HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S NOON BRIEFING

BY FRED ECKHARD
SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

UN HEADQUARTERS,  NEW YORK

Wednesday, 30 March, 2005

SPOKESMAN NOTES NO EVIDENCE OF INTERFERENCE IN COTECNA CONTRACT; U.N. EXPLORING VOLCKER REPORT TO FOLLOW UP

• In response to questions asking how Secretary-General Kofi Annan could claim to be exonerated by the interim report issued Tuesday by Paul Volcker’s Independent Inquiry Committee, the Spokesman said that, following months in which the Secretary-General’s reputation had been smeared, the report had said that there was no evidence that the Secretary-General had interfered in Cotecna’s contract with the UN or benefited financially.

• Eckhard said that the report came after a year of investigations, in which UN hard drives, phone records, documents and appointment books were examined thoroughly. Volcker then came out with a report, and the United Nations accepts its findings. The United Nations, he said, believes that the Volcker report confirms the finding of an initial UN internal investigation that showed no link between the employment by the Secretary-General’s son, Kojo, by Cotecna and Cotecna’s obtaining of a UN contract.

• The report, he added, identified lapses in management, which the United Nations will look at and try to fix.

• Asked whether the Secretary-General will acknowledge making unfortunate decisions, the Spokesman said the Volcker report will be looked at closely to see what can be done better in the future.

• Asked about the Secretary-General’s actions with regard to his son Kojo and to UN staff members, the Spokesman noted that the Secretary-General said Tuesday that the Secretary-General loves his son, but is also disappointed. The Spokesman disputed that the Secretary-General was getting rid of loyal staff members, saying that, where the Volcker Committee has found fault with the actions of UN staff, the United Nations is following the appropriate procedures to respond.

• The Spokesman said that the rules of the United Nations must be followed, and added, “The buck stops always at the top.”

• Asked whether Kofi Annan is the right person to spearhead UN reform, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General was in a better position to handle it than any of his predecessors. Kofi Annan, he noted, has run the UN personnel, budget and peacekeeping offices, making him uniquely qualified in the workings of the United Nations.

• At the same time, Eckhard added, the United Nations is an intergovernmental organization, so the Secretary-General needs support from the member governments for a big chunk of what he can do. His “In Larger Freedom” report is his last push to meeting the goals of the United Nations, the Spokesman said, and the Secretary-General is looking to the summit of world leaders this September to see whether he can get the recommendations in that report accomplished.

• Ten years from now, Eckhard said, Kofi Annan could look back proudly on his leadership and what he has accomplished.

• Asked whether the Secretary-General feels weakened, the Spokesman said that he was “as strong as ever, maybe stronger” in his determination, his state of mind, and his focus. Politically, he added, the Secretary-General has always felt that he has enjoyed broad support from Member States.

• He noted, in response to another question, that, throughout this turbulent period, Member States repeatedly expressed their confidence in him, and none had called for his resignation.

• Asked whether the Secretary-General intends to meet General Assembly members following the Volcker report, the Spokesman said that the Deputy Secretary-General and Assistant Secretary-General Robert Orr were meeting with regional groups this week to discuss the UN reform effort.

• Asked about Kojo Annan’s relationship with a person in the procurement department, the Spokesman noted that Volcker had looked into the matter of a woman in procurement who was close to Kojo but did not have anything to do with the Cotecna contract. He noted that Kojo could visit UN offices because family members of Secretaries-General have access to the United Nations through one-year renewable courtesy passes.

• The Spokesman denied a media report alleging that Kojo Annan had held parties in the Secretary-General’s residence in Kofi Annan’s absence, noting that security at the residence had said that such a report was “ridiculous” and that Kojo Annan was not present in the residence when his father was not there.

U.N. STUDYING ISSUES RAISED ON SHREDDING OF FILES

• Asked why “chron file” documents had been shredded after the Secretary-General’s directive last year to preserve all files for the Independent Inquiry Committee, the Spokesman said that the Volcker report pointed to former Chef de Cabinet Iqbal Riza’s decision to reduce the files, at the request of his secretaries, two months before that directive came out.

• He said that the United Nations was studying the cases of Riza and Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Dileep Nair, to see whether further action should be taken.

• The Spokesman said of the United Nations, “This place is a paper mill.” Documents are shredded frequently. Chron files, he explained, are working copies, often secondary copies, of memos that come in and out on a given day. Those files were largely produced on the hard drives of UN computers, which were given to the Committee.

• Eckhard said that the possibility that documents were lost that were not available in other UN files or hard drives was small. He noted that Volcker, in his press comments on Tuesday, did not seem to indicate that there was something significant in the chron files.

• The Spokesman said that UN archives will not accept the chron files, which are copies of routine documents. Important documents, he added, are preserved in a central registry.

