Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

AND THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT

Following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, and Djibril Diallo, Spokesman for the General Assembly President.

Spokesman for the Secretary-General

Good afternoon.

**Guest at Noon

Desmond Johns, the Director of the New York Office of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS, will be joining us today to talk about the “AIDS Epidemic Update”, which has been launched around the world today.

He’ll be up here in just a few minutes.  The number of women living with HIV has risen in each region of the world over the past two years, according to this year’s AIDS Epidemic Update, and that’s put out jointly by the World Health Organization and UNAIDS, and he’ll be talking about that.

**Secretary-General’s Statement on Afghanistan

The Secretary-General is delighted to learn of the release of Annetta Flanigan, Shqipe Hebibi and Angelito Nayan, the three United Nations staff members who were abducted in Afghanistan on 28 October 2004.  He is profoundly relieved that their ordeal and the anxiety of their families and friends are now ended.  The Secretary-General spoke to each one of them by phone earlier today.

The Secretary-General also spoke to President Hamid Karzai this morning to commend him and the Government of Afghanistan for the crucial role that they played in securing their safe release and he expressed his gratitude to the people of Afghanistan for their outpouring of sympathy and support for our colleagues over the past 27 days.

He also spoke to Jean Arnault, his Special Representative in Afghanistan, to congratulate him and asked him to convey his gratitude to the UN family for their courage, dedication and solidarity during these difficult times.

The Secretary-General further thanks the international forces for their support to the Afghan authorities.

The Afghan people have high expectations and hopes with regard to the role of the United Nations.  The United Nations system will continue to work to strengthen the security of its staff in order to enable it to fulfil the Organization's mandate to further peace, reconstruction and democracy in Afghanistan.

**Afghanistan

The UN Mission in Afghanistan reported that the three released staff members seem fine and are in good spirits.  They are to join their family members soon.

The Mission expressed its appreciation for the support we have received from the Afghan authorities and the public during the 27 days that they were in captivity.

**Secretary-General in Egypt

The Secretary-General today urged the governments gathered at the International Conference on Iraq to send a united message to the Iraqi people:  “The international community”, he said “believes in you.  We are determined to help you succeed.”

He said that the United Nations is committed to helping Iraq, including its work today to coordinate international aid and to assist Iraq’s electoral authorities.

“The measure of our success is not the number of staff we have in Iraq”, he said.  “It is the degree to which we translate our commitment into effective support for Iraq’s transition.”

We have copies of his speech upstairs.

The participants at the conference, held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, agreed to a communiqué that affirmed the right of the Iraqi people to a secure and stable life, and to determine freely their future through democratic means and to exercise full control over their natural and financial resources.

While in Sharm el-Sheikh, the Secretary-General also had a working breakfast with the other members of the Middle Eastern Quartet, which brings together the United Nations, the European Union, Russia and the United States.  He told reporters afterward that all the Quartet members are encouraged by what is happening in the Middle East, and reaffirmed their determination to support the Palestinian elections that are due in January.

Asked about the issue of freedom of movement for Palestinians during the electoral period, the Secretary-General said that, if elections are to be held, then people are going to have to move around so some of the restriction will have to be lifted.  “We are hopeful that it will be done.”

We have copies of that press encounter upstairs.

**Palestinian Elections

Pascal Soto, the UN electoral expert who is providing technical assistance for the Palestinian elections, began his first day of work in the region today, meeting with his Palestinian and European counterparts.

Soto held meetings today with the authorities at the Palestinian Central Elections Commission and with the European Union’s electoral component, one day after he arrived to begin his work.

**UNICEF - Iraq

UNICEF, the UN Children’s Fund, today again expressed deep concern about the impact of the hostilities in Iraq and the impact this is having on the overall well-being of the country’s children.

UNICEF says that, in addition to the ongoing difficulties of living amidst daily violence and widespread insecurity, children are also suffering from the inadequacy of basic services, such as water and sanitation.

Latest reports are showing that acute malnutrition among young children has nearly doubled since March 2003.

And there’s more in a press release upstairs.

**Sudan

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sudan, Jan Pronk, is deeply concerned at the escalating violence in Darfur over the last two days.

