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 Marie Okabe, Associate Spokesperson for the Secretary-General. 

Good afternoon. 

**Notes

I should be getting a statement shortly on Bolivia, which I want to read to you as soon as I receive that.  And, I wanted to flag to you that right after the Secretary-General came and made his statement here, he did have a brief press encounter outside with a few journalists.  The transcript of that brief press encounter should be available in the Spokesman’s Office.  I draw your attention to that, as well.

**Secretary-General/Turkey

The Secretary-General will be having a working luncheon upstairs today with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, beginning at 1:00.  And, once that working luncheon is over, the Secretary-General and the Prime Minister will take a few questions from reporters in the Secretary-General’s conference room.

**Security Council/Cyprus

And, here, at UN Headquarters in the Security Council, the Security Council held consultations this morning on the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus.  Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hédi Annabi introduced the Secretary-General’s latest report on Cyprus, which was issued yesterday.

And in that report, the Secretary-General recommended that the Security Council extend the Force’s mandate by six months, until December 15, under its present authorized strength and concept of operations.

     Meanwhile, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Kieran Prendergast has just returned from his pulse-taking visit to Cyprus, Greece and Turkey.

He has conveyed the positions of the parties and his assessment of the situation to the Secretary-General, who is considering what action, if any, to take at this stage in the pursuit of his mission of good offices.  Kieran Prendergast is scheduled to brief the Security Council on Cyprus.  And I understand that will be on the 22^nd.

**Secretary-General/Bolivia

I have the statement on Bolivia, which I just promised you:

“The Secretary-General continues to follow closely the situation in Bolivia and reiterates his concern about the critical juncture the country is going through.

“The Secretary-General strongly believes that Bolivians should resolve their differences peacefully and democratically, and that the rule of law should be respected in resolving the current political crisis in that country.

“The Secretary-General, in response to an invitation from the Government of Bolivia, will send Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs José Antonio Ocampo as his personal envoy to observe the situation.  He will meet with all the parties concerned and report back to the Secretary-General.

“The timing of this mission will be determined by developments in the country.”

**Côte d’Ivoire

Turning to Côte d’Ivoire, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for that country, Pierre Schori, held consultations late yesterday with the Ivorian President, Laurent Gbagbo, focusing on the recent ethnic violence in Duékoue and its environs.  The Special Representative reiterated the Security Council’s call for an in-depth investigation into the Duékoue events. 

The UN Operation in Côte d’Ivoire also reports that its peacekeepers are starting joint patrols with those of the defence and security forces of Côte d’Ivoire today in that area, which is in the western part of the country.  The security situation in the town and its environs remains tense and volatile, according to the mission.

Meanwhile, the mission’s human rights division today launched its report for March-April on the human rights situation in that country.  And that report deplores the human rights violations committed by all sides.  We have an update from the mission available for you upstairs.

**Sudan

We also have an update from our Mission in Sudan, which reports further incidents in the Darfurs.  And in South Darfur, Muhujariya, the town that was the site of rebel forces fighting earlier last week, has been declared a “no go” area for the United Nations because of the continued unrest in that area.  And as I said, we have more information on that upstairs.

**Deputy Secretary-General/Burundi

And then turning to Burundi and the Deputy Secretary-General, she travelled outside the capital to the southern province of Makamba, where she addressed the Kenyan battalion stationed there.  The contingent commander, whose area of command covers four provinces, briefed the Deputy Secretary-General on the measures taken within the three companies under his command to ensure adherence to the UN Code of Conduct.

She welcomed the strict emphasis laid on the Code of Conduct by that contingent commander and measures taken to minimize stress among the troops.  She also thanked the contingent for their important role in providing security during the first two steps of the democratic process in Burundi.  And, she was referring to the referendum in February and the recently concluded communal local elections on the 3^rd and the 6^th of June. 

And there’s a note with more details of her visit to Burundi, which, as you know, is the latest in the series of her mission to UN operations to raise awareness of the Secretary-General’s zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation.

**Afghanistan

And then turning to Afghanistan, the UN Mission there reports that nearly 60,000 soldiers and other combatants have disarmed in that country.  Nearly 50,000 of those have also entered the reintegration process.  We have more details in today’s briefing notes from Kabul, which also contain information about efforts to improve routine immunization for Afghan children.

