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 Stéphane Dujarric, Associate Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

Thank you.  Good afternoon.

**Statement Attributable to Spokesman for the Secretary-General

  on New UNRWA Commissioner-General

I’ll start off with an appointment of the new Commissioner-General for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, known as UNRWA.

“The Secretary-General is delighted that Ms. Karen AbuZayd, who has done an outstanding job in the last five years as Deputy Commissioner-General, and in the last three months as Acting Commissioner-General, of the Agency has now agreed to serve a full three-year term as Commissioner-General.  Ms AbuZayd is already well known to UNRWA staff, to the Palestinian refugee community, and to governments in the region, as well as donors and members of UNRWA’s Advisory Commission.  The Secretary-General believes that under her leadership UNRWA will carry out its mandate and fully live up to its responsibilities, during a period which, we all hope, will see decisive progress towards lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians, based on United Nations resolutions and a negotiated settlement of all outstanding issues, including the refugee problem.”

**Secretary-General Travel

The Secretary-General is going on an official trip starting tomorrow.  He plans to attend the 500th anniversary of the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh, where he will receive an honorary fellowship on 1 July.

He is then scheduled to go to Sirte in Libya to take part in the African Union Summit on 4 and 5 July.

From Sirte, he will return to the United Kingdom to deliver a keynote address in London on the Millennium Development Goals at St. Paul’s Cathedral on 6 July on the eve of the G-8 Summit.

Finally, the Secretary-General will proceed to Gleneagles for the G-8 Summit on 7 and 8 July before returning to New York.

And as usual, we expect to have remarks related to this trip made available to you and we also plan to provide embargoed briefings on the African Union Summit speech, as well as the St. Paul’s address.  And we’ll let you know when those briefings take place.

**Security Council

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

Letters that we told you about yesterday from the Secretary-General sent to the Council recently on Sudan’s aid needs and on the transfer of money from the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) escrow account to the Development Fund for Iraq are out as official documents on the racks.

And for your planning purposes, tomorrow, the Security Council plans to take up Sudan in two meetings, one to discuss the North-South peace process and the other on the question of combating impunity.

Luis Moreno Ocampo, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, will brief the Council tomorrow on progress concerning Darfur and we expect him to be available to speak to you at the Security Council stakeout microphone after he briefs the Security Council.

**Sudan

Also on Sudan, according to a latest report, mortality in Darfur has significantly declined, but the health of the people remains extremely fragile.  This is the conclusion of a mortality survey undertaken by the Sudanese Ministry of Health, United Nations agencies, as well as NGO partners under the technical guidance of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Commenting on the report, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator, Jan Egeland, said, “The mortality survey bears evidence of the heroic efforts of humanitarian workers, Sudanese and international, under extremely difficult conditions in Darfur.”  Tens of thousands of lives have been saved thanks to their work, he said.  But he added that he is extremely concerned that the space for impartial humanitarian work is closing.  Both the Government and the rebel movements must do much more to protect and promote the United Nations’ humanitarian work, Egeland said.

And we have his statement available upstairs.

The work of the report was done by more than 70 experts who carried out field surveys from mid-May to mid-June.  More than 3,000 families, totalling about 26,000 people in the three states of Darfur, were interviewed.  The survey examined mortality among displaced in camps, displaced outside camps and residents affected by the conflict between mid November and the end of May.

And the full report is available to you upstairs.

*Secretary-General Report on Sudan

Also on Sudan, in a report to the Security Council, the Secretary-General says that expectations that the situation in Sudan will improve significantly are running high since the arrival of United Nations peacekeepers.  He says that the donor community now has to prove its resolve by providing the resources and the expertise to address the challenges of the peace process, as well as reconstruction and development.

The Secretary-General says that the parties to the conflict in Darfur must make every effort to successfully conclude the current round of talks in Abuja.  It is also important to stress that those responsible for the atrocities committed in Darfur will be held accountable for their actions, and impunity will not be tolerated.