He says the attack by the rebel Sudan Liberation Army, the SLA, taking the town of Tawila in north Darfur, constitutes a clear violation of the recently signed Abuja Security Protocol, and places tens of thousands of civilians at risk.

The fighting has already forced the suspension of humanitarian activities around El Fashir and threatens other humanitarian activities in the region.

Pronk also condemned in the strongest terms the killing of policemen and civilians at a camp housing displaced persons in south Darfur, and called on the Government of Sudan and the SLA to halt all fighting there immediately.

Pronk expects the parties to account for their actions at the 25 November meeting of the Joint Commission in N’djamena, Chad.

A special meeting of the United Nations, the African Union, the Government of Sudan and the major donor countries will be held tomorrow to consider the consequences of the attack on Tawila town.

**Security Council Mission

We just heard from the Security Council mission, which has arrived in Bujumbura, Burundi.

In remarks to the press upon arrival, French Ambassador Jean-Marc de la Sablière said the purpose of the mission he is leading is to support the transition process in the country and the Burundian people.

During its stay, he said the Security Council hopes to relay the message that elections scheduled for next year will be held as scheduled.

In the meantime, he hopes that all the reforms envisaged in the peace agreements will be implemented, including the reconstruction and integration of the armed forces.  The mission left Kinshasa early this morning and arrived in Bukavu, in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

While in Bukavu, Council members met with local political and military leaders, as well as with UN mission representatives.

**Security Council

The main officials of the two international criminal Tribunals today told the Security Council, here in New York, that they are meeting their targets to complete their work, but also pleaded for more cooperation.

Carla Del Ponte, the Prosecutor for the Tribunal dealing with the former Yugoslavia, told the Security Council in its open meeting that the lack of cooperation by some States in arresting and transferring people is an obstacle that could still derail the completion strategy.  She said that 20 fugitives are still at large, and most should be tried in The Hague.

Hassan Jallow, the Prosecutor for the Rwanda Tribunal, said he is committed to the deadline for concluding investigations by the end of this year.  He said that 2005 will pose a real challenge, with the Tribunal having its highest number of simultaneous trials ever.

The Tribunal Presidents said that the Yugoslavia Tribunal has completed or is holding proceedings involving 60 accused, while the one in Rwanda has a total of completed and ongoing cases involving 48 accused.

We have all the official speeches available upstairs.

**Côte d’Ivoire

The UN Mission in Côte d’Ivoire says the human rights situation in the country is worrisome.

Cases of abuses, arbitrary arrests and detention incommunicado, as well as forced disappearances continue to be reported nationwide.

The UN Human Rights Office in Bouaké, in the north, reported yesterday increasing cases of forced disappearances, arrests and detention of people accused of being pro-Gbagbo, referring to the President.

In this connection, the rebel Forces Nouvelles has proposed the nomination of a Liaison Officer with the mandate to interact on human rights issues with the Bouaké Office, the mission reports.

**Liberia

Liberia’s national elections scheduled to take place in October next year will be key to sustainable peace in the war-torn country, visiting Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guéhenno said today in Monrovia.

We have more on his visit in a press release upstairs.

**UNHCR - Colombia

A mission from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has confirmed deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the municipality of Bojaya, in Colombia's western province of Chocó.

And we have more on that in a press release.

**WFP/FAO – DPRK

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea will require food aid for more than a quarter of its population next year, despite its best harvest in ten years.

And that is the finding of a joint report by the World Food Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization.

There’s more in a press release on that upstairs.

**Apologies to the “Wires”

Dealing with the Staff Council matter last week, I referred to wire service stories, or even to wire services in the plural, and some of you complained that I was casting aspersions.  So, I didn’t want to name the specific wire service that ran the story Thursday night, that caused this hubbub, but I’m afraid that in justice to the others, I have to.  It was Agence France Presse, English Language Service.  Apologies to the others. 

**Guest at Noon Tomorrow

Finally, our guest at the noon briefing tomorrow will be Juan Gabriel Valdes, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Haiti. And he’ll be here to talk to you about the situation in that country.

That’s all I have for you.  Yes, Jonathan?

