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 Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

Good afternoon,

**Statement Attributable to Spokesman for Secretary-General

We’ll start with a statement attributable to the Spokesman regarding the assassination that took place today in Baghdad:

“The Secretary-General has learned with shock and dismay of the assassination this morning in Baghdad of the President of the Iraqi Governing Council, Mr. Ezz el-Din Salim.  The Secretary-General strongly condemns this tragic and criminal act.  It is a bad day for the people of Iraq and all those striving to help them.

“In the critical days leading up to the restoration of Iraq’s sovereignty on 30 June, it is all the more important for the Iraqi people to resolve peacefully their differences and rally together in a spirit of unity and dialogue to build the foundations of a new Iraq.

“Despite this tragic incident, which has robbed Iraq of an illustrious citizen, the United Nations remains committed to assist the Iraqi people in the transitional political process.

“On this sad and painful occasion, the Secretary-General extends his condolences to Mr. Salim’s family, as well as to the Iraqi people.”

**Secretary-General on Iraq

The Secretary-General told reporters this morning that he hoped that the culprits would be apprehended, and that the assassination will not disrupt the work being done by the team led by his Special Adviser, Lakhdar Brahimi.

He said that today’s attack is one more reason for all those who are determined to stabilize Iraq to make sure that the elements who are determined to derail the process do not succeed.  We have copies of his comments available upstairs.

**Brahimi in Baghdad

The Secretary-General’s Special Envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi, met with US Administrator in Iraq L. Paul Bremer this morning and he also visited with members of the Iraqi Governing Council, who were meeting in emergency session, following the assassination of the Governing Council President Ezz el-Din Salim.

Brahimi also issued a statement regarding the killing of Salim, with whom he spent a significant amount of time this weekend on a visit to the Kurdish north.  He said the killing had taken the life of one of Iraq’s most loyal and patriotic citizens, a man who made every sacrifice for his country, who worked sincerely and selflessly so that Iraq may regain its sovereignty and strength.  A copy of that statement is available upstairs.

Brahimi went to Erbil in the north Friday evening, where he met initially with Masoud Barzani, the head of the Kurdish Democratic Party, as well as members of his cabinet.

On Saturday, he attended the National Conference on Sovereignty and Democracy, organized by an NGO, the Iraqi Council for Peace and Solidarity.  Some 800 delegates attended from all over Iraq, including a number of members of the Iraqi Governing Council.  Ezz el-Din Salim was one of the speakers, as was
Mr. Brahimi.

In the afternoon, he met another prominent Kurdish leader, Jalal Talabani, before attending a session of the Iraqi Kurdistan National Assembly.  For an hour and a half, he took questions from the audience, which included all 120 members of the parliamentary group, as well as 80 other guests.

On Saturday evening, he met again with Mr. Barzani.  Sunday morning, Brahimi had a breakfast meeting with Mr. Salim, and then continued talking with him for a total of two hours.

He then met with members of the troika, made up of the current, past and future presidents of the Iraqi Governing Council.  That meeting, which also included Mr. Bremer and US envoy Robert Blackwell, continued through lunch.

Brahimi then returned to Baghdad in the afternoon, and in the evening he met with Ayad Alawi, who is chair of the Wifaq, or the “consensus”, Movement.

This morning, in addition to his visit to the emergency Governing Council meeting, Brahimi met with a Governing Council member who represents the Chaldo-Assyrian community in Iraq, Yonadem Kanna, and then with Minister of Defence, Ali Alawi.

**Statement Attributable to Spokesman for Secretary-General

We now have a statement attributable to the Spokesman regarding events in the Middle East:

“The Secretary-General reiterates his condemnation of Israel’s widespread destruction of Palestinian homes in Rafah in the Gaza Strip.  Recent reports from UN agencies assert that some 2,197 people have lost their homes in the first
15 days of May.  In addition, there are reports of Israeli military plans for a more extensive round of house demolitions in Gaza.  He repeats his call on the Government of Israel to fulfil its obligations under international law as it acts to ensure its security.  As the occupying Power, it must cease such acts of collective punishment immediately, and refrain from further grave violations of international law.”

**Gaza - UNRWA

The UN agency responsible for Palestinian refugees -– UNRWA -- has opened a school to house the latest victims of the destruction and is distributing tents, food, water, kitchen kits, mattresses and blankets.