**Ethiopia-Eritrea

In another report to the Security Council, this one on Ethiopia-Eritrea, the Secretary-General says he is deeply concerned by the recent shooting incidents that took place in the Temporary Security Zone between the two countries.  He says that such incidents could easily escalate into situations that would compromise military stability and roll back the peace process.

He adds that one unfortunate feature of efforts to resolve the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea has been the absence of political dialogue.

Noting that the stalemate in the peace process is not sustainable in the long term, the Secretary-General renews his recommendation to the Security Council to undertake a mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea, to reassure those two countries of the Council’s unflinching commitment to the peace process.

**Democratic Republic of Congo

And the Department of Peacekeeping Operations provided us with an update on an operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  United Nations peacekeepers yesterday undertook another cordon-and-search operation at Medu, south-west of Bunia in the Ituri District.  Bangladeshi and Pakistani peacekeepers, with Indian air support, successfully cleared the area of Medu of militias of the Front de resistance patriotique de l’Ituri (FRPI), who had engaged the United Nations force with mortars and machine guns.

**Zimbabwe

From Zimbabwe, Anna Tibaijuka, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy, is continuing her work there.  She has been informed that she is now expected to meet President Mugabe within the next 24 hours.

Meanwhile, she and her team are continuing to map out her field visits.

**World Food Programme - Kenya

The World Food Programme (WFP) today appealed for nearly $7 million to feed almost a quarter of a million Sudanese and Somali refugees in northern Kenya until the end of 2005.  The agency has warned that rations will run out by October unless funding is received immediately.

And we have a press release available upstairs on that.

**Economic and Social Council

Flagging a couple of items for tomorrow.

The United Nations development agenda will be the focus of the three-day High-Level Segment, which starts tomorrow and kicks off this year’s session of the United Nations Economic and Social Council, known as ECOSOC.

In addition to discussing such themes as poverty, hunger, education, health, gender equality and human rights, participants will also consider the Secretary-General’s latest report on development goals, which proposes a more active and relevant role for ECOSOC.

The Secretary-General will deliver the keynote address at 10 a.m. tomorrow in the ECOSOC Chamber, and participants will include President Tarja Halonen of Finland and Interim Prime Minister Gérard Latortue of Haiti, as well as the United Nations agency heads and business leaders.

And a press release is available upstairs.

**Press Conferences

Tomorrow in terms of press conferences -- sorry today -- at 3 p.m. there will be a briefing by Jean-Louis Shiltz of Luxembourg, the Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, as well as Louis Michel, the European Union Development and Humanitarian Affairs Commissioner, and Peter Mandelson, the European Union Trade Commissioner.  And they will all be here to discuss the Financing for Development.

And tomorrow, Under-Secretary-General Jose Antonio Ocampo of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs will be a guest at the noon briefing to discuss the annual 2005 Economic Report.

**Guided Tours

And lastly for those of you who are interested in “factoids”. 

8,700 people took free guided tours of the United Nations in June in celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Charter.  The 30-minute free tours were made possible through a grant of the United Nations Foundation.

That’s it for me.  Any questions.  Colum, go ahead.

**Questions and Answers

Question:  First on the Rice visit, is she going –- is there any stakeout scheduled -- and also on the Darfur mortality figures.  There’s a big controversy about how many people have died since the violence began in 2003.  Does this get you anywhere closer to coming up with a comprehensive number?  What sort of figures came out of it?

Associate Spokesperson:  On the Rice visit, we’ve not been informed by the United States Mission that there will be a stakeout, so as far as we know, there is none. 

On the mortality survey, it’s a humanitarian indicator.  It is not one that counts deaths as a result of violence.  Does it bring us any closer to an overall figure?  Probably, but it doesn’t give us a definite figure.  For any more detailed questions, we can give you some numbers at OCHA -- people to call.

Yes, Nick?

