DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

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, spokesman for the Secretary-General.

Good afternoon.  My guest today will be Mr. Stan Nkwain, the UN Resident Coordinator and UN Development Program Resident Representative for the Central African Republic.  He’ll be joining us to brief us on recent developments in the Central African Republic.

**Srebrenica

In Srebrenica this morning, Mark Malloch Brown, the Secretary-General’s Chef de Cabinet, delivered a message from the Secretary-General to mark the 10^th anniversary of the massacre that took place in that town.

In his message, the Secretary-General said that the UN could not evade its own share of responsibility.  Adding that the full truth about what happened in Srebrenica needed to be uncovered and confronted, he also stressed that the main architects of the massacre must be brought to justice.

The Secretary-General also said that the world’s most important duty now was to prevent such systematic slaughter from recurring anywhere in the present and the future.  The full text of that message is available upstairs.

Also as part of the commemorations of the Srebrenica massacre, this week Bosnian-American artist Aida Šehović will be pouring 1,705 small cups of coffee in the UN visitors’ lobby.  The cups are meant to symbolize the victims who will not be able to take part in the traditional Bosnian cup of coffee, served to welcome people home.  The coffee pouring will start today and continue through the week, starting at noon each day.

And a full schedule of other commemoration activities sponsored by the Mission of Bosnia Herzegovina is upstairs.  And that number -- 1,705 -- is the exact number of bodies of people that have been identified -- officially identified -- from the massacre. 

**Sudan

Going back over the weekend to Saturday, the Secretary-General witnessed the signing in Khartoum of the Transitional Constitution of Sudan and the swearing-in of the leaders of its Government of National Unity.  He said the occasion was “a day of great hope for the Sudanese people, who have suffered for so long”.

He said that unity in Sudan is still incomplete and precarious, but it is immensely precious.  The peace process between the country’s north and south must be made irreversible, the Secretary-General said.  This will not be unless it takes root in the east and west, as well.  He called for the Government, as an immediate priority, to work to resolve the conflicts in Darfur and in eastern Sudan.  We have copies of his statement available upstairs.

The Secretary-General then attended an official lunch before holding a brief press encounter at Khartoum airport.

He told reporters, in response to a question about the UN contribution to post-conflict Sudan that, at the G-8 meeting in Gleneagles, he had raised the need for donors to honour the pledges for Sudan.  He also said that he would be writing to the major donors to urge them to convert their pledges into cash.  The transcript of that press encounter is also available upstairs and we expect the Secretary-General back in the office tomorrow morning.

**Security Council

This morning, as you know, the Security Council held consultations on Ethiopia and Eritrea.  Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Affairs Jean-Marie Guéhenno briefed Council members on the Secretary General’s latest report, which mentioned the Secretary-General’s concern at the recent shooting incidents that took place in the temporary security zone between those two countries.

Council President Ambassador Vassilakis of Greece then read out a press statement, in which he noted the Council’s concern over the shooting incident.  Council members, he noted, also discussed possible options to resolve the stalemate over the peace process including, when appropriate, a Council visit to Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Also today, Council members were briefed, under “other matters”, by the head of the Political Affairs Department, Ibrahim Gambari, on the ongoing international investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.  That investigation, as you know, is being led by Detlev Mehlis.

Going back to Friday afternoon, the Council adopted a presidential statement, by which it condemned last week’s assassination of the head of the Egyptian Mission to Iraq, Ihab el-Sherif.

**Iraq

On Sunday, Ashraf Qazi, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, met in Najaf with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, as well as with the other Shi’ite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

In his meeting with Ayatollah Sistani, Qazi discussed the work being done by the UN Mission in Iraq and its efforts to facilitate dialogue among all parties.  They also discussed the constitution-making process and modalities for the December election.  Qazi raised many of the same points in his meeting with al-Sadr and also informed him about UN efforts in reconstruction and humanitarian assistance and development.  We have more details about those visits in a press release available upstairs.

**DRC Pledging Conference

William Lacy Swing, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is in Brussels, Belgium, today, where he is taking part in a donors’ meeting, organized by the European Union, to mobilize financial resources for the electoral process in the DRC.  He will give a press briefing in Brussels later this afternoon.  He will then travel to New York, where he is due to brief the Security Council on Wednesday.

**Human Rights

Turning to West Africa, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, is in Liberia today on the second stage of a three-nation visit.  She has scheduled meetings with Liberian judicial officials, as well as UN personnel.

In Côte d’Ivoire on Saturday Ms. Arbour expressed concern about a deterioration of human rights in that country.  After Liberia, Louise Arbour is scheduled to stop in Sierra Leone.  A press release from Human Rights Office is available upstairs.

**Small Arms

Today, at Headquarters, we have the beginning of a five-day meeting on the programme of action to stop the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons.

In a message delivered this morning to the meeting -- which you were briefed about on Friday -- the Secretary-General lauded the progress made in stemming the flow of such weapons, noting that many countries have developed national action plans to address proliferation concerns.  At the same time, however, he warned that the world must not relax in the fight against illicit small arms, which continue to kill, maim and displace scores of thousands of innocent people every year.

**Population Day

Today is also World Population Day and, in a message issued to honour that day, the Secretary-General asks us to resolve to empower women and girls by a commitment to gender equality.  He reminds us that every society that wishes to overcome poverty, hunger, armed conflict and disease must draw fully on the talents and contribution of all of its members.

In her message, Thoraya Obaid, Executive Director of the UN’s Population Fund (UNFPA), also underlines the benefits of gender equality, including “a higher quality of life for women and girls, and stronger families, communities and countries.”  The full text of those messages is upstairs.

