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.

**Anniversary, UN Baghdad Bombing

In marking the first anniversary of the bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, the Secretary-General said it was a personal tragedy –- for the families of the twenty-two who died and for their colleagues.  But, he added, it was also a personal tragedy because it was an attack on the Blue Flag and all who have devoted their lives to the United Nations.  He told the audience at a memorial service in Geneva that the attack was a unique blow, as it forced the United Nations to face that its staff has become one of the main targets of political violence.

Regarding security of staff, the Secretary-General said the systemic weaknesses have to be corrected.  And while much has been done, much remains to be done.  He assured staff members that he would always insist on the most stringent precautions.

On a more personal note, he said the last year has been not only difficult, but also deeply introspective.  He shared with the audience his sense of deep agony as the person who ultimately is responsible for their security and welfare.

In conclusion, he said the pain of the trauma will be with us for a long time but that our belief in the cause of peace is undiminished, our sense of mission is intact and our work goes on.  By furthering the cause of peace we pay tribute to those we cherished, he added.

The ceremony was simulcast to United Nations offices in New York and in Amman, Jordan, where similar ceremonies were held.  Those were presided over by the Deputy Secretary-General, Louise Fréchette, here in New York, and the Deputy Special Representative, RossMountain, in Amman.  In all three locations, families and friends of the 22 victims lit candles in their memories.

Also here in New York, we expect the President of the Security Council to read out a statement at the stakeout following the closed consultations that ended just a few minutes ago.

The full text of the Secretary-General’s message is available upstairs.

**Commemorative Ceremonies

From Baghdad, dozens of women and men, both Iraqi and international United Nations staff members, gathered this morning in the Diwan School in the International Zone for a ceremony to mark the anniversary.  During the ceremony, Ashraf Qazi, Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Iraq, delivered the message of the Secretary-General on the occasion and paid a special tribute to the victims, the survivors, those injured and their families for their determination to go ahead with their sense of mission in serving the Iraqis and other peoples around the world in line with the United Nations mandate.

A religious service, including an imam and two priests was conducted, and prior to the ceremony, Mr. Qazi gathered with the United Nations local colleagues and expressed his appreciation for their perseverance in conducting their functions in difficult conditions and their dedication to the United Nations objectives.

Other ceremonies were held in United Nations missions around the world.  In Kabul, Afghanistan, a tree was planted and a plaque mounted at the United Nations operation centre to honour the memory of the victims of the Baghdad terror attack.  In a message to United Nations staff in Afghanistan, the head of the mission, Jean Arnault, said the magnitude of what had happened a year ago serves as a reminder of the scale of the risk that the United Nations is facing in many of its operations today.

In Nicosia, Cyprus, a special memorial ceremony was held at the headquarters of the United Nations peacekeeping force there.  More than a hundred United Nations military, police and civilian personnel were in attendance.  Similar ceremonies were held by United Nations missions in Sudan and Burundi, among others.

**Côte d’Ivoire

On this day that the United Nations is commemorating the first anniversary of the bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, all Ivorian parties should be reminded of the United Nations’ commitment to peace.  That was the message delivered today in Abidjan by the Special Representative for Côte d’Ivoire, Albert Tevoedjre.

Tevoedjre said he was encouraged by the Ivorian Parliament’s current efforts to adopt, in emergency session, the legal reforms called by in the Linas-Marcoussis Agreement, and he urged them to complete this task.  He also welcomed other efforts taken to restore normalcy in the country, including the meeting earlier this week of top military commanders from the national army, the rebel Forces Nouvelles and the French peacekeeping forces.  The objective must now be, he said, the full implementation, in letter and in spirit, of the agreements designed to set the country back on the path to peace.

**National Conference in Iraq

Late yesterday afternoon, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Iraq, Ashraf Qazi said in a statement that he was pleased that the National Conference had concluded with the establishment of an Interim Council after four days of vigorous debate and deliberation.  He noted with satisfaction the spirit of dialogue that prevailed among the participants throughout the Conference.

Qazi said he hoped this considerable development in the transitional process will lead to further dialogue among all Iraqis and wider political participation.  He also expressed satisfaction regarding the United Nations role in assisting the organizers throughout the last few weeks on the best options for the preparations and the conduct of the Conference to ensure inclusiveness and meaningful participation.  He reiterated that the United Nations mission in Iraq will continue its assistance to the Iraqi Electoral Commission for the conduct of free and fair elections by 31 January next year.

**Security Council

The Security Council was briefed in closed consultations this morning by Ambassador Yuli Vorontsov, the High-Level Coordinator, on the issue of the repatriation or return of all Kuwaiti and third-country nationals or their remains, stemming from the first Gulf War.

