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.

**Secretary-General in Paris

In Paris today, the Secretary-General attended a meeting of international business leaders focused on the business community’s contributions to the Millennium Development Goals, and he told them that the fight against extreme poverty, as enshrined in the Millennium Development Goals, is no longer a job for governments alone.  The meeting was organized by the Global Compact.

He told the more than 300 officials, who had been invited to the event by French President Jacques Chirac that, “It is the absence of broad-based business activity, not its presence, that condemns much of humanity to suffering.”

The Secretary-General said that the recent positive efforts of European Union members to increase aid and the decision by the G-8 to cancel $40 billion of debt owed by 18 of the world's poorest nations, mostly in Africa, give real hope.  However, he added, we need even more positive decisions in favour of the developing world at the G-8 Gleneagles summit meeting next month and beyond.

Afterwards, the Secretary-General had a working lunch with President Chirac and British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

During the lunch, served at the ElyseePalace, the three discussed the preparations for the September Summit at the United Nations, as well as the need for increased development financing.  They also discussed the greater Middle East, including Lebanon, Syria, the Israeli/Palestinian peace process, and Iran.

On his way out of the ElyseePalace, the Secretary-General spoke to reporters.  He said he was relieved that Florence Aubenas and her Iraqi guide, Hussein Hanoun, were freed in Iraq, and voiced his hope that other hostages will also be freed soon.

We hope to have a transcript of his comments shortly.

The Secretary-General began his day with a 45-minute bilateral meeting with President Chirac.  They discussed United Nations reform, financing for development, the larger Middle East, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Western Sahara, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo and Sudan.

**Statement Attributable to Spokesman on Burundi and Rwanda

I have the following statement regarding the situation of asylum seekers in Burundi and Rwanda:

“On 12 and 13 June, the Burundian and Rwandan authorities forcibly returned some 5,000 Rwandan asylum seekers to Rwanda in violation of international conventions regulating the treatment of asylum seekers.  The repatriation of these asylum seekers follows a decision on 11 June by Burundi and Rwanda to consider Burundian and Rwandan asylum seekersas “illegal immigrants.

“The Secretary-General is seriously concerned about this action, which constitutes a violation of international law, particularly the 1951 United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, and the 1974 OAU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugees Problems in Africa.  The Secretary-General also urges Burundi and Rwanda to follow due process in accordance with international law to facilitate the return of asylum seekers, including the 7,000 Burundian refugees still in Rwanda and the 700 Rwandan asylum seekers still in Burundi.”

We have more information on this in the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees briefing notes from Geneva upstairs.

**MONUC

An Indian peacekeeper was killed and two of his colleagues injured yesterday, when they were caught in an exchange of fire between government troops and a group of unidentified gunmen 20 kilometres north-west of Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In a press release from the United Nations Mission there, the Force Commander, General Babacar Gaye, notes that the Mission counts on the cooperation of the national army in investigating this incident.  We have the text in French only, and I think the English is expected to arrive soon. 

**Sudan

On Darfur, as talks on Darfur resumed today in Abuja, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Sudan, Jan Pronk, told reporters in Khartoum that the Government of Sudan had made a constructive statement.

Mr. Pronk said statements by the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) were less aggressive than those made at previous talks.

We’re expecting a full transcript from the United Nations Mission in Sudan, and we’ll put it out as soon as we receive it.

**Iraq

Ashraf Qazi, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, met this afternoon with Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari.  They discussed the ongoing constitution-making process, including the participation of groups from outside the Transitional National Assembly.

Qazi also briefed the Prime Minister on the United Nations Mission’s preparations for the Brussels International Conference on Iraq.

**Iraq-Kuwait

The Secretary-General says it’s regrettable that, more than two years after Saddam Hussein’s regime fell, the Kuwaiti national archives have not yet been found and returned to Kuwait.  In a report to the Security Council, he says the search for the archives must be intensified.

The Secretary-General calls on all parties concerned to continue to work towards a satisfactory solution to all property aspects covered by the mandate of the High-Level Coordinator, Yuliy Vorontsov.

The Council has scheduled consultations next Monday on the return of Kuwaiti property.

**Drug Survey

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime today released its Andean Coca Surveys for Bolivia, Colombia and Peru, which indicate an overall 3 per cent increase in coca production in that region in 2004.  The surveys indicate that Colombian coca cultivation has declined by 50 per cent since 2000, but that drop is countered by upswings in Bolivia and Peru.