Question:  Could you explain the thinking behind the Secretary-General’s decision not to go to the sixtieth anniversary of the Charter signing in San Francisco, but to go to the anniversary of the Royal College of Surgeons?

Associate Spokesman:  They’re on two different dates.  The Secretary-General was represented by Shashi Tharoor at the sixtieth anniversary celebration in San Francisco.  I think the celebration is really almost a year-long series of events.  The focus will be here for us in September for the Summit, which will be focused on reform of the Organization.  So no slight should be seen in the Secretary-General not attending the San Francisco event.

Question:  About Mr. Strong visiting his office at the United Nations at UNDP -– as to why he’s doing that.  I was given an answer by one of the people working in your office who said that he is still basically an employee at the United Nations, he still maintains his office.  The question arises, is he still working for the United Nations?  Does he still have an office paid which is being paid for by the United Nations?  If that is the case, why isn’t he back on the job, or the question, has the investigation against him ended?

Associate Spokesman:  No, there’s been no change.  He has removed himself from his job as the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy, but he’s not barred from entering the Building, and I’m sure he went in to get some papers.  But his status has not changed, and I have nothing new on the investigation.

Question:  But why doesn’t he come back on the job?

Associate Spokesman:  Because the investigation is not over.  He removed himself from the job and the investigation is ongoing. 

Question:  But he’s coming and taking documents ...

Associate Spokesman:  I’d have to look at the details.  I mean, you were given an answer, I wasn’t here, I’ll check up on exactly what the answer was, but he is not barred from entering the Building.  Yes, Evelyn?

Question:  On the Sudan peacekeeping report.  It doesn’t make any sense to me.  Is there anyone we can talk to from peacekeeping?

And secondly, has the United Nations Mission in Cote d’Ivoire come up with an arms embargo violation?  I hear they should be reporting something soon.  Can you check on that?

Associate Spokesman:  I will check on both those things for you.  [The Associate Spokesman later said that the UN Mission has discovered 22 vehicles apparently aimed for military use.  The report has been forwarded to the sanctions committee.  The UN Mission is investigating where the vehicles came from and where they were going.]

Question:  Oh, and on San Francisco, having been here for the fiftieth.  I mean, it certainly has been downplayed whether the Secretary-General is there or not, just in the preparations for it and the materials given, no one quite knew who was going to attend.

Associate Spokesman:  We always knew who was going to attend.  It was not an event organized by the United Nations.

Question:  The Secretary-General submitted this report by the United Nations Commission of Experts on East Timor to the Security Council.  I wondered if he had any comments on it.  Apparently, it’s recommending that there should be an international tribunal to try the perpetrators of violence.  Is it something -– is he recommending the report, is he recommending the Security Council discuss it?  It seems to be quite an explosive report by all accounts.

Associate Spokesman:  I’ll need to get some guidance on that, I don’t have anything with me.  Yes, sir?

Question:  Any feedback on yesterday’s meeting that Kofi Annan had with the Sudanese Foreign Minister?

Associate Spokesman:  No, I do not, but I can try to get something for you right after the briefing.  Yes, sir?

Question:  Do you have anything on Benny’s story on Justin Leitis this morning?  Have you seen that there’s some sort of internal inquiry of whether he’s been engaging in political activities in the election?  Do you know what’s about?

Associate Spokesman:  I think the key is there is an internal inquiry going on and it’s not yet concluded.

Question:  But what’s the inquiry about?  What are they inquiring about?

Associate Spokesman:  My understanding is whether or not he violated UNDP rules.  But we’ll have to see what the inquiry says.

Question:  By doing what?

Associate Spokesman:  By some activity he may have had during his vacation time. 

Question:  Political, you mean participating in the campaign?

Associate Spokesman:  Pat?

