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.

**Sudan

In a letter to the President of the Security Council, the Secretary-General has informed Council members of his intention to appoint Jan Pronk of the Netherlands as his Special Representative for the Sudan.  He would also head the peace-support operation that may be authorized by the Security Council at the end of the conclusion of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the Government of the Sudan and the Sudan’s People Liberation Movement.

A response from the Council President is expected shortly.

Turning to Darfur, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees says it has now transported more than 100,000 Sudanese refugees from the border into camps inside Chad. 

The movement continued as the rainy season, which would render the roads impassable, draws nearer. 

UNHCR also says it now completed its latest airlift into Chad.  So far this year, it has brought in 40 flights from Tanzania, Pakistan, Denmark, Germany and Gibraltar with over 1,700 metric tons of aid for the refugees in eastern Chad.

**Security Council

Here at the Security Council this morning, Council members received a briefing on the situation in Guinea-Bissau from Tuliameni Kalomoh, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs.  Once consultations end, the Council is expected to go into a formal meeting to adopt a presidential statement on Guinea-Bissau.

In its consultations, the Council also received an update from Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hédi Annabi on the security conditions in Afghanistan.

Also today, Council members will hold their monthly luncheon with the Secretary-General.

**West AfricaMission

And a reminder, at 12:45 p.m. shortly after  this briefing, Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry of the United Kingdom will be here to brief on the Security Council’s visit to West Africa, which is scheduled from 20-29 June.

A Security Council document with the delegation’s composition and terms of reference of the mission is now available.

**Somalia

The Secretary-General, in a report that is out on the racks today, says that in large parts of Somalia, politicians, businessmen and faction leaders have charted out armed control over their fiefdoms.  They continue to demonstrate a lack of vision and political will, he informs the Security Council in the report.

The Secretary-General says that the active engagement of the Security Council, and the putting in place of the Arms Embargo Monitoring Group, could help to support peace and national reconciliation in that country.  The report also notes the response by aid agencies to the humanitarian crises in the country.

**Afghanistan

Turning to Afghanistan, several rocket-propelled grenades were fired on an office of the UN Refugee Agency in the city of Kandahar, in southern Afghanistan, today.  The firing caused little, if any, damage and no casualties.

The UN Mission notes that the attack nevertheless is a matter of grave concern, as an attack on UN premises.  An investigation is ongoing into the attack.

**IAEA - Iran Resolution

The board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency has adopted a resolution deploring the fact that, overall, Iran’s cooperation with it hasn’t been as “full, timely and proactive” as it should have been.

The resolution underlines that, with the passage of time, it’s becoming ever more important that Iran work proactively to enable the IAEA to gain a full understanding of Iran’s enrichment programme by providing all relevant information.

The resolution also calls on Iran to urgently take all necessary steps to help resolve all of the Agency’s outstanding questions.  We have full copies of the resolution upstairs.

**UNCTAD XI - Wrap-Up

Today is the last day of the 11th session of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), currently underway in São Paulo, Brazil.

The Conference was expected today to adopt three documents.  These are:  a political declaration, an operational text and an annex on the partnerships that were created during the Conference.  These documents are expected to be adopted around noon in São Paulo, and once that’s done, you’ll be able to find them on the UNCTAD website.

Also, the closing ceremony of the conference can be seen on the website.

**DRC/Burundi

From Burundi, the UN refugee agency reports that refugees fleeing from the Democratic Republic of the Congo continue to cross the border into Burundi, where an estimated 25,000 have already sought safety since 9 June. 

The sites where the Congolese refugees are being sheltered are too close to the border to become permanent.  Tomorrow, UNHCR plans to start moving the refugees away from the border to transit areas further inland.  The Government of Burundi has agreed in principle to provide additional land where Congolese refugees could be sheltered and consultations to this end are under way.

There is more information in UNHCR’s briefing note from Geneva.