• The Spokesman declined to speculate on possible action on Riza and Nair. Should action be taken, he said, they would have the right to defend themselves.

• Asked about the location of offices and shredders on the 38th floor, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General’s office was separated from Riza’s old office by a waiting room for dignitaries and a room for the Secretary-General’s secretaries. There was more than one shredder on that floor, he noted.

• Asked whether anyone else was aware of the shredding, the Spokesman noted Riza’s explanation, in a letter to Volcker contained in an annex to his report, that it was a routine matter, between him and his secretaries. The Secretary-General would not be informed.

• Asked about Riza’s retirement, the Spokesman noted that Riza is retained on a dollar-a-year contract as an adviser.

DECISION AWAITED ON COMPLAINTS CONCERNING O.I.O.S. HEAD

• Asked about the case of Dileep Nair, the head of the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) who is criticized in the Volcker report, the Spokesman noted that Chef de Cabinet Mark Malloch Brown had said Tuesday that action on Nair would “inevitably” be taken.

• The consideration of the Volcker report’s findings, he said, supercede previous complaints made against Nair by the UN Staff Council. Those staff complaints, he added, are being evaluated, and the United Nations will make a decision on whether it is warranted to follow up on them.

• Asked how candidates to replace Nair, whose five-year term expires in April, will be chosen, the Spokesman said that there is a pool of Assistant Secretaries-General and Under-Secretaries-General, from which panels, normally consisting of four members, are drawn, to consider candidates for senior jobs.

• He said that the reasons for delaying a decision on Nair were not because of the Volcker report, which was now “an added complication.”

U.N. HIRED CONSULTANT TO REVIEW ELECTORAL DIVISION’S MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

• The Spokesman, in response to questions about the leaking of an internal report concerning Carina Perelli, the Director of the Electoral Affairs Division, said that the report was a management study by a consulting firm that has worked with UN departments for the past decade.

• He said that, during a management retreat of the Department of Political Affairs in the summer of 2003, some management issues were identified in the electoral division that needed to be addressed. The principal assistant to the head of the Department, Rick Hooper, was killed in the bombing in Baghdad that August, so follow-up was delayed; but the consulting firm recently issued a report on the management issues.

• It is now up to Kieran Prendergast, as head of the Department, to review the report and decide on whether what is in it is a serious enough violation to be passed on to the Office of Human Resources Management, if it concerns treatment of personnel, or to OIOS, if it concerns financial issues.

• He characterized what has transpired so far as a “routine management exercise,” and not an investigation. There were also management issues raised about another division, which are being dealt with by the Department.

INDONESIA QUAKE: ALMOST HALF OF POPULATION ON HARDEST-HIT ISLAND NOW IN NEED OF FOOD AID

• Concerning the recent earthquake in Indonesia, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that its priority on the hard-hit island of Nias is to provide clean water. The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reports that two of its water purification units are ready to leave Banda Aceh.
• Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) has sent a landing craft with 300 tons of food and a temporary warehouse to Nias. It is set to arrive tomorrow. WFP is also taking a lead role in building an air base on the Sumatran mainland, so that aircraft can reach Nias as quickly as possible.
• Before this latest disaster, WFP was providing food to some 2,000 tsunami survivors on Nias. But initial assessments now show that some 200,000 people out of the island’s total population of 450,000 will need food aid for about two months.

SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS D.R. CONGO MISSION

• The Security Council this morning voted unanimously to extend the mandate of the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), until October 1, with the intention to renew it for further periods.
• Council members then met on Sudan, to agree to postpone a vote on a draft resolution submitted by France for 24 hours, until tomorrow morning.
• The Security Council is currently holding an open debate on the African dimensions of the Council’s work. The debate also is intended as a wrap-up session for the Council’s work this month, under the Presidency of Ambassador Ronaldo Sardenberg of Brazil.

ANNAN DISCUSSES FINDINGS OF INVESTIGATION INTO LEBANON KILLING WITH SECURITY COUNCIL

• Yesterday afternoon, the Secretary-General and Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Kieran Prendergast attended the Security Council’s closed consultations on Lebanon, to discuss the report of the Mission of Inquiry into the circumstances, causes and consequences of the February 14 bombing in Beirut.
• That report is out on the racks today, as is a letter from the Syrian Government responding to it.
• The mission, headed by Peter Fitzgerald, says in the report that, to uncover the truth behind the bombing, which killed former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, it would be necessary to entrust the investigation to an international independent commission.

• Asked whether the United Nations would send peacekeepers to replace Syrian troops withdrawing from Lebanon, the Spokesman said that the Security Council has not to his knowledge considered sending UN peacekeepers to Lebanon besides the existing UN Interim Force in southern Lebanon.

