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.

**SG Leaves for Abuja

The Secretary-General is currently en route to Abuja, Nigeria, where he will attend the African Union Summit over the weekend.

Then on Monday, he will travel to Yaoundé, Cameroon, to meet with President Paul Biya, as a follow-on to his efforts to facilitate Nigeria’s and Cameroon’s resolution of their boundary dispute in the BakassiPeninsula following their acceptance of a World Court ruling of October 2002.

He will return to New York on Tuesday.

**SG’s Iraq Message

In a videotaped message to the Iraqi people, the Secretary-General said elections are the best way to determine the country’s future.  He encouraged them to exercise their democratic right as this election offers an opportunity to move away from violence and uncertainty towards peace and representative government.

Speaking to those who seek to disrupt the process, the Secretary-General said that there can never be justification for the murder and intimidation of voters, candidates and election workers.

In closing, he called on all Iraqis to come together and rebuild their country on democratic foundations.  To that aim, he said, Iraq needs a national dialogue and an inclusive political process in which as many Iraqis as possible play an active part.

“The United Nations will do whatever it can”, he said, “to help you succeed on election day and afterwards.”

We have the full statement available upstairs.  And the video was made available at 8 o’clock this morning.

**Statement Attributable to Spokesman for Secretary-General

The following statement is attributable to the Spokesman regarding Sudan:

“The Secretary-General is deeply disturbed by an attack near the town of Shangil Tobaya in the Darfur region of Sudan.  According to monitors of the African Union, government aircraft bombed the area on Wednesday.  This is the latest in a series of grave ceasefire violations that have resulted in a large number of civilian casualties, the displacement of thousands of people, and severe access restrictions for relief workers.  The Secretary-General calls on the Government of Sudan and the rebel movements in the Darfur region immediately to comply fully with their commitments under the ceasefire agreement and all relevant Security Council resolutions.”

**Sudan/UN Mission Update

Also on Sudan, the UN Mission there reports that the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Sudan, Jan Pronk, returned today from a trip to Darfur.

He had been in Nyala, in South Darfur, where he held meetings with local community representatives, the commander of the African Union forces there, humanitarian workers and internally displaced persons.

On the humanitarian front, the Mission reports that agencies are planning to provide humanitarian assistance to 1,000 recently arrived internally displaced persons in Foraboranga, in West Darfur.

**Tsunami

On the tsunami, yesterday, a joint team from the UN refugee agency, or UNHCR, and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) visited the town of Teunom on Sumatra’s west coast, where some 8,000 people have been displaced.  Because supplies can only be flown in by helicopter, UNHCR is preparing to fly in 250 shelter boxes.  Each box is for 10 people and contains blankets, a torch, a shovel, and water purification tablets, as well as cooking oil and drinking containers.

This weekend, in the town of Meulaboh, the first UNHCR-built camp in the area will begin to receive displaced persons.  The camp has 112 tents for 560 persons.

In Sri Lanka, UNHCR has so far provided plastic sheeting, mats, mosquito nets, kitchen sets and clothing for more than 150,000 tsunami survivors.  It is also in contact with Muslim widows in the east, trying to assess their needs now that they have lost their husbands, houses and livelihoods.

Meanwhile, the two-day conference to discuss the establishment of a regional tsunami early-warning system in the Indian Ocean opened in Phuket, Thailand, today.  In a message to the meeting, the Secretary-General says that such a system should be under the coordination of the UN.

And we have the full text of that message upstairs.

**Security Council

The Security Council this morning unanimously adopted a resolution that extends the mandate of the UN Mission in Georgia by six months, until the end of July.

In the resolution, the Council also regrets the lack of progress on the initiation of political status negotiations, and calls on both sides to participate in constructive negotiations.

This afternoon, at 3:00, the Council will hold consultations on Lebanon, with a view to a formal meeting afterward on a resolution on the mandate of the UN Interim Force in that country.

**MONUC – Village Attack

The UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo will tomorrow investigate reports of a possible attack in the village of Che, in the Ituri district, in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The investigation was meant to take place today, but had to be postponed due to heavy rains around the town of Bunia.

Reports of the Wednesday attack come from a German NGO which was trying to visit that village.

**SG/Western Sahara Report

The Secretary-General’s latest report on Western Sahara is out on the racks today.

In it, he says he’s concerned that if not reversed, the continuation of the prolonged political deadlock between Morocco and the Frente POLISARIO might lead to deterioration of the situation in Western Sahara.

He also urges donor countries to provide the funding necessary to continue confidence-building measures undertaken by the UN Mission there.

**Counter-Terrorism

The fourth special meeting of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee with international, regional and subregional organizations ended yesterday in Almaty, Kazakhstan, with the adoption of a joint statement.

The statement reaffirms the imperative to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and acknowledged the central role of the Counter-Terrorism Committee, including its Executive Directorate.

Representatives of 36 international, regional and subregional organizations, and of over 50 countries, participated in the conference.

**Guyana Floods

There is a risk of further flooding in Guyana due to more heavy rains, according to the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination team in that country.

Currently, UNICEF and the World Health Organisation are working to address health issues and deliver basic supplies.

And for its part, the World Food Programme will deliver emergency food assistance for 30 days to 10,000 people, focusing on pregnant women and children under the age of five.

We have a press release on that.

**Ethiopia

Ethiopia is enjoying a bumper harvest this year, according to a joint report issued today by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP).

The increase in production follows an extended rainy season, increased use of fertilizer, and improved seeds.

