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.

Before I begin let me just tell you something we squawked, and if you were down here you might not have heard it.

The Lakhdar Brahimi briefing for the Correspondents’ Association has been postponed for 24 hours at your request.  I think most of you felt you had too much to do with the resolution today and preferred to hear from him tomorrow.  So, it will now take place in the UNCA Club tomorrow at 1:00.

Good afternoon.

**Iraq - Council

Following a few hours of discussion yesterday in the Security Council, the draft resolution on Iraq was put into blue.  Council members will return to consultations on Iraq at 4:30 this afternoon, with a view to voting on that resolution today.  [The Spokesman later said that the Security Council would go into the formal meeting on Iraq at 4:30, without prior consultations.]

Prior to that, the Secretary-General will meet with the Group of Friends on Iraq at 3:00.

Speaking to an open meeting of the Security Council yesterday, the Secretary-General said the role of the UN, through the efforts of Lakhdar Brahimi, had been to facilitate a process of consensus building leading to the formation of an interim government.  Brahimi’s task, he said, has been completed on time and in full.

The Secretary-General reiterated that the UN was fully involved in facilitating consensus on the structure and composition of the government.

He appealed to Council members and the international community at large, and to Iraq’s neighbours in particular, to respond favourably and generously to the Interim Government’s request for assistance and support.

The Secretary-General said he looked forward to a clear definition of the UN’s role and to the creation of all the conditions -- including the provision of security for our staff, and adequate resources -- which would allow us to implement the mandate given us.

**Iraq - Brahimi

The Secretary-General was followed by his Special Adviser, who outlined to Council members the details of his mission in Iraq.

He said that the Interim Government, taken as a complete package, has a great deal of talent and is well positioned to bring the country together during the next seven months or so.

Brahimi stressed that the Interim Government will have to start to take ownership of the solutions to the grave security problem. He added that efforts to create an effective Iraqi police force and a well-trained army must be expedited.

He also underscored the importance of properly managing the relations between the government and the foreign forces in Iraq.  That, he said, will greatly affect the government’s credibility in the eyes of the Iraqi people.  The solution to the security issue, he added, cannot be military only; it also needs to be political.

All the work that needs to be done now, Brahimi told Council members, must be focused on creating the conditions for genuine and credible elections this January because only an elected Government and an elected legislature can legitimately claim to represent Iraq.

We have the text of his remarks available upstairs.

**Sudan

The Secretary-General’s report on the Sudan is out as a Security Council document today.

In it, the Secretary-General recommends deployment of an advance team to prepare for a future UN operation following the signing of a long-awaited comprehensive peace agreement, which he says would show the commitment of the international community to assist the parties.

He outlines the various tasks of a future monitoring and observation operation, and also says he intends to appoint very soon the senior leadership of a future UN peace operation to head the ongoing preparations.

He also sounds a note of caution in three areas:  that the parties implement what they have signed in good faith; that the parties use their influence to bring to an immediate halt the fighting in the Darfur region, in the Malakal area of the Upper Nile and elsewhere, which continues to destroy lives and livelihoods; and that the international community understand and concur that peace will only be attained in the Sudan though continuing constant engagement, requiring extensive investment and funding.

A draft resolution on the Sudan has already been introduced in Security Council consultations.

**DRC - Update

Yesterday evening, the Security Council adopted a presidential statement on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, condemning the seizure of Bukavu by dissident forces led by former Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD-Goma) commanders, and the human rights violations which have occurred.  The Council demands that all such military actions cease immediately and it urges all parties in the Government of National Unity and Transition to remain fully committed to the peace process and to abstain from any action that could endanger the unity of the Government.

In addition, the Council warns neighbouring States of the consequences of support to the rebel groups.  It urges the Government of Rwanda, taking into account its previous relationship with RCD-Goma, and all other neighbouring States, to do all in their power to support the peace process and resolve the crisis.

The Council also calls on all Congolese parties to support the work of the UN Mission and demands that they refrain from any hostile action against UN personnel or facilities.

The UN Mission reports that the situation in Kinshasa is relatively quiet.  President Joseph Kabila and UN Special Representative William Swing held separate meetings with student groups calling for civil behaviour and stressing that the UN is an important partner in the transition process.  Some isolated demonstrations took place this morning, but they were dispersed by Congolese police, who are actively patrolling streets.

In Bukavu, the UN Mission has confirmed the withdrawal of the forces of General Laurent Nkunda from the town and the nearby airport area.  However, Colonel Jules Mutebutsi has not kept his pledge to canton his forces, and some sporadic shooting took place today.

