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 Stéphane Dujarric, Associate Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

Good afternoon.

**Secretary-General at Mauritius Conference

The Secretary-General today said that the recent tsunami has taught the world once again the need for prevention and early warning.  Addressing the High-Level Segment of the International Meeting on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States in Mauritius, he said, “We need a global warning system -- and one that covers not just tsunamis but all other threats, such as storm surges and cyclones”.

He added that governments must be ready to take decisive measures to address climate change, saying that “it is no longer so hard to imagine what might happen from the rising sea levels that the world’s top scientists are telling us will accompany global warming”.

The Secretary-General asserted that, if any good should come out of the upheaval created by the tsunami, it should be to prove, once and for all, the need to heed warning signs and come together well in advance of calamity.

The Secretary-General later attended a meeting organized by the Seychelles and the United Kingdom on “Reefs, Island Communities and Protected Areas”, and told the participants there that less than 1 per cent of the world’s oceans are protected, compared to 12 per cent of the land area.  Coral reefs, he added, are especially vulnerable.

The Secretary-General also had a series of bilateral meetings on the margins of the Conference, beginning with the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Paul Raymond Bérenger.  He also saw, among others, the Presidents of the Marshall Islands and the Seychelles, the Prime Minister of Barbados and the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth.

In a separate programme, Nane Annan accepted an invitation from the Indian Ocean Commission, which entered into a partnership with the United Nations in 2002 to strengthen efforts against AIDS on five islands.  She spoke to leaders of that programme, as well as to three HIV-infected persons.

**Mauritius Conference

Early this morning in Mauritius, agreement was reached on the text, to be adopted on Friday, for the International Conference on Small Island Developing States.  The meeting’s Committee of the Whole today endorsed a number of trade-offs on issues such as climate change, trade and the maritime transportation of radioactive materials.

The newly-agreed text indicates that small island developing States “believe that they are already experiencing major adverse effects of climate change” and that “adaptation to adverse impacts of climate change and sea-level rise remains a major priority” for them.

It also promotes “increased energy efficiency and development and use of renewable energy as a matter of priority, as well as advanced and cleaner fossil fuel technologies”.

**General Assembly Meeting on Tsunami

The General Assembly will hold a plenary meeting on Tuesday, 18 January at 10 a.m. in the General Assembly Hall to consider the strengthening of the coordination of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance.  The Secretary-General is expected to address the meeting.

The meeting, which is expected to focus on the tsunami, was requested by members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

**Appointments

The Deputy Secretary-General today announced that David Veness of the United Kingdom would be the first UN Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security following agreement by the General Assembly to create that post to oversee all security work for the United Nations.  She said he will begin his term of office on February 28.

Also today, the Secretary-General appointed Staffan de Mistura, his Personal Representative for Southern Lebanon, as his Deputy Special Representative for Iraq.

**Security Council

In his periodic briefing to the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Kieran Prendergast told Security Council members that, while there remain chances for setbacks, the overall trend of recent events tends to confirm that there exists a real opportunity to begin the long-delayed implementation of the Road Map’s provisions and to start moving once again towards a settlement of the conflict.

He noted the success of the recent Palestinian presidential elections and congratulated President-elect Mahmoud Abbas.  Prendergast also noted that, overall, the situation remained calm on election day, as Israeli forces generally allowed free movement and reduced their activity inside the Palestinian areas.

He warned that situations such as the present one in the Middle East are dynamic:  They either evolve positively or they regress, but they do not stand still for long.  This, he said, underlines the need to develop momentum in the peace process and maintain it through confidence-building measures.

He underscored the need for the international community, particularly through the Quartet, to help the new Israeli and Palestinian governments at this time.

Prior to Prendergast’s briefing, the Council President read out a presidential statement in which it welcomes the Palestinian elections and commends the credible and fair character of the balloting.

Also, today marked the final Security Council session for Ambassador John Danforth in his capacity as the United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations.  His term ends on 20 January, 2005.

**Kosovo

A Nigerian police officer with the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) was killed this morning in a bomb explosion, while driving to work in an UNMIK police car.

The Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Søren Jessen-Petersen, condemned the killing and called it “a despicable act that would certainly be repudiated by the people of Kosovo”.  He also extended his condolences to the family of the deceased officer.

Police investigators, as well as forensics and explosives experts, are currently investigating the circumstances of the incident and the precise nature of the explosion.

**Haiti - Injuries

The UN Mission in Haiti reports that a motorized patrol of peacekeepers came under fire yesterday in the harbour area of Port-au-Prince.

Haitian and UN civilian police came to their aid, and the damaged patrol vehicle was later recovered.

In addition, a UN police officer was injured in a stone-throwing incident on Tuesday, after he and other policemen prevented a mob lynching.

Also, late yesterday, the Security Council President issued a statement on Haiti.  In it, he said the Council renews its appeal for the prompt disbursement of international funds pledged for Haiti.

**Sudan

The UN Mission in Sudan reports separate attacks on two villages by armed militia two days ago in south Darfur.

In one attack, armed men stopped two trucks of a non-governmental organization and looted their contents.  The convoy was forced to turn around.  In the second attack, it was reported that armed men attempted a forced entry into an NGO guest house.

In North Darfur, it was reported that unidentified armed men fired at a truck marked with an NGO logo also on the same day.

**West Africa

The World Food Programme today urged international donors to reinforce humanitarian support to 1.5 million West Africans as they work to rebuild their countries, still reeling from over a decade of war.

**Polio – African Leaders

UNICEF, the UN Children’s Fund, reports that the health ministers of key African countries affected by polio have agreed to step up their vigilance and vaccination programmes in order to meet polio eradication targets this year.  The scale-up comes in the wake of a challenging year for Africa, one which saw the total number of African children stricken by polio double.

**World Food Programme

While countries worldwide are reacting with unprecedented generosity and support in the wake of a tsunami that left millions in Asia without food or shelter, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is calling on new European Union member States to join WFP in a campaign against world hunger -- especially among children -- during a two-day meeting that starts today.  The number of hungry is on the rise after decades of decline, even as donor countries have cut back on food aid, from 15 million metric tons to just 10 million metric tons last year.

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