Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

AND THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT

 

Following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Marie Okabe, Associate Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, and Djibril Diallo, Spokesman for the General Assembly President.

Associate Spokesperson for the Secretary-General

Good afternoon.

**Guest at Noon

Joining us today and already here is Anna Tibaijuka, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the UN Human Settlements Programme, known as UN-HABITAT, who will brief you on the Commission for Africa, and the recently concluded Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development in Africa.

**SG Speech in London

The Secretary-General today laid out his vision for the United Nations’ agenda over the coming year, in a speech delivered at Whitehall, in London.

He told the gathered officials, including British Prime Minister Tony Blair, that today we face threats to the world order and world peace of a kind and a scale not seen since the height of the cold war.  Those threats range from terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, to AIDS and other diseases that could spread globally.

The Secretary-General noted the two recent reports that he had commissioned –- one on Threats, Challenges and Change, and the other on Investing in Development –- and said that, taken together, the recommendations in those reports would provide the chance of “a better, fairer and safer world in this century”.

He said that the Summit scheduled to take place at the United Nations this September will offer a unique opportunity to bring those issues together.  Meanwhile, he said, the United Nations is already “moving with the times”, working more on supporting good governance and democracy.

He said, noting the UN’s electoral work, that “we are very proud of the role we have played in helping the people of Afghanistan, Palestine and Iraq take significant steps on the long, hard road to democracy”.  The Secretary-General detailed the UN’s work in Iraq, from electoral assistance to its willingness to provide technical help, if asked, on drafting a constitution.

He concluded that “the time is ripe to bring economic and military security back into a common framework, as our fathers did at San Francisco 60 years ago”.  We have copies of his speech upstairs.

**Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

The Secretary-General was asked at a press encounter in London today about the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on its nuclear programme, and he said that he hoped that it was not a definitive position.

He urged the other countries involved in the six-party talks “to engage North Korea and bring them back to the table, and for the talks to resume as quickly as possible”.

**SG in London

Also about the Secretary-General in London today, Prime Minister Blair introduced the Secretary-General by saying that, in a tough time, he has handled himself with great distinction and wisdom, and has been “a tremendous unifier”.

Following his speech, the Secretary-General attended a debate on the work done by his High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change.  After that, he had a working lunch with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, who launched that debate, and the two men then spoke to the press.  We have copies of that press encounter upstairs.

Besides his comment on Korea, the Secretary-General was asked about Iran, and said that he was very encouraged by the discussions taking place between Iran and three European countries:  France, Germany and the United Kingdom.  “I think it is a very healthy sign”, he said, “and dialogue is the way to go.”

The Secretary-General began his day in London by meeting with Prime Minister Blair.  They discussed the results of the Iraq elections and the transitional process currently under way.  They also discussed UN reform, Afghanistan and development in Africa.

In the afternoon, the Secretary-General met with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, and with the Secretary of State for International Development, Hilary Benn.  The Chancellor and the Secretary-General discussed the recent decision by the Group of 7 industrialized countries to forgive the debts of African nations.  They also touched on financing for development, including involvement by the private sector.

**Lebanon

Turning to the Middle East, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for resolution 1559, Terje Roed-Larsen, was in Damascus, Syria, today where he met with President Bashar Al-Assad.

Mr. Roed-Larsen said his meeting with the President was extremely encouraging and constructive.  Part of the meeting was also attended by Foreign Minister Farouk al-Shara and the remainder was a tête-à-tête between Roed-Larsen and the President.  He delivered to the President a letter from the Secretary-General.

In a statement released afterwards, Roed-Larsen said he was now leaving the region and that his stay had been very positive.  He stressed that he had been encouraged by the many conversations he has had and by the working relationships he has established.  The full text of his statement is available upstairs.

**MONUC/Ituri Update

And turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, regarding the recent fighting in the Ituri district in the eastern part of that country, the UN Mission in the DRC has confirmed that 52 civilians were killed in the attacks, which were carried out by a militia known as the “Nationalist Front for Integration” against local ethnic Hema people. 

