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.

**Zimbabwe

Starting off with Zimbabwe.  The Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), Anna Tibaijuka, has told us that UN-HABITAT has positioned a human settlements officer as part of the United Nations country team’s work in Zimbabwe to help advise the Government on the technical aspects of the resettlement of those who have been displaced by the so-called Operation Restore Order.

In response to a reporter’s question this morning, the Secretary-General confirmed he had spoken with President Robert Mugabe and said he “stressed the need for action to be taken to help the people affected, to stop the clearances, and to ensure that those affected are not only looked after, but they are given adequate housing”.

He went on to say that “we, the international community, would want to muster the aid necessary to help the people and also to work with the Government in changing the situation”.

**Secretary-General - Sharm el-Sheikh

The Secretary-General reacted with sorrow and anger to the news on Saturday of the multiple car bombs in the Sinai Peninsula resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt.  In a statement we issued over the weekend, he once more condemned the use of terror and indiscriminate violence against civilians, which no cause or belief can justify.

Speaking to reporters this morning, the Secretary-General added that what has happened in the last few weeks, from London to Sharm el-Sheikh, gives more reason for nations to press ahead and get a good definition of terrorism that we can all live with.

He also voiced the hope that the authorities in London will go after criminals, but not generalize in going after people coming from one region or another.  He noted that the United Kingdom had been able to do that over the years.  And we have the full transcript of his comments to you available upstairs.

**Secretary-General - Regional Organizations

This morning, the Secretary-General addressed a high-level meeting between the United Nations and regional and other inter-governmental organizations.

In his remarks, the Secretary-General said that to promote progress in security, development and human rights, we needed to reinvigorate our multilateral institutions.  In that regard, the United Nations relationship with regional organizations was critical.

Saying that we need better structured and more efficient channels of cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations, the Secretary-General said that the creation of a Peacebuilding Commission would allow for those bodies to have a seat and a voice at the table during critical rebuilding stage in countries emerging from conflict.

The full text of his speech is available upstairs.

**Côte d’Ivoire

Turning to Côte d’Ivoire, United Nations peacekeepers in Côte d’Ivoire have been put on a state of alert following an attack Saturday night on two towns by unidentified assailants, and those towns are Anyama and Agboville.  The United Nations mission, which is working closely with the Ivorian authorities, has decided to dispatch military units to the area to contribute to help restore calm.

The Mission strongly condemns this attack, which could jeopardize the important progress made in the peace process, and calls on all parties to refrain from any action that could further contribute to the deterioration of an already worrying situation.  Meanwhile, the humanitarian agencies in the field are preparing to undertake an assessment mission to the towns affected by the attack.

**Security Council

This afternoon at 3, the Security Council will hold private meetings with the countries that contribute troops to two United Nations peacekeeping missions.  Council members will meet first with the troop contributors for the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, and then with those for the United Nations Mission in Georgia.

**Afghanistan

Turning to Afghanistan, the United Nations Mission in Afghanistan reported that an Afghan educator, employed by a non-governmental organization that works with the United Nations on civic education, was shot dead last week in an attack which also left his son injured.  The Joint Electoral Management Body responded by condemning any violence against people working to bring democracy and stability to Afghanistan.  And we have more details in today’s briefing notes from Kabul.

**HIV/AIDS

Stephen Lewis, the United Nations Envoy on HIV/AIDS in Africa, last night addressed a meeting of scientists and experts on AIDS that took place in Rio de Janeiro.  In his statement, which we have available for you upstairs, Stephen Lewis said that the greatest single international failure in the response to HIV/AIDS is the failure to intervene on behalf of women.  He also questioned the results of the G-8 summit, called for an independent international agency for women and challenged scientists to engage in a campaign of advocacy.

**Sahel - Food Situation

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that the food security crisis currently devastating Niger has also had an impact throughout the Sahel region.  In Mali, Burkina Faso and Mauritania, populations are also facing difficult food security situations because of last year’s drought and locust plague.

According to statistics from OCHA, which we have upstairs, some 1.1 million people in Mali will need food aid in 2005, and women and children are suffering from malnutrition in Burkina Faso.  And in Mauritania, the World Food Programme is on the ground, assessing the scope of the food security situation.

**Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)

The Food and Agriculture Organization today said proper training could save many lives that are lost every year in forest fires.  In an advisory issued in Rome the FAO said that people are the cause of most fires.  Proper training for people living near wooded areas would cost a small fraction of the billions of dollars lost in fires, the Agency said.

**Tsunami

And we have a message from the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Tsunami recovery, former President Bill Clinton.  In light of the recent earthquakes this weekend near the Nicobar and Andaman islands in India, the United Nations Special Envoy encourages the governments in the region to accelerate the creation of an effective early warning system.

**Dag Hammarskjöld Event

And a reminder for you today, at 1:15, you are invited to a discussion in the Dag Hammarskjöld Auditorium entitled, “The Tsunami Disaster:  Beyond Relief towards Development”.  Margaret Wahlström, Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, and Kathleen Cravero of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will participate.  The Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, Shashi Tharoor, will moderate the event.