**Questions and Answers

Question:  A couple of questions.  Will Kofi Annan have some comments about the Third Committee vote today that sort of let Sudan off-the-hook in terms of accountability for what’s going on in Darfur?  And the second question is:  We’ve learned that the Iraqi Mission to the United Nations is planning to, or has submitted a letter to the Security Council complaining that their money is going to the Volcker investigation.  Is there some sort of comment from your office about what the ramifications would be if that money were to no longer go to the Commission, the investigation, as it was earmarked earlier?  What sort of impact would that have on the Volcker investigation?  Where would the money be found then to pay for the investigation?

Spokesman:  I don’t think the Secretary-General would comment on your first question.  But, I’m not with him, he’s abroad and we’ll have to see.

On the second, I know that I announced to you that the Secretary-General sent a letter to the Council saying that, following consultations with the Council, he decided to seek appropriations for the Volcker Commission to be drawn from the so-called “2.2 per cent Account”, in other words, the “oil-for-food” money set aside for UN administration.  We did indeed receive a letter from Iraq questioning that.  We sent that letter to the Secretary-General for comment.  That letter was then answered last week, saying that we feel that it is a legitimate use of the 2.2 Account, and that members of the Security Council agreed with that judgment.  So we’ll see where that goes from here.  But as far as we’re concerned, this is an administrative decision made with the blessing of the Council and I don’t anticipate now it would be changed.  Therefore, the rest of your question is irrelevant.

Question:  Would it be possible to get the letter, the response to the Iraqi mission?

Spokesman:  I can ask for you.  I mean there’s a limit to how much of this correspondence we’ll go public with, but I’ll ask for you.

Question:  And another thing is, if the Security Council on reviewing the Iraqi mission’s complaint, decided that yes, indeed, we don’t want money to be taken out of the Iraqi budget, or Iraqi money that was allocated for the oil-for-food programme, where would the United Nations find the $30 million needed to run the Volcker investigation?

Spokesman:  If you look at the Secretary-General’s initial letter, you’ll see that he considered going to the General Assembly for an assessment.  So it would either have to be paid by Member States or paid out of the 2.2 Account.  Those were the two options.  So he consulted, decided, after consulting Council members, that this was a legitimate use of the 2.2 funds and therefore that was his decision and that’s what they agreed with.  James?

Question:  Just to follow up with the Congo sex scandal story.  In Maggie’s piece from the LA Times today, it said one of the investigators sent to investigate the sex scandal was himself caught soliciting a prostitute.  Is that true?

Spokesman:  It’s unfortunate that that appears to reflect badly on the OIOS investigators.  In fact, this was an auditor sent from Kinshasa.  So it was not one of the OIOS investigators.  I don’t think I can give you any more details, given that this is an investigation and it’s under investigation.  I can’t provide you with names but I can tell you that I was informed by OIOS this morning, this was not one of their people.

Question:  Fred, we saw a wall in front of the UN is being built.  Is that a new security measure?

Spokesman:  We’re in the process of putting up a new fence around the perimeter.  The old one is practically a ladder; it’s very easy to climb up and over.  And, in fact, you’ll remember we had an incident over a year or so ago where someone actually did that and fired a shot at the UN building.  So, it will be a new fence coming up and in the meantime they put that very high security fence, further in towards the building, while they do the construction around the perimeter.  So I don’t know how long that will take, but anyway, they’re just beginning that work now.

Question:  On this investigator.  You said he was an auditor sent from Kinshasa?

Spokesman: That’s all I know.  That’s all I was told by OIOS.  I don’t know…

Question:  Where was he sent to then from Kinshasa?

Spokesman:  I don’t know.  I assume he went to the east where there was an investigation into the abuses in the Bunia area.  I can try to…

Question:  Was he actually investigating the sex scandal?  Or was he doing something else?

Spokesman:  I don’t know.  I just got this e-mail from OIOS shortly before the briefing.  I can check with them after the briefing to see what other additional information I might be able to provide to you.

[Later, the Spokesman announced that the individual who was accused of soliciting a prostitute in the DRC was not an OIOS investigator and was in no way involved in the investigation into the sexual abuse in the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  He is a resident auditor of OIOS and, therefore, an employee of OIOS.]