• Asked whether Syria is complying with UN resolution 1559, the Spokesman said the Secretary-General would report on that to the Security Council by the end of April.

SUDAN : SECURITY COUNCIL IMPOSES TRAVEL BAN, ASSETS FREEZE ON THOSE IMPEDING PEACE PROCESS IN  DARFUR

• In addition to discussing Lebanon, the Security Council yesterday afternoon also held closed consultations on the situation in Guinea-Bissau, on which it was briefed by the Secretary-General’s representative, João Honwana.
• The Council then adopted a resolution to impose a travel ban and assets freeze on those impeding the peace process in Sudan, committing human rights violations and violating measures set out in previous resolutions. The resolution, sponsored by the United States, was approved by a vote of 12 in favor, none against, and three abstentions: Algeria, China and Russia.
• The resolution establishes a committee consisting of all Council members to designate those individuals subject to the measures and to monitor their implementation. It requests the Secretary-General to appoint, for a period of six months, a four-member panel of experts based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to assist the committee in monitoring implementation of the measures.
• The sanctions measures are to enter into force in 30 days, unless the Council determines before then that the parties to the conflict had complied with all the commitments and demands set out in previous resolutions, the N’Djamena Ceasefire Agreement and the Abuja Protocols.

ANNAN NAMES NEW REPRESENTATIVE FOR SOUTHERN LEBANON

• The Secretary-General has informed the Security Council of his intention to appoint Geir Pedersen of Norway as his Personal Representative for southern Lebanon. We expect the Security Council to respond in writing shortly.
• Pedersen, who currently serves as Director of the Asia and Pacific Division in the Department of Political Affairs, will replace Staffan de Mistura, who has been appointed Deputy Special Representative for Iraq.

U.N. ENVOY DISCUSSES FORMATION OF IRAQI GOVERNMENT WITH KUWAITI FOREIGN MINISTER

• The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, Ashraf Qazi, today met the Foreign Minister of Kuwait, Mohammed Sabah al-Salim al-Sabah, in Kuwait.
• Their talks focused on the formation of the government following the Iraqi elections that were held on 30 January. They reviewed the security situation and the importance of stability in Iraq as the basis for reconstruction and development initiatives.
• Qazi and the Foreign Minister also discussed the forthcoming meeting of the neighboring states of Iraq, to be held in Istanbul in April, and its importance in demonstrating the willingness of Iraq's neighbors to provide appropriate support for Iraq's transition process.
• Asked why Qazi was talking to the Kuwaiti Foreign Minister, the Spokesman said that the cooperation of neighboring countries is essential to the peace process in Iraq.

BOUGAINVILLE MISSION TO END ON 30 JUNE

• The Secretary-General’s latest report on the UN Observer Mission in Bougainville was released today.
• In it, the Secretary-General notes that given the progress made in the parties’ weapons disposal and preparations for elections – and barring any unforeseen circumstances – the Mission will complete its mandate and formally close down on June 30.
• From then on, UN development and humanitarian agencies and the donor community will take the lead in aiding the Bougainville government.
• The Secretary-General adds that the success of the peace process there so far has been secured though the efforts of the Papua New Guinea government and the Bougainville parties to the peace agreements, as well as the support of neighboring states and donor countries.
• He also points out that the UN Mission and its predecessor played a significant role in facilitating those efforts – thus, setting an example of how a small UN team can work efficiently and effectively.

DAMAGING ECOSYSTEMS TANTAMOUNT TO ECONOMIC SUICIDE

• The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, a comprehensive evaluation of the world’s major ecosystems, was released today. The study, started in 2001, was conducted by some 1300 experts from 95 countries.
• The UN Environment Programme says that the study shows that ecosystems and the services they provide are financially significant, and that to damage them is tantamount to economic suicide. The study also sets out strategies for protecting species and habitats, and to manage the environment in poor countries.
• In a video message, the Secretary-General says that the report fills a global knowledge gap, and that it shows how biodiversity around the world is declining at an alarming rate. The Secretary-General adds that we must now hold world leaders to their promises of achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

U.N. AGENCY SENDS BIRD FLU EXPERTS TO D.P.R. KOREA : The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is sending a team of experts to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to assess and help control a bird flu outbreak. Poultry production is one of the few growing sectors there, and FAO says that, if the industry remains healthy, it will do much to alleviate serious food shortages in the country.

HUNDRED YEARS SINCE PEACEFUL BREAK-UP OF NORWAY & SWEDEN: In a message issued today, the Secretary-General commented on the centennial of the peaceful dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden, calling it “an inspiring occasion for all of us work in the cause of peace.” He added that during the negotiations between the two countries, both sides were willing to compromise, making the agreement “an example to aspire to in our world.”

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