PRESS CONFERENCE LAUNCHING UNITED NATIONS WORLD ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL SURVEY

The world economy is experiencing a significant decline in global output and trade which threatens to continue into the second half of this year, according to the United Nations World Economic and Social Survey 2001, being released simultaneously in New York and Geneva on Friday, 13 July.

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.

I guess at the back of the room, we have guests from the independent media from Serbia.  Where are the Serbian journalists?  Okay, I was told we have journalists from Serbia here.  Well, journalists from Pakistan, you’re very welcome.

PRESS CONFERENCE ON SMALL ARMS BY FRENCH MINISTER

France and Switzerland are promoting the idea of a mechanism that would enable small arms and light weapons to be traced, the Minister-Delegate for Cooperation and Francophonie of France, Charles Josselin, told a Headquarters press conference this morning.

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.

**Secretary-General in Geneva

The Secretary-General spent the weekend in Geneva, where this morning he addressed the opening of the High-level Segment of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), which this year focused on Africa.

PRESS BRIEFING BY PRESIDENT OF SMALL ARMS CONFERENCE

Briefing correspondents at Headquarters this afternoon on the status of the United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, Ambassador Camilo Reyes (Colombia), President of the Conference, said "there are good reasons to be optimistic -- we have a very good chance of arriving at a final document for the programme of action".

PRESS CONFERENCE BY UNITED STATES CONGRESSMAN BOB BARR

The latest draft final document of the United Nations Conference on Small Arms, distributed this morning, did not provide the basis for a consensus as far as the United States was concerned, a Member of the United States Congress told a Headquarters press conference this afternoon.

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.

**Secretary-General in Geneva

The Secretary-General is spending much of today in Geneva meeting with United Nations agency heads. 

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.

**Secretary-General in Geneva

The Secretary-General is still in Geneva.  He met this morning with his former Special Envoy for the Balkans, Carl Bildt, for a review of the situation in that region of the world.

PRESS CONFERENCE BY FUND FOR PEACE

The Fund for Peace, a United States-based non-profit organization, this afternoon called on the United Nations Small Arms Conference to adopt a legally binding regime that will regulate arms brokering operations in a uniform and coordinated manner.

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.

**Secretary-General in Europe