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

Following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, and Jan Fischer, Spokesman for the President of the General Assembly.

Briefing by the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

I’d like to welcome the group of visiting Arab journalists to the briefing.  Nice to have you.

Good afternoon.

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

Following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, and Jan Fischer, Spokesman for the President of the General Assembly.

Briefing by the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

Good afternoon.

HEADQUARTERS PRESS BRIEFING BY SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR AFGHANISTAN

Acknowledging the difficulties that lay ahead in Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for that country, told correspondents at a Headquarters press briefing this afternoon that "we will do our best and work first with all Afghans, then those who have an interest in Afghanistan, concerns and influence over the situation". 

PRESS BRIEFING ON INTERNATIONAL DAY OF POVERTY ERADICATION

Private-sector-based financial cooperatives were described as a key element in the pursuit of the Millennium Summit’s year 2015 goal of halving the number of people in the world who live in poverty, experts in poverty eradication said at a Headquarters press briefing this morning.

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

Following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, and Jan Fischer, Spokesman for the President of the General Assembly.

Briefing by the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

Welcome to the visiting journalists from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.  Nice to have you here.

PRESS BRIEFING BY AD HOC COMMITTEE TO ELIMINATE TERRORISM

Noting the progress made in negotiations, the Chairman of the General Assembly’s Ad Hoc Committee on measures to eliminate international terrorism this afternoon expressed “cautious optimism” about the adoption by the Assembly this year of a comprehensive convention to combat the scourge.

PRESS BRIEFING BY SECRETARY-GENERAL’S ADVISER ON ASSISTANCE TO COLOMBIA

The Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on International Assistance to Colombia, Jan Egeland, in a briefing to correspondents at the United Nations this afternoon, said the peace talks in Colombia were in crisis, with new difficulties in the talks between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the Government of Colombia.  

PRESS BRIEFING ON PREPARATIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT FINANCING CONFERENCE

PRESS CONFERENCE BY NGO REPRESENTATIVES ON FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT

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

Following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, and Jan Fischer, Spokesman for the President of the General Assembly.

Briefing by the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

**Afghanistan

Good afternoon.