**FAO/Eritrea

And, the Food and Agriculture Organization says that a protracted hunger season is expected in Eritrea.  It says that last year's meagre harvest has already been exhausted, and the hunger season, which arrived two months early in March, is seen continuing until the next harvest in November.  More than 60 per cent of the population -- 2.3 million people -- are dependent on food aid.  And, there’s more information on this upstairs.

**Global Compact/Mexico

And, at a press conference today in Mexico City, President Vicente Fox will officially launch the Global Compact in Mexico.  The event -- which is supported by the UN Development Programme -- will be attended by nearly 400 business and civil society leaders.

With the launch, the Global Compact is now firmly rooted around the world with more than 50 country networks, working to advance corporate citizenship and universal environmental and social principles.

**Capital Master Plan

And I also would like to draw your attention to a mention of the Capital Master Plan in a press release on the Fifth Committee, which deals, as you know, with administrative and budgetary matters. 

The press release was on a meeting yesterday morning. For the continuation of design work and other pre-construction projects under the Capital Master Plan, the Committee recommended that the General Assembly convert nearly $18 million of existing commitment authority into an appropriation with assessment for the current year. 

And, it also says that, as many parameters of the Capital Master Plan remain unclear, the Assembly would also request the Secretary-General to report, during its next session, including current estimates of costs and timeline, viable options for swing-space during construction, the status of UNDC-5, and an assessment on the viability of constructing a permanent building on the North Lawn of the UN Headquarters premises, as well a the range of financing options and overall costs of the Plan.  You can read that from that press release (GA/AB/3681), available upstairs.

**Microfinance

And finally, the United Nations will host a panel discussion on microfinance and Wall Street, tomorrow, starting at 7:45 a.m. in the Delegates Dining Room.  Among the guests at that breakfast panel will be Nane Annan, the Secretary-General’s wife.  There is a media advisory about the event upstairs. 

And, that’s all I have for you.  Yes?

**Questions and Answers

Question:  Was the Secretary-General’s report on Iraq leaked to the press, could you tell me that?  It was supposed to be given to the Security Council tomorrow.

Associate Spokesperson:  I’ll have to check on that because I’m not, I have not confirmed that the Security Council members have received that -- if the Council members have received that report or not.  If it’s not as a document today, I’ll just check to see what the status is.  [She later confirmed to the journalist that Security Council members had received the report, which was not yet out as a document.]

Question:  It’s already on the wires, on Reuters, it’s already on the wires.  We don’t have it, and I’ve asked over there and it’s not there.  So, obviously Reuters got the copy beforehand.  I’m not saying how, but that’s how it is.  That’s one question I wanted to ask you.

The other was on Iraq.  The Secretary-General in that particular report recognizes that there are about 6,000 to 7,000 prisoners in jail by the Coalition Authority.  The Secretary-General just mentioned that thing, by the way, that that’s what it is, recognized that fact.  The thing is that if this situation were to exist anywhere else, there would have been condemnation and so forth.  At this point in time, there’s no comment other than that recognition of that fact.  Can you please tell me, why the silence?

Associate Spokesperson:  Well, first of all, I have not seen the report.  I have only seen the wire service report on the report, as well.  So, let’s take a look at the report and see what it says before we can comment further.  And, I will look into it to see whether it’s out for journalists right after this ...

Question:  When I checked they said, no, it’s not out.

Question:  Marie, the Secretary-General this morning in his statement said that the summit in September will be the largest ever in the history of the UN  -– 60-year-old history.  Do we have the numbers now?  How many Heads of State and Governments have signalled their intention to come here up to now?

Associate Spokesperson:  I’ve heard a figure of something like 174, 175.  But, I think this is something that’s still being worked on, so I don’t think we’re going to have a definitive figure.  But the fact that we’re anticipating the largest, I think we can certainly anticipate that.

Question:  What times are the meetings the Secretary-General has referred to tomorrow morning, or tomorrow, with the G-4 regarding the reform.