Despite the slight increase last year, the report says that coca cultivation in the Andean region is still almost a third less than it was in 2000, mainly because of the reduced coca cultivation in Colombia.  But Antonio Maria Costa, head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, calls the increase in Bolivia and Peru “worrisome”.

We have a press release upstairs, and the full report is available on the Office’s website.

**Bolivia

The Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Bolivia, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Jose Antonio Ocampo, had a good meeting yesterday with Bolivia’s new President, Eduardo Rodriguez, in which they discussed efforts to hold elections and build institutions in the country.

Ocampo’s delegation plans to stay in Bolivia until Thursday, and then return to New York on Friday to report on the visit.

**Security Council

The Security Council has no meetings or consultations scheduled for today.

**Rwanda Tribunal

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda said that a trial attorney in the Prosecutor’s Office had apparently failed to disclose criminal charges that had been made against him two years before he joined the Prosecutor’s Office.

The prosecutor, Bongani Dyani of South Africa, turned in his resignation from the Prosecutor’s Office on June 1, just days after the Tribunal began work to look into allegations that Dyani had been charged in 2001 with attempted murder and robbery.

The Tribunal, in a press release we have upstairs, says Dyani obtained his employment at the Prosecutor’s Office by lying and falsifying information, and it strongly condemned his conduct.

**Togolese Refugees in Benin

One month after the United Nations appealed for nearly $6 million to help refugees from Togo, there has been no response from governments, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said today.

Some 21,000 Togolese refugees are living in Benin, and more are arriving every day.  Overall, some 45,000 Togolese have fled their homes since disputed presidential elections in April.

The United Nations is scrambling to provide food and supplies to the refugees, but international support is urgently needed.

Meanwhile, a team of United Nations human rights and forensic experts is in Togo investigating what prompted the exodus.

You can read more in a press release that we have from OCHA upstairs.

**Day of African Child

And speaking of underfunded humanitarian operations in Africa, this year, the United Nations commemorates the Day of the African Child, with a focus on chronic emergencies on the continent.  According to UNICEF, the worst-off countries are Angola, Liberia, Burundi, Guinea and Eritrea.  They all have received between 15 and 25 per cent of the funds needed for relief aid.

You can read more about that in a press release upstairs.

**World Chronicle Programme on Indigenous Issues

Finally, the Department of Public Information (DPI) is featuring a World Chronicle special TV programme on indigenous issues.  You can see it today at 3:30 on in-house television channel 3 or 31.  The guests are Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, the Chairperson of the Indigenous Forum; Mick Dodson, Rapporteur of the Indigenous Forum; and William Langeveldt, Indigenous Forum member from South Africa.  The host is Tony Jenkins.

That’s all I have for you.

**Questions and Answers

Question:  This morning, The New York Times reported about an e-mail from Cotecna saying there was a meeting between Mr. Wilson and Kofi Annan and his entourage, and that the UN had given him assurances that they would get the contract.  Is that true?

Spokesman:  All I can say is that, following this report in The New York Times, we took a careful look at the trip records of the Secretary-General’s attendance at the Franco-African summit in Paris in 1998, including of the programme that is finalized after the trip is over and which notes every meeting that took placed during the trip.  There is no mention in that trip record of any exchange with Michael Wilson.  We did talk to the trip coordinator, and she has no recollection of meeting with Michael Wilson or of any exchange with Michael Wilson.  We spoke with the Secretary-General, who is in Paris today, and he has no recollection of any such exchange.  As to the views attributed to him in this e-mail by Michael Wilson that somehow the Secretariat would be fully supportive, or whatever he said in his e-mail, of Cotecna’s efforts to get this contract:  that could not have come from the Secretary-General, because he had no knowledge that Cotecna was a contender for that contract.

Question:  Since one of Michael Wilson’s best friends was “KA” -– Kojo Annan -- could it have been meant that way?

Spokesman:  I have no idea, but we have turned over our records from this trip, including a comprehensive list of all members of the delegation, to Mr. Volcker.  We assume that this is now within his domain and that he will be rendering the final judgement.

Question:  Was there a meeting with Kojo Annan during this trip?

Spokesman:  I don’t know, I would have to take a look.  If the Secretary-General and his son were there together, you can assume that they spoke to each other, but I doubt there would have been a formal meeting.  I can ask for you.

