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 Marie Okabe, Associate Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

Good afternoon.

I understand we have some visiting journalists from Indonesia.  Welcome to the briefing.

**Statement Attributable to the Spokesman on Freeing of Arjan Erkel

We’re going to start with a statement attributable to the Spokesman:

“The Secretary-General warmly welcomes the freeing of Arjan Erkel, a volunteer for the non-governmental aid organization, Médecins Sans Frontières, who had been abducted on 12 August 2002 while working in the RussianRepublic of Dagestan.  He thanks the Russian and Dagestani authorities for their efforts to facilitate Mr. Erkel’s release.”

**Iraq - Statements

On statements issued over the weekend -- late Saturday, we issued a statement on Iraq in which the Secretary-General said he was following the recent developments with great anxiety.

The Secretary-General is alarmed by the increasing numbers of civilian casualties and appeals to all parties to exercise restraint in order to minimize the danger to innocent lives, according to that statement.

On Thursday evening, we had issued another statement on Iraq in which the Secretary-General said he strongly believes that an inclusive dialogue and a patiently pursued political process involving all Iraqi constituencies are essential at this particularly sensitive phase on the road toward the restoration of sovereignty, stability and the rule of law.

His Special Adviser Lakhdar Brahimi and his team, the Secretary-General said, are currently in Iraq to support the Iraqi people to achieve these objectives.  The full texts of these statements are available upstairs.

**Iraq

Turning to events on the ground there, the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser, Mr. Brahimi, and his team have continued their talks today and over the weekend with Iraqis of all persuasions, to listen to their views on how best to deal with the transition to sovereignty and create a framework acceptable to all.

On Saturday, the team went to Mosul, where it met with civic, religious and political leaders, tribal chiefs and members of the local council.

Today, Brahimi met with Adnan Pachachi, a member of the Governing Council and head of its subcommittee on elections.  He also met with this month’s President of the Governing Council, Massoud Barzani, and also with a group of 10 people representing the Iraqi Institute for Development and Democracy, who presented him with a paper on the transition of sovereignty to the Iraqis.

Yesterday, the team met with another Governing Council member, Jalal Talabani, and with a delegation from the Muslim Clerics Association.

**Democratic Republic of Congo

Now turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a spokeswoman for the UN Mission in the DRC has reported that at least 25 people were killed in a remote village in North Kivu province during a campaign of rape, arson and murder committed by gunmen on 12 March.

According to the spokeswoman, news of the attack only emerged now because the village has no accessible roads and is surrounded by thick jungle in which rebels from neighbouring Rwanda continue to operate.

UN officials investigating the massacre have found a number of bodies in shallow graves.  Another team is returning to the area this week to collect further evidence.

Also in an item related to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, there is a note issued by the Security Council President on the racks today that reports that the Permanent Representative of Algeria was elected to chair the Sanctions Committee on the arms embargo in the DRC.  The vice-chairs of this Committee are Benin and the Philippines.

**Sudan

I also wanted to draw your attention to a statement we issued on late Thursday in which the Secretary-General welcomed the signing of the humanitarian ceasefire agreement between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).

And regarding Sudan, the United Nations today issued a revised humanitarian appeal for the Sudan Assistance Programme, which seeks more than $115 million for the crisis in Darfur, Sudan.

The new appeal includes programmes to provide food aid, health care, agricultural assistance, relief supplies including shelter, water and sanitation, education, protection and coordination.

And we have a press release with more details on that.

The United Nations Children’s Fund in Khartoum has just informed its headquarters that it is launching two rapid response efforts in the wake of the signing of this humanitarian ceasefire agreement.  One is the rehabilitation of water pumps at village level and another is an effort with the World Health Organization to launch a measles immunization campaign.  Both efforts, UNICEF says, are in support of the government efforts in this regard.

**Security Council

Here at UN Headquarters, the Security Council has scheduled no meetings or consultations for today.  Tomorrow it has on its programme a public meeting on Kosovo.

**Kosovo update

Turning to Kosovo:  UN police have detained a Kosovo Albanian man in relation to the March riots.  The man, Avdyl Mushkolaj was arrested on Saturday for allegedly leading and inciting riots on 17 March.  The warrant for his arrest was issued by an international judge.

In these riots, as you’ll recall, there were 19 people left dead, hundreds of homes destroyed and more than 4,000 driven from their homes.

**UN/CARICOM

Again turning to UN Headquarters, a two-day meeting between the representatives of the Caribbean Community, known as CARICOM, and the UN System got under way.

Opening the meeting, the Deputy Secretary-General spoke of the need to strengthen cooperation between the two secretariats on maters such as trade, the fight against AIDS and security threats caused by political violence, money laundering and drug trafficking.

She noted that the United Nations was currently preparing to field a peacekeeping mission in CARICOM’s youngest member, Haiti.  The United Nations was conscious that no organization or agency could go it alone in Haiti.  Since CARICOM, the Organization of American States and UN System would remain in Haiti long after the peacekeeping phase ended, it was important to ensure a common approach.  Getting it right this time means doing things differently, she said, and, above all, keeping attention and resources engaged for the long haul.

We have copies of that statement upstairs.

**Liberia

On Liberia, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Coordinator of UN Operations there, Jacques Paul Klein, and the Chairman of the National Transitional Government, Gyude Bryant, over the weekend announced that the disarmament, demobilization, rehabilitation and reintegration (DDRR) programme will resume on 15 April.  More details of that announcement are available in a press release issued in Monrovia on Saturday.

