PRESS CONFERENCE BY PRESIDENT OF PAKISTAN

Citizens of Pakistan were empowered and living in a real democracy, General Pervez Musharraf, President of Pakistan, told correspondents at a Headquarters press conference this afternoon.

PRESS CONFERENCE BY CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER

PRESS CONFERENCE BY PRESIDENT JACQUES CHIRAC OF FRANCE

While the current governmental institutions in Iraq were not in a position to shoulder full sovereignty, a process of handing over responsibility could begin on the basis of a clear political statement, and develop progressively at a rate consonant with developments in the country Iraq, French President Jacques Chirac said at a Headquarters press conference today.

PRESS CONFERENCE BY CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER

Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien said today that the transfer of power to Iraqi authorities should take place “as quickly as possible”.

“The transfer of power to the local authorities has to be done as quickly as possible”, Mr. Chrétien told correspondents at a Headquarters press conference this afternoon, responding to a question on how much authority the United States should cede to Iraq.

PRESS BRIEFING BY UNAIDS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Reports published by the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) were “truly a wake-up call” to the world, UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot said during a press briefing at Headquarters today.

PRESS CONFERENCE BY GLOBAL FUND TO FIGHT AIDS

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria today appealed to Member States of the United NationsGeneral Assembly to support the group’s efforts at raising an additional $3 billion in funding needed by 2004 to launch a “massive counterattack” against HIV/AIDS.

PRESS BRIEFING BY WHO, UNAIDS, GLOBAL FUND TO FIGHT AIDS

PRESS CONFERENCE BY PRESIDENT OF NIGERIA

President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria this afternoon gave an assurance that “nothing would happen” to a Nigerian woman facing death by stoning in an Islamic court in northern Nigeria.  “I have said this, and I’ll say it again”, he told a Headquarters press conference.

PRESS BRIEFING ON WORLD SUMMIT EVENT FOR SCHOOLS

The United Nations Cybershoolbus, in partnership with the European Schoolnet, today launched the World Summit Event for Schools, a three-month long initiative to offer online activities to students around the world in order to examine the impact of communication technologies on education and human rights.

PRESS CONFERENCE BY MINISTER OF CULTURE OF BRAZIL

Gilberto Gil, the Minister of Culture of Brazil and a Grammy Award winning singer and songwriter, spoke to correspondents today at Headquarters about his upcoming memorial concert and his vision for the future of Brazil.

Mr. Gil was introduced by Shashi Tharoor, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information.