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 Rivière, Associate Spokesperson for the
Secretary-General.

Good afternoon.

**Security Council -- Today

As we speak, the Security Council members are about to go into an open meeting, where they are expected to vote on a Russian-sponsored draft resolution regarding counter-terrorism.

**Statement on Middle East

We have a statement on the bombings in Taba, Egypt.

“The Secretary-General condemns in the strongest terms yesterday’s bomb attacks in Taba, Egypt, that claimed the lives of more than 30 people and injured more than 120.  He extends his condolences to the families of the victims, as well as their governments, and sends his best wishes for a speedy recovery to all those injured.

“The Secretary-General wishes to emphasize yet again that no cause can justify acts of terror, perpetrated against civilians.  He denounces the attacks against a site that has long been a tangible example of peaceful coexistence in the Middle East.  He hopes that the perpetrators will be speedily brought to justice.”

And copies of that statement are of course available upstairs.

**Afghanistan

Tomorrow, as you know, will be Election Day in Afghanistan, allowing the people of that country to vote for their president for the first time.

The UN Mission in Afghanistan says that 4,900 polling stations will be open in the country’s 34 provinces.  More than 122,000 election workers will be deployed in Afghanistan, supported by some 600 international staff.  In addition, the Mission says there will be some 19,000 Afghan election workers helping to make sure that out-of-country voting takes place among Afghan refugees in Iran and Pakistan.

The Mission also noted today that some rockets were fired in eastern Kabul yesterday evening and early this morning, although no casualties were reported. Two children were wounded when rockets were fired early this morning in Jalalabad.  And we have more details upstairs from the briefing from the UN Mission in Afghanistan.

**Security Council -- Yesterday

For the record, the Security Council, in a press statement on Liberia following consultations yesterday morning, concluded that the conditions for lifting sanctions on diamond and timber were not fully met.  Council members noted progress though, towards meeting the conditions.

In the afternoon, in another press statement on Guinea Bissau, Council members condemned the use of force to settle differences or address grievances regarding long-standing problems in the military sector.  They deplored the loss of life including, in particular, the killing of the Armed Forces Chief of Staff, and called on all concerned to come to a speedy agreement consistent with respect for constitutional authority and the rule of law.

**Côte d’Ivoire

Turning to Côte d’Ivoire, the UN Mission in that country has expressed its deep concern at the upsurge of violations of human rights in Côte d’Ivoire.

It’s particularly disturbed by the incident that took place at the home of Alassane Ouattara, the President of the Rally for the Republicans, in Abidjan
4 October, during which one of his employees was murdered and three others were tortured.

The mission appeals to the national authorities, primarily responsible for the security of all citizens, to conduct investigations in order to shed light on this matter.  And we have more information in a press release from the mission upstairs.

**WHO/Polio Campaign Starts

Turning to polio, Africa’s largest ever immunization campaign began today.

More than one million polio vaccinators in 23 African countries are taking part in the campaign, which aims to immunize 80 million children across
sub-Saharan Africa against polio over just four days.

This effort is a direct response to an ongoing polio epidemic in the region.  We have more information on that upstairs.

**Human Rights

On human rights, the Special Rapporteur dealing with executions says in a report that she saw strong indications, when she visited Darfur, Sudan in June, that human rights violations there could constitute crimes against humanity.

In a report that’s out on the racks today, Asma Jahangir said there is a compelling need to carry out a comprehensive documentation of extrajudicial and summary executions in Darfur, in order to bring the perpetrators to justice.

She also discusses reports of executions around the world, and emphasizes that the death penalty must be interpreted in the most restrictive manner possible.

**UNICEF –- Child Mortality

New country-by-country data released by the UN Children’s Fund reveals alarmingly slow progress on reducing child deaths despite the availability of proven, low-cost interventions.

Child mortality rates vary considerably among regions and countries, but the most disturbing findings are those countries with rising child mortality rates.  In several of them, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and the Commonwealth of Independent States, children are less likely to make it to their fifth birthdays today than they were in 1990.

According to UNICEF’s chief, Carol Bellamy, it is “incredible that in an age of technological and medical marvels, child survival is so tenuous in so many places, especially for the poor and marginalized”.  “We can do better than this”, Ms. Bellamy said.

**Africa/Vitamins

And Africa is fighting back against vitamin and mineral deficiencies, saving millions of women and children from death and illness through simple, cost-effective strategies, such as fortifying staple foods.

But millions more children can be helped if current strategies and partnerships are extended to reach every country and every child.

That’s one of the key findings in a new report released today by the World Health Organization, as well as UNICEF, among other agencies.  And we have a press release upstairs.

**Nobel Peace Prize

Following is the Secretary-General’s statement on this year’s Nobel Peace Prize:

“The Secretary-General was delighted to learn of the award of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2004 to Wangari Maathai, which shows that the Nobel Committee shares his view on the need for a broad vision of human security, in which the connections between peace, development and responsible stewardship of the environment are clearly understood.

“Renowned and admired throughout her native Kenya and across Africa for her pioneering struggle against deforestation and for women’s rights and democracy, Ms. Maathai has also played an important role at UN conferences such as the Earth Summit, making an imprint on the global quest for sustainable development.  She has had a long and fruitful relationship with the United Nations, including membership on various UN advisory boards and juries.  Selfless and steadfast, Ms. Maathai has been a champion of the environment, of women, of Africa, and of anyone concerned about our future security.

“As a fellow African, as well as in his official capacity, the Secretary-General warmly congratulates Ms. Maathai on this richly earned recognition, and hopes this timely award will bring new urgency to the causes to which she has devoted her life.”

Klaus Toepfer, the Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme, has congratulated Professor Wangari Maathai, who, as you know, was awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize today.

Toepfer said that with understanding growing throughout the world of the close links between environmental protection and global security, it’s fitting

that the Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded this year to Africa’s staunchest defender of the environment.  We have copies of Mr. Toepfer’s statement upstairs.

Also, Maathai is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at UNEP’s first ever Global Women's Assembly on the Environment in Nairobi on Monday morning –- she’ll be speaking on the subject of “A World in Need of Women's Leadership”. And we expect any minute to have a statement from the Secretary-General congratulating the Nobel Peace Prize winner as well.  And that will be available upstairs.

**Guest on Monday

Our guest on Monday will be Vincent McClean, the New York representative of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, who will be here to launch the Opium Survey on Myanmar.

**Week Ahead

And today being, thankfully, Friday, we have the week ahead for you.

Any questions? Thank you very much, and have a wonderful weekend.

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