Question:  When did you hand over the records to Volcker?  Today?

Spokesman:  Yes, just today.

Question:  Are you aware of whether the Secretary-General has spoken to his son since this report came out?

Spokesman:  No, I am not.

Question:  How large was this “entourage”?

Spokesman:  It was a typical trip.  It might have been roughly a dozen people.  [He later said there were nine people on the delegation, and named some of them.]

Question:  Do you know who the highest-ranking person was who was with him?

Spokesman:  I don’t know.  They were probably senior advisers regarding the UN’s relations with Africa.  [He later confirmed that the senior-most person, after the Secretary-General, was Mohamed Sahnoun, Special Envoy on Africa.]

Question:  Can you state for the record what the Secretary-General’s position is on Cotecna?  Did he have anything to do with rewarding this contract?

Spokesman:  No, he did not, and, as I just said, he had no knowledge that Cotecna was even bidding on this contract.

Question:  You said that the Secretary-General has no recollection, but when he was giving his testimony, he definitely said that this did not happen.  But saying that you have no recollection could mean that he did not necessarily tell all the truth ...

Spokesman:  No, no, don’t twist this around, okay?  The e-mail reported today says that Michael Wilson met with the Secretary-General.  Our trip records show no record of such a meeting.  The trip coordinator has no recollection of such a meeting.  The Secretary-General has no recollection of such a meeting.  The records are turned over to Mr. Volcker, including a list of all the people who were on the trip.  Mr. Volcker can interview every one of those people if he wishes to see what other people’s recollections are and he will make the final determination.

Question:  Fred, how close a friend was Michael Wilson to the Secretary-General?

Spokesman:  I don’t know.

Question:  Is it likely that they showed up in the same city at the same conference and they wouldn’t talk to each other?

Spokesman:  I have no idea.  I have no idea.

Question:  Fred, the Secretary-General said here that he would urge, I think, his son to cooperate... and then he said we’ve always kind of left him alone on that, but it seems important to the history of this story.  Can we get an answer from him, today, tomorrow?  Has he urged his son to cooperate, and has his son actually said to him “I’m not”?  Has he rebuffed his father, the Secretary-General, regarding cooperation with Volcker?

Spokesman:  But, he’s answered that question very clearly.  Very clearly.  He has encouraged, he has urged his son to cooperate.  But, his son is a 31- or 32-year-old adult with his own lawyers.  Yes, Nick?

Question:  From a slightly different angle –- one of the reasons Joseph Stephanides was fired, at least in the memo that was sent to him, was that he was found not to have been entirely honest with the committee and he didn’t cooperate with it.  There are several instances in the second interim report and then this document would appear to suggest that the Secretary-General was perhaps not entirely forthcoming at first, and then would amend his testimony in later conversations with the committee.  So, who would be in a position to decide whether the Secretary-General was cooperative or not with the committee, and punish him within the United Nations?  Is there anyone who would be able to take that action against him?

Spokesman:  First of all, Mr. Stephanides was charged with a grievous breach of UN rules.  So, whether he lied or not was secondary; it was the breach of rule that we charged him with, and that’s why he was dismissed.  As far as the ultimate judge of the Secretary-General’s actions, that will be Paul Volcker.

Question:  But, who would then take action against him in a way that action was taken against Stephanides, if such action needed to be taken.

Spokesman:  Now, let’s see what Mr. Volcker’s judgement is before we speculate about what happens next.  Jonathan?

Question:  I just want to touch on that question about Kojo Annan and his lack of cooperation.  The United Nations has been deferring everything to Paul Volcker’s committee investigating this thing, but if he’s not getting the cooperation from Kojo, and the Secretary-General cannot recall these things, then how are we going to get to the bottom of what really transpired?

Spokesman:  Mr. Volcker will weigh the evidence that is presented to him, or that he uncovers.  He will interview witnesses and he will form his judgement.  I can’t say any more than that.  James?

Question:  This isn’t the first thing that’s come from Cotecna that hasn’t left a trace at the UN.  AP reported that in the Parton documents given to Congress there’s a letter written by the Masseys to the Secretary-General congratulating him on his 1998 trip to Baghdad, and that letter from Cotecna wasn’t reported as one of the contacts between the Secretary-General and Cotecna and wasn’t found in UN files.  Can you tell us what happened to that letter -– where it was, why it didn’t turn up in UN files, whether it’d been shredded?