**Iraq - Refugees

Also on refugees, despite security concerns, refugees continue to return to Iraq ahead of the 30 June handover of power to the Iraqi Interim Government. 

While the UN Refugee Agency is not encouraging Iraqis to return, it is facilitating convoys in cooperation with the Iraqi authorities for those who wish to go home.

To date the total number of returnees to Iraq has reached 11,500 with most coming from Iran, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. 

For more information on UNHCR’s activities, you can also look at the briefing notes.

UNICEF - Italian Donation

UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, has received a 1.8 million euro donation from the Italian Government, aimed at putting an end to female genital mutilation and cutting.  UNICEF says that this procedure is still performed on some two million girls each year -- and that to date, there are more than 100 million women and girls who have suffered some form of it.

There is more in a UNICEF press release on this subject.

**Civil Society Report

Looking ahead, the Panel of Eminent Persons on UN-Civil Society Relationships, headed by former Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso, will present its report on the ways the United Nations can build on its links with civil society, and that will take place next Monday.

Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette will open a briefing to Member States in Conference Room 4, which will begin at 10 a.m., at which President Cardoso will introduce the panel’s report.

President Cardoso will also be the guest at the noon briefing, when he and two other panel members -- Kumi Naidoo of South Africa and Bagher Asadi of Iran -- will talk to you about the report.

**Olympic Torch Reminder

And a quick reminder that the Olympic Flame will arrive tomorrow at UN Headquarters for a special ceremony in honour of the Olympic Truce.

Two young people chosen by UNICEF will bring the Olympic Flame to the United Nations.  The torch is expected to arrive here at around 8:30 p.m.

The speakers at the event will include the Secretary-General and the President of the General Assembly.

We have more information on that upstairs in the Spokesman’s office.

**The Week Ahead at the United Nations

Finally, we also have the “Week Ahead” that will help you plan your next week’s work.

**Access

And just a housekeeping matter, over the last three days we’ve had two incidents where a journalist with a television crew -- from the same network -- went up above the fourth floor without an escort or an appointment in an effort to interview a UN official.

As you are well aware, the ground rules for the press at the United Nations grant unhindered freedom of movement to all accredited journalists from the basement up to the fourth floor.

Journalists are not permitted above the fourth floor without an escort from the Media Liaison office or, at a minimum, an appointment.

The current system is based on journalists being able to police themselves.

We would hope that the current approach will be respected so we don’t have to change that.

And that’s all I have for you.  Any questions for me?  Yes, Serge?

**Questions and Answers

Question:   Yesterday we raised the question of immunities for American troops in the peacekeeping operations.  Until the Secretary-General had answered yesterday; I wonder if you have anything to elaborate, because the question was not answered yesterday.  It seems to me this thing is still vague.  So, can you elaborate a little bit more?

Associate Spokesman:    I don’t know what you mean by vague.  The Secretary-General was asked about the... (interrupted).

Question:   The Spokesman here yesterday, he didn’t know anything about anything as of yesterday.  But Secretary-General answered the questions, in a way, and we wonder what will happen to the other troops in the framework of the peacekeeping operation?  The Americans without immunities; they don’t have the immunities.  What type of immunities will the Secretary-General ask for them?

Associate Spokesman:    I think the Secretary-General yesterday, in response to a question at the press encounter, was responding to a move by a MemberState to introduce a resolution on the matter that you’re talking about.  And I think he was answering on the matter of principle, and he did not go into further elaboration of that because I think he wanted to respond clearly on the principle that should a resolution exempting peacekeepers go through the Security Council, that it would discredit the United Nations and the Security Council.  It was, as I said, a matter of principle and a point that he just wanted to articulate clearly.

In terms of what further may be discussed on this matter, there is, as I mentioned, a Security Council luncheon today that the Secretary-General will be having in a short while, and you may want to ask them later if there were further discussions on the matter.

Any other questions? If not, have a pleasant weekend, thank you.

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