**General Assembly

And the General Assembly will hold, on Wednesday and Thursday of this week, closed informal consultations on the revised draft outcome document for the September summit, which President Jean Ping submitted to Member States on Friday.

**Lost Computer

And lastly, just an in-house housekeeping note, we’re not in the business of using this briefing for a lost and found, but one of your colleagues is distressed.  He lost his computer bag with his Dell computer in it on Friday in the Delegates Lounge.

The laptop has the only copy of his first novel on it.  So if anybody finds a Dell laptop, just turn it in to us or to Security.  He would very much appreciate it.

That’s it for me.  Any questions?

**Questions and Answers

Question:  Can I ask you about the revised draft outcome?  The Secretary-General said this morning that he had a lot of opinions on the actual draft.  Is he going to release a statement about his opinion on the different points?  He spoke about terrorism this morning.

Spokesman:  No, I don’t think you –- you should not expect him to release any sort of statement –- detailed statement –- with a point-by-point comment on the document.

Question:  On Ivory Cost, who did the attacking?

Spokesman:  That’s something we’re looking into at this point.  The assailants were unidentified at this point, so we’re trying to find out who exactly did the attacking.

Question:  I have two questions, one on Zimbabwe.  I was just wondering what happens now with regards to looking at how much money is needed and how it’s raised.  And number two, I understand that the United Nations confirmed that Benon Sevan is in Cyprus.  I was just wondering if you could explain whether the United Nations sees any potential issue in that.

Spokesman:  On Zimbabwe, our teams on the ground are obviously looking at the scope of what is needed financially and in terms of equipment, such as tents and the rest.  I think as soon as they can come up with a financial figure, obviously that money will have to be raised from the international community.

On Mr. Sevan, the important point about him is that anyone who needs to have access to him has access to him.  As we’ve said before, the main responsibility that he has is to cooperate and be available to the Volcker Commission.  And until we hear otherwise from Mr. Volcker and his team, we assume that he is cooperating.

Question:  On Zimbabwe, how would anyone contribute money from the donors or except perhaps from [inaudible], if the demolitions are still going on, and they went on right after the report came out?  Is the Secretary-General going to make a trip there, is anybody going to make an appeal?

Spokesman:  An appeal will be made once we can get an assessment of exactly what is needed.

Question:  [Inaudible]

Spokesman:  The important fact, as the Secretary-General said, is that the demolitions and the evictions need to stop, and need to stop immediately.  The Government needs to allow for humanitarian access to those in need, and they obviously also have quite a large set of issues they need to deal with themselves, as Ms. Tibaijuka outlined in her report.

Question:  Who actually is on the ground conducting this assessment and where are they going?  Are they travelling all around the country and when do we expect the results of this assessment?

Spokesman:  We have in Zimbabwe a country team in which most of the United Nations agencies are represented.  Obviously, the UN-HABITAT will be very much in the lead in following up on these issues.  As soon as we have sort of a time frame, I would let you know.

[The Spokesman’s Office later announced that UN-HABITAT is not in the lead in terms of the United Nations efforts on the ground in Zimbabwe.  It is a collective effort by United Nations agencies.]

Question:  I have two questions.  Will the recent bombings in Sharm el-Sheikh and London have any special impact on the September Summit here regarding security aspects?  And the second question is, do you think that, given the recent bombings in Iraq and the assassination of members of the Commission responsible, the drafting of a constitution will be ready as scheduled?

Spokesman:  We very much hope that it will be ready on schedule.

As for the security aspects here, obviously our security folks are working with the NYPD and the federal law enforcement authorities to ensure the best possible protection during the meetings of the heads of State.

Question:  Just on Zimbabwe, to follow up, it’s just sort of one of these things, isn’t it, where on the one hand you say you focus on the humanitarian imperative, but on the other hand the reasons for the humanitarian catastrophe is human caused and ultimately by the President of the country.  So, what I’m interested in is -- to avoid the sense of why should we give money to rebuild something that Mr. Mugabe pulled down and thereby entrench him in power -- how clearly would the United Nations attach conditions of political reform to any reconstruction package that is given to Zimbabwe?

Spokesman:  I think Ms. Tibaijuka’s report was very clear in that the Government of Zimbabwe has a collective responsibility for what happened.  How the aid is disbursed down the line, obviously that’s something that we will have to look at.  But it’s important that the people affected by the evictions not be victimized twice.  There is a clear need for help to get to them.

Question:  So is that to suggest that you won’t be putting any political --

Spokesman:  No, I just said we would obviously have to look at that down the line, but one would also not to hold the affected populations and the ones who are in need, hostage.  And, as I said, they really should not be victimized twice.

Question:  I just wondered on Ivory Cost, how many military units are going to be sent in?

Spokesman:  I’ll have to get back to you and get an update from the mission on that.

Question:  On United Nations reform, how involved is the Secretary-General still?  I mean, it seems like most of the action has shifted over to the General Assembly and the facilitators.  Is he still involved?

Spokesman:  I mean, you know, the focus of the debate is amongst the Member States.  He’s obviously available to them when they need to discuss something with him.  He’s following the situation and the debates very closely.  But it is a membership-led discussion on the proposals.

Thank you very much.

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