Daily Press Briefing by the OfficeS 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,

**Sudan

The United Nations and its partners in the Sudan, today, appealed for $1.5 billion for an urgent programme to support humanitarian, protection, recovery and development activities in that country through the year 2005.

The funding needs include over $600 million for life-saving and sustaining activities in the western region of Darfur where there are currently 2.2 million conflict-affected persons, including 1.6 million internally displaced persons.  A total of 2.5 million vulnerable conflict-affected persons is anticipated next year.

The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for the Sudan, Jan Pronk, launched the appeal in Geneva.  And we have available upstairs a press release with more details.

**Security Council

The Security Council held two back-to-back formal meetings this morning.

In the first, the Council heard a briefing on its recent mission to Central Africa by French Ambassador Jean Marc de la Sablière, who led it.  The written mission report is due out shortly.

Then, the Council held a formal meeting to approve a letter regarding the establishment of a trust fund for security arrangements in Iraq.

**Council Letter on Iraq

The letter from the Security Council now grants the Secretary-General the mandate to set up a trust fund to accept financial contributions from Member States to establish a distinct entity to provide security for the UN operations of Iraq.

This force, which is commonly referred to as the “Middle Ring”, would operate under the unified command of the multinational force.

In a letter from October of this year, the Foreign Minister of the Netherlands, Bernard Bot, writing on behalf of the European Union, said that EU member States were ready to contribute $12 million to financing the force.

**Security Council – Change of Presidency

Today is the last day of the U.S. presidency of the Security Council.  Algeria assumes the presidency for the month of December.

**Middle East

With just a few weeks to go before he leaves his post, Terje Roed-Larsen, the UN’s Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, became the first United Nations official to be invited to appear before the Israeli Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee.

Earlier today, Roed-Larsen briefed Committee members on his recent trip to Syria, Lebanon and Egypt, stressing the existence of "potential opportunities" in the region.

In particular, he emphasized President Bashar Al-Assad's willingness to resume negotiations without preconditions and within the framework of relevant Security Council resolutions and the principle of land for peace.

Roed-Larsen urged Israel to grab Al-Assad's outstretched hand.

The meeting also focused on the potential for movement on the Israeli-Palestinian track and on relations between Israel and the UN.

**World AIDS Day

Tomorrow is World AIDS Day, and the World Health Organization has declared that women and girls living with HIV/AIDS must have access to life-saving anti-retroviral medicines.

To mark the occasion, the Secretary-General will address representatives and clients of major investment banks tomorrow morning.  Later, at 7:30 in the evening, there will be a free, public, cultural programme held at Saint John’s the Divine Cathedral.

And then also tomorrow, Jack Chow, the Assistant Director-General of the World Health Organization, will open the NASDAQ Stock Market.  And we have more information on that upstairs.

Today at 1:15 p.m. in the UN Bookstore, UN Development Programme Administrator Mark Malloch Brown will launch “Telling Tales”, a collection of short stories published for the benefit of HIV/AIDS victims in southern Africa.  He’ll be joined by writers Nadine Gordimer, Salman Rushdie and John Updike.

Prior to that, at 12:30 p.m., in this room, Mr. Malloch Brown will hold a press conference.  The book will also be launched tonight at 6:50 p.m. in the Delegates’ Dining Room, where the Secretary-General will make remarks.

**WHO/AIDS Drugs Reinstated

And while on the topic of AIDS -– some welcome news from the World Health Organization.

After further tests, WHO is reinstating two anti-retrovirals manufactured by Cipla, an Indian firm, on its list of prequalified medicines.

The two medicines -- which are used in the treatment of AIDS -- had been delisted earlier this year due to concerns over non-compliance with international standards during testing.

The two medicines are widely used by patients in developing countries, and WHO has welcomed the reinstatement, calling it another important step forward in progress towards the “3 by 5” target.

The “3 by 5” is the global aim of getting 3 million people living with HIV/AIDS in developing and middle-income countries on anti-retroviral treatment by the end of 2005.  And there is more on that upstairs.