**General Assembly

The office of the General Assembly President has asked us to announce that the General Assembly will hold a plenary meeting this afternoon to discuss a draft resolution on Security Council reform, sponsored by 27 countries, including the G-4, that is, Brazil, Germany, India and Japan.  As of this morning, 14 speakers are slated to address the meeting.  The length of the meeting will depend on how many more speakers wish to make statements.

**New Africa Website

The Office of the Special Adviser on Africa now has a new website up and running.  The site has information about the Office’s work, which includes enhancing global support for Africa’s development and security, especially in relation to the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, known as NEPAD.  You can visit it at: www.un.org/special-rep/osaa/index.asp.

**KoreaPeninsula

Lastly, we just received a statement on the developments in the KoreanPeninsula.

“The Secretary General welcomes the agreement of the DPRK and US negotiators, reached in Beijing, to resume the six-party talks during the last week of July.  The Secretary-General would like to commend the intensive international efforts, including in particular China and the Republic of Korea for the constructive and tireless work undertaken by them towards this end.

“The Secretary-General is strongly encouraged by the determination expressed by the participants in the six-party talks to aim for actual progress at the resumed talks, which should lead to negotiating a stable, secure and prosperous KoreanPeninsula free of nuclear weapons.  He continues to believe that dialogue, based on goodwill and mutual respect, is the way towards achieving these goals, however challenging they might be, and will continue doing everything possible in support of this work.”

The full statement is available upstairs.

**Kyrgyzstan

And one more statement on the elections in Kyrgyzstan.

“The Secretary-General welcomes the peaceful conduct of presidential elections in Kyrgyzstan that took place on 10 July 2005.  Preliminary reports indicate that the elections were held in a credible manner with strengthened commitment to upholding international standards.  The holding of these elections is an important step in the consolidation of political institutions in Kyrgyzstan.  The Secretary-General looks forward to partnership and cooperation with the new Government.”

And that is it for me.  Questions?

**Questions and Answers

Question:  Mr. Qazi’s visit to al-Sistani, and al-Sadr.  What cooperation is expected from them and what is the main purpose besides the cooperation he has?  My second question, do we have any statements so far or any information concerning the total world population?

Spokesman:  I’ll get you a number as soon as I can on that.  On Iraq, this is part of Mr. Qazi’s ongoing outreach efforts to every segment of Iraqi society.  Obviously Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani and Moqtada al-Sadr are very important political figures that he needs to talk to and it was important for him to brief them on what the UN has been doing, especially on the constitution-making process.  A full and inclusive constitutional process for the UN is key to the stability of Iraq’s future.  So it’s part of his ongoing outreach process.  [The Spokesman later announced that the latest UN figures showed the world’s population at 6.5 billion.]

Question:  Did he get any response from them and what was the response?

Spokesman:  His message to every Iraqi leader he talks to is participate in the political process.

Question:  (Partially inaudible) on Srebrenica.

Spokesman:  Obviously, two of the outstanding figures, both Radovan Karadžić and Ratko Mladić, are still at large and the Secretary-General in his message called for a renewing of efforts to make sure these two people are caught and turned over to the Hague Tribunal.

Question:  A follow-up to the article in the New York Sun today about Benon Sevan.  Has there been any news from the Secretary-General about the possibility of lifting diplomatic immunity, now that the Manhattan District Attorney is looking into possible criminal activity?

Spokesman:  We have not been contacted at all by the Manhattan District Attorney.  But the Secretary-General has made it clear that any UN employee accused of criminal wrongdoing by a judicial body will see their immunity lifted.  But we have not been contacted in any way by the Manhattan District Attorney.

Question:  Will the UN take the initiative to speak to the District Attorney, since it is a matter involving a UN employee, to find out exactly what they are expected to do?

Spokesman:  We would be contacted by the District Attorney.  We have not been contacted by them.  We will wait to be contacted by them.

Question:  And have you heard from Benon Sevan since this latest revelation?

Spokesman:  Not that I am aware of, no.

Question:  Can we get an update on where all that stands?

Spokesman:  There is no change in his status.  He remains suspended.  The administrative proceedings against him, as we’ve announced previously, were put on hold until Mr. Volcker’s Committee finalizes its review of his activities.  So there has been no change.

Question:  Can you tell us where Sevan is?

Spokesman:  No, I don’t know here he is.  As far as the UN is concerned, his main responsibility is to cooperate with Mr. Volcker and his panel and we have not heard from the Volcker panel that he has not cooperated.

Question: Wouldn’t it be expected that the UN know whether its employee is in country...?

Spokesman:  The cooperation is between him and the Volcker panel.  If he was not cooperating with the Volcker panel, I am sure we would hear immediately from Mr. Volcker.

Question:  Now that the Korean talks are going (partially inaudible) is there a change on Mr. Strong’s status?

Spokesman:  No change on Mr. Strong’s status.  We are obviously following these developments very closely on the KoreanPeninsula.

Question:  (Inaudible)

Spokesman:  The UN is not a direct party to the six-party talks but we are following these developments, this process, extremely closely.

Question: Regarding the debate on Security Council enlargement, does the Secretary-General have any position that he is trying to put forward, because you do have a difference between the G4 and the other countries?  I am just wondering whether the Secretary-General has leaned toward one area or another, or has a recommendation of his own?

Spokesman:  The short answer is no.

Question:  How many days will the debate on Security Council enlargement last before the vote?

Spokesman:  That’s up to the Member States, but you can contact the GA spokesman right after this briefing.  I’m sure they’ll give you more information.  But you can always know when these debates start.  It’s hard to know when they’ll end. 

Question:  Has the Secretary-General made any determination after the London bombing as to renewing his call for a convention.

Spokesman:  It is part of his proposals in the “larger freedom” report and is part of the result that he would very much like to see at the September Summit.

Thank you very much

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