UNRWA estimates that it will cost $32 million to rehouse the 18,382 people who have lost their homes across the Gaza Strip.

The agency’s head Peter Hansen said that UNRWA now has the job of dealing with the human tragedy behind each demolition –- the distressed children in its schools, the homeless families in need of basics like blankets, food and water, and the communities shaken by the stress of ceaseless conflict.

Hansen also stressed that his agency is facing severe under funding of its Emergency Appeal for 2004 and is unlikely to receive all the resources it needs to meet the needs of the homeless.  Already many thousands of people have waited more than two years for the agency to provide them with new, permanent shelter.  We have more information in a press release upstairs from UNRWA.

**Statement Attributable to Spokesman for Secretary-General

This third, and I think last, statement attributable to the Spokesman concerns Myanmar:

“The Secretary-General notes with concern that Myanmar’s National Convention was reconvened today without the involvement of the National League for Democracy (NLD) and other political parties who won the majority of seats in the elections of 1990.

“The Secretary-General reiterates that, for the National Convention to be credible, it must be all-inclusive and that all the delegates must be able to express their views without sanction.  The release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who has clearly indicated her willingness to work with the Government, and U Tin Oo, Deputy Chairman of the NLD, as well as the lifting of the remaining restrictions on the NLD, are essential if the international community is to recognize the National Convention as a legitimate forum for democratization and national reconciliation in Myanmar.  The Secretary-General and his Special Envoy are dismayed that, despite receiving assurances from the Government, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) did not take these necessary steps.

“The Secretary-General appeals to the countries in the region to counsel the SPDC to take these steps.  In the belief that a solution can still be found through dialogue, the Secretary-General calls on the SPDC to allow his Special Envoy to return to Myanmar as soon as possible.”

**Security Council - Peacekeeping

The Security Council is holding a special debate today on United Nations peacekeeping, under the chairmanship of the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Khurshid M. Kasuri.

In his remarks to the Council this morning, the Secretary-General noted that we are facing a time of surging demand for United Nations peacekeeping, and that as complex and multidimensional mandates increase, so do public expectations of what missions can achieve.

The Secretary-General called on the Security Council to provide peacekeepers with mandates that are clear, implementable and achievable, and to lead other Members States in ensuring that each mission receives the troops and resources it needs.

The Secretary-General added that peacekeeping is definitely more efficient and better coordinated than it was five years ago.  Notwithstanding these advances, however, the scale of the current surge may well outstrip our capacities to backstop the operations, and the international community will have to look at augmenting these capacities.

He said, “Peacekeeping does not relieve nations of their responsibilities. Rather, it pools national responsibilities for the greater good.”  We have copies of his speech upstairs.

**Security Council – Documents

Out today as Security Council documents are:  An exchange of letter between the Secretary-General and the Security Council President on the appointment of Javier Ruperez of Spain as Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate.

And, the Report of the Commission of Inquiry on Côte d’Ivoire, which the Security Council took up last Friday.

**Democratic Republic of Congo

From the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the UN Mission reports that six armed groups operating in the eastern region of Ituri have agreed to begin the disarmament process.  At the end of a meeting in Kinshasa, the groups also reaffirmed their support for the national transition process and agreed to work towards the reunification of the country. 

The UN Mission welcomes the Ituri leaders for taking this important step and reiterates its readiness to provide assistance in the disarmament process.  The Mission also commends the Transitional Government for reaffirming its commitment to addressing the situation in Ituri.

**Lavrov

This is a retroactive statement.  On Saturday morning, the Secretary-General held a one-on-one meeting at his residence with the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov.

**Afghanistan

From Afghanistan, the main phase of Afghanistan’s disarmament programme began today in Kabul as the ninety-ninth Rocket Brigade handed over its weapons, the first time a military unit has turned in its missiles.

We have more details in the briefing notes from Kabul, which also mentions that, as of 12 May, more than 2.2 million Afghans had registered to vote.

**Secretary-General/World Telecom Day Message

Today is World Telecommunication Day and the Secretary-General has marked it with a call for greater efforts in bridging the “digital divide” so that the world’s poorest countries can benefit from advances in information and communication technologies.

The Secretary-General says access to information and technological know-how is essential to defeat hunger and protect the environment, and called for global partnerships for development between governments, the private sector, civil society and the UN.

We have copies of his full message upstairs.