**Landmine Summit

Finally, a quick update on the Nairobi Summit on a Mine-Free World.  Today, 20 delegations presented their national mine clearance plans for the years 2005 through 2009.  Those plans are of particular interest to donors since they clarify the challenges ahead.  And delegates are expected to later adopt an action plan to help usher in a world free of landmines.

**Statement Attributable to Spokesman for Secretary-General

And I have here a statement on Myanmar:

“The Secretary-General reiterates his belief, which is shared by ASEAN and the countries of the region, that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s continued detention is not in the interest of the process of national reconciliation and democratization in Myanmar.  The Secretary-General urges the Myanmar authorities to seize the momentum created by the recent announcements to release some 9,000 prisoners by releasing her, as well as all those detained for expressing their political beliefs, as soon as possible.”

That’s all I have for you.

Djibril is waiting to come up here.  Richard?

**Questions and Answers

Question:  He might not get up there quickly!

Spokesman:  Ooh, he’s going to come up here very quickly, Richard.

Question:  Again, I apologize.  Did you mention anything about Congo or Rwanda?

Spokesman:  I did not.  What’s your...(Interrupted)?

Question:  According to information, the Congo Minister a few minutes ago was saying there are troops in the east; UN has been worried or the officials there.  What’s the policy here right now on...?  What’s the level of concern?  Any phone calls made?

Spokesman:  I can’t react to the information that you have just given me.  I had some guidance from a little bit earlier this morning in response to a statement by [Rwandan] President [Paul] Kagame indicating that his troops from Rwanda may be, may be in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  We continue to patrol this area.  But I am told that the area of operations, namely, the Kivu provinces, are four times bigger than Rwanda.  And the UN Mission’s Kivu Brigade is made up of only some 3,000 soldiers, and this is a heavily forested area.  So, on the one hand, we patrol as intensively as we can.  On the other, we cannot say with certainty that there has been no infiltration.  Only that it is a possibility.  So, I think that’s all I have on that.  But, I don’t have any reaction to the statement you said from the Congolese official.  Masood, did you have a question?

Question:  On the same question.  Go ahead. (To another correspondent).

Question:  Did the Secretary-General meet privately with Ambassador Danforth on oil-for-food at all?  Yesterday?  Or did they speak by phone?

Spokesman:  I’d have to review the programme for yesterday; I am sorry I don’t know.  But I mean, if that meeting took place, it would have been on his official programme.  [He later confirmed the Secretary-General met with U.S. Ambassador Danforth]. 

Question:  And I should know the answer to this; but are there certain nepotism rules in the UN Charter, in the UN staff laws regarding family members working in different departments or...  What are the laws regarding nepotism or hiring of wives, sons, brothers, everything?

Spokesman:  There are regulations governing that.  This is a technicality; so, don’t ask me to give it to you off the top of my head.  Come by later.  Why do you ask?

Question:  Well, in relation to yesterday’s story I wondered if there is, in the system of the UN, how it functions regarding people related to each other who might be in certain sensitive areas.  I was asked that on the air today.  So, I am asking you.

Spokesman:  But what story of yesterday are you talking about?

Question:  Well, I mean the, although it’s a little different, the Annan son, the Annan father.  You have...(Interrupted).

Spokesman:  But Kojo Annan doesn’t work for the United Nations.

Question:  No, I understand.  I prefaced by saying it’s a different situation, perhaps.  But, in general, what is the UN’s policies on people working in the UN if they are... -– the Riza questions of last week...?

Spokesman:  Well, on Mr. Riza -– and this keeps coming up and coming up -– but Mr. Riza’s son, Imran, is an employee of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.  He was seconded to the UN office in Lebanon to work with Staffan de Mistura.  It is perfectly legitimate to be seconded.  He remains a staff member of UNHCR.  So, all of that has been from the beginning, and is now, consistent with our Staff Rules and policies.  So, if I can put that one to rest once and for all, I would be very happy.  The same rules, of course, don’t apply to, or are not relevant to the case of the Secretary-General’s son because he doesn’t work for the United Nations.  Joe?

