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.

**Statement Attributable to the Spokesman of the Secretary-General

We’ll start with a statement attributable to the Spokesman regarding Iraq:

“The Secretary-General welcomes the convening today in Baghdad of the Transitional National Assembly of Iraq.  This marks an important step in Iraq’s political transition process.  Now that the TNA has been convened, the Secretary-General hopes that the Transitional Government of Iraq will be formed quickly so that Iraq can move forward to the next phase of its political transition, particularly the drafting of a national constitution by the people of Iraq.

“As stated by his Special Representative, Mr. Ashraf Qazi, in his address to the Assembly upon its inauguration, the Secretary-General wishes to assure the Iraqi people and their elected representatives that the United Nations will continue to support their efforts in the political and economic reconstruction of their country, including by providing any needed assistance to Iraq’s sovereign and independent constitution-making process.  To that end, his Special Representative will continue to consult with the newly elected members of the TNA and other Iraqi representatives, with a view to promoting dialogue and national reconciliation.”

**Iraq

Ashraf Qazi today told the Transitional National Assembly, “The opportunities before the people of Iraq are unlimited.  But the challenges facing them are also significant”.  He told the Assembly that they should keep their constituents regularly informed about their deliberations, and will profit from transparency and inclusiveness during the writing of the Constitution.  We have copies of his speech upstairs.

**SG in Israel

The Secretary-General has left Israel.  He is on his way back to New York today.

Last night, he wrapped up his trip there at a dinner hosted by Israeli President Moshe Katsav, and said that the inauguration earlier that day of the Holocaust History Museum at Yad Vashem had been well-timed, coming at a time of renewed hope for peace in the Middle East.  The ceremony, he added, also occurs as Israel and the United Nations continue to build a new relationship.  He said, “There is a sense that Israel and the United Nations have rediscovered each other.”  We have copies of his remarks upstairs.

Before dinner, the Secretary-General met with the Speaker of the Knesset, Reuven Rivlin.  The Speaker shared with the Secretary-General his views on the peace process between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

**Lebanon - Team

The team headed by Peter Fitzgerald that was to examine the circumstances, causes and consequences of the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri of Lebanon has finished its inquiry.  The team left Lebanon this morning, and members of the team are expected to arrive in New York tomorrow.  They hope to report to the Secretary-General next week.

**Egeland/DRC

The eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo is the location of the biggest and most neglected humanitarian emergency in the world –- even when compared to what’s happening in Darfur, Sudan.  That’s the view of Jan Egeland, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, who was attending a media briefing in Geneva today on humanitarian relief efforts.  Egeland said that a recent survey indicated that there were 1,000 preventable deaths in eastern DRC each day.  We have more on his comments upstairs.

**Sudan

On Sudan, in that same briefing in Geneva, Egeland warned that, unless an agreement was reached soon and humanitarian agencies were given full access and freedom to operate, the number of internally displaced people in Darfur could reach 3 million by the end of the year.  He also noted that attacks against civilians were continuing and the abuse and rape of women was rampant.

The UN mission in Sudan, meanwhile, reports that 37 cases of measles have been reported from West Darfur and eight cases have been reported from South Darfur.  A supplementary measles immunization campaign targeting children has begun in two locations that have reported the majority of the cases.

**Haiti

Peacekeepers from the UN Mission in Haiti yesterday carried out an operation in the Cité Soleil neighbourhood of the capital Port-au-Prince, with the double-aim of helping make it more, secure as well as cleaning it up.  The operation involved 200 blue helmets from the Jordanian military contingent, as well as 14 armoured vehicles, and tractors, trucks and water tankers.  Members of the Ecuadorian and Chilean military contingents later joined the Jordanians.

As well as maintaining a visible presence to help deter violence there, the UN peacekeepers also rid the neighbourhood of huge piles of rubbish which had been cluttering roads and affecting the health of local residents.  In addition, the peacekeepers distributed food and water to the residents.  We have more on this in a press release in my office

**Bowles - Tsunami

The Secretary-General today appointed Erskine Bowles as the Deputy Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery.  At the request of the Special Envoy, former US President Bill Clinton, Bowles will leave for the region today to assess how the global humanitarian community has responded to the disaster.  Bowles will also attend an Asian Development Bank conference in Manila, Philippines on 18 March.

Following Bowles’ visit to the region, President Clinton will convene a meeting of UN agency heads here in New York to discuss the status of their tsunami recovery work.  We have more information upstairs on Bowles’ trip, as well as his bio.

**Security Council

There are no meetings or consultations of the Security Council scheduled for today.

**Kenya Massacre

In a statement, the UN Children’s Fund says that it is appalled by the killing of at least 16 children in clashes between rivalling clans in Kenya.  UNICEF Representative Heimo Laakkonen expressed horror at the viciousness of the attack on the Garre clan, which took place yesterday.  “The shocking reality”, he said, “is that children seem to have been the primary target.”

The attack took place in the Mandera District, where over 20,000 people have been displaced by violence in recent months.  We have more information on that upstairs.

**Cyclone Percy

Turning now to Cyclone Percy, which struck the South Pacific last month, a UN emergency team has completed assessments in the southern Cook Islands and confirmed that they are not in a state of emergency.  In Tokelau, however, significant damage has been reported on three atolls, with extensive beach erosion, a massive loss of staple crops, and destroyed fish habitats being areas of particular concern.  We have more on that in a press release upstairs.

**WFP Uganda

The United Nations World Food Programme, or WFP, has launched a six-month food relief operation in Uganda to assist nearly 600,000 people suffering from drought in the north-eastern region of Karamoja.  Even before the poor harvest of 2004, the region’s malnutrition rate was the highest in the country.  WFP says it is greatly concerned about the situation, and has started distributing food and assisting health centres across the region.

