The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's noon briefing by Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
**East Timor
Sponsors and participants in the Seventh Global Summit for Young Entrepreneurs held a Headquarters press conference this morning. The Summit, meeting at the World Trade Center from 28 August to 1 September, has brought together 350 young entrepreneurs from 97 countries.
The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's noon briefing by Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
**Security Council
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), which will be holding its Conference of Presiding Officers of National Parliaments at Headquarters from 30 August to 1 September, seeks to bring "a parliamentary dimension" to the United Nations, Najma Heptulla, President of the Conference, told correspondents yesterday afternoon.
Although President Laurent Kabila had agreed to the deployment of United Nations troops in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, implementation might be delayed by his rejection of participation by South African specialized units, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for that country, said at a Headquarters press conference this afternoon.
Addressing correspondents at a Headquarters press conference this morning, the Grand Mufti of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mustafa Ceric, said that although peace did exist in Bosnia and Herzegovina, he was not yet satisfied with the situation of Muslims in the area.
The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's noon briefing by Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
**Olympics
The Speaker of the Israeli Knesset, Avraham Burg, told correspondents at a Headquarters press briefing this afternoon that, because of current efforts in the peace process, the timing of this weeks Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Conference of Presiding Officers of National Parliaments was crucial for the Israeli delegation.
