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,

**Guest at Noon

It’s always a pleasure to have Stephen Lewis with us.  He’s our guest today; he’ll be coming up here in a few minutes.  He, of course, is the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, and he has recently been in Addis Ababa.  And he’ll be talking to you about that.

**Iraq - Secretary-General

The announcement of an Iraqi interim government today marks a new beginning and not an end, the Secretary-General told reporters on his way into the Building today.

He said that he wanted to add his voice to those who are welcoming the Iraqi people for designating a new government.

Asked about the impression that his envoy Lakhdar Brahimi did not get his way in choosing the government, the Secretary-General answered that, after extensive consultations, Brahimi had produced a list and that the Prime Minister came from that very list.  He added that many members of the government also came from Brahimi’s list.

Answering questions critical of the process by which this government was chosen, and especially the presence of many Governing Council members in this government, the Secretary-General said it was not perfect and that Brahimi worked in a difficult environment.  He went on to stress that the UN has done exactly what it had set out to do.  “It was never intended”, he said, “that the UN would go and appoint and impose a government on the Iraqis.”

The Secretary-General agreed that there were members of the Governing Council in the new government, but stressed that were also some new faces.  And he said, “We should look at the government as a whole, not at individual names.”  We have the full text of that press encounter upstairs.

**Brahimi

At the ceremony this morning in Baghdad unveiling the new Iraqi government, Lakhdar Brahimi said “this was the first step of this road which will be, no doubt, long and difficult, but I believe that those who were chosen to perform this mission will be qualified and effective and capable for it”.

In closing, he told the audience that he did not come to Iraq to work as an international civil servant.  He said, “I tried to work as one of you; a brother who believes in this country, a brother who loves this country, a brother who considers this country his, and looks forward to several visits in the future, not for work, but for meeting the brothers and the friends.”

Brahimi is now working towards the establishment of the Preparatory Committee for the national conference.

And he is also expected to hold a press conference in Baghdad tomorrow.

**Burundi

On Burundi, a new UN peacekeeping mission came into being today.  The UN Operation in Burundi took over command of some 2,000 troops, which had been working under an African Union mandate.

At the handover ceremony in the capital Bujumbura, Ambassador Berhanu Dinka, who currently heads the UN office, read a message from the Secretary-General in which he praised the accomplishments of the African mission and urged the various parties in Burundi to intensify their efforts to work for a durable restoration of peace in the country.

He also stressed that the United Nations is determined to see this operation succeed and invited the Burundian political leaders to assume their responsibility and work urgently for compromise.

The new UN force will eventually be comprised of more than 5,000 military personnel, 120 civilian police, and up to 1,000 national and international civilian staff.  We have a press release on that upstairs.

**Statement Attributable to Spokesman for Secretary-General

The following statement attributable to the Spokesman regards the new mission in Burundi:

“The Secretary-General welcomes the official transfer of authority from the African Mission in Burundi (AMIB) to the United Nations Operation in Burundi (ONUB), which was established by the Security Council by its resolution of 21 May.  The success of AMIB is evident and laid a solid foundation on which to further advance the peace process.

“The Secretary-General believes that it is up to the Burundian people and their leaders to take advantage of this significant opportunity of renewed international commitment to Burundi to bring about a durable peace.  They must now accelerate their efforts and work closely together to address urgent priorities such as preparations for the elections, the disarmament and demobilization of combatants and the reform of the security sector.  The Secretary-General also hopes that FNL (Rwasa) will use this opportunity to join the peace process in the interest of the long-suffering people of Burundi.

“Finally, the Secretary-General extends his heartfelt appreciation to the contingents of AMIB for their dedicated service to the cause of peace in Burundi, under very difficult conditions.  He is pleased that they will participate in ONUB, to be joined by additional contingents from other countries.  ONUB, together with the African Union and other friends of Burundi, will lead the renewed effort of the United Nations to assist Burundi in meeting the difficult tasks ahead.  The Secretary-General calls on the international community to contribute generously to the national reconciliation and reconstruction efforts in Burundi.”

**UN Mission in Haiti Goes into Action

The UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) was formally established this morning in Port au Prince.

