Noon briefing of 3 May 2004

BY FRED ECKHARD
SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Monday, May 3, 2004

ANNAN: INT'L HUMANITARIAN LAW MUST BE RESPECTED IN P.O.W. TREATMENT

• Secretary-General Kofi Annan was on Sunday in Washington, D.C., where he was interviewed by Tim Russert on NBC's “Meet the Press” and also had a brief press encounter , in which he mentioned his concerns about recent allegations concerning the abuse of Iraqi prisoners.
  
• He emphasized that international humanitarian law must be respected, and added that he was encouraged that the U.S. Government is taking the allegations seriously and intends to discipline those involved. It is important, he said, that it should be seen as dealing very firmly with this matter.
  
• Asked about the June 30 deadline for the handover of power, the Secretary-General said he believes that we should do everything to make sure that the deadline is met.
  
• Asked about the Secretary-General's recent remarks that Special Adviser Lakhdar Brahimi would not want to make the sort of comments he made last week about the Middle East again, the Spokesman said the Secretary-General was trying to relay the sense of his recent discussion with Brahimi.

• In response to questions about a letter from the United Nations to the Saybolt firm referred to in Sunday's television interview, the Spokesman said the letter was a standard institutional response, following a standard legal procedure. It was written by an officer of the Oil for Food Programme upon advisement of the UN Office of Legal Affairs.
  
• The letter followed standard UN legal practice relating to the work of contractors. The practice with all UN contractors is that all documentation held by the contractor relating to UN business can only be released to the United Nations, unless otherwise authorized.
  
• The letter was not sent by Benon Sevan personally as he was not in the country at the time.
  
• The Spokesman said that the United Nations does not oppose sharing documentation, but just asks to be consulted.
  
• The letter, he noted, was sent out just before the independent inquiry was set up. Now, the Spokesman added, Volcker has requested that he take control of all documentation.
  
• Asked about a list of cash payments allegedly in the possession of Governing Council member Jalal Talabani, the Spokesman said that, if such a letter exists, it would be within the scope of the Volcker panel to deal with it.
  
• Asked about the status of the head of the Oil for Food Programme, Benon Sevan, the Spokesman said that Sevan is scheduled to retire by the end of this month, but is expected to be kept on for another three months beyond that date, so that he could work with the Volcker commission, as needed. Under those conditions, the Spokesman expected Sevan to be paid a dollar a year while remaining on staff to answer questions and provide help to the committee as required.
  
• Asked whether former UN humanitarian representative in Iraq, Tun Myat, would be kept on as well to deal with the Volcker committee, the Spokesman said that it would be up to the Volcker commission whether it was interested in talking to Tun Myat.

• The rapporteur for the UN Commission on Human Rights on the right to health today wrote to the Coalition Provisional Authority strongly recommending an independent and impartial inquiry into the health situation of the civilian population of Fallujah.
  
• The rapporteur, Paul Hunt, notes serious allegations of the use of indiscriminate force, of the blocking of civilians from entering Fallujah's main hospital and of firing upon ambulances.

• Asked about the Secretary-General's reaction to the referendum held by Israel's Likud party on Sunday, the Spokesman said he had noted with interest the referendum and was waiting to see how the situation develops.
  
• He added that the United Nations has welcomed the Gaza withdrawal plan, and noted that the UN's Special Representative for the Middle East , Terje Roed-Larsen , elaborated the UN's views in his last briefing to the Security Council.
  
• “In principle, any withdrawal from occupied land is a positive development, and may hopefully contribute to a revival of the peace process,” the Spokesman said. “The Secretary-General believes that any withdrawal should clearly lead to an end of occupation, and be carried out as part of the Quartet's Road Map , in cooperation with the Palestinian Authority and the international community.”
  
• The Spokesman noted that these subjects will be discussed at Tuesday's Quartet meeting, and the United Nations would wait to see what happens with the Quartet talks. Those talks would begin in the morning, he added, with a press conference scheduled at 12:15 p.m. and then a luncheon.
  
