DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
| Press Briefing |
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.
**Secretary-General’s Travel
The Secretary-General will be leaving this weekend on an extended trip that will take him to the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe.
He will initially fly to Qatar via the United Arab Emirates. He will meet with the Emir of Qatar and possibly speak to the press there.
On Wednesday morning, he will travel to the Sudan for official meetings. The next day, he will visit a displaced persons camp in Darfur. He will then go on to Chad, where he will also meet with senior officials, including the President. On Friday, he will visit a refugee camp on the Chad side of the Chad-Sudan border before returning to Khartoum for further consultations with the Sudanese Government and a meeting with the President.
On Saturday, 3 July, he will fly to Asmara, Eritrea, where he will visit the Headquarters of the UN peacekeeping mission in Eritrea and Ethiopia (UNMEE) and meet with the Eritrean President. Later that day, he will go to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to attend the African Union Summit, where he will hold bilateral meetings and address the opening of that Summit then on Tuesday, the 6th.
On Wednesday, he goes to Nairobi, Kenya, for an official visit and also to visit the UN Headquarters there. And he will meet with the negotiators in the Sudan peace process on Thursday in Nairobi.
He then leaves for Bangkok that same day, where he will pay an official visit from the 10th to the 13th of July to Thailand and attend the 15th International AIDS Conference. He will also open the second Asia-Pacific Ministerial Meeting on HIV/AIDS.
In the course of his official visit, he will have an audience with His Majesty the King of Thailand and will also meet with the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister.
He then flies out of Bangkok for Vienna, where he will join the meeting of his High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change.
And he’ll be back in New York on the 17th of July. We’ll give you copies of that itinerary upstairs if you need it.
Before he leaves on this trip, which will take him away for three full weeks, the Secretary-General will give one of his periodic press conferences tomorrow, here in room 226. It will start a little earlier than usual, at 10 a.m., and last a maximum of 45 minutes. I hope that suits those of you who have European, Middle Eastern or African deadlines.
**Sudan - Update
An update on Darfur: as aid workers continue to try to reach as many people in need in the Darfur region of Sudan, a World Health Organization (WHO) special representative dispatched to the area assessed condition in the camps there.
Meanwhile, in one of the camps visited by the WHO envoy, David Nabarro, in south Darfur, internally displaced persons (IDPs), fearful of continued human rights violations in and around the Kass area, indicated that they would not move out of the 11 schools they currently occupy until international peacekeepers are deployed or the police take action against the perpetrators.
The most recent incidents reported to humanitarian teams visiting the area include a Janjaweed militia attack on the 20th of June, where the militia reportedly looted plastic sheeting and blankets recently distributed to the displaced people.
International agencies in south Darfur had asked authorities to delay the relocation of the displaced persons until police reinforcements are provides to guarantee their protection.
**Global Compact
Next, on the Global Compact, an all-day event here today, more than 400 CEOs and civil society representatives convened at the United Nations this morning to discuss corporate social responsibility, as the day-long Global Compact Leaders Summit began.
The Secretary-General opened the meeting by saying, “We are travellers on a common, historic journey”. The Global Compact, he said, had come a long way in the four years since it was launched with fewer than 50 companies involved, with nearly 1,500 firms participating in it today.
Yet more needs to be done, he said, to integrate the nine labour, human rights and environmental standards that comprise the Global Compact into mainstream business strategies and practices.
He noted that an assessment by McKinsey and Company showed that nearly half of all participating companies have changed their policies to align them with the Compact’s principles. That is impressive, he said, but also shows room for improvement. We have copies of his statement upstairs.
Among other things, the Global Compact is expected to adopt today a simple statement that “business should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery”.
Also expected today is an announcement of an agreement by 10 world stock exchanges to share information actively on the Global Compact with their listed companies and to explore other ways of cooperating with the Compact. We have information upstairs in press kits on all of today’s events.
**Press Conference by Brazilian President Lula
Among the participants at today’s Leaders Summit is the President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is currently meeting with the Secretary-General. Following that meeting, the President will go on to deliver the keynote address at the Summit’s luncheon, and the Secretary-General will also speak at that occasion. And then, at 1:15, the President will come to this room to speak to you.
**UNEP Warns Global Stock Markets to Heed Environmental Concerns
A new report issued by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) at today’s Global Compact Leaders Summit, warns that across the globe companies will see their share price suffer in the long term unless proper attention is paid to environmental and social issues. And we have a UNEP press release on that upstairs.
**Middle East: Diplomatic Quartet in Taba, Egypt
Turning to the Middle East now, envoys representing the Middle East Quartet, which brings together the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and the Russian Federation, met today in Taba, Egypt, with Terje Roed-Larsen representing the UN.