At a ceremony held in the PoliceAcademy, the Secretary-General’s Special Advisor for Haiti, Reginald Dumas, conveyed a message from the Secretary-General, in which he noted that Haitians were facing many immediate challenges and expectations were running high.  While the new Mission did not claim to bring solutions to all those challenges, he said, it would be multidimensional to help Haitians address the complex range of issues they face.

As foreseen in Security Council resolution 1542, authority has been transferred from the Multinational Interim Force (MIF) to the UN Mission today. The current MIF troops will, however, remain for a transition period of 30 days.

The Secretary-General has informed the Security Council of his intention to appoint Lieutenant-General Augusto Ribeiro-Pereira of Brazil as force commander of the new mission.

He has also informed the Security Council that a number of countries have agreed to provide military personnel to the Mission, namely:  Argentina, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Croatia, France, Nepal, Paraguay, Peru, Rwanda, United States and Uruguay.  The text of the Secretary-General’s message is available upstairs.

**Statement Attributable to Spokesman for Secretary-General

We have the following statement regarding the attack in Saudi Arabia over the weekend:

“The Secretary-General is appalled by the terrorist attack this weekend on a residential compound in Khobar, Saudi Arabia, in which 22 people were reportedly killed, many others wounded and scores taken hostage.  He condemns this attack in the strongest possible terms.  He conveys his heartfelt condolences and expresses his sympathy to the families of the victims.  He hopes that the Saudi authorities will thoroughly investigate this attack and bring the perpetrators to justice.”

**Statement Attributable to Spokesman for Secretary-General

And finally, the last statement of the day; this is regarding the violence in Pakistan:

“The Secretary-General is very disturbed by the reports of violence in Karachi, Pakistan, in the last two days, including the murder of a religious leader on Sunday, the bombing of a mosque on Monday and the disturbances that took place today during funeral processions for those killed in Monday’s attack.

“He condemns in the strongest terms terrorist acts that target innocent civilians and places of worship as well as attempts to sow sectarian discord and strife.  He hopes that the necessary steps will be taken to protect innocent lives and calls for inter-communal partnerships to foil the policy of hate and violence.”

**Security Council

Today is the first day of the Philippine presidency of the Security Council for the month of June.

The Council President, Ambassador Lauro Baja of the Philippines, is holding bilateral consultations with members today.

Ambassador Baja is scheduled to speak with you about the June programme at  1 p.m. tomorrow.

**UNRWA

Out of the Middle East, following weeks of the most intense destruction in Gaza since the start of the intifada, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East- – UNRWA -– today launched an appeal to the international community for $15.84 million to meet the immediate needs of the people of Rafah.

Launching the appeal, UNRWA’s chief, Peter Hansen, said:  “In the hardest-hit place in the Gaza Strip, there are few places to turn for assistance.  Rafah was always a poor place.  It is now a devastated place.  Hundreds of destitute families are relying on UNRWA and the international community.”

The Agency says the funds will be used to provide emergency cash, food and housing assistance to the hundreds of families who have lost their homes, had a breadwinner killed or wounded, or who are in need of ongoing medical care.  We have a press release and the appeal available upstairs.

**Darfur

On Darfur, hundreds of Sudanese refugees from the Darfur region of Sudan are still arriving in eastern Chad every week, and the UN refugee agency’s efforts to transfer the refugees to camps away from the border continue with more than 80,900 people in the camps so far.

**Secretary-General/UNMIL Report

In his latest report on the UN Mission in Liberia, the Secretary-General notes that the Mission continues to make steady progress in stabilizing the country and in creating the necessary security conditions for the full implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

He adds that the programme of reintegration of former combatants and the repatriation of non-Liberian combatants will require the generous support of the international community –- and that without this support, we could see renewed insecurity in the country and in the region.  His report is on the racks.

**Sierra Leone Special Court/Taylor

The Appeals Chamber of the Special Court for Sierra Leone ruled yesterday that former Liberian President Charles Taylor was and is subject to criminal proceedings before the Court.