Spokesman:  I doubt it would have been shredded, but I can look into that for you, yes.  Yes, Ricardo?

Question:  Fred, your statement about the alleged meeting between Mr. Wilson and the Secretary-General, does that apply also to telephone conversations during that trade between them, possible telephone conversations?

Spokesman:  Well, yes, we have a complete telephone log, as well.  I did not specifically ask that question.  I can do so, but I assume that our review of the file would have included telephone calls, as well ... [talkover].

Question:  And, also, when was the last time the Secretary-General met with the Volcker panel?

Spokesman:  I’d have to look into that.  I’m not sure.  Judy?  [The last Volcker report says that their last interview with the Secretary-General took place on 17 March 2005.]

Question:  Has Paul Volcker asked to interview Mr. Annan again on this question, the Secretary-General.  And, two, the memo actually speaks of “we”, “we encountered the Secretary-General”, so would it be possible for you to check with the Secretary-General again about whether or not, in fact, he did have any discussions or bumped into his son during that period, since the “we” seemed to include Kojo Annan?

Spokesman:  Well, first, no, I’m not aware that Mr. Volcker has asked to see the Secretary-General again in response to this latest information.  You’ll have to ask Mr. Volcker what his plans are.  But, I don’t understand your second question because the issue is what Mr. [Wilson] said he discussed with the Secretary-General, whether ...

Question:  No, I’m talking about the memo, Fred.  I’m talking about the memo that says “we encountered”, “we had brief discussions”.  And, you said there was no record of a meeting with Michael Wilson and you said you didn’t know whether or not the Secretary-General had seen his son during that trip.  Is there, can you ask the Secretary-General -– did he see his son during that trip? Did they discuss oil-for-food in any way, shape or form?

Spokesman:  Well, now we’re getting into conducting the investigation through the press instead of through Mr. Volcker.  Any information that has come to light in the last 24 hours has now been shared with Mr. Volcker.  That’s my understanding, and so we will let Mr. Volcker study that information, interview whoever he wants and make his judgement. 

Question:  Fred, if he does, if Mr. Volcker does make more interviews with more people in light of this new information, is that going to delay the report coming out?

Spokesman:  You’ll have to ask Mr. Volcker that.

Question:  Fred, when you say very categorically there was no meeting with Michael Wilson ...

Spokesman:  No, no.  I said categorically that after a review of the trip records, which includes a kind of annotated programme at the end of the trip where they fill in all the meetings that actually took place, there’s no mention of Michael Wilson.  And, that the trip coordinator remembers no meeting and no encounter with Michael Wilson, and the Secretary-General remembers no meeting or encounter with Michael Wilson.

Question:  What I’m trying to say is you’re trying very hard to refute any hint that there was some contact with Michael Wilson; you’re putting all this on record.  Why, I mean Michael Wilson is, according to the Volcker report, called Kofi Annan “Uncle”, they knew each other, why are you trying too hard to not do the same ...?

Spokesman:  I’m just trying to answer your questions about something that is ultimately in the hands of Mr. Volcker.  But, we have reviewed the files, and I told you that we see no record and have no recollection of such a meeting.  Now, let Mr. Volcker carry it on from there.  James?

Question:  Thank you for answering our questions so fully in relation to Michael Wilson.  I’d like to ask the same question in relation to Kojo Annan.  Is there in the trip record or does the trip coordinator have any memory of the Secretary-General meeting Kojo Annan on that trip?

Spokesman:  As I think I’ve already said, if Kojo were in Paris at the same time as his father, and at the same conference as his father, of course, they most likely ...

Question:  The question is not if they were, the question is was he there and did he meet him?

Spokesman:  I’d have to check, but I think you can assume safely that they would have interacted as father and son.

Question:  What we need to know is if they actually did interact, not whether they would have if they’d been there.  We need to know, did they actually meet?  Because it’s possible that this whole arrangement was struck father son, son to Michael Wilson.

Spokesman:  Okay, I will ask that.  Let me see, who haven’t I heard from?  Yes, sir?

Question:  To what degree are personal meetings, lunches of the Secretary-General included in trip records?

Spokesman:  Probably not 100 per cent, but I think the idea of the record is to make it as complete as possible, but it may not be 100 per cent.  I can’t be categorical here, I’m just telling you what our records reflect.