[He later explained that Staff Rules prohibit the hiring of relatives of staff members].

Question:  So that means that the UN, there is no provision for the UN to (inaudible) contracts with companies whose employees might be related to UN officials?  There is nothing against that?

Spokesman:  There is nothing there.  And we would argue, based on our own internal investigation that the fact that Kojo Annan worked for the company, the Swiss firm Cotecna, had no relation to the awarding of the contract to Cotecna.  Cotecna was initially awarded [a contract] by the UN before Kojo Annan started with them as a junior trainee.  They were awarded [another] contract about the time that he left them to start his own business.  And my understanding is that they were awarded a contract by the U.S.-led coalition.  So, it looks to me that Cotecna has consistently bid the lowest, while convincing those issuing the contract that they had the competence to do the job.  And as I said, our investigation showed that the people who handled the contract here had no idea that Kojo Annan had any link to the West African operations of this company, Cotecna.  So, we’re going to leave that one.  However, because you have made such an issue of it, we’re going to leave that one to Paul Volcker who is looking into it, and I will say nothing more about that.  Jonathan?

Question:  Hi, Fred.  A couple of things.  One is, you had mentioned last week on Thursday or Friday of last week, that Iqbal Riza was going to meet with the Staff Union today.  And we have learned that that is not going to happen.  Can you clarify what’s happening in terms of management meeting with the Staff Union and also Kofi Annan as Chairman of the Management Group meeting with the Staff Union, as well?

Spokesman:  I have nothing to add to what I said, I think, yesterday, that it’s true we don’t have dates.  But in addition to the meeting that we offered to set up with the Staff Union to discuss the Department of Management’s review of the complaints by Staff Union members against the Office of Internal Oversight Services, that the Secretary-General himself intends to meet with Staff Union members.  I believe we proposed a date to them, but I really don’t know where that is in contacting the Staff Union to set it up.  But it’s my understanding from the 38^th floor that that initiative, if it hasn’t been taken, will be taken very soon.  But I don’t have dates for either of those meetings.

Question:  And as a follow-up to what was being discussed by my colleague over there in terms of Kojo Annan, and any impropriety.  One of the things that you continually said is that the Volcker investigation is going to look into this issue and make its determination and that sort of ends up being the thing that, the mechanism in which, for lack of a better way of saying it Fred, but it’s shelved and it’s put into their domain to investigate.  But is that something that really is part of the terms of reference for Paul Volcker?  And does he have the position to be able to pass judgement on that...(Interrupted)?

Spokesman:  I, I...

Question:  ...and are we not just pigeon-holing an issue that really does itself deserve determination?

Spokesman:  I know you are desperately determined to keep this issue alive, Jonathan.  But I have given you our position.  We looked into it.  We found nothing.  Some media have been drumming away at this day after day; and have created an issue.  We were informed that information regarding Kojo Annan and Cotecna was given to the Volcker panel.  Whether that’s within their mandate, you should ask them.  I can’t speak for them.  I can’t speak for Kojo Annan.  I can’t speak for Cotecna.  I am just trying to share with you what information we’ve received second hand.  So, it’s with Volcker.  You’re unhappy with that.  Volcker is going to take as much time as he needs to come to a conclusion.  But until he does, we really have nothing else to say.  I am repeating over and over again what I’ve said many times in the past.  I have nothing new to give you on this.  Richard?

Question:  I just want to clarify.  Yesterday I wasn’t here, but I read that in effect still that Joe Connor, when did you find out about Kojo?  Something went wrong, you don’t know.  The UN doesn’t know why back then it was no one knew that Kojo was working for Cotecna when he assigned Joe Connor to look into it, right?  Right after a press report in ’98, you said.  You looked into it, but...

