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 you all would have left in disgust by now.  I am sorry.  We have a statement on the Middle East that held us up.  Anyway, here it is. 

**Secretary-General Statement on Middle East

PRESS CONFERENCE BY CHAIR OF SMALL ARMS CONFERENCE PREPARATORY COMMITTEE

The Preparatory Committee for the United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects had successfully met the daunting challenge before it, the Committee Chairman told correspondents this morning at a Headquarters press conference.

PRESS CONFERENCE ON GLOBAL ECONOMIC OUTLOOK

The marked slowdown in the pace of the global economy started with the slowdown in the United States economy, Professor Lawrence Klein, Nobel laureate and head of an expert group called Project LINK, told correspondents at a Headquarters press conference yesterday 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, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

Welcome to the 24 news broadcasters from all five continents visiting here today.  Nice to have you.  Good afternoon.  We have a trip to announce.

**Secretary-General’s Trip

PRESS CONFERENCE BY CHAIR OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES GROUP

ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

The new United States administration had sent “a bad and disappointing message” by exercising a unilateral approach to the multilateral process of the Kyoto Protocol on controlling the emission of greenhouse gases, the Chairman of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, Bagher Asadi of Iran, told correspondents this morning at a Headquarters press conference.

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 Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

      Good afternoon.

**Middle East

PRESS CONFERENCE ON DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO REPORT

Almost all belligerents in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo were benefiting in one way or another, with the Congolese people as the only losers, correspondents were told this morning at a Headquarters press conference.

                                                      17 April 2001

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

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

**Burundi

PRESS CONFERENCE BY FRANCE’S ENVIRONMENT MINISTER

France and other European countries had been taken aback by the changed position of the United States on the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the French Environment Minister, Dominique Voynet, told correspondents at Headquarters this afternoon.