Humanitarian agencies are concerned that the displaced persons were relocated from the camp very abruptly and that no consultation was conducted by the authorities prior to their relocation.  While the relocation should improve their conditions in the medium term, prior notice of the move would have enabled site planning and provision of facilities at Abu Shouk camp ahead of their arrival.

Meanwhile, UNICEF reports today that a significant number of children displaced in Darfur have either been direct victims of violence or have witnessed violent acts and the situation was breeding a new generation of child “survivors”.  And we have more information on that upstairs.

**Security Council

Today the Security Council met in closed consultations on the July programme of work, which was officially approved.

And the Secretary-General is expected to brief the Security Council in consultations next Wednesday on his trip to Africa.

The Security Council President, Ambassador Motoc of Romania, will be here in about half an hour or so to brief you on the Council’s work for the month.

**Human Rights

The new High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, today met journalists in Geneva, telling them that she will attend the African Union Summit next week, and that Darfur and Côte d’Ivoire will be at the forefront of her discussions there.  And we have more upstairs in a press release.

**Bougainville

The Security Council, in a letter that is out on the racks today, noted the extension of the mandate of the UN Observer Mission in Bougainville until the end of December.  And that document, as I said, is available.

**WHO/Tobacco Treaty

The UN’s global treaty to curb tobacco use is on track to become binding international law by the end of the year.  Among other requirements, the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control requires signatories to restrict tobacco advertising and set new labelling and clean indoor air controls.

And we have more information on that available upstairs as well.

**Governing Council/Payout

The Governing Council of the UN Compensation Commission for Iraq concluded its fifty-second session today and approved pay-outs of more than $380 million for losses and damage suffered as a direct result of Iraq’s invasion and occupation of Kuwait in 1991.

**UNHCR/Colombia Suicides

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, is concerned about a recent spate of suicides by indigenous youth in north-western Colombia.

And we have more information on that in a press release from UNHCR upstairs.

**Statement Attributable to the Spokesman

Yesterday afternoon, we issued a statement on the death yesterday of Sir Richard May, the former President of the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.

And the full text of the statement was made available to you yesterday.

**WFP

The World Food Programme today announced Formula One driver Jarno Trulli is appearing in a World Food Programme public service announcement to help fight for children who are suffering from malnourishment.

And again, WFP has a press release upstairs.

**UNFPA

Next Tuesday, the UN Population Awards for 2004 will be presented to demographer John C. Caldwell, and to Dr. Catherine Hamlin of the Addis AbabaFistulaHospital.  The Award ceremony will take place in the Trusteeship Council from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday.  And the award recipients will be available to the press at 12:30 on Tuesday afternoon.

**UN Headquarters Closed Monday

And a reminder that there’ll be no noon briefing on Monday as the UN Headquarters will be closed in observance of the US Independence Day holiday.

And that’s it.

**The Week Ahead at the United Nations

And we have, of course The Week Ahead available to you, as today is Friday.  Any questions for me?  Edie?

Questions and Answers

Question:  Stéph, two questions:  Any update on when we can expect an announcement from the Secretary-General on the new Special Representative for Iraq?  And second, does the Secretary-General have any comment on the US Government’s decision to pull out a number of personnel from the UN peacekeeping missions in Ethiopia, Eritrea and Kosovo?

Associate Spokesman:  On your first question, the answer is shortly.  That’s all I can say.  Not at this noon briefing.  On your second question, our Department of Peacekeeping Operations confirms that it has been informed by the US Government that the United States would withdraw some personnel from UN peacekeeping operations and we have taken note of that decision with regret.

Question:  Stéphane, do we have a reaction from the Sudanese leaders to the SG’s stern warnings to them and putting them on notice?

Associate Spokesman:  No.  As I said, the Secretary-General is meeting with the leadership of Sudan shortly, or as we speak.  As he’d said, he would do sort of a fact-finding tour.  And he’s been to IDP camps, refugee camps and he would bring those concerns and what he’d seen to the attention of the Sudanese Government.

Question:  Do we have a UN position on whether it is legal or not for an Interim Government to try Saddam?

Associate Spokesman:  No, but I can try to get something for you.  Akram?

Question:  A follow-up on that question:  Concerning the visit of the Secretary-General with General Bashir, what’s the nature of the...

Associate Spokesman:  What’s the nature of...?

Question:  ...of the dialogue?

Associate Spokesman:  Well, the Secretary-General is meeting President Bashir this evening and, as I said, he will be discussing with him the situation in the Sudan and what he, the Secretary-General, had just seen in Darfur and in neighbouring Chad.

Question:  Are there any specific demands?

Associate Spokesman:  Well, I think you know, the Secretary-General has spoken, and we have repeated here fairly in detail what the Secretary-General has seen and he has spoken to you on this issue.  So, I think the next step is for him to speak to President Bashir, and I am sure the Secretary-General will speak to the press after that meeting.  But I wouldn’t want to pre-empt whatever he says.

Question:  Do you think this decision is linked to the withdrawal of the immunity from the United Nations; from the...

Associate Spokesman:  Which decision, I’m sorry?

Question:  Last week’s decision on the...

Associate Spokesman:  Well, I think it’s clear that the US said they would do so.  So...  Yes, sir?

Question:  Last week the US sent a new draft resolution to the Security Council about the situation in the Sudan.  So, the Security Council will discuss the resolution... (inaudible), will talk more about the draft resolution?

Associate Spokesman:  I think that’s a good question and you should ask the President of the Council in about half an hour when he comes here.  Yes, sir?

Question:  Are you going to ask other countries to refill the positions left by the American peacekeepers in Eritrea and Kosovo?

Associate Spokesman:  I am sure there will be a need to replace those people and our Peacekeeping Department will look into that issue.

Thank you very much.

* *** *