Spokesman:  That’s right.  The Secretary-General, in response to this press report out of London, said “there is an allegation of the appearance of conflict of interest because my son works for a company that got a UN contract, would you look into it”?  Joseph Connor, the then Under-Secretary-General for Management, reviewed the process by which the contract was given to Cotecna.  Interviewed all the people involved.  None of them was aware that Kojo Annan was a junior trainee or whatever he was with the West African operations of Cotecna.  And he reported that to the Secretary-General.  And so we, internally, were comfortable that there was no conflict of interest.  It was incidental that Kojo Annan had an association with this company.

Question:  Fred, not to belabour the point...(Interrupted).

Spokesman:  It’s already been belaboured to death!  (Laughter)  Go ahead.

Question:  But I have to belabour it.  Why was the Secretary-General caught unaware yesterday when he was confronted with this question when you know that this has been (Inaudible) by the press over and over again about his son’s involvement with Cotecna.  Cotecna has...(inaudible) the infamous company because their former Prime Minister was also involved in some of the kickbacks with Cotecna.  It is a very infamous company.  Everybody knows about it.  So I was wondering why was he caught unawares?  In fact, you gave more information at a press briefing earlier on Friday than the Secretary-General knew about.

Spokesman:  The Secretary-General took that question in the corridor yesterday.  I have nothing to add to what he said.

Question:  Okay.  Was it a mistake for the Secretary-General to not realize that having a son work for anything related to Iraq, how hot and controversial that relationship was in ’98.  Was it a mistake?

Spokesman:  I will not judge this case before Mr. Volcker determines his findings on it.  Yes?

Question:  Okay.  But this report that was released today.  You have it embargoed.  It has already come out in the press all over.

Spokesman:  No, the embargo was lifted.

Question:  What was it?

Spokesman:  The embargo was lifted.  You must not have been there at the beginning of the meeting.

Question:  Ooh. No, I was not.

Spokesman:  Okay?

Question:  How would you describe the Secretary-General’s six -– where are we now, six years into his...is this pretty much, ...the horrible bombing in Baghdad, we know.  But is this really the low point for him in terms of just image; a man who won the Nobel Peace Prize?  And now you have calls, you say media driven, on some of the resignations, but overall that’s all people are talking about; his Organization instead of AIDS and poverty.

Spokesman:  Well, we can’t control what you write.  We try our best to present to you his substantive agenda.  And I have described to you what his priorities are.  After six years, I think, his efforts to overhaul this Organization are reaching a climax with the release this week of the High-Level Panel report.  He will take the last two years of his mandate to get as many of those recommendations implemented as he can.  And he will keep the Organization focused on its concrete objectives spelt out at the Millennium Assembly, where, in 2005, there is a five-year review.  So, those are his two big objectives for 2005.  He is focused on them and we hope that you, eventually, will be.  But that’s your choice.  Yes, Dogan?

Question:  Over the last few days and last few weeks there’s Kofi Annan son’s stories going up all the time.  It’s for me valued at the (inaudible) $2,500-a-month salary, which is not considered a big amount of money.  And an issue is not a big issue.  Mostly the American and British press have taken up this issue.  Do you think it is an Anglo-Saxon conspiracy against the Secretary-General because he said the war in Iraq is illegal?  To punish him?

Spokesman:  I don’t want to speculate why these stories are written.  The bottom-line is whether there is conflict of interest in this case.  We feel very comfortable that there has not been.  And we await Paul Volcker’s judgement.  But I am not going to speculate publicly on motivation for the press accounts that have appearing on the story.

Question:  Was it confirmed that the son, did the son confirm –- I wasn’t here on Friday -- that it was $2,500 a month?

Spokesman:  I don’t know.  I did not confirm that number.  I can give you some numbers for Cotecna that we got just yesterday.  They informed us of press persons that they have in Washington and Geneva.  And if you want to call them and ask them.  But I did not hear a number.  I’ve read the same numbers as you have, but I have no official confirmation of that figure from...(Interrupted).

