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 Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Good afternoon. 

**Secretary-General’s Statement on Middle East

Starting off with a statement on the Middle East.

The Secretary-General strongly condemns the double terrorist attack today in the Israeli city of Beersheba that killed at least 15 people and wounded many more.  He sends his deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims.  The Secretary-General calls on the Palestinian Authority to do everything possible to bring the perpetrators to justice and to put an end to such heinous crimes.  We have copies of the statement available upstairs.

**Sudan

Turning to the Sudan:  A search and rescue operation with helicopter is underway today to locate the three local staff of the World Food Programme (WFP) with whom radio contact was lost on Saturday in Darfur, Sudan.  Also missing are five Sudanese Red Crescent staff.

The last radio contact with the aid workers was at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, in the vicinity of Shangel Tubai, approximately 30 kilometres south of El Fashir.

The local Sudanese authorities and the rebel groups, SLA and JEM, have assured the United Nations that they are exerting all efforts to assist in providing any information that might get on their whereabouts.

A Crisis Management Centre has been established in El Fashir.

**Sudan - Humanitarian Situation

The political talks in Abuja, Nigeria, are continuing today and the discussions are focused on the humanitarian cluster.

The African Union, with the support of the United Nations partners, presented the parties with a consolidated draft paper on humanitarian assessment.

On the humanitarian front, we have available upstairs health updates from the World Health Organization (WHO) concerning Sudanese internally displaced persons in Darfur, as well as Sudanese refugees in Chad.  It contains facts and figures on the situation of clean drinking water and sanitation, hepatitis E, cholera, and other health problems and needs.

**Iraq

From Iraq, our team in Baghdad reports that the Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative, RossMountain, today met with Daoud Kassem, Iraq’s Minister of State and discussed the developments in Najaf and Al Thawra City, also known as Al-SadrCity, in Baghdad.  Iraqi authorities invited the United Nations to attend a national conference held today in Baghdad on the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Al Thawra City.

The conference was attended by Prime Minister Allawi and members of his cabinet.  A large number of tribal and religious leaders representing Al Thawra City discussed directly with the Iraqi officials the development programmes that need to be undertaken in there.  More information on this is available upstairs.

**UNESCO

From the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), we have a statement making an urgent plea for the release of two French journalists currently held hostage in Iraq.  The pair, Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot, disappeared ten days ago on the road between Baghdad and Najaf.

UNESCO’s Director-General, Koichiro Matsuura, said it’s unacceptable that conflicting factions in Iraq should use the pair as pawns.  He also condemned the targeting of journalists in Iraq.  We have more information upstairs in a UNESCO press release.

**Security Council

Turning to the Security Council:  Members of the Council are today holding consultations on Burundi.

Jean-Marie Guéhenno, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, briefed the Council on the Secretary-General’s most recent report on Burundi, which came out on the racks yesterday, and which we have already flagged for you.

Today is also the last day of the Russian presidency of the Security Council.  Starting tomorrow, Spain assumes the Security Council presidency for the month of September.

**UNHCR

The number of asylum seekers in industrialized countries has dropped to the lowest level in 17 years, according to statistics released by the UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency.

According to UNHCR, the total number of asylum claims in 30 industrialized countries during the first six months of 2004 was 22 per cent lower than during the first half of 2003.  In addition, the monthly average for the first half of this year is at its lowest level since 1987.

France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and Austria were the top five countries of asylum over this period.  Russians -- most of whom are believed to be Chechens -- were still the top group seeking asylum, followed by nationals of Serbia and Montenegro, China, Turkey and India.  And more information is available upstairs from UNHCR.

**Bangladesh

From Bangladesh, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh is urging donors not to forget the devastating floods there, which killed 900 people and displaced four million others.  The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says so far, only one third of the $210 million requested through a flash appeal has been received.

Many flood victims still have no income and are vulnerable to disease, and drinking water is in short supply.  Also, because many seed stocks were swept away, and the deadline for planting new crops is swiftly approaching, farmers need seeds now if the next harvest is to meet the country’s future food requirements.  More than half of all Bangladeshis are dependent on agriculture as their livelihood.

**HIV/AIDS

A meeting organized by UNAIDS and the World Health Organization stressed the need for greater participation of women and adolescents in HIV vaccine clinical trials.

Experts at the meeting, which took place over the weekend in Lausanne, Switzerland, said that women exposed to HIV are at least twice as likely to become infected with the virus as their male counterparts.  AIDS also places young people at high risk, with about half of the new HIV infections in the developing world affecting people between the ages of 15 and 24.  We have a press release from UNAIDS upstairs.

**Cyprus

Also upstairs, we have a press release from Cyprus, announcing the latest meeting of the Committee on Missing Persons.

**UNEP

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) announced today the publication of the latest issue of their magazine, called Our Planet.  The issue examines the role of women throughout the developing world in the use and care of the natural environment.

**UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Hicham El Guerrouj

And finally, an Olympic note, even though the Games are now over -- Morocco’s double Olympic gold medalist, Hicham El Guerrouj, will be using his popularity and fame on the track later this year to promote UNICEF’s early childhood development campaign, which targets children in the critical toddler phase.  El Guerrouj is an active Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF. 

Proceeds from the campaign will go to early childhood projects in Morocco, in areas such as health, nutrition and social skills development for young children up to the age of three.

And that’s it for me.  Do you have any questions?

**Questions and Answers

Question:  The report on Sudan -- could you tell us the status?  We understand Mr. Pronk has handed it in to the Secretary-General.  Was this done directly?  Is the Secretary-General back?  We thought he was on vacation.

Associate Spokesman:  No, the Secretary-General continues to be on holiday.  He has received the report, or was supposed to have at least received it by noon today.  He and Mr. Pronk did have a phone conversation earlier today, in which Mr. Pronk briefed him on his mission. 

We expect the Council members to receive an advance English-only copy of the report prior to the Council meeting, which is scheduled on Thursday morning.

And we do expect, also, Mr. Pronk to take your questions at the stakeout following the open part of the Security Council meeting on Thursday.

Question:  Don’t we have a briefing with the Spanish Ambassador on Thursday?

Associate Spokesman:  Yes, you also do have a meeting with the Spanish Ambassador on Thursday, but we’ll try to fit all those pieces of the puzzle in.

That’s it?  Thank you very much.

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