**FAO/State of Food Report

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization has released today its annual report “The State of Food and Agriculture 2003-2004”.

In it, FAO notes that while biotechnology holds great promise for agriculture in developing countries, so far only farmers in a few developing countries are reaping those benefits.

FAO says neither the private nor the public sector has invested significantly in new genetic technologies for the so-called “orphan crops”, such as cowpea and millet, that are critical for the food supply and livelihoods of the world's poorest people.  We have more details on that upstairs.

**INCB/Eightieth Session

The eightieth session of the International Narcotics Control Board starts in Vienna today.  It will run for two weeks.  The session will focus on the interaction between supply and demand strategies against global drug abuse.

The Board is a quasi-judicial body that monitors the implementation of UN international drug control conventions.  We have a press release on that upstairs.

**Mayor Bloomberg

The Mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, is hosting a reception for the United Nations and the diplomatic corps this evening, at City Hall, and the Secretary-General will attend.  At that reception, which begins at 6:30 p.m., the Secretary-General will receive a proclamation from the Mayor.

**Press Conferences Tomorrow

Finally press conferences.  Eleven o’clock tomorrow morning in this room, Ambassador Philippe Djangone-Bi will be here to brief you on the latest developments in Côte d’Ivoire.

And then at approximately 3:30 in the afternoon, Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis of Greece will have a press conference here.

That’s all I have for you.  Mark?

**Questions and Answers

Question:   I was wondering if the UN had a view on whether Victor Bout (inaudible) remains a threat to stability in Liberia?

Spokesman:  I don’t have guidance on that Mark.  I’d have to see if I can get an answer for you after the briefing.  Mr. Abbadi?

Question:   Is Ambassador Brahimi still hopeful that a transitional government will be established by the end of this month despite the current difficulties, including the assassination of the President of the Governing Council?

Spokesman:  It’s hard for me to speak for him when he is so far away.  But I think if you look at his continuing programme, how hard he is working to consult with as many Iraqis as possible, it’s obvious he is not giving up.  And I think the 30 June deadline is sacred to just about everyone.  So, I assume he will continue working towards that goal despite this morning’s assassination.  Yes?

Question:   When do you expect Mr. Brahimi back from Baghdad?

Spokesman:  We can’t give you any exact date for security reasons.  It will be towards the end of this month.  Yes, Pat?

Question:   Sometimes when these events are announced it’s ambiguous as to whether the press is invited.  Is the media invited to cover the City Hall event?  Do you know?

Spokesman:  We’ll have to check with the City for you and let you know after the briefing.

Question:   Because sometimes we’ve gone upstairs and have been embarrassed because we weren’t allowed in off hand or somebody ran to find out and ...  In my case, I just disappear when that happens.  I don’t wait to hear the answer.

Spokesman:  I’ll call City Hall, I think, and get an answer right after the briefing.  Yes?  [The Spokesman later confirmed that the event was closed to the media].

Question:   Fred, following up on the question I asked Friday about the Taiwanese journalists at the World Health Organization annual meeting.  I understood that the decision had been reversed and that Taiwanese journalists who weren’t working for the Government-controlled media would be accredited.  But this morning in Geneva they were told that yes, if you were working for Taiwanese media you could get credentials but not if you carried a Taiwanese passport.  That sort of seems to be taking with one hand and giving with the other one.

Spokesman:  I called Geneva on that matter, but I haven’t had time to double-check with the Legal Department.  What Geneva told me was that last year at this annual meeting of the World Health Organization, WHO did the accreditation and accepted Taiwanese passports.  However, the clear guidelines given to the UN Office in Geneva was that to accept Taiwanese passports would be tantamount to recognizing Taiwanese sovereignty, which, of course, is not the policy of the General Assembly.  So, when we said we were going back to our original guidelines, that did not refer to what WHO did last year, which was a violation of those guidelines.  But let me talk to OLA and let me nail this down and give you as clear an explanation of what our policy is right after the briefing.  Yes?

Question:   Fred, any reaction from the SG on Indian general elections?

Spokesman:  No.  He will be writing a letter of congratulations, as he usually does.  I think he was impressed with such a display of democracy in action as he saw in India.  I think that’s about as far as we’ll go on that one.

Question:   Is it possible we can get that later, maybe?

Spokesman:  We’ll see if we can get it for you.  Thank you.  Thank you very much.

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