• Asked about today's London meeting of Quartet envoys, the Spokesman said it was held to prepare for the Tuesday meeting.

• Pakistan has assumed the presidency of the Security Council for the month of May. There are no consultations or meetings scheduled today.
  
• The Council President, Ambassador Munir Akram of Pakistan, is holding bilateral consultations on the Security Council programme for the month.
  
• Ambassador Akram will brief the press on the May programme at a briefing Tuesday afternoon at 3:00 p.m.

• The United Nations has warned that without immediately improved security as well as access for humanitarian agencies, the crisis in Darfur, western Sudan, will worsen dramatically.
  
• The warning came after a UN mission led by World Food Programme Executive Director James Morris wrapped up a visit to three states in Darfur states last week to gather information on the humanitarian situation in the region.
  
• The mission called upon the Government of Sudan to accelerate its efforts to control armed militias, provide security and protection for displaced people and facilitate humanitarian access.
  
• Morris is scheduled to hold a press conference tomorrow in London at 3:00 p.m., and he is also expected to brief the Security Council later this week.

• The Secretary-General says that the United Nations still has work to do to help Timor-Leste attain self-sufficiency, and recommends that the UN peacekeeping mission in that country be extended by one more year.
  
• In his latest report to the Security Council , the Secretary-General suggests that the UN Mission stay on for a one-year “consolidation phase,” during which it would support Timor-Leste's public administration and justice system, its law enforcement efforts and its security and stability. He recommends keeping 310 troops, as well as a special unit of 125 gendarmerie, who would be on hand to complement, rather than replace, Timorese capability.
  
• He also says that Timor-Leste and Indonesia should complete agreement on their land border and resolve the problems of the refugees, and notes the importance of progress between Australia and Timor-Leste on developing the mineral resources in the Timor Sea.

• The Secretary-General reflected on the nature of evil in relation to international affairs in his keynote speech at the Trinity Institute's annual conference last night. The theme of the think tank's conference was “Naming Evil: An Interfaith Dialogue.”
  
• In his speech , the Secretary-General said he found the term “evil” to be too absolute, in that it seems to cut off any possibility of redemption or co-existence. He added that applying the word ‘evil' to another person is the moral equivalent of declaring war.

• The Secretary-General marked World Press Freedom Day by attending a panel on press freedom this morning, and paid tribute to the journalists killed in the line of duty – 36 of them last year, and 17 in the first three months of this year.
  
• He also drew attention to stories around the world that people need to know about, including the mounting emergency in northern Uganda, the turbulence in the nearby Central African Republic and the situation in Tajikistan. Those crises, he said, are each at a critical moment, when outside attention could make a real difference.
  
• Acting UN Acting High Commissioner for Human Rights Bertrand Ramcharan drew attention to the 133 journalists in prison around the world, and the more than 1,400 journalists physically attacked or threatened last year. In too many places, he warned, those in power are not ready to be held to account for their actions.

Italian journalist and UN Messenger of Peace Anna Cataldi has begun a 10-day official visit to Afghanistan , where she will focus on the mine action work being done in the country. She will visit de-mining sites in and around Kabul, and in four other provinces, as well as a number of non-governmental de-mining and educational projects.

COTE D'IVOIRE HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT BEING REVIEWED: Asked about a report on the human rights situation in Cote d'Ivoire, the Spokesman said the report was currently being reviewed in the Secretary-General's office.

NO TIME SET YET FOR ANNAN'S MEETING WITH TURKISH CYPRIOT LEADER: Asked about the Secretary-General's planned meetings with Turkish Cypriot leader, His Excellency Mehmet Ali Talat, the Spokesman later announced that the meeting is scheduled at 6 p.m. today He added that a time has not yet been set for the Secretary-Genera's report on Cyprus to the Security Council.

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