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 Denise Cook, Associate Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

Good afternoon.

**Security Council

The Security Council this morning unanimously adopted a resolution extending the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) by 12 months.  The Council intends to review the Mission’s mandate in 12 months, or sooner if requested by the Government of Iraq.

The Council vote on the resolution came a day after it received a briefing by Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Kieran Prendergast on the Secretary-General’s recent report on Iraq.

Also yesterday afternoon, Council members approved the organizational plan for the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate, which was established to support the work of the Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee.

**Sudan

Jan Pronk, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sudan, will co-chair the third meeting of the Joint Implementation Mechanism with the Sudanese Foreign Minister, Mustafa Ismail, this evening.  They will discuss the implementation of the Joint Communiqué and the Darfur Plan of Action, including the identification of areas in Darfur that are to be made secure and safe in accordance with the Plan of Action.

Yesterday evening, Pronk held a preparatory meeting with the Foreign Minister where they also discussed the issue of procedures for humanitarian flights in Darfur, which had been causing delays in the delivery of assistance.  The Foreign Minister agreed to an accelerated set of procedures that will apply to passenger, cargo and helicopter flights.  Pronk welcomed this agreement, which will facilitate essential humanitarian air operations, including airdrops of food and the rapid deployment of emergency relief teams to remote areas.

We reported to you yesterday that the Special Representative held a press encounter with the media in Khartoum.  We now have a transcript of that encounter upstairs.  During the encounter, Mr. Pronk was asked about the reports of air attacks in Darfur, to which he responded:  “Attacks as reported have to be checked; when they took place, and where they took place, we are checking that at the moment.  Information is necessary, but it has to be very concrete”.

Also from Sudan, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that about 600 cases of the water-borne hepatitis E have been reported in several camps, particularly in West Darfur, the region most affected by the rainy season.  UN agencies and non-governmental organizations are responding with a range of immediate actions, including the chlorination of water points, soap distribution, additional latrines and hygiene education.

**Burundi

Carolyn McAskie, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Burundi, has strongly denounced continuing acts of violence against the civilian population in that country.

In a press release issued today in Bujumbura, McAskie notes continuing evidence of arbitrary executions, torture, sexual violence and arbitrary detentions committed by armed men against civilians.  She adds that these acts are carried out with total impunity and calls for all belligerent parties to end the violence and respect human rights and international humanitarian law.  The full text of Ms. McAskie’s press release is available upstairs.

**Secretary-General Appointments

The Secretary-General today announced the appointment of two Assistant Secretaries-General.

He announced that Margareta Wahlström of Sweden will be appointed Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator.  She replaces Carolyn McAskie, who has gone on to head the UN Mission in Burundi.  Ms. Wahlström recently served in the UN Mission in Afghanistan as the Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative, dealing with relief, reconstruction and development.

Also today, the Secretary-General announced the appointment of Rachel Mayanja of Uganda as the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women, a post previously held by Angela King.  Ms. Mayanja is currently serving as the Director of the Human Resources Management Division at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

We have the bio-data for both of the new Assistant Secretaries-General upstairs.

**Bangladesh

Millions of people in Bangladesh face great insecurity and health risks after one of the worst floods their country has ever seen, the UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh said in launching an appeal for that country.

The United Nations is appealing for $210 million to help the poorest Bangladeshis survive the next six months, as the nation struggles to secure access to clean water, food, shelter and income.  As the floodwaters recede, diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera and typhoid are spreading rapidly.  And we have more details in a press release in our office.

**Swaziland

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that, by next year, over a quarter of Swaziland’s 970,000 people will again require food aid to survive.

Citing a joint report released by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), OCHA says that estimated maize production for 2003-2004 is down 13 per cent from last year’s crop.  This is due to erratic rains, chronic poverty and a lack of government funds to purchase previously subsidized fertilizers and seeds.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs notes that the situation isn’t likely to change after one or two seasons of favourable rainfall -– rather, economic deterioration has made food insecurity a long-term problem for large sections of the population in Swaziland.  We have more on this matter upstairs.

**Guatemala

In Guatemala City, an office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) was officially opened this morning.

Speaking at the event, Tom Koenigs, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Guatemala and head of the UN mission there, MINUGUA, noted the UN’s work in the verification of human rights since the mission was established 10 years ago.  He recommended that Guatemala make good use of the unique opportunity which the establishment of this new office represents in terms of technical cooperation, financial assistance and political support on human rights matters.  The full text of Mr. Koenig’s statement is available upstairs.

**Afghanistan

On Saturday, the UN Independent Expert on Human Rights in Afghanistan, Professor Cherif Bassiouni, will begin a one-week visit to Afghanistan, where he will talk with some key Afghan Government and UN officials and make some on-site visits, among other things.  We have more details in today’s briefing notes from Kabul.

Also, we have the transcript of a press briefing by Julian Type, an adviser to the Joint Electoral Management body, who discussed the arrangements for Afghanistan’s 9 October elections.

**Rule of Law

In a report issued today, the Secretary-General says that international or mixed tribunals have helped bring justice and hope to victims in many war-torn societies.  This is in a report to the Security Council on the rule of law and transitional justice.  He says that the International Criminal Court offers new hope for a permanent reduction in the phenomenon of impunity.

The report says that truth commissions are also potentially valuable in taking a victim-centred approach and helping to establish a historical record and recommend remedies.

**International Youth Day

Today is International Youth Day, and the theme of this year’s observance is “Youth in an Intergenerational Society”.

To mark the occasion, the Secretary-General called for recognition of the fact that all members of society have contributions to make and needs to fulfil -– and intergenerational solidarity means they can do it together.

The Secretary-General’s message was delivered on his behalf by Under-Secretary-General for Public Information Shashi Tharoor, at the Third International Youth Conference in Barcelona, Spain, today.

In addition, as we mentioned here yesterday, an event to mark the day is being held here at UN Headquarters, and we have more information on that upstairs, as well as copies of the Secretary-General’s message.

**Olympics

The Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace, Adolf Ogi, will represent the United Nations at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Athens tomorrow.

Also, the United Nations Fund for International Partnerships is co-sponsoring a special round-table discussion this Saturday in Athens on the contribution that sport can make to addressing global problems.  It aims to encourage governments to use sport as a policy tool for development and peace.

The Under-Secretary-General for Communication and Public Information, Shashi Tharoor, will moderate the discussion, and speakers will include Adolf Ogi and UNICEF’s Executive Director Carol Bellamy.  The audience is expected to include government representatives, sports development experts, athletes, and members of the Olympic Family.  We have more information on this upstairs.

And that is all I have for you today.

**Questions and Answers

Question:  Do you have anything new on Mr. Qazi’s [Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq] travel to Baghdad?

Spokesman:  No, we don’t have anything new.  I think we mentioned to you that he is currently in transit.  We usually don’t give out details of that sort of transit.

Question:  Is it still expected that he will be there before the National Conference which starts Sunday?

Spokesman:  Certainly, it is expected that he will be there.

Question:  Could you describe for us the current status of the UN Mission in Iraq and the Secretary-General’s response, how it would help, another year, even though there is not enough security there?

Spokesman:  Well, the situation is very fluid.  It is an ongoing situation of instability, as we all know.  The hope is that the situation will improve and that the Mission will be able to do some useful work there.

Question:  Can you tell us how many people are on the ground in Iraq right now?

Spokesman:  We can’t give you that level of detail.  Mr. Qazi will be there and he will have a team of people working with him.  But that is as far as we can go.

Any other questions?  Thank you.  Good afternoon.

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