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 De La Riviere, Associate Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

**Statement Attributable to the Spokesman on Venezuela

Good afternoon.  I’ll start off with a statement on the results of the referendum in Venezuela.

“The Secretary-General welcomes the peaceful and orderly manner in which the 15 August recall referendum on President Chávez’ mandate was conducted in Venezuela.  He also welcomes the fact that an unprecedented number of Venezuelans participated in the referendum, demonstrating a great sense of responsibility and respect for democratic values.

“The Secretary-General has taken note of the preliminary voting results announced by the National Electoral Council (CNE), as well as of the declaration made by the Organization of American States and the CarterCenter confirming those preliminary results, indicating that the voters had rejected the recall of the President.

“The Secretary-General once again appeals to all Venezuelans to settle all matters related to the referendum in the same civic and democratic spirit that prevailed during the voting.  He reminds the Government of Venezuela and all political sectors that, when his Special Adviser visited Caracas from 20 to 24 July, they all committed themselves to resolve issues related to the referendum through consultations and dialogue.  Therefore, he calls them to engage in a constructive dialogue looking towards Venezuela’s future.

“The United Nations will continue to support the people of Venezuela in their search for a peaceful solution to their political differences.”

The statement is available upstairs.

**Burundi

Turning to Burundi.  Yesterday, funeral services were held in that country for the victims of the massacre in Gatumba transit camp, which took place on the night of Friday, 13 August.  At least 147 refugees, mostly women and children, died in the attack.  Four others died from injuries in hospital, including one who died yesterday, bringing the overall death toll to 151.  The head of the United Nations Mission in Burundi, Carolyn McAskie, spoke at the funeral and her statement is available upstairs.

In the aftermath of the massacre, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights confirmed this morning that members of the Human Rights Units of United Nations Missions in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo had immediately begun a fact-finding mission on what happened at the camp.  According to a spokesperson in Geneva, the information that they will gather will be reviewed immediately by the High Commissioner, Louise Arbour, in light of the possible need to set up an international commission of inquiry.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Mission in Burundi and the United Nations refugee agency report that security has been tightened along the Burundi–DRC border and United Nations helicopters are patrolling the area.  According to the United Nations refugee agency, peacekeepers operating on both sides of the border are helping local forces step up security along their respective frontiers where various armed elements have been known to roam.

In addition, troops have been deployed at two transit centres in the CibitokeProvince in northern Burundi, where 17,000 Congolese took refuge after a rebellion broke out in the DRC’s south Kivu region in June.

More information is available upstairs on Burundi.

**Iraq

From Baghdad, United Nations envoy Ashraf Qazi met this morning with Iraq’s Prime Minister Iyad Allawi in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salah.  Discussions focused on, among other issues, the progress of Iraq’s National Conference, in addition to the situation in Najaf.  And we were just told by our folks on the ground in Baghdad that the National Conference, which was to have concluded today, will now go into tomorrow morning, when delegates are expected to vote on a list of candidates for the National Council.

During his meeting with the Prime Minister, Mr. Qazi reiterated the United Nations’ concern regarding the events in Najaf and hoped that human lives will not be at risk.  Over a working lunch, Qazi then held further discussions with the Deputy Prime Minister, during which several aspects of the United Nations role in Iraq were discussed.  Later, the United Nations envoy discussed the progress of the National Conference with its Chairman, Fuad Maasum, and Maasum told Qazi that a delegation designated by the Conference travelled today to Najaf to seek a peaceful solution to the standoff in the holy city.

Qazi also held a series of other meetings with a myriad of political, religious and tribal leaders, in addition to civil society and professional unions’ representatives.

**UNHCR in Iraq

Also on Iraq, over the last 10 days, the United Nations refugee agency -- Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees -- has temporarily suspended its convoys to Iraq for refugees wishing to return from neighbouring Iran –- both in the north and the south of the country.

In the south, convoys have been stopped due to ongoing fighting in Najaf, as well as the overall security situation in the region.  In the north, UNHCR temporarily suspended the returns of Iraqi Kurd refugees after local authorities in Iraq expressed concern over the housing situation in the area.  The agency has not been encouraging Iraqi refugees to return home for the time being, but it has been facilitating the repatriation of those who insist on going home.  Some 13,000 people have now gone back to Iraq from Iran, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon with UNHCR’s assistance.

**Sudan

Turning to Sudan, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Sudan, Jan Pronk, dispatched his Deputy and Humanitarian Coordinator, Manuel Aranda da Silva, to north and south Darfur yesterday.  There he visited camps for internally displaced persons, in particular the Kalma camp, where an incident relating to CARE International took place on 12 August.  Humanitarian workers, including several NGOs, have resumed their activities in the camp.  CARE International still has not resumed its operations, but the local authorities, on the recommendations of Mr. Aranda da Silva, agreed to meet in order to discuss procedures of conduct for CARE International.

