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.

Thank you very much for coming.  I think today we will have the record for short briefings.  We only have five notes for you, so you can have an early lunch.

**United Nations Finances

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.

Good afternoon.  Thank you very much for coming. 

**Security Council

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.

Good afternoon.  Thank you for coming.  We have a short but good briefing for you to begin your weekend.

**Statement on Afghanistan

I'll start with a statement attributable to the Spokesman on Afghanistan.

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. Welcome to the visiting journalists from Russia.

**Security Council

This morning at about 10:45 the Security Council began an open meeting on the Middle East, including the question of Palestine.

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.

**Security Council     

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.

PRESS BRIEFING BY UNAMSIL PUBLIC INFORMATION CHIEF

From January to today, the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone  (UNAMSIL) had helped with the voluntary disarmament of just over 16,000 combatants and was involved in negotiations for the release of about 2,600 child combatants, UNAMSIL's Chief Public Information Officer, Margaret Novicki, told correspondents this afternoon at a Headquarters press briefing. 

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.

**East Timor/SECCO

Good afternoon.

This morning, the Security Council held a private meeting to hear a briefing on East Timor from Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hédi Annabi.

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.

**Security Council

The Security Council began its closed consultations this morning with a briefing by Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Danilo Türk, on developments over the past month in Burundi.

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 Marie Okabe, Associate Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

Good afternoon.  I first would like to welcome the group of Indonesian journalists who are touring the facilities and who are joining us today.  I would also hope that all of you have had a decent August so far.