Question:  What if Michael Wilson is the 1 per cent chance?

Spokesman:  Hypothetically, yes.  Richard?

Question:  Could you describe the nature of the relationship, friendship between Mr. Wilson and Kofi Annan?

Spokesman:  No, I cannot.

Question:  Could you as the Secretary-General what he thinks the nature of the relationship is?

Spokesman:  We’ll have to dig into the historical record and see what’s there.  I myself don’t know.

Question:  Would the Secretary-General make himself available to the [press ] corps community when he comes back on Thursday?

Spokesman:  We can ask.  He traditionally does talk to the press on his first day back after he’s been on a trip.  We can ask if he’ll do so on Thursday.

Question:  Will he be talking to the Volcker Committee?

Spokesman:  I have no idea.  That’s up to Mr. Volcker.

Question:  Could we get the trip records?  Could those trip records be publicly released?

Spokesman:  I don’t think so.  I think those are internal records.  They have been made available to Mr. Volcker.

Question:  Previous trip records have been made available, for example, in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library for Boutros Boutros-Ghali’s trips, a run-down of who he met with and things like that.

Spokesman:  I’ll have to ask.  I frankly don’t know. 

Question:  After the last Volcker report, we were under the impression that the Volcker had closed the inquiry into Mr. Annan.  What’s Mr. Annan’s reaction now to learn that Mr. Volcker is reopening the inquiry into the Secretary-General?

Spokesman:  I don’t have his reaction, but he’s continuing to pursue his substantive agenda, as you can see from his programme today in Paris.  I really think he does not want to be distracted by this.  Mr. Volcker has his work to carry out in any way he sees fit.  Yes, Jonathan?

Question:  Your responses have been sort of scattered here and there, and I understand, because of the nature of the questioning.  But, for the record, did the Secretary-General lie to investigators?  [The Spokesman chose to ignore the question.]

Spokesman:  Yes, Mr. Abbadi?

Question:  Is there an internal rule in the Secretariat for logging the Secretary-General’s meetings with others?

Spokesman:  Not that I’m aware.  I assume that this is just custom.

Question:  I don’t think you’re implying the press can’t conduct its own investigations, because we’ve been learning more about it in the newspapers than we have from Volcker.  So let me ask you when the last time was that the Secretary-General met Mr. Wilson.  Can you find that out?

Spokesman:  I’ll see.  I’m not hopeful. 

Question:  After Volcker’s last report, the Secretary-General stood here and I believe said he feels exonerated, specifically about the corruption allegation, which I then believe was backed up by Mark Malloch Brown and others here.  Based upon this memo and the questions it raises, does the United Nations believe it’s a little too early to still stand by that statement?

Spokesman:  That’s really up to Mr. Volcker to decide.  So if there’s fresh information, Mr. Volcker may want to take a fresh look at it.  There’s no change in the Secretary-General position.  He said he didn’t know if Cotecna was even bidding on this contract, and Volcker’s conclusion in the second report was that there was no improper influence on the part of the Secretary-General in the awarding of that contract.

Question:  On a separate matter, does the United Nations have any reaction to Mr. Türk’s resignation, which he tendered apparently yesterday?  It was reported on Slovenian television.

Spokesman:  It is true that Danilo Türk did submit a letter of resignation, I think two days ago, following our announcement that Mr. Ibrahim Gambari would take over from Kieran Prendergast as the head of the Department of Political Affairs.  The Secretary-General honours Mr. Türk’s desire to return to teaching in Slovenia, wishes him well and thanks him for his service to the United Nations.  James?

Question:  I missed your answer to the question about whether the Secretary-General lied to investigators.

Spokesman:  I consider that an absurd question, and the answer if you need it is no, of course, he did not.

Another ideological question from Johathan?

Question:  I’m wondering when we might get a chance to hear from the Secretary-General just to demystify some of the questions we have here.

Spokesman:  We already had a request for him to speak to you when he comes into the Building on Thursday, and I will relay your request to talk to him on that occasion, and we’ll see if he will be willing to do that.

We’ll just take Benny and then ...

Question:  Another for the record question.  Does the Secretary-General maintain still that he did not have anything to do to influence the Cotecna contract, as well as that he did not know Cotecna was going to bid on it?

Spokesman:  Yes, and yes.  Absolutely.  James?