But the report also notes that 2.2 million Ethiopians will need emergency assistance in 2005.  Of particular concern are the pastoral areas in eastern and southern Ethiopia, where prolonged drought has led to acute water and fodder shortages.

We have a press release on that.

**Afghanistan

Antonio Maria Costa, the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), arrived in Afghanistan yesterday for a three-day visit.  He will hold discussions with senior Afghan authorities on illicit opium-poppy cultivation.  In addition to the critical issues of opium production and alternative livelihoods, Costa will also discuss issues of drug abuse, drug trafficking and criminal justice reform.

**UPEACE

Maurice Strong, Chair of the Council of the University for Peace, who is also a Special Advisor to the Secretary-General, announced today the appointment of Julia Marton-Lefèvre as the University’s new Rector.

UPEACE, as the University is known, is based near San Jose, Costa Rica.  It was established in 1980 as a treaty organization pursuant to a resolution of the United Nations General Assembly to serve the peace and security goals of the UN through education, training and research.

Ms. Marton-Lefèvre replaces the current Rector, Martin Lees, who is leaving after five years of highly successful efforts at revitalizing and developing the University of Peace.  We have more information on that.

**Week Ahead at United Nations

And we have the Week in Review to help you cover the UN next week.

Any questions?

Yes, Abdurrahim?

**Questions and Answers

Question:  Yes, Fred.  It’s about the SG’s address to the Iraqis this morning.  When he says whatever your feelings about how the country reached this point, is that a reference to the responsibility of Saddam’s regime or is it a reference to the occupation in Iraq?

Spokesman:  I think he is referring to, among other things, the divisive debates not only within the Security Council but worldwide, over the military intervention.  So, he is saying, as he has been saying for a long time, let’s put that behind us and now focus on the future.  And what is in everyone’s interest is the stabilization of Iraq and he feels that the elections are the best route towards stability.

Question:  And did he make a deliberate effort to avoid using either invasion, as some Iraqis call it, or liberation as some Americans call it, in this address?

Spokesman:  He said what he said; and I don’t think we need to analyse what words weren’t used in that statement.

Question:  Just one more.  When he says to those who seek to disrupt the democratic process, how democratic does the SG think this process is up to this point in time?

Spokesman:  Well, the United Nations elections experts have been advising the Iraqi Electoral Commission all along on the legal framework for; on the procedures for them; and you heard Carina Perelli and Kieran Prendergast say earlier this week that everything has been done to prepare these elections properly.

So, I think that in our view, everything has been set in place for a valid election process.  And, of course, what everyone is concerned about is that the security situation in the country could have a negative impact on the outcome.  But, let’s wait and see what happens on Sunday.

Question:  Just one more bit of nit-picking, if I may.  Again, the reference to the democratic process, is he saying that there is already democracy in Iraq, or is he referring to the system in place as it may develop into a democracy subsequently?

Spokesman:  This is obviously a country that’s en route to a democratic process of government, that’s been laid out in the transitional law.  So, we are in the middle of a process that will eventually, we hope, produce a democratic system of government coming out of an autocratic system under Saddam Hussein.

Yes, Jonathan, go ahead.

Question:  Now that Paul Volcker’s links to Power Corporation and thus to Total Oil and BNP/Paribas have been exposed, could you tell us whether the Secretary-General knew about those apparent conflicts of interest before appointing him and just chose to ignore them or whether Paul Volcker was not forthcoming in disclosing all his links?  And if that is the case, does the SG think that it might now be better for Mr. Volcker to step down to preserve the integrity of the investigation?

Spokesman:  I believe that Mr. Volcker’s office issued an explanation of his connection to that company and provided, as well, an explanation of why he would not see it as a conflict of interest.

Question:  They actually didn’t provide that.  They simply confirmed that he was connected.

Spokesman:  Well, that depends on your reading of that piece of paper.  So, the Secretary-General, to my knowledge, was not aware of this particular connection.  What he was aware of is Mr. Volcker’s outstanding reputation and integrity.  And it was on that basis that he asked Mr. Volcker to lead this investigation.  He has no reason now to regret that choice.

Question:  Now, in every democratic country, the standard for public life; the lawyers’ code is not to avoid an actual conflict of interest.  It’s to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.  It’s very hard for you or anybody else to argue that there isn’t, at the very least, an appearance of a conflict of interest.  That is, for instance, why Henry Kissinger and Senator George Mitchell did not want to serve on the 9/11 Commission.  They didn’t want to risk the appearance of a conflict of interest.  Why does the UN and Paul Volcker hold themselves to a different standard to that in any other area of public life?

Spokesman:  I think that’s a judgement that you are making; that there is the appearance of conflict of interest... (Interrupted).

Question:  You’re saying there’s not an appearance of conflict of interest?

Spokesman:  I am saying it’s not convincing, the allegations that you’re putting forward.  And we’re satisfied with Mr. Volcker’s explanation as prepared in that paper that his office produced.  So, I see no reason that, from the United Nations’ point of view, we should have any less confidence in Mr. Volcker today than when he was first named.  And otherwise, I would invite you to address that question to him.

Anything else?  Yes?

Question:  I wanted to ask, General-Secretary claimed there are $100 million collected by the UN to support the Iraqi elections.  What’s the total amount of money these elections needed?

Spokesman:  I frankly don’t know what you’re talking about.  So, come to my office afterwards, if we can help you with that, we will.

[To Djibril Diallo, Spokesman for the General Assembly President, who was in the room]:  Djibril, you have nothing today, right?

Spokesman for General Assembly President:  Nothing.

Spokesman:  Thank you very much.  Enjoy the weekend, see you on Monday.

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