Special Representative Swing has been in constant contact with President Kabila and his Cabinet to plan the re-establishment of the Transitional Government’s authority.  All seem to agree that the crisis in Bukavu must be resolved this week.

Meanwhile, the UN refugee agency is monitoring closely the situation along the DRC/Rwanda, border where over 2,300 Congolese refugees have fled since the outbreak of fighting in Bukavu.  We have full information in UNHCR’s briefing notes on this subject upstairs.

**Côte d’Ivoire

In response to yesterday’s violent incidents near the ceasefire monitoring line in Côte d’Ivoire, the International Monitoring Committee of the Linas-Marcoussis Agreement, chaired by Special Representative of the Secretary-General Albert Tevoedjre, issued a statement today condemning the incidents.

The statement also condemned the threats and attacks against the international community, including the UN peacekeeping operation, in Abidjan.

**Cyprus

This morning, the Security Council held an open meeting on Cyprus.  Alvaro de Soto, the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on the issue, presented the report on his good offices.

That report, of course, we flagged to you when it was released last week.

In his presentation, de Soto said that late yesterday afternoon, the Secretary-General had received from the Greek Cypriot side a letter outlining comments regarding the Secretary-General’s report.  The letter would be made into an official document of the Council.  Members are now continuing the discussions on Cyprus in closed consultations.

During these closed consultations, the Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Hédi Annabi, presented the Secretary-General’s latest report on the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus.  That report was also issued last week.

**Black Box

The cockpit voice recorder, or “black box”, which has been stored at the United Nations since 1994, was not from the presidential aircraft carrying the Presidents of Rwanda and Burundi when it crashed that year and did not contain any relevant information about the crash of that aircraft.  These are the main findings of the investigation conducted by the Office of Internal Oversight Services into allegations that the United Nations had possession of a flight recorder from that aircraft.

The report adds that much of the recent furor, after the black box was found on UN premises earlier this year, could have been avoided if the Department of Peacekeeping Operations had sought in 1994 to analyse the contents of the black box, as has now been done.

Due to the historical significance of the downed plane and its relation to the Rwandan genocide, the Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services, Dileep Nair, has taken the exceptional decision to make this report available on the OIOS Web site.  He and his director of investigations were not able to make it to today’s briefing to talk to you, but, if you have any questions and you want to give them to me, I will pass them on to OIOS, and they promise to respond to them promptly.

**Lebanon

Yesterday there were a number of serious and worrisome violations across the Blue Line in Lebanon, which carry a potential threat for escalation.

Early in the morning, unidentified elements fired three rockets from Lebanon towards Israel.  Two of the rockets fell inside Lebanon close to the Blue Line and the third fell into the sea close to an Israeli naval patrol boat.  Shortly afterwards, there were several Israeli air violations in southern Lebanon.  And much later, around 10 p.m. local time, Israeli jets hit a reported Palestinian position south-east of Beirut.

In statement issued today, the Secretary-General’s Personal Representative for Southern Lebanon, Staffan di Mistura, said he viewed these incidents with concern.  The UN, he said, reiterated its call to Lebanon to exercise control over its territory.  To Israel, the UN also reiterates its call to stop its air violations of the Blue Line.

All parties along the Blue Line, di Mistura said, must exercise utmost restraint and live up to their responsibilities in order to avoid further acts of hostility.

**Sheba Farms

Continuing on the same subject, we just got word before the briefing that this morning there was an exchange of fire between Hezbollah and the Israeli Defence Force in the Sheba Farms area.

The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon has been in close contact with the parties with a view to preventing escalation.

**UNRWA

The two-day conference in Geneva dealing with the needs of Palestinian refugees wrapped up with a solemn declaration:  “You will not be abandoned.”

Delegates from more than 90 countries and organizations committed the international community and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, or UNRWA, to continuing support for
4 million Palestinian refugees.  Although the meeting was not a pledging conference, financial pledges were also made by some delegations, amounting to some $10.5 million.  We have a press release upstairs with more on that.

**Kosovo

From Kosovo, women make up only 30 per cent of the total labour force in Kosovo, and only 21 per cent of the rural labour force, according to a new report from the UN Mission in Kosovo’s Office of Gender Affairs.

The report also says that, although 91 per cent of girls in Kosovo attend primary schools, that figure drops dramatically to 54 per cent by the time the girls reach secondary school.  We have further details about the report, “Women and Men in Kosovo”, in a press release upstairs.