They stressed their strong support for the Egyptian Government in working with the Israelis and Palestinians, to put in place arrangements that will be critical to the success of the Israeli initiative to withdraw from Gaza. The envoys welcomed the release of the World Bank rapid assessment study and undertook to carefully consider that its recommendations in planning to ensure Palestinian economic and humanitarian needs are met.
The envoys will meet in early July with representatives of the Task Force on Palestinian Reform, to consider steps to further reinvigorate the reform agenda of the Road Map.
The Quartet envoys agreed to continue working closely with the parties in the coming months to take advantage of the opportunity presented by the Gaza withdrawal as a step towards restarting progress on the Road Map and achieving the two-State vision. They also agreed to recommend that the Quartet meet at the ministerial level in September.
**UNRWA Reaches Agreement on Building Shelters for Homeless in Gaza
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, or UNRWA, today reached an agreement with the Palestinian Authority for land to be provided for the Agency to build 400 new shelters for the homeless, in the Gaza Strip town of Rafah.
Palestinian President Yasser Arafat met with UNRWA Commissioner-General Peter Hansen in Ramallah today to conclude the agreement. The project will be carried out with financial support from the United Arab Emirates’ Red Crescent Society. Over 15,000 people have lost their homes in Rafah since the start of the Intifada, and UNRWA has been providing them with tents and assistance. We have more details in a press release from the agency.
**Security Council - Recap
Just to recap from yesterday -- the Security Council discussed in its consultations yesterday a draft resolution from the United States, concerning the extension of immunity for some peacekeepers from the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The US Ambassador, following the adjournment of consultations, told you that the United States had withdrawn that draft resolution.
The Secretary-General had been following the discussions in the Council on the Court. He believes that the decision by the United States not to pursue a resolution on this matter will help maintain the unity of the Council at a time when it faces difficult challenges.
**Security Council Mission to West Africa Arrives in Liberia
The Security Council delegation visiting West Africa is in Monrovia today on the third leg of its mission. The Council members met with the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Liberia, Jacques Klein. They also held talks with Chairman Gyude Bryant of the National Transitional Government, during which the subject of sanctions imposed by the Security Council was raised.
At an airport press encounter upon arrival, the mission leader, Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry of the United Kingdom, responded to a question about when those sanctions would be lifted, saying that everything possible must be done to facilitate and encourage reaching of the conditions so that sanctions can end.
“Let’s be clear”, he said, “the sanctions end when the government has sufficient control over the territory, over the resources so that when sanctions are lifted, there isn’t the abuse which was there in the past”.
**Security Council Work Programme
The Security Council has no consultations scheduled this morning. At 3 this afternoon, the Council plans to meet with the troop-contributing countries for the UN Disengagement Observer Force in the Golan Heights (UNDOF). The Council has scheduled consultations on that Force for tomorrow.
**Statement on Western Sahara
I have the following statement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General, regarding Western Sahara:
“The Secretary-General welcomes the release by Frente POLISARIO of an additional 100 prisoners of war, who were repatriated on the 23rd of June to the Kingdom of Morocco by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
“The Secretary-General expresses the hope that the Frente POLISARIO will expeditiously release all remaining prisoners, in accordance with the relevant Security Council resolutions and in compliance with international humanitarian law. He also urges the parties to continue to cooperate with the ICRC to resolve the fate of all those unaccounted for since the beginning of the conflict.”
**Secretary-General’s Message to Africa, Caribbean and Pacific Group
The international community must work together to help African, Caribbean and Pacific countries diversify their exports, and move away from excessive dependence on exports of primary commodities.
This was part of the Secretary-General’s message to the Fourth Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group, being held in Maputo, Mozambique. The message was delivered on his behalf by K.Y. Amoako, the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).
The Secretary-General added the UN will continue to work in partnership with the forum’s governments, the private sector, civil society and the donor community to ensure the full implementation of the Millennium Development Goals. We have copies of the full message upstairs.
**Inter-Academy Council Report on African Agriculture
Comprehensive strategies are needed across Africa to harness the power of science and technology in ways that boost agricultural productivity, profitability, and sustainability -- ultimately ensuring that all Africans have access to enough safe and nutritious food to meet their needs.
That’s the finding of a new report entitled: “Realizing the Promise and Potential of African Agriculture: Science and Technology Strategies for Improving Agricultural Productivity and Food Security in Africa”, which is being issued by the Inter-Academy Council -- an organization created by 90 of the world’s science academies.
The Secretary-General will preside over the report’s launch tomorrow -- it’ll be held in Conference Room 6, from 3 to 4 p.m.
And we have more in a press release upstairs.
