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

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

Good afternoon.

**Secretary-General Opens Arab Summit

PRESS CONFERENCE ON SMALL ARMS BY CO-PRESIDENT

OF EMINENT PERSONS GROUP ON SMALL ARMS

Despite the setbacks of the last two sessions of the Preparatory Committee on Small Arms, the current session would end with a good politically binding document which would provide Members States with a framework for dealing with

the problem of small arms, Michel Rocard, former Prime Minister of France and

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.

**Secretary-General Leaves Amman; Arrives in Zurich

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.

I understand we have some visiting journalists from India.  Welcome to the briefing.  Good Afternoon.

**Violence in Israel and Palestinian Territories

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.  Our guest at today’s briefing is Joseph Connor, the Under-Secretary-General for Management, and he’ll be talking to you about the current financial situation of the Organization, based on his report to the Fifth Committee.

PRESS BRIEFING ON UN FINANCIAL SITUATION BY UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL CONNOR

The much-anticipated reduction in the level of debt to Member States might finally be achieved -- a major financial event for both Member States and the Organization, Under-Secretary-General for Management Joseph E. Connor told correspondents at a Headquarters press briefing this afternoon.

PRESS CONFERENCE ON SMALL ARMS

The United States was refusing to acknowledge the role of small arms in fuelling violence around the world, Michael Beard, President of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, USA, told correspondents at Headquarters this afternoon.

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.

I thought it was 11 o’clock, no it’s 12 o’clock.  We’ll start with a statement attributable to the Secretary-General on the arrest of Slobodan Milosevic.

**Statement Attributable to Secretary-General

PRESS CONFERENCE BY SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT

“My intention is to make the Council’s business progressively more transparent”, the Security Council President for the month of April told correspondents this afternoon at a Headquarters press conference.

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

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

Don’t get spooked now, but there is a new robotic camera on the ceiling there.  We now have two shots -– one looking at me and one looking at you.