Ambassador Vorontsov presented to the Council the Secretary-General’s latest report on this issue.  In that report, the Secretary-General says that the number of resolved cases has increased from 92 to 167, which reflects ongoing progress.  The report can be found on the Council’s Web site.

**DRC/Burundi

The situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in Burundi continues to be tense following the massacre at the Gatumba refugee camp in Burundi and subsequent statements by government and military authorities.

In the DRC yesterday, the United Nations Mission convened the International Committee in Support of the Transition, which includes 13 memberStates and representatives of the African Union, the European Union and the European Commission, to discuss the deteriorating situation in the region.  Also yesterday, the United Nations Mission’s spokesperson in Kinshasa noted that the escalation of hostile verbal accusations by political and military actors in the region were spreading the fear among the population and radicalizing public opinion.

From the DRC, we also have a press release from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs about the assistance being provided to the internally displaced in the high planes of eastern DRC as a result of continuing tension in the area of Bukavu.

Regarding Burundi, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative there, Carolyn McAskie, is returning to Bujumbura after having participated as an active observer in the Dar es Salaam Summit of African leaders, which strongly condemned the attack on the Gatumba camp, declared the Forces Nationales de Liberation (FNL), a terrorist organization and urged the African Union and the Security Council to support this decision.

From Bujumbura, we have reports of fighting between the Burundian Armed Forces and the FNL on Tuesday night, in the Kabezi area, some 20 kilometres south of Bujumbura.  As a result of this fighting, about 1,500 internally displaced Burundians sought refuge overnight at a nearby United Nations military compound.  Six people are thought to have died in that fighting.

**Sudan Update

From Sudan, a reminder that the Joint Implementation Mechanism (JIM) co-chaired by the United Nations Special Representative Jan Pronk and the Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Ismail, will hold its fourth meeting this evening in Khartoum to assess progress made in the implementation of the Darfur Plan of Action.  Mr. Pronk is expected to come to New York to present his assessment to the Secretary-General at the end of August.

Humanitarian agencies meanwhile report that the situation in West Darfur is relatively calm, although some tensions persist in the south-east of the State due to fear of militia attacks.  Humanitarian efforts continue around Geneina town and other areas of West Darfur to avert further spreading of a jaundice/Hepatitis E outbreak.  The World Food Programme has completed airdrops in the three areas in West Darfur, and is planning more in the Geneina area.

We have reports that earlier this week, the African Union monitors looking into violent incidents, which took place in Kalma camp on 12 August, confirmed the looting of the camp and brutal treatment and harassment of the internally displaced persons there by the Sudanese military, who intervened following the incident.

In South Darfur, the residents of the village of Yara (around the capital Nyala), where some 6,000 IDPs are concentrated, confirmed to a United Nations humanitarian and security assessment team, which visited the area yesterday, that the village was secure as a result of the increased police presence.  The team reported that 94 policemen from Khartoum were deployed in the area of Yara.

Finally, delegations from the Sudanese Government and the Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement are expected to attend a conference on mine action strategy for Sudan, to be held in Nairobi, Kenya, on 26 August.  The objective of the conference, which will be facilitated by the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Mine Action Service, is to assist both parties in developing a national mine action strategy that meets the immediate needs of the emergency humanitarian situation and plans ahead to post-conflict Sudan.

**MINUGUA/Human Rights Office

The United Nations Mission in Guatemala has expressed concern over threats made to the country’s Human Rights Ombudsman.  The concerns centre on threats and attacks made on a candidate for Guatemala City’s municipal elections, and threats made to Ombudsman staff, who were dealing with that matter.  The Mission has called on the local authorities to investigate.

We have a press release from the Mission with more details, but it is only in Spanish.

**UNDP on Bangladesh

Mark Malloch Brown, the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, has praised the Bangladeshi Government for its response to the recent floods there, but he warns that money is now needed for the “very expensive” next stage of rehabilitation of health facilities, schools and the economy.  Malloch Brown made the comments at the end of a three-day visit to Bangladesh.

And there is a press release from the UNDP upstairs on that.

**UNICEF/South Ossetia

UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, is rushing emergency assistance in the form of school supplies and sporting equipment to South Ossetia.  It’s also mobilizing volunteers to assist the several hundred children escaping the conflict there.  UNICEF says over 500 children and thousands of women began to flee from an outbreak of fighting between Georgian troops and the separatist forces last week.  And we have more on that upstairs, as well.