**United Nations Drugs and Crime Office to Launch Annual Report
After significant growth in drug abuse in the past half century, the global spread of drugs has slowed down.
That’s one of the findings of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime’s World Drug Report 2004, which is being launched simultaneously in Moscow and Washington tomorrow. We have copies of an embargoed press release with more details on the report available upstairs.
**Press Conferences
Finally, press conference information. I’ve already mentioned Brazilian President Lula here in room 226, at 1:15; then at 2 p.m., the President-Elect of the Dominican Republic, Dr. Leonel Fernandez, also in this room. And at 3:15 p.m., the Global Compact participants will brief you on the global fight against corruption.
We will not have a noon briefing tomorrow, as usually happens when the Secretary-General gives a press conference. But at 3 p.m., at your request, the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser, Maurice Strong, will brief you here on North Korea. David, I hope you’re happy with that.
That’s all I have for you.
**Questions and Answers
Question: Do you know what’s on the Secretary-General’s agenda for Qatar?
Spokesman’s response: I don’t have any more details other than the meeting with the Emir. And I mentioned the possibility of his talking to the press. That would, most likely, be on the subject of Iraq, if he decides to do that. If there are any additional items on that programme that I can share with you, I’ll do so after the briefing.
Question: We know the Secretary-General’s position on the US decision yesterday [to withdraw the draft the extension of immunity for some peacekeepers from the jurisdiction of the ICC].
But today, it’s been revealed that the US has made an agreement with Iraq’s Interim Government that US soldiers in Iraq would have immunity from prosecution and, at the same time, leading to impunity for perhaps bombing civilians in Falujah and elsewhere. I’m wondering if this agreement will undermine the Interim Government’s efforts to gain the confidence of the Iraqi people. Has the SG expressed an opinion on this?
Spokesman’s response: I don’t have an SG position on that issue to share with you. I think this is a matter, initially, for the Iraqi Interim Government to try and sort out with the US Government. And we would wait to see if that can be done. At this point, I have no intervention to give you from the Secretary-General.
Question: I’m sure the Secretary-General may address the situation in Darfur tomorrow, but can you speak to the charge levelled by many that the UN has not done enough, that the Council has not done enough -- although I know you can’t speak for the Council -- about the fact that there hasn’t been any Darfur intervention. It’s been about a week and a half since the Secretary-General said they might have to accept assistance. How do you answer the question that there has been too much of a delay?
Spokesman’s response: I think within the realm of the possible, there has been increasing international pressure on the Sudanese Government to get the situation in Darfur under control, specifically to control the Janjaweed militia
who have been reeking havoc in Darfur and to give greater access to humanitarian workers trying to assist all of those who have been displaced.
The Secretary-General’s [imminent] visit there is a further ratcheting-up of that international pressure. And he also hopes, in the course of this visit, to intensify and reinvigorate political efforts to reach a peace agreement in the west of the Sudan and in Darfur.
Question: We have recently been told that the Secretary-General does not comment on issues before the Security Council, and yet, with respect to the US draft on the ICC, he has made very strong pronouncements, saying today that [the US decision to withdraw the text] it was to help preserve unity of the Council. But the Council has been divided by many issues, including Iraq, the Middle East and others. What explains his strong statements on this particular issue?
Spokesman’s response: I think I answered that question yesterday. I said that, in fact, the Secretary-General refrains from commenting on or otherwise interfering in the Council’s deliberations. But, on the other hand, he does have an obligation under the Charter to call to the Council’s attention threats to international peace and security, which he does as necessary. And, in this case, it was a matter of principle that he felt compelled him to speak up, and he did.
Question: On the “oil-for food” programme, I know the UN is saying that Paul Volcker [Chairman of the Independent Inquiry Committee (IIC)] and his Panel are handling everything, but there seem to be other investigations underway. Can you confirm in any way that the US Senate, House of Representatives or Office of the Attorney General have requested more documents from the UN? Has the UN had a policy discussion with the US Government on how to get documents?
Spokesman’s response: I believe that the Mr. Volcker himself has had discussions with US Congressional leaders, explaining to them his position to them that he should control the UN documentation. I can’t specifically confirm now the letters we might have received from House, Senate or other Washington officials. I’ll have to look into it and get back to you after the briefing.
Question: On a lighter note, I have read a report that one of the biggest controversies of Mr. Annan’s first administration had been the elephant in the garden, whose anatomy had been covered up by shrubbery. This article says that the bushes are going to be removed and that the full elephant “manhood” will finally be on display. Can you confirm that?
Spokesman’s response: I think those bushes have grown to a respectable height (laughter) and I haven’t heard there has been any discussion of taking them down. But will check for you and report back.
Thank you very much.
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