To maintain its full activities until December of this year, WFP currently requires an additional $54 million.  We have a press release on that.

**2005 Report

Finally, we have a note upstairs describing the press and embargo arrangements for the Secretary-General’s report on his 2005 agenda, entitled “In Larger Freedom”.  He will present that report to the General Assembly with a speech on Monday morning.  And immediately after that, he will come down here to Room 226 to give you a press conference on it.

That’s all I have for you.

Warren?

Questions and Answers

Question:  Fred, can you bring us up to date on two or three of the disciplinary matters that are up for...(Inaudible)? The first one is Benon Sevan.  Is there indeed a date by which, or the extension -- it doesn’t have a date; you said yesterday, I think, you were going to try to find that out.  And John (sic) Stephanides –- I’ve sort of lost track about whether there is to be punishment at some point; and if so, will it be announced?  And the third one is Dileep Nair who you said yesterday you thought was in Malaysia and would be having a meeting with Mark Malloch Brown.  Do you now know the timing of when that might happen?

Spokesman:  On Benon Sevan, yes, he was granted an extension.  There still remains some time left in that extension and I don’t have a specific deadline date to give you.  On Joe Stephanides -- Joseph Stephanides -- he did submit his defence according to the two-week deadline and he is awaiting a decision.  And when that decision is made, you will know what it is.

And third, Dileep Nair is in Malaysia.  We’re told by his office that he is expected back in New York Thursday or Friday of this week.  And as I said yesterday, when he gets back, the Chief of Staff, Mark Malloch Brown, will inform him of the decision on whether or not to re-open the investigation following the submission in writing of the list of complaints by the Staff Council.

Laura?

Question:  Fred, can you just give us an idea of what the chain of events is going to be after Fitzgerald and his team report to the Secretary-General on their findings?  Is the Secretary-General going to make up a report and present it to the Security Council or what...?

Spokesman:  The results of that investigation will be communicated to the Security Council by the Secretary-General.  The exact format of it, I don’t know.  Whether it would just be transmitting to the Council the report as it was submitted to him or whether he will do it in some other way, I don’t know yet.

Question:  And will that report be made public, or for the press, or...?

Spokesman:  I don’t know that, either.  Let me see if a decision has been made yet.

Question:  How many days until...(Inaudible); do you know, the Fitzgerald report?

Spokesman:  No.  All we’re saying is some time next week.

Question:  Today at the ECOSOC meeting, Professor Sachs mentioned that there was submission today for the head of the World Bank?  Do you know the name?

Spokesman:  If you read the wires you will see what that name is.  But, it’s not for me to announce, and the Secretariat here really has nothing to do with the appointment of presidents of the World Bank.

Yes?

Question:  Two questions, a week or so ago I had asked about a-dollar-a-year contracts.  You responded by saying it was about 10 people on those contracts.  Do you think it may be possible to get a list of the names of people who are on the dollar-a-year contracts?  Or is that not something that the Secretary-General wants to give out?

Spokesman:  I’d have to check with the personnel department.  There may have been a reason why we only gave you a number and not the specific names.  At the time they may have not felt that was consistent with their guidelines.  But we’ll ask again.  [He later said it is not UN policy to give out the names.]

Question:  And on the peacekeeping, Prince Zeid’s report had been sent in for translation, I guess, well over a week ago.  Do you have any sense of when that might be made public?

Spokesman:  I don’t.  Again, I can ask to see if we have anything more specific.  But, as of yesterday, we did not.  If it’s in translation, it’s a good indication that it will probably be ready within days.  But, frankly, I don’t know the scenario for what we are going to do with that report once it’s available in languages.

Question:  So, what is the Secretary-General’s reaction to the naming of Paul Wolfowitz at the World Bank?  This is an organization Mr. Wolfowitz says (inaudible)...  They were on the tsunami trip together; there is a certain overlapping of interests.  He was the man who was at the forefront pushing for a war the Secretary-General has called illegal.  Is he comfortable with him as the World Bank leader?

Spokesman:  This is a process, and one that the Secretary-General has no role in.  So, we will not be commenting at all.  And if we do, it will only be after the process has been completed and a new World Bank president has been selected.

Question:  His chief poverty fighter and Millennium Project director Jeffrey Sachs slammed the selection here in the building today.  Will the Secretary-General support those comments?

Spokesman:  Jeffrey Sachs was certainly not speaking as a representative of the United Nations in whatever he might have said.  He was speaking as a Columbia professor.  So, I will not comment on anything that he might have said this morning.

Richard?

Question:  Has the Secretary-General commented on a -- maybe he has -- a passage by China, the new law regarding Taiwan?  Although the Taiwanese think it’s a new law that threatens force and it’s one of intimidation.

Spokesman:  No, he has not.

Question:  Does he have a comment?

Spokesman:  No, he does not.

Question:  Richard Holbrook yesterday, in front of the Congress, called the UN’s press operation something from the 1950s, outmoded, and he compared it to the pony express.  Do you have any reaction to that?

Spokesman:  I was curious to know what he was taking about.  And if it has to do with my office, I would welcome any constructive suggestions he would have for how to improve our operations.

But, he said “press operation”, I think.  And I am not quite sure what branch of the bureaucracy he might have been referring to.

Question:  Are there any horses in the Spokesman’s Office?

Spokesman:  (Laughter). Any other questions, Richard?

Question:  I’ll wait, for the moment.

Spokesman:  Thank you very much.

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