**Afghanistan

And finally, the UN Mission in Afghanistan noted that four people were injured on Saturday in Maimana, in the north, during a rock-throwing melee involving supporters and opponents of General Abdul Rashid Dostum.  Apart from that incident, the UN Mission reports that the situation in Maimana, and the northern province of Faryab in general, have remained largely calm since last Thursday.  We have more details in a briefing note from Kabul, which is available upstairs.

And that’s all I have for you today.  Over there, and then Mr. Abbadi and then James.  Yes?

Questions and Answers

Question:  Marie, I have a question on Cyprus.  On Saturday the Secretary-General of Akel, who happens to be the president of the parliament -- and I consider him to be a very respected politician in Cyprus -– asked for a postponement of the referendum.  What is your answer?

Associate Spokesman:  The position we have on that is that we have been informed by Akel of their position.  We continue to follow this and other developments.  It was agreed on 13 February that referendum should be held in advance of 1 May.  The date of the referendum was set by the Secretary-General on 31 March at Bürgenstock, Switzerland following consultations with the parties to the 13 February agreement.  And that is all I have to say.

Question:  So, it means that you’re going to go ahead with the referendum on 24?

Associate Spokesman:  This is all I have for now, yes.  Mr. Abbadi?

Question:  Marie, has Ambassador Brahimi met with Ayatollah Sistani or his representatives within the last few days?

Associate Spokesman:  I think what I reported to you during the briefing is the list of those he has met with.  I can look into it, but that was the most comprehensive list that I have about his activities since the last time we reported to you.

**Iraq – Humanitarian

Just on Iraq, I just have one more note that was being called in when I came downstairs.

In addition to what I mentioned, we have a statement upstairs from the acting Special Representative for Iraq, RossMountain, who states that humanitarian access to affected civilians in Fallujah and other Iraqi cities are of major concern.  Aid workers, non-governmental organizations and humanitarian organizations must be able to safely reach populations in distress, including those who require urgent medical assistance.  Mountain also condemned the recent kidnappings of aid workers who were seeking to help the Iraqi people.

So, we have that statement in addition to the two other statements the Secretary-General had issued on Thursday and on Saturday evening.  Yes?

Question:  Marie, so, Tony Blair is coming to see Kofi Annan on Thursday.  The first time they have met since the allegation made about Britain bugging the Secretary-General.  What is the UN’s position at the moment regarding the bugging scandal?  Is the matter closed or does the UN require further assurances?

Associate Spokesman:  I can confirm to you that the Secretary-General is scheduled to meet with the British Prime Minister on Thursday evening as has been reported.  The only thing I can tell you about the bugging issues is that I can make reference to the statement that the Secretary-General issued through his Spokesman in late February.  As for your final question, I will have to seek further guidance on that.

Question:  The last statement that you cite, the one in February said the UN wanted some assurances.  So, is that still currently the statement?

Associate Spokesman:  That’s the point that I will have to seek further guidance on.

Question:  Okay.

Associate Spokesman:  Yes?

Question:  Marie, I was sort of unclear.  Did Brahimi go to Mosul or was it just the electoral team that went to Mosul?

Associate Spokesman:  He went to Mosul over the weekend.

Question:  So, he actually did leave Baghdad?

Associate Spokesman:  That’s correct.

Question:  Okay.

Question:  Will the upsurge in violence in Iraq affect UN plans to return to Iraq post June 30^th?

Associate Spokesman:  I think the security situation has always been the top-most concern for the return of staff to Iraq and anything that the United Nations and the Secretary-General decides in terms of Iraq will have to take the current security situation at the time these decisions are made into consideration.

Question:  Is there any indication when Mr. Brahimi might be returning?

Associate Spokesman:  We can only again confirm or announce to you once he leaves Baghdad and we promise to do so as we have done with all his movements.  Yes?

Question:  What is the time and location of the Secretary-General’s meeting with Prime Minister Blair?

Associate Spokesman:  I don’t have the precise time.  My understanding is that it is an evening dinner meeting and we hope to set up some kind of a brief press encounter for you that evening, and we’ll announce it when we have more details on that.

Any other questions?  Yes?

Question:  (Inaudible)...the wait I should say, I guess, for the naming of the panel to investigate the “oil-for-food” programme committees to go on.  What’s the hold up?

Associate Spokesman:  The Secretary-General, as you know, since he has been back, has been working over the weekend on the panel.  And I think as we’ve mentioned before, in order to get the highest quality personnel for this panel, he is doing whatever he can to assure that outcome.  As you know, it is an international panel.  Today is a major holiday in Europe.  It’s Easter Monday; offices are shut down.  There may be some delay due to that, but he is working the phones.  He’s been working from home and we hope to have it announced as soon as we can.

Question:  Do we know when he is coming in, Marie?

Associate Spokesman:  I have just been informed that the Secretary-General, who was not intending to have an official programme today, has no plans to come in today.  He is at home, at the residence.  Yes?

Question:  What is the situation with his health?

Associate Spokesman:  He’s resting today.  As you know, towards the end of his official visit to Moscow, he did see a couple of doctors and he was recommended to get some rest.  He managed to deliver the statement on Rwanda in Geneva, but he did cut his visit short one day to get back to the States.

Question:  What was the diagnosis?

Associate Spokesman:  I can’t go further than that.  I think he was losing his voice and he was told to not use his voice at least for the 24 hours up to the time that he delivered his statement.

Question:  How much of his schedule, say within the next week will be affected?

Associate Spokesman:  I can’t tell you that at this point -- I don’t know.

Question:  Is there any doubt over his meeting with Blair?

Associate Spokesman:  I have no reason to believe that, no.  We expect him in tomorrow.

Are there any other questions?

Have a good afternoon.

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