A MONUC team, that’s the UN Mission there, which was investigating these latest attacks, was told that armed civilians and around 30 children, aged from 12 to 15, were included in the militia.  The attacks provoked the displacement of tens of thousands of people, and the United Nations is currently providing humanitarian aid to them. 

MONUC says that returning the displaced persons to their homes will be a priority as soon as security conditions allow for it.  There is more on this upstairs in the Spokesman’s Office.

**DSG – Social Development

Turning to Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette:  Relying on market forces alone won’t achieve major development gains.  Instead, sustained economic growth will occur only when we put people at the centre of our development policies.  That’s what Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette said today as she opened the high-level segment of the Commission on Social Development.

She added that the international community’s challenge is to make globalization work for all the world’s people.  We have copies of her full statement upstairs.

And at 1:15 this afternoon, ministers from Mauritius, the Netherlands and Peru will come here to room S-226 to tell you more about these issues.

**Security Council

At UN Headquarters today, there are no meetings or consultations of the Security Council scheduled.

**Afghanistan

And on Afghanistan, the UN Mission there is providing support to the International Security Assistance Force as it conducts recovery operations at the site of last week’s air crash.

The UN Office for Project Services has provided three snowmobiles to the Force, to help create a path to the crash site, and two members of that Office’s staff, who have avalanche and mountaineering expertise, will also establish a base camp near that site.  Also, the UN Mine Action Centre for Afghanistan will provide technical and data support on the landmines in the crash site area, and will have sniffer dogs on site.  We have more details in today’s briefing notes from Kabul.

**Bosnia and Herzegovina

And out on the racks today is a report, transmitted by the Secretary-General, on the activities of the European Union Police Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

It notes that measurable progress has been made in strengthening State-level law enforcement agencies, and that, as the Mission enters the last year of its mandate, it is well placed to leave behind sustainable and effective policing arrangements.

**UN TV

And finally, an announcement about UN Television -- “World Chronicle”, which will be shown today.

The topic will be global environmental threats and small island States, and the guest will be Anwarul Chowdhury, the UN’s High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and SmallIslandDevelopingStates.  And you can watch that on in-house television channel 3 or 31 at 3:30 p.m.

And that’s what I have for you.

As I said, we have Ms. Tibaijuka and then we have the General Assembly Spokesman here to brief you.

Yes, Warren?

**Questions and Answers

Question:  Marie, Representative Henry Hyde in Washington says he’s sent the Secretary-General a letter seeking internal audits of the World Meteorological Organization and 15 other specialized agencies at the United Nations.  Two questions:  has the letter been received?  And the second is:  what is the response of the Secretary-General to it?

Associate Spokesperson:  First of all, yes, we received the letter from the representatives and we will be responding shortly.

On the audits, as you know, since the General Assembly resolution of late last year, the Secretary-General and OIOS -- the Office of Internal Oversight Services -- has been working with Member States to make UN internal audits available.  And we’ve already had that one request, as you know, from the United States, for the oil-for-food audits, and they were promptly released.

As for the internal audits of specialized agencies, that is something that neither the Secretary-General nor the General Assembly have authority over.  We clarified that yesterday that with the WMO, with the World Meteorological Organization, and organizations like the WHO, the World Health Organization, have their own governing bodies in which Member States are represented.  So, it would be up to those bodies to make the necessary changes.

Question:  That presumably is part of the action the Secretary-General will (Inaudible), isn’t it?  He doesn’t have the authority to do what he is being asked to do.

Associate Spokesperson:  Well, that is a fact that I am conveying to you now.  The letter has not gone out yet.  In terms of, I suppose, the tone of the letter there is a number of issues elaborated in that letter that are along the lines of what the Secretary-General and his senior staff are working on, and notably these are in the areas of transparency, accountability, strengthening of audit practices, procurement and protection of whistleblowers.

Yes?

Question:  I’m sorry.  When you say “answer shortly”, should we expect that today?