Question:  The Volcker report says that the Secretary-General originally denied having any meetings with Mr. Massey before the award of the contract, and then subsequently changed his position and said he did meet with him twice.  Why is it an ideological question to ask if the Secretary-General was lying to investigators?

Spokesman:  I just find that somehow questions in this briefing get twisted in a way to attack the Secretary-General, rather than to put on the record reasonable bits of information.  Of course, it’s our position that the Secretary-General did not lie.  It’s our consistent position throughout.

What you’re referring to was the result of an initial meeting with
Mr. Volcker’s team, where the Secretary-General spoke off the top of his head, and did not recall something.  Then, when the second meeting took place and he had a chance to review his records more carefully and refresh is memory, he changed his mind.  It was a failure of memory and not a suspicious one, as far as we are concerned.  Joe? 

Question:  You said he doesn’t want to be distracted by this.  It seems so far that he is being distracted by this.  Is this in any way undermining his efforts at reform, which are perhaps a way of burnishing his own image?  Can this potentially undermine his efforts at putting through his reform package?

Spokesman:  It obviously makes it harder, but that doesn’t mean that he isn’t putting his full efforts into it, and at this point we are reasonably hopeful that we are going to see some positive results in September when the Summit takes place.  Reasonably hopeful.

Question:  The nature of my question was not ideological.  It literally was to get a sound-bite that we can use.  We work in television news and you need sound-bites, and like I said to you, your responses were piecemeal.  What can happen to get Kojo on line here?  Is the Secretary-General encouraging him to speak, so that, as I asked earlier, we can get to the bottom if what really happened, if the Secretary-General cannot ...

Spokesman:  You are a reporter and Kojo Annan is an individual, not a Secretariat employee, so you are free to contact him, or him through his lawyers, or make whatever efforts you can to speak to him.  But the Secretary-General and the United Nations Secretariat has no control over [Kojo] Annan.  Richard?

Question:  Instead of the Secretary-General taking questions at the stakeout, which is always difficult, and he always asks that you just call Volcker, I recommend that he just come to this room in a less rushed setting to answer more than the three questions he took last time.  Otherwise, people will just start at the stakeout asking one or two and then he will run to the elevators, and the United Nations will say he took a question.  You wouldn’t, but others might.  I would recommend that.

Also, can you check the January 12, 1998 log from upstairs?  Did Mr. Wilson break away from the meetings Cotecna had with other United Nations officials to perhaps say hello to Uncle Kofi Annan, or just meet him in the halls? 

Spokesman:  We’ve tried to let Mr. Volker do this investigation, and not to do a parallel investigation through the press, and at the same time we’ve tried to be as open to you as we reasonably can.  I don’t think that the Secretary-General wants to be cross-examined by you on this matter, a matter that has been entrusted to Mr. Volcker.  Despite that, I will relay your request for a full press conference.

Question:  Does the Secretary-General believe that the leak of the sudden appearance of this report might be politically motivated.  What we have seen of this memo seems to be very vague in a way.  Is it his feeling that this might be politically motivated?

Spokesman: I have no idea. I didn’t speak to him myself this morning and I don’t think he would want to speculate publicly about such a thing. Mr. Abbadi?

Question:  What are the criteria for recording the Secretary-General’s meetings?

Spokesman:  What are the criteria?  I don’t quite understand.  Why don’t you and I talk about that stuff later.  It’s a little too narrow for this briefing, if you don’t mind.

Question:  Let my specify ...

Spokesman:  Why don’t you and I talk afterwards Mr. Abbadi.  Thank you.

Question:  I want to pick up on his question, because it is pertinent to what we are talking about.  What constitutes something that goes onto the Secretary-General’s record about who he met with on what day?

Spokesman:  I’ve already answered these questions.  I’ve said that we start with a programme at the beginning of the trip.  At the end of the trip, we amend the programme to reflect all meetings that take place.  I’ve said also it’s not 100 per cent so something that might be a chance encounter in a corridor might not get into that log.  And I also said that it’s a matter of custom, not a matter of regulations and rules on how these things are done.  So I think I’ve answered everything I need to about those...

Question:  If he has a personal meeting with an old friend in a town where he was living, that also goes on the record?

Spokesman:  If the secretary keeping the records is made aware that he had a dinner with a friend, yes, that goes in.

Thank you very much.

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