In Khartoum today, Jan Pronk received a delegation from the American Muslim Society, headed by its president, Shaikh Muhammad Nur Abdullah.  They discussed current and future humanitarian and political issues relating to the situation in Darfur, as well as southern Sudan, including ways and means to assist the Sudanese people.

Also today, as part of the Darfur Plan of Action, the Director General of the International Organization for Migration, Brunson McKinley, is expected in Khartoum to sign an agreement with the Sudanese Government to oversee and assist the safe and voluntary return of the internally displaced.

More information on the humanitarian and political activities in Sudan is available upstairs.

**Myanmar

Turning to Myanmar, it is the Secretary-General’s judgement that the National Convention in Myanmar does not currently adhere to the recommendations made by successive resolutions of the General Assembly.  According to a statement attributable to the Spokesman, which is available upstairs in full, the Secretary-General believes that, unless and until the views of the National League for Democracy (NLD) and other political parties are sought and considered, the National Convention and the road map process will be incomplete, lacking in credibility and, therefore, unable to gain the full support of the international community, including the countries of the region.

As a first step towards democratization and national reconciliation in Myanmar, the Secretary-General calls on the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) to make full use of the National Convention’s adjournment by immediately releasing Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and engaging the NLD and other political parties in a substantive dialogue on how they can work together for the benefit of the people of Myanmar.  The Secretary-General further urges the SPDC to allow his Special Envoy to return to Myanmar as soon as possible to continue his facilitation efforts.  And the full statement is available upstairs.

**Security Council

Turning to the Security Council, the Council is meeting today in closed consultations on Somalia.  Under discussion is a draft resolution, which calls for the re-establishment, for a period of six months, of the Monitoring Group, which focuses on arms embargo violations in that country.  We expect Council members to go into a formal meeting to vote on that resolution as soon as they are finished with their consultations.

**Afghanistan

On Afghanistan, the country has experienced a heightening of the challenges posed by the three main threats to peace and stability there –- namely, extremist violence, factionalism and the drug trade.  These are some of the observations made in the Secretary-General’s latest report on Afghanistan to the Security Council, which is available on the racks today.  In it, he also stresses the importance of security assistance, and is encouraged by NATO’s decision to make more troops available there –- hopefully, well ahead of the presidential elections.

**South Ossetia

Just a couple more items.  From South Ossetia, the United Nations Children’s Fund is in the process of providing rapid emergency assistance to displaced women and children from South Ossetia.  The women and children are fleeing an outbreak of fighting between the Government of Georgia and separatist forces in that region.

**Liberia Food Situation

And the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that the food situation remains dire in Liberia.  Dwindling food stocks and a funding shortfall have now forced the World Food Programme to cut rations for more than 700,000 Liberians, for the second time in two months.  The Programme is now distributing 70 per cent of the normal food rations, and more cuts are likely, unless donors make immediate contributions.

**Madagascar

From UNICEF in Madagascar, UNICEF is helping Madagascar’s health authorities with the largest vaccination campaign that country has ever had, which will be provided to seven-and-a-half million children.  And we have more information upstairs on that.

**NGO Web Site

And lastly, the NGO Section of the Department of Public Information is launching an interactive Web site in order to make the fifty-seventh Annual DPI/NGO Conference accessible to the broader public.  The Conference is entitled “Millennium Development Goals:  Civil Society Takes Action” and will take place from 8 to 10 September right here in New York.  And if you have any questions, please contact DPI’s NGO Office.

I think that’s it from me.  If you have any questions, I’ll be happy to take them.

**Questions and Answers

Question:  Is there any reaction to reports that Burundi and Rwanda’s officials are threatening to invade Congo if fighters who are believed to have been involved in the massacres are not disarmed?

Associate Spokesman:  Well, we have seen the statements from the Burundian army’s Chief of Staff, and the reaction from the United Nations Mission in Burundi is that, obviously, violence will not solve the situation.  It is only through negotiations that the situation can be resolved, and we hope that the Burundian authorities will exercise restraint.

On the issue of security, as I have pointed out, United Nations peacekeeping troops, both from the Burundian side and the DRC, have stepped up patrols, and we are flying helicopters now over a number of the camps.  Meanwhile, the UNHCR is working with the Burundian authorities to resettle the refugees further away from the border.

Question:  Can you tell us about the actual state of affairs in Najaf?

Associate Spokesman:  Well, we have no one on the ground in Najaf.  As you know, the National Conference has sent a delegation -– I think, of seven or eight people.  They have arrived today, and I am sure the Iraqi authorities will brief our folks on the ground -– Mr. Qazi and members of his team –- on what they find there, and we will then have a first- or second–hand account of the situation.  But we have no one -- we do not have eyes and ears on the ground in Najaf at this point.

Any other questions?  Thank you very much.

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