**Haiti – Electoral Mission

The UN Mission in Haiti reports that an Electoral Needs Assessment Mission from the UN’s Electoral Assistance Division arrived in Port-au-Prince today and will remain in Haiti for 10 days.  The purpose of the mission is to assess the assistance that the UN can provide to support democratic, free and transparent elections in 2005.  There is a press release on that.

**Fishing

From FAO, a growing number of countries are taking steps to conserve and restore the world’s oceans by bringing their fishing sectors in line with the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries.  According to FAO, 52 of its member countries report having fisheries management plans in place that incorporate elements of the Code.  We have a press release on that.

**Global Compact

Finally, tomorrow, at 11:15 a.m., the Global Compact Office will hold a press briefing in this room to discuss the upcoming Global Compact Leaders Summit, scheduled for the 24^th of this month, and to release a comprehensive study of the Global Compact prepared by McKinsey & Company, an international management consultancy.  John Ruggie, the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on the Global Compact, will be joined by Georg Kell, the Executive Head of the programme, and they will also have with them a Mr. Les Silverman, a Director at McKinsey.

Abdurrahim?

**Questions and Answers

Question:   The Security Council meeting this afternoon.  Are they going to go straight to the vote at 4:30 or will there be consultations beforehand?

Spokesman:  I understand it’s consultations first and then, with a view, as they say, with a view to an open meeting.  And, of course, that open meeting would be for a vote.  [The Spokesman later said that the formal meeting would take place without prior consultations.]

Question:   Brahimi yesterday seemed to tell the Council “I have successfully accomplished my mission” within the confines specified for him.  “The ball is now in the court of the Iraqis and the Americans.  If something goes wrong with it ... don’t blame me for it.”  Is that a fair characterization of what he said?

Spokesman:  I think that overdramatizes what he said.  He feels very comfortable that there is a lot of talent in this interim government, and a lot of honest, as well as capable, people.  It now is up to the Iraqis in the street to judge.  He’s been encouraged by statements from a number of religious leaders, as well as average citizens, that they’re waiting to see what this government can do.  And he feels that’s fair enough.  So in that sense it’s up to the new government to manage Iraqi affairs to the extent they can in the coming seven months in preparation for the elections.  And the Coalition, of course, will remain on the ground in the form of a multinational force as of 1 July, working with the Iraqis, to try to restore security.  So, the big question in everyone’s mind is whether the security situation in the country can be improved.

Question:   Sorry, just to follow up.  His point about his advice to the Iraqis not to lump people who he described as terrorists with people who he described as the resistance.  Is the UN going to be acting along that definition as official policy or is it just his words for the Iraqis ... (interrupted)?

Spokesman:  No, I think it’s safe to say that the UN mission when it gets up and running will be looking to build the broadest possible support for the government and transitional process to elections.  Mr. Brahimi, from his conversations with many Iraqis while he was in the country, did have contacts with people who described themselves as opposition to the occupation, but not international terrorists.  And he thought that this was a group that should be reached out to.  He was reaching out to them while he was there.  He tried to get them to participate in the interim government process.  They declined to do that.  But he felt that there was still much to be gained by maintaining contact with these people and trying to bring them under the tent.  So, that would be a principal objective of the United Nations work in Iraq once the work gets under way.  Philippe?

Question:   Yes Fred, I’d like to protest about the way the report on the black box has been released because the UN has been delaying the publication of that report week after week after week after week.  And now suddenly it’s released on a Monday night at one of the busiest moments for the journalists in the UN because of Iraq.  Nobody is there to brief us on the results of the report.  The only thing you offer is for us to put questions to you that you will give to Mr. Dileep Nair.  So, I don’t think on that matter it’s the way to do it.  I think it would be great if someone could come and brief us on that report, which has still many questions open in it.

Spokesman:  It was unfortunate the way it happened.  They had prepared to release the report yesterday.  It had nothing to do with what else was going on at the UN; it was when the report was finally ready.  And it didn’t get cleared in time for the noon briefing, so we thought, “Well, we’ll wait for it today”.  But then someone leaked something to a wire service and the conclusions of the report were on the wires at mid-afternoon.  So, at that point we felt that we had no choice but to go ahead and release the report to you. 

I did tell you that Mr. Nair, the head of OIOS, had agreed to come to the briefing.  But it happens that the report was released when he was out of the country and on a day when the head of his investigations unit was also out of the office.  So, we struck out trying to get someone from OIOS with knowledge of this investigation to come and take your questions.  What they proposed is that we take your questions, e-mail them to one of these two people and that they’d respond right away.  I can ask that one of them, whoever is available first, to come to this briefing and take your questions in person, if that’s your preference.

