Mideast situation – Press release (Geneva press briefing – excerpts)

Geneva Press Briefing

REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE

Jamel Ben Yahmed, Head of the Press Unit and Officer-in-Charge of the Information Service at Geneva, briefed journalists about the Secretary-General's visit to Austria and his upcoming visit to South Africa; the Secretary-General's comments on the situation in the Middle East; the Secretary-General's statement on the Inter-Congolese dialogue; consultations held by the Secretary-General's Personal Envoy for the Western Sahara; the Conference on Disarmament; informal consultations by the States Parties to the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May be Deemed to be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects (CCW); and upcoming press conferences.

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Secretary-General's Comments on the Situation in the Middle East

The Secretary-General was very worried about the situation in the Middle East, Mr. Ben Yahmed said. In response to a question at a brief encounter with the press yesterday, Mr. Annan said that tensions in the region had reached levels 'not seen in many years.' He said that he did not see how one could bring the situation under control if the protagonists did not come around the table. In that regard, he expressed support for efforts by German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer to bring the parties together.

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