Question:  Would the Secretary-General have any trouble if the Congressional Committee were to ask Kojo Annan to testify?

Spokesman:  That is between Kojo Annan and the committees.

I have a correction here.  Apparently, I said earlier that UNDP Administrator Mark Malloch Brown would be launching the book “Telling Tales” at the UN Bookstore at 1:15.  He won’t be.  But Shashi Tharoor, the Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, will be.  And I think Shashi will also be chairing this press event coming up in a few minutes after Djibril does his briefing.

So, with your permission, I will leave you.  Thank you.

Spokesman for General Assembly President:

Since yesterday, the General Assembly has had before it the report of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (document A/59/35).  That document states that the Committee’s utmost concern during the review period (10 October 2003 to 10 October 2004) has been the failure of efforts to reawaken the peace process.  Attempts to establish a ceasefire and stabilize the security situation did not achieve lasting results.

The disproportionate and indiscriminate use of force, the practice of collective punishment, extrajudicial killings, and the detention and imprisonment of thousands of Palestinians by the Israeli military, said the Committee, have resulted in the further destruction of Palestinian society.

Maintaining that the continuing Israeli occupation is at the core of the conflict, the Committee believes that a negotiated solution that would end the occupation and enable the Palestinian people to exercise its inalienable rights is urgently needed.  The Committee continues to believe that the Road Map remains the best way to achieve the goal of a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the question of Palestine through the establishment of two States -- Israel and Palestine -- based on the 1967 borders.  A settlement should be based on Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973), 1397 (2002) and 1515 (2003), in particular, and other relevant resolutions.

Yesterday in the General Assembly, almost all speakers reaffirmed that the Quartet-backed Road Map was still the best, if not the only, way to bring about a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the question of Palestine.

The Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, Paul Badji (Senegal), stressed that Israel continued to violate the provisions of the Road Map, with settlement activity and construction of the separation wall continuing at a considerable pace.  It continued to confiscate Palestinian land, destroy homes and farmland and isolate communities, despite an advisory opinion handed down by the International Court of Justice.  The current situation required that both parties, as well as the international community, recommit to restoration of the peace dialogue.

General Committee

The General Committee recommended yesterday that an additional sub-item --that on assistance to poor mountain countries -- be included on the current General Assembly’s agenda.  The documents supporting the introduction of the sub-item, which was sponsored by Afghanistan, Costa Rica, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and Nepal, stressed the fact that mountains provided vital resources for both mountain and low land people.  At the same time. mountain inhabitants -- some 700 million people -- face great vulnerabilities of food shortages and chronic malnutrition.  Through the draft agenda, the international community would adopt measures to create global economic conditions in support of such people.  The item will be allocated to the Second Committee.  And as you know, the Second Committee is the Committee dealing with economic and financial issues.

Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary)

I have two items there.  One item is the draft resolutions on the financing of the United Nations advance team in the Sudan.  That draft resolution was adopted without a vote.  And the second item has to do with the adoption of the reports of the Board of Auditors.

On the Sudan, the General Assembly would approve some $21.79 million gross for the mission for a 90-day period, going from 11 September to 10 December 2004.  That budget would cover the requirements for expanding the mission’s core component, establishing field offices and providing for additional needs related to Darfur.  Other requirements would be met from a budget that had been approved earlier for the mission.

By way of background, the advance team for the Sudan was established by Security Council resolution 1547 for an initial period of 3 months that ended on 10 September, and was subsequently extended for the 90 days that I mentioned earlier, until 10 December 2004.

The main purpose of the advance team was to lay the groundwork for international monitoring, facilitate contacts with parties, as well as assist the African Union with planning of its mission to Darfur and support the implementation of a future peace agreement in the Sudan.

Regarding the report of the Board of Auditors, the Fifth Committee accepted audited financial statements for 15 of the 16 organizations of the UN system.  The organization for which the Board of Auditors was unable to express an opinion was the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS).

That’s all I have for you.  Any questions?

If not, we have a press briefing that’s coming on.  So, thank you.

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