Associate Spokesperson:  He didn’t set a time, but I think that was one of the things he was asked about in his press encounter on his way out from the press conference.  And, he mentioned that he would be meeting with the G-4 tomorrow.  He did not say, I believe he did not give a time, but just that he would have discussions.

Question:  Will journalists be allowed to go upstairs when he meets with the, or is the party going to be escorted upstairs?  What’s the story?

Associate Spokesperson:  This is for tommorrow’s meeting?

Question:  Yes.

Associate Spokesperson:  We just learned about this meeting when he mentioned it.  So, let’s look into the logistics of it and we’ll get back to you, and we’ll announce that.

Question:  No, I’m talking about the meeting with the Turkish Prime Minister.  After that, he’s supposed to take questions, is that right?

Associate Spokesperson:  Oh, yes, that arrangement, he will be meeting upstairs in the... the encounter is scheduled in the Secretary-General’s conference room, so if you can talk to Gary Fowlie and find out about the precise arrangements.  They are expected to go just before 2.

Question:  The Secretary-General this morning seemed to say that he had met with 100 ambassadors this morning.  Was it a misstatement or miscommunication?  Did he have a meeting on Security Council reform this morning with Member States?

Associate Spokesperson:  He had a meeting this morning with permanent representatives.  I don’t know how many were there, but I can certainly look into that number for you.

Question:  Where was that meeting, the ECOSOC Chamber?  Where was that meeting?

Associate Spokesperson:  The Secretary-General’s meeting this morning?

Question:  Yes.

Associate Spokesman:  I’d have to check, but it was here at UN Headquarters.

Question:  Do you know what day the lottery drawing for the seat arrangement for the General Assembly is?  It’s usually in July.  Do you know what day it is?

Associate Spokesperson:  I will look into that.  I’ll find out right after the briefing.  (Ms. Okabe later announced that, according to the General Assembly Spokesman, the date for the drawing has not yet been set, but it would be sometime in July.)

Question:  Was there a question asked about the report on Iraq that was seeping out yesterday?  Was there one already asked here today about this?

Associate Spokesperson:  Yes, Masood asked whether it’s available, and I said I’d check into that.

Question:  Can you describe the highlights of the report?

Associate Spokesperson:  I haven’t seen it.  I only saw the press reports of it.  So, we’ll try to make sure that you’ll get it as soon as possible.

Question:  Can you describe how President Bush and the Secretary-General spoke on the phone today?

Associate Spokesperson:  No.

Question:  Can you tell us about [inaudible] their call on Darfur?

Associate Spokesperson:  No.

Question:  Did they?

Associate Spokesperson:  Usually, we do not discuss the contents of the phone conversations unless one side has a compelling reason to publicize it.  In this case, I do not have anything to say on that meeting, I mean, on the phone conversation.  I can’t confirm whether they spoke about Darfur, no.

Question:  Does the Secretary-General have any concern regarding the question of permanent membership, first of Japan, and now with respect to the permanent membership of Germany?

Associate Spokesperson:  I think he was asked about Security Council reform, and in that context, on his way out from this press conference, he said he would be meeting the G-4 tomorrow to discuss the latest draft and the next steps.  So, I think we’ll have to see what transpires then.  Yes?

Question:  You’re not going to like this question, but last week, someone was asked, maybe one of your colleagues, for an update on the Maurice Strong situation.  I don’t recall hearing if –- in the squawk box, or whatever, people were looking into that.  Where does that stand?

Associate Spokesperson:  We have nothing further on that situation. 

Question:  Is it still being looked at -– his situation –- after the dismissal of his daughter-in-law.  Wasn’t it being investigated?

Associate Spokesperson:  The situation regarding the hiring, I think, was a matter that we had reported to you at the time, and there’s been nothing further on that.  I think, in terms of, we were asked, in terms of his role in North Korea, if, given the developments on North Korea, I think what we said was that, should there be a need to appoint someone to fill his shoes, then we would consider that.  But, in terms of the status of Mr. Strong, we have nothing further than, from what we reported before.

Question:  Has Mr. Volcker set a specific date in July for the release of his report on the investigation into the oil-for-food programme?

Associate Spokesperson:  You’d have to ask Mr. Volcker that question.  No other questions?  Have a good afternoon. 

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