Associate Spokesperson:  First of all, I am trying to brief you on the tone of the response.  When it goes out, certainly we can confirm whether it goes out or not.  But I am not sure that it would be made public.

Yes, Mr. Abbadi and then...

Question:  On the same question, Marie, before the Secretary-General answers, is he going to consult with the other heads of agencies of the UN system?

Associate Spokesperson:  He is, as you know, routinely in touch with heads of agencies through various mechanisms.  I was just simply responding right now to a factual question about the release of the audits and how it relates to the current mechanisms in place.

Yes, Richard?

Question:  I know that we had that statement last night from Mark Malloch Brown.  Can you just elaborate here what did the visit accomplish?  Did he get what he wanted?  He didn’t seem to be able to silence more requests for letters.  What did it achieve; the first visit to Washington by the new Chief of Staff?

Associate Spokesperson:  Well, for those of you who did not get the readout of the Chief of Staff’s meetings, he met with a number of leading members of Congress, both Republicans and Democrats from both the Senate and the House.  His message during those meetings was twofold:  first, that the United Nations is undergoing thorough management and administrative reforms, including in the areas of transparency, strengthening of audit practices, procurement and protection of whistleblowers. 

Second, the United Nations is eager to get to the bottom of the oil-for-food scandal and is willing to work with Congress wherever possible.  And from all sides, the Chief of Staff said he heard strong support, baseline support for the United Nations.  Members of Congress expressed their willingness to work with the Secretary-General as he leads the reform process.

And on oil-for-food, congressional members expressed concern about the lack of access to UN documents and UN staff for their own investigations.  And Malloch Brown said the United Nations is currently cooperating fully both in terms of personnel and documents with the independent inquiry panel led by
Mr. Volcker.  And, that once that it has completed its work, the United Nations will be available to answer any questions that remain.

I think, referring to the bigger work of the United Nations, I’d like to refer you to the Secretary-General’s remarks today in London at the press encounter...(Interrupted).

Question:  Did Mark Malloch Brown invite the Congressmen up to the UN, to perhaps repeat some of this success allegedly in turning Jesse Helms’ mind around for a little bit?

Associate Spokesperson:  I have not heard that there was a direct invitation, but I am sure that this will be a first in a dialogue that he has initiated in his new capacity.

Yes?

Question:  What about a report, a unique report, about the UN considering putting its new temporary Headquarters in the outer boroughs?  Shocking.  Is that the UN’s intention if it doesn’t get its way with its expansion throughout most of parts in Manhattan?

Associate Spokesperson:  I think the UN...(Interrupted).

Question:  Marie, you have a piece of paper there!  You have that prepared!  You... Go ahead.

Associate Spokesperson:  Well, we all saw the story this morning in the local newspaper here about the UN allegedly looking for space.  And we’ve even gotten calls based on that news report, from commercial realtors.  As you know, we may have to rent space during the planned renovation.  And we will be working with the City to find the best possible space.  The issue of the new building, as you know, is in the hands of the State, New YorkState, which has not yet approved the transfer of the land.  So, at this moment there is no legislative approval to build that building; therefore, we’re being prudent and we’re starting to look for alternatives.

Question:  What has to be done?  Is the UN ready to go at this moment in terms of renovating this building while moving or do other things have to be passed through the GA or other Capital Master approvals before the move?

Associate Spokesperson:  There are still a number of steps, including the financing for the renovation.  So, we’re looking on various fronts.  Maybe, Djibril Diallo from the GA perspective can give us an answer where that stands in the GA.

Question:  Who leading... Bertini was involved and she’s leaving.  Who is the main person regarding the UN management on the move?

Associate Spokesperson:  Let me get you the name because I have several names in my head, but I don’t want to give you a definitive name.  I’d like to double check. [She later told the correspondent Bertini is still heading the UN Management Department.]

Question:  What’s preferred?  Brooklyn?  Staten Island?  Is there any?  New Jersey?  Hoboken?