Question:  I think the United Nations is shooting itself in the foot as far as institutional memory, as well as the fact that the United Nations engineers are probably the most user-friendly, helpful and generous people that have ever worked here.  And I wonder what the United Nations is doing to protect these guys, who have been here for years and years, and helped all of us.  They’re always there when you need them.  They’ll freeze a frame for print out of a video and no matter what you need, they’re there.  And I want to know what the United Nations is doing to help them.  Because they also are a reservoir of institutional memory, as well as being helpful.

Associate Spokesman:  As you know, there’s a change over in the contractor who’s providing the engineering work for UN Television, for the radio, as well as for conference services.  We understand from the new contractor that the overwhelming majority of the current staff will be rehired.  My understanding is that negotiations between the new contractor and the engineers union are ongoing.  We expect from our contractors top quality service, and we do expect them to treat their employees fairly and in accordance with applicable labour laws, in this case, United States labour laws.

Question:  Do you know what the criteria are for the ones that will or will not be kept on, I mean, what’s the dividing line?  Why are some of them being sacked and others kept on?

Associate Spokesman:  The new contractor -– it is up to them to rehire the staff that they feel they need, but we would expect them to treat all the staff fairly.

Question:  Just out of curiosity, who hired the new contractors?  The United Nations must have hired the new contractor.

Associate Spokesman:  No, there was a bidding process that went out and the new company won the bid.

Question:  Just a follow-up on that question.  There’s some talk that there might actually be a strike on Friday -- that apparently the negotiations started too late and the union feels they have been sort of brushed aside and not taken seriously.  And now it’s starting in earnest, the discussion, but it doesn’t look too good.  Is the United Nations going to get involved in these negotiations at all?  Is this even a matter that the International Labour Organization might pick up?

Associate Spokesman:  The negotiations are between the Labour Union and the new contractor.  I don’t want to prejudge the outcome of the negotiations.  But they are based on United States labour laws.  Yes, Nick?

Question:  Is Alexander Yakovlev’s office still sealed.  Do you know if the IISC is doing any more work? 

Associate Spokesman:  You should check –- I can check if it’s sealed, and you should check with the IISC as to what they’re doing. [The Associate Spokesman later said the room was still sealed.]

Question:  I didn’t hear that question, is it about upstairs ...

Associate Spokesman:  It’s about Mr. Yakovlev’s office and whether or not it’s still sealed.  Yes, Richard?

Question: I missed the top, but you said no stakeout.  What time is she meeting Ping, first?

Associate Spokesman:  I don’t have Ping’s schedule but I believe it’s before she’s meeting the Secretary-General.

Question:  This is to confirm her visit as Secretary of State, correct?

Associate Spokesman:  It is her first visit in this Building as Secretary of State.  But obviously she met with the Secretary-General just last week in Brussels.

Question:  And if she doesn’t talk, I mean, Secretary Powell spoke every time he came here.  So at the moment, we do not know if she’s speaking.

Associate Spokesman:  We’ve not been told that she is.

Question:  Can you confirm and tell us anything you want to know and we would like to know on Mr. Mbarushimana the former employee for the United Nations who was suspected of war crimes.  What did the internal inquiry finally say about his case?  What’s the United Nations now asking France to do?

Associate Spokesman:  Well, as you know, the Rwandan Tribunal, the ICTR, has made it clear that they will not prosecute him.  Because of that, we’re exploring other options with Member States, including France, and we’ve had informal consultations to see whether prosecution to see whether prosecution can go ahead.  But obviously, the decision whether or not to prosecute him rests with those Member States.

Question:  So what did the results of the United Nations investigation determine, that there was a big flaw in the original conclusion?  What was the final version?

Associate Spokesman:  The final decision by the United Nations Administrative Tribunal was that we had to pay Mr. Mbarushimana, but obviously we’re bound by the decisions of the Tribunal, but before we deal with paying him, we want to make sure that, given the severity of allegations at hand, and all possible avenues for prosecutions have been exhausted.

Question:  My esteemed AP colleague says the internal inquiry says that the case was bungled against him.  Would you support that?

Associate Spokesman:  I don’t have enough information at this time to support that.

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