The Appeals Chamber found that Taylor’s official position as an incumbent head of State at the time when the proceedings were initiated against him isn’t a bar to his prosecution.

Yesterday’s decision reaffirmed an early decision delivered in March.  We have a press release on that.

**FAO/Food Shortages

The number of countries facing serious food shortages last month declined to 35 from 38 in February, according to a report released yesterday by the Food and Agriculture Organization.

But, the report adds, in Africa the number of countries needing food aid remains unchanged at 24.

The report blames civil conflict, adverse weather, particularly drought, for much of the food shortages, but adds that in many of these countries, the HIV/AIDS pandemic is a major contributing factor.  We have more in a press release on that.

**UNEP/Climate Change

We have upstairs a statement issued by Klaus Toepfer, the Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), in connection with the opening today of the International Conference for Renewable Energies in Bonn, Germany.

In his statement, Toepfer warns of the dangers posed by environmental degradation and poverty to long-term national and international security.  We have his statement available upstairs.

**Deputy Secretary-General in Athens

Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette attended the annual assembly of the European Foundation in Athens on Sunday.

She focused her presentation of the Millennium Development Goals, stressing that in every region, and at every level, the goals are proving to be a powerful catalyst for change.

She also noted that the United Nations is truly transforming the way it works with the outside world.  We have the text of her message upstairs.

**World Chronicle Television Programme

Finally, the Public Information Department asked me to tell you that World Chronicle programme 937, featuring Dr. Bhadrasain Vikram, a radiation oncologist of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), will be shown today at 3:30 p.m. on in-house television channels 3 and 31.

Liz, you were the first to put your hand up.  The last to arrive, but the first to put your hand up.

**Questions and Answers

Question:   Fred, George Bush just said that Lakhdar Brahimi was the quarterback in the whole Iraqi government election process.  What position would the UN say Brahimi played?

Spokesman:  I think the Secretary-General said to you this morning that Mr. Brahimi put together an extensive list of names of possible political leaders for Iraq following consultations far and wide throughout the country.  Those lists were submitted to the people making the decisions -– the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), first and foremost, and the Iraqi Governing Council, both of which had invited Mr. Brahimi to Iraq to help them in the selection of these leaders.  If you want to call that a quarterback, it’s up to you.  That wouldn’t be...(Interrupted)

Question:   Are you saying that the CPA was the one who made the decision?

Spokesman:  The CPA governs the country.  Please do not forget the context in which Mr. Brahimi was working.  The Governing Council...(Interrupted).

Question:   ...(Inaudible) contradicting what Mr. Bush had said earlier.

Spokesman:  ...The Governing Council, appointed by the CPA but with considerable input from Sergio de Mello, was a reasonably representative body.  Mr. Brahimi went there to broaden that representation further by consulting widely with Iraqis of every stripe.  So, the...(Interrupted).

Question:   So Mr. Brahimi didn’t make the selection as Mr. Bush has said?

Spokesman:  Mr. Brahimi did not go there to make the selection.  He went there to advise and to consult; which is what he was asked to do.  Yes, Warren?

Question:   Fred, the Security Council ambassadors have been making known in recent days and weeks their eagerness to find out as much as they can about this new government.  They want to know their needs, their acceptability among Iraqis, that sort of thing.  My question is:  Will Lakhdar Brahimi start informing them while he is still in Baghdad?  Is there a way to do that?  Or must it be an appearance before the Security Council?  And if it is the latter, do you have any idea how soon it will be back here to talk to the Security Council?

Spokesman:  I think what Council members have been saying is that they want to talk to the Iraqi leaders directly.  And so I think it is the intention for certain of those members of the new interim government to come to New York to address the Council.  I don’t think they’ve agreed yet among themselves as to who will come and when.  I believe in Baghdad, however, bios or CVs of all those named today were made available.  I don’t know if we’ll ever get that documentation here.  But certainly in Baghdad, you can review the backgrounds of all these individuals and evaluate them for yourselves.  Abdurrahim?

