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

The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Manoel de Almeida e Silva, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General

PRESS CONFERENCE ON SMALL ARMS

Members of the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) expressed strong concern this afternoon over links between legal and illegal arms flows as they addressed a Headquarters press conference sponsored by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).  IANSA, a global network of 320 non-governmental organizations and faith-based groups from 70 countries, was formed in 1998.

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

This is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

Good afternoon.

**Secretary-General Press Conference

PRESS BRIEFING TO LAUNCH ‘UN WORKS’ WEB SITE

A Web site to illustrate how the work of the United Nations positively impacted on people’s lives was launched at Headquarters yesterday by Shashi Tharoor, the Interim Head of the Department of Public Information.

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

This is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

Spokesman for the Secretary-General

Good afternoon.

**Secretary-General Meets Ariel Sharon

The Secretary-General met for just over an hour this morning with the Prime Minister of Israel, Ariel Sharon.

PRESS CONFERENCE BY FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

The confrontation in Macedonia was not between Macedonians and Albanians, but between the ballot box and taking up arms, the permanent representative of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia told correspondents at a Headquarters press conference this afternoon. 

SWEDEN’S MINISTER TELLS JOURNALISTS OF HIS CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM

ABOUT PROSPECTS FOR NEW GLOBAL TRADE TALKS ROUND

There was reason for cautious optimism about the possibilities for launching a new round of global trade talks later this year, because it was increasingly clear that developing countries were working for a new round, Leif Pagrotsky, Swedish Minister for Trade and Globalization, told correspondents at a Headquarters this morning.

                                                      23 March, 2001   

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

PRESS CONFERENCE ON SMALL ARMS

It was not enough for the upcoming United Nations Conference on Small Arms and its Preparatory Committee to limit discussion purely to illegal arms transfers, Lloyd Axworthy, Co-Chair of the Global Coalition of non-governmental organizations and Like-minded States on Small Arms told correspondents this morning.

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

This is a near-verbatim transcript of today's noon briefing by Fred Eckhard, the Spokesman for the Secretary-General, and Susan Markham, Spokesperson for the President of the General Assembly.

Spokesman for the Secretary-General

Good afternoon.

**Secretary-General Arrives in Amman