Spokesman for General Assembly President

Today the GeneralAssembly is considering the following items:

First is agenda item 163 entitled “the situation in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan”. In connection with this item, the Assembly has before it a draft resolution issued as document A/59/L.32.  The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, Elmar Mammadyarov, introduced this draft resolution to the General Assembly.  Since consultations on this subject are still going on, action on the draft resolution is postponed to a later date yet to be announced.

This item was newly added to the Agenda of the General Assembly on 22 October on the request of Azerbaijan.

The second item has to do with the implementation and follow-up of the outcomes of major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic, social and related fields.  The General Assembly will also take up the report of the Secretary-General on the follow-up to the outcome of the Millennium Summit.

Yesterday,the General Assembly met to begin planning for next year’s summit-level progress review.  Delegations generally agreed to a broad set of proposals offered by the Secretary-General on the modalities of the event, including that it be held from 14 to 16 September 2005, following the format and structure of the Millennium Summit -- that format being three days of plenary debate, made up of two meetings per day and four round-table discussions.

Speakers generally supported the Secretary General’s proposals regarding another High-Level Dialogue on Financing for Development -- also set for next year -- stressing that that event should receive a high level of participation from all stakeholders, be visible and send a message of strong political commitment.  Others suggested that more time be devoted to informal discussions on when and where that follow-up to the 2002 Conference, held in Monterrey, Mexico, should take place.  The Secretary-General also suggested that the High-Level Dialogue be held in Geneva, Switzerland, in June or July 2005.

As you know, four years ago, world leaders adopted the Millennium Declaration at the conclusion of the United Nations Millennium Summit, setting out a blueprint to build a better and safer world for the next century through collective security and a global partnership for development.  The so-called Millennium Development Goals aimed at a series of ambitious targets ranging from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS to providing universal primary education, all by the year 2015.

Last May, the Assembly decided to hold in New York in 2005, at the beginning of its sixtieth session, a ministerial-level meeting to review implementation of the Declaration and the integrated follow-up to other major United Nations conferences and summits.

Also yesterday, the General Assembly adopted a resolution commemorating the sixtieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War, and declared 8 to 9 May as a time of remembrance and reconciliation and invited all Member States, organizations of the United Nations system, non-governmental organizations and individuals to observe annually either one or both of those days in an appropriate manner to pay tribute to all who lost their lives in that War.  The Assembly would also hold a special solemn plenary meeting in the second week of May 2005 in commemoration of the sacrifices made during the War.

Moving onto the Committees work:  The Third Committee,moving into the second week of meetings devoted to action on the wide range of issues before it, adopted yesterday two draft resolutions. One resolution, relating to extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; and another resolution relating to the elimination of religious intolerance respectively -- within its consideration of human rights.

Having adopted the text on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions by a recorded vote of 130 in favour to none against, with 45 abstentions, the Committee would have the General Assembly strongly condemn all such executions throughout the world and demand that all governments ensure that their practice was brought to an end.

Noting with grave concern that such practices could result in genocide or crimes against humanity, and that impunity continued to be a major cause of the perpetuation of violations of human rights -- including such executions -- the text would have the world body reiterate the obligation of all Member States to conduct exhaustive and impartial investigations into all suspected cases of extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.

The text would also have the Assembly call upon all States in which the death penalty had not been abolished to comply with their obligations under relevant provisions of international human rights instruments.

The second draft, adopted by a recorded vote of 177 in favour to none against, with no abstentions, addressed the elimination of all forms of religious intolerance and would have the General Assembly urge States to ensure that their constitutional and legal systems provided effective guarantees of freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief.

Urging States to ensure that no one within their jurisdiction was deprived of their right to life, liberty and security of person, the right to freedom of expression, the right not to be subjected to torture and the right not to be arbitrarily arrested and detained because of their religion or belief, the text would urge them to combat hatred, intolerance and acts of violence, intimidation and coercion motivated by intolerance.

The text would also have the General Assembly call upon all States to recognize the right of all persons to worship or assemble in connection with a religion or belief, and express grave concern at all attacks upon religious places, sites and shrines.

Any questions? If not, thank you.

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