Question:   President Bush said a little while ago that nothing would happen on the new resolution until the new government in Iraq has had its say about it.  How will Lakhdar Brahimi and the rest of the world know to what extent this new government is popular with the Iraqis and to what extent it can actually, therefore, speak for them in the Security Council?  And number two; the new caretaker government in Iraq is obviously full of heavyweights who are full of political ambition.  How comfortably does that sit with Lakhdar Brahimi’s previous position that he wanted technocrats who do not necessarily have any political ambition as far as the election to be held at the end of the year is concerned?

Spokesman:  Again, I am not sure that “technocrats” is something that
Mr. Brahimi emphasized so much as competent people with integrity.  And how he feels about this particular government, I think you should ask him.  As we said, he is going to give a press conference tomorrow.  Your first question was?

Question:   It’s about the popularity of...

Spokesman:  Well, the Council members will have to make their call based on what they see as the popular reaction to this new government.  I believe some of them have indicated they want perhaps as much as two weeks to judge the acceptability of this new government.  So, let’s just watch and see how it plays out on the street.

Question:   And for those of us who are soccer fans, can you translate “quarterback” into soccer language for us?

Spokesman:  (Laughter) I don’t know enough about soccer to tell you, sorry.  Edie?

Question:   Fred, going back to Ambassador Brahimi’s schedule.  We know he is giving a press conference in Baghdad tomorrow.  Is he then hopping on a plane and coming back here to brief the Security Council?  And also, there have been some reports that Mr. Zebari, who was the Foreign Minister, I guess in both the old and the new government, was on his way here.  Have you heard anything about that?

Spokesman:  We have not heard about whether Mr. Zebari might be on his way here.  And as I said a few minutes ago, I don’t sense that a decision has yet been made in Baghdad.  But we’d have to let the new government speak for itself.  And Mr. Brahimi, my sense is that he is now focusing on the preparatory committee.  This would help set up the national council, a kind of broad consultative body that would meet in mid-July, I think is the intention, to allow Iraqis of all sectors of society to begin interacting in a way they have not been able to before.  So, I don’t think that following the press conference he is going to be on a plane.  And I don’t think he could predict today exactly how long it might take to finish this work with the preparatory committee.

Question:   So, one can reasonably expect he’s going to be in Baghdad for another little while?

Spokesman:  Another little while, and we’ll check with him each day to see how, you know, much progress he is making and when he thinks he might be ready to come back to New York.  Let me take... well, Liz and then Ricardo, and then when Sylviane turns off her phone, we’ll go to her then.

Question:   On a slightly different topic, you may have heard of this book written by UN field workers called “Emergency Sex”.  Is there a comment from the UN on this book?

Spokesman:  It has been... the manuscript has been read by senior people here at the UN; and frankly, we found it a sensational and selective account of peacekeeping.  I think it greatly simplifies our mission in Cambodia for one, by focusing on a few bad apples.  I don’t know if any of you would have any interest in talking to someone else who might have been on that mission.  I see in the back Susan Manuel, whom I first met in western Slovenia where she was the UN representative.  But she also served in Cambodia.  I won’t ask her to come up right now because we have Stephen Lewis waiting to come in the wings.  But she’s sitting in the back there; if you’d like to ask her what her experiences were like in Cambodia and the kind of dedication that I think most UN staff exhibited in their work there -- which is not at all consistent with this rather sensational portrait painted by these three staff members.

Question:   Does the UN plan to take any action against these?  Are these still UN employees?

Spokesman:  Two out of three are still on staff.  As staff members, they have the obligation to get permission before publishing.  Everyone is free to publish whatever they want once they leave the staff.  Two out of three of these authors are still on the staff.  Apparently they still believe in the Organization enough to collect a paycheck once a month.  You can ask them why they’re still around.  But they have broken a staff rule.  Once this book is published, they have broken a staff rule, because they did not have permission.  So, they would be subject to disciplinary action.

Question:   Does the UN intend any action against the book itself, in order to stop distribution?

Spokesman:  No, no.  We wouldn’t try to stop publication of the book.  Yes, sir?

Question:   I work for Dutch Television.  Do you have any news on the report of the Office of Internal Oversight Services of the case of sexual harassment against Rudd Lubbers, the High Commissioner of UNHCR?