Question:   Yes, it’s my preference and I still find it very weird that the report comes out when nobody is there to comment on it.  I don’t see what was the emergency in publishing it last night when it had been delayed weeks and weeks and weeks, again so ...

Spokesman:  Well, I tried to give you the explanation.  I personally don’t see anything suspicious in how it was handled.  But you can put those questions to OIOS.  Yes, sir?

Question:   Would you like to make a comment about the letter that the Secretary-General received yesterday from the Greek Cypriot side?

Spokesman:  No.  All we said is it’s going to be made public and I have no comment on it.  Yes, sir?

Question:   Iraqi President Ghazi al-Yawar, who is appearing at the G-8 summit, do you see any date in the near future that he will come visit and address the Security Council?

Spokesman:  I haven’t heard of any plan for him to come here.  So, we’ll have to stay in touch with the Council President.  If we hear anything, we’ll let you know.  David?

Question:   Fred, just to back up.  The earlier process question about the meeting today, is it correct to understand that the Council consultation would not begin before the end of the Friends (of Iraq) meeting?  Do you expect the SG to attend the open meeting, if there is one to vote?  And what provision is there, just for live television purposes, to have as early notification as possible, even if they’re still in consultations that although they’re scheduled for such a time, in the future we’ll be at 5:15, 5:30 because of ... (interrupted).

Spokesman:  No.  You know we can’t predict that.  My understanding is that the meeting with the Friends will be over before the consultations begin at 4:30.  How long those consultations last depends on how much substance Member States raise in those consultations.  We will have someone in the room.  If we see any signs of white smoke emerging, we’ll come out and let you know that it looks like it’s beginning to wrap up.  My understanding is that they would go directly to the formal meeting from the consultations.  So, it would happen quickly, I think, once the consultations are over.  And I don’t know if the Secretary-General would be present.  I assume he would be.  But I’ll double-check for you, but I assume he would be.  Yes?

Question:   Fred, the draft resolution reaffirms the intent to revisit the mandate of UNMOVIC and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).  What in the UN view are the chances for the UN inspectors to resume their work in Iraq?

Spokesman:  That’s purely a matter for the Security Council to determine.  They consciously allowed the UN weapons inspectors to stay in business, and deferred to a later date a decision on what to do with them.  The Secretary-General has said on occasion that these inspectors represent a substantial amount of knowledge and expertise that he feels could be used.  But whether the Security Council would agree to reformulate the mandate of these inspectors and extend their life is purely a matter for the Council to decide.  Yes, sir?

Question:   With the resolution ... (inaudible) special force to deal with UN security specifically, does the Secretary-General have any anticipation or designated a ... (inaudible) from countries that aren’t already in Iraq that they will contribute to this force ... (inaudible)?

Spokesman:  I can’t give you names of any specific countries because we don’t discuss potential troop contributors before the recruitment process is completed.  And, I think as I mentioned yesterday, an MNF, a multinational force, is recruited not by the UN, but by the country or countries that the Security Council recognizes as the leaders of the MNF.  But I’ve also said in recent days that a number of troop contributors have come forward directly to us expressing interest in the specific role, within the MNF, of providing security to the UN personnel within their compound and the perimeter security around the compound.  And those conversations, of course, would have to be integrated with whatever the efforts the leaders of the MNF would be making to expand the size or the base of contributors to the MNF.  I do believe that among those who have approached us there are nations who are not presently serving on the MNF.

Question:   Just to follow up, can you give us the number of countries who have come to you?

Spokesman:  Three or four, I think, came to us.  Not all of them were coming with an unconditional offer to participate, but were feeling out with us what might be worked out in connection with such an offer should they make it.  Philippe?

Question:   Is there any plan for Kofi Annan to meet with President [Laurent] Gbagbo on Friday any time soon?

Spokesman:  I don’t have any word on that yet.  So, if a meeting is scheduled, we’ll let you know.  I’ll see right after the briefing whether something might have been firmed up in the last 24 hours that I can tell you about.  Yes?

Question:   The death penalty has been re-established in Iraq.  Is there any reaction of the UN?

Spokesman:  I don’t have any specific reaction on that.  I am sure there is an institutional response, because institutionally we don’t favour the death penalty.  But let me look into that and get you something more formal after the briefing.

Thank you very much.

* *** *