**Brazil-Haiti Soccer Game

Finally and last up, for those of you who may have missed it, Brazil beat Haiti six-nil in yesterday’s friendly soccer match.  Brazil’s President, Ignacio Lula da Silva, and Haiti’s interim Government came up with the idea of using the game to promote a spirit of peace and to bring people together.  The United Nations Mission focused on providing safety and security, and also used the opportunity to promote awareness of major themes, such as peace and AIDS awareness.

That’s all I have for you.

**Questions and Answers

Question:  The Secretary-General warned this morning that United Nations representatives have become targets of physical violence.  Can you tell us what steps have been taken to ensure security of United Nations representatives since the bombing last year?

Spokesman:  I can’t give you any specifics, except to say that we have dramatically increased our spending on security worldwide, as well as here at Headquarters and other headquarters locations.  So we have taken a lot of measures to improve security wherever we work.  It’s not enough, as the Secretary-General said this morning.

We had begun to review our security systems worldwide even before 19 August last year.  The Secretary-General had commissioned a study by Scotland Yard that, in fact, had been completed and turned in to us on something like 6 August last year, just before the bombing in Baghdad.  The events in Baghdad, of course, forced us to reassess, and following the two internal studies that we had done –- one by [former Finnish President] Martti Ahtisaari and one by [former Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees] Gerald Walzer –- a fresh assessment was then commissioned.  And that has just been completed and it is now being prepared for presentation to the General Assembly in September or October.  So you will get a comprehensive review of our assessment of the new security threat to the United Nations, our response to that threat thus far and our plans for the future when that report goes to the General Assembly.

Question:  So nothing concrete yet?

Spokesman:  First of all, we don’t discuss details, so I cannot tell you concrete details of what is going on.  If you walk around the premises here, you will see a big fence going up on the north end of the property.  If you look around the building and around the premises, you will see television cameras that were not there before.  I mean, there are certain things that are obvious, that you can see.  You will see more uniformed security officers; you will see officers walking around with bomb-sniffing dogs.  All of this is new and expensive, but except for these visible things that I’m sure you have seen, we don’t discuss specific measures that we take on security.

Question:  How many of the people injured last August are sill under medical treatment?

Spokesman:  I’ll have to find that out for you.  I think, there are a number still undergoing treatment in London and elsewhere, and Catherine Bertini’s Office has all that information.  She is the Under-Secretary-General for Management and the Interim Security Coordinator.  So I will check with her Office after the briefing for you.

Question:  I understand that there was quite a number of complaints that the United Nations has been callous and unresponsive to their needs.  Is there anything specific on this that you can say?

Spokesman:  It is a very trying time for everyone, the relatives of the deceased and those who were injured.  Ms. Bertini’s Office has assigned individual staff members to individual families, to stay as close to them as possible.  If there are still complaints that we haven’t been sensitive enough, well, I take those on board.  But I know that a special effort was made to deal individually with each family.

Question:  Regarding Sudan, you said Mr. Pronk would be coming to New York to brief the Secretary-General at the end of the month?  Or how will that work out?

Spokesman:  Our expectation is he will be coming here, first to brief the Secretary-General, and then the Secretary-General’s report will go to the Security Council.  We’ll have to see what the arrangements will be for a briefing of the Council, but my understanding is that Pronk will be here.

Question:  Regarding my question yesterday, I didn’t quite get what you said on the way in.  Are you saying that because the allegations are broad and not very specific, there will be no official response?

Spokesman:  No, I said that your criticism of United Nations documents was so broad that it is not something that I can give a responsible answer to in 24 hours.  So we have sent your question and a copy of your article upstairs.  I do expect to get a response, I just don’t have one today.

Question:  On the logistics of United Nations reporting to the Security Council, does the Secretary-General sign those reports personally?  Where do they originate and what is the clearance procedure?

Spokesman:  It is different for every single report.  These reports usually originate in the relevant Department –- Political Affairs, Peacekeeping –- and work their way up to the Secretary-General’s Office, where they are reviewed, discussed with the departments, adjustments are made.  Very often the Secretary-General himself is personally involved in the finalization of those reports before they are presented to the Council.

The reporting mechanism that we have to the Council is different under Kofi Annan, where experts, the people most knowledgeable about the subject brief the Council as opposed to having just one person on the Secretary-General’s staff brief the Council on all subjects, which was the case under the previous administration.  So I think that Kofi Annan feels that he has taken steps to orally brief the Council in greater detail on all of these matters.  And I think as far as we are concerned, the efforts that go into the drafting of all those reports are considerable, but I will try to get a response to your specific criticism.

Thank you very much.

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