Spokesman:  No, there is nothing new on that.  We checked with the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) this morning and they’ve told us their investigation is continuing, and they cannot predict when they will be finished with it.

Question:   Mr. Lubbers criticized last Friday in an e-mail to his staff the office for broadening the investigation to other cases.  Is there any response to Mr. Lubbers from the Secretary-General?

Spokesman:  No.  Typically, we don’t comment on ongoing investigations.  The OIOS is going on about its business in a professional and thorough way, and when they are finished, they will present their report to the Secretary-General.

Question:   Does it damage the image of UNHCR, this matter?

Spokesman:  I think you want to see what the final report says.

Question:   When do you expect it?  This week?

Spokesman:  As I told you, OIOS this morning would not give any indication of how long it might take them to finish the investigation.  Let me take Sylviane now.

Question:   Thank you.  Fred, the newly appointed President is a Sunni Moslem while the Prime Minister is Shiite.  Is it going to be always the same for the future?  Always a Sunni president and a Shiite prime minister?

Spokesman:  I don’t think that was Mr. Brahimi’s recommendation.  What he was trying to do was to balance the three major factions in the country in a way acceptable to all three, and also to bring in some fresh blood.  So, I think he has accomplished both those objectives.  But I don’t think he intended to set any formula that would be followed from now on into the indefinite future.  Ricardo?

Question:   Fred, back on President Bush and the Secretary-General.  As we understand, they spoke this morning.  Was there anything in their conversation that led President Bush to give such a contrasting view of events with the one given by the Secretary-General?

Spokesman:  The Secretary-General was asked this morning about the content of that phone conversation, he declined to comment.  He hasn’t shared it with me, so I can’t answer your question.  Yes?

Question:   On the phone call with President Bush, can you tell me who called whom and what other heads of State the Secretary-General has spoken with lately?

Spokesman:  What was the first part of your question?

Question:   Did President Bush the Secretary-General...?

Spokesman:  Yes, yes.

Question:   ...or the other way around and were there other heads of State the Secretary-General has spoken with this morning?

Spokesman:  My understanding is that President Bush called the Secretary-General this morning.  Other heads of State -- over the weekend he was particularly active on the phone, but not exclusively on Iraq.  I don’t believe there were other heads of State with whom he might have discussed Iraq.  I can’t recall any.  There were other individuals, but I am not here to give out his entire phone log.  Yes, Serge?

Question:   Is the Secretary-General going to solve the conflict with the 14 Caribbean CARICOM countries over the peacekeeping operation in Haiti?  I understand you refused to participate?

Spokesman:  He refused to participate in what?

Question:   With the CARICOM countries.

Spokesman:  He refused to participate in CARICOM?

Question:   In the peacekeeping operation, mission.

Spokesman:  I don’t really know... 

Question:   You’re not aware of that then?

Spokesman:  No, I am not aware of that, Serge, I am sorry.  Yes?

Question:   Fred, just yesterday, the Indian Government announced that they would be holding talks with Pakistan later this month.  Any reaction from the SG and did the SG speak with the new Prime Minister Manmohan Singh?  And I believe there is a letter sent out about a week ago?

Spokesman:  I don’t know if we can show you the letter.  I am not aware that he’s had a phone conversation.  And I am sure he is encouraged that dialogue should be resuming between these two nations.  It’s certainly essential to the entire region.  David?  [He later said no phone call had taken place.]

Question:   As part of the consultations on the Security Council resolution, some countries have said they want some sort of conference, some sort of international stamp on this outside of just the Security Council.  The meeting that I think the Secretary-General is planning for tomorrow, for the Group of Friends of Iraq, is that intended to be some sort of conference that would stamp international approval or endorsement on the appointed government?

Spokesman:  Well, as you know he did put together this rather large group of friends of Iraq.  He has scheduled a meeting tomorrow at midday of this group.  But it’s not my impression that his intention is that the group is being called together to endorse anything.  The whole purpose of the Friends of Iraq is to create a forum where information could be shared and advice given.

Very well.  Stephen, come up please and talk to us about AIDS and Africa.

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