Associate Spokesperson:  At this moment we’re not looking in Brooklyn or Queens, which is what I think the story alleged.  But, as I said, we’re being prudent and we’re working to look into possible alternatives.

Question:  How many calls did you say you’ve received from real estate people?

Associate Spokesperson:  I can’t tell you.  Let me look into that for you.

Yes?

Question:  Just to follow up on Richard’s.  You already have, the UN already has a concept that’s been approved within the system for a building that would accommodate swing space.  What would any potential move to a different site do to that concept?  Would you look for a revision of that?  Or would you look for a total, different plan?

Associate Spokesperson:  We’re not there yet, we’re not there yet.  But as I said, we’re simply being prudent and starting to look at alternatives because at this moment the necessary legislative approval for the site has still not happened.

Question:  Just to follow up.  Is it fair to assume or fair to understand that any change of the site would require a revision of the concept for that sort of building?

Associate Spokesperson:  I am not at this point comfortable going further into that, because I think, we’re really just responding to, you know, the City’s offer to help us find the swing space, should we need it.

Yes?

Question:  Just a final, ... (Inaudible) was final, I suppose, but has the UN began a new programme to design a new concept for a new swing space?

Associate Spokesperson:  Not that I know of, no.

Yes?

Question:  Has the Secretary-General spoken with his good friend and told him that the UN may be doing this?  And what was his reaction?

Associate Spokesperson:  I am not aware of the Secretary-General speaking with Mayor Bloomberg in the last few days.

If there are no further questions, I’d like to turn the floor over to Ms. Tibaijuka for her briefing to you.  And then Djibril Diallo will brief you on the General Assembly.

Spokesman for General Assembly President

Good afternoon,

“I consider as very important this exchange of views because it will be centred around the crucial question of development, which, together with peace and security, is one of the major goals pursued by the United Nations.”  The words are from President Jean Ping of the General Assembly when he opened this morning the tenth informal meeting on the continuation of the exchange of views on findings and recommendations of the United Nations Millennium Project 2005.  The first meeting on the Report was held, as you will remember, on 25 January.  Since then, delegations have examined in detail the report submitted by Professor Sachs to the Secretary-General on 17 January.

The President invited participants to pursue the exchange of views on the recommendations of the report, whose objective is to propose a practical plan on the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals.

The discussions taking place today, added President Jean Ping, will enable the General Assembly to complete the consultations on the High-Level Report on Threats, Challenges and Change, on the one hand, and to prepare the overall debate on 22 February.

“We also need to pay attention to the preparations for the high-level dialogue on financing for development, to be held in June 2005”, said President Ping, and he added that he had appointed Ambassador Enrique Berruga, Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations, as facilitator for that important meeting.

On the Commission for Social Development, delegates attending yesterday’s opening session called for renewed momentum in achieving the goals set in the landmark 1995 Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action, including poverty eradication, social integration and the promotion of full employment.

The Commission begins its high-level segment today.

Briefing on NEPAD, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, the Office of the Special Representative on Africa (OSAA) is organizing today, 10 February, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in Conference Room 6, a briefing entitled:  “NEPAD:  An update on progress and challenges and the report of the Secretary General’s High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change”.  The briefing is open to members of permanent missions, Secretariat staff, the media and representatives of United Nations agencies.  Please contact Ms. Mieko Ikegame at 212 963 1937 for further information.

I have received inquiries regarding the list of facilitators for high-level plenary meeting.  And as I have said here before, that meeting will be held from 14 to 16 September 2005.

So, I would like to share with you again following requests to my Office, the list of ambassadors who have been appointed as facilitators on the substantive matters related to the high-level plenary meeting.  They are the Permanent Representatives of Australia, Bangladesh, Barbados, Ghana, Netherlands, Panama, Slovenia, Thailand and Ukraine.

Finally, on the President’s calendar today, he met with Mr. K.Y Amoako, who is the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa.

That’s all I have for you.

Any questions?

If not, thank you.

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