and the Spokesperson for the General Assembly President  

The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Martin Nesirky, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, and Jean Victor Nkolo, Spokesperson for the President of the General Assembly.

Briefing by the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General

So, good afternoon, everybody, and welcome to the briefing.

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As you can see, we have with us Filippo Grandi, the newly appointed Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).  And just very shortly I will hand the floor to him.

And as you also know, the Secretary-General and Dr. Rajendra Pachauri will be at the stakeout position in the new building, in the North Lawn Building, at 12:30 p.m.  So we are going to keep this to schedule so that you will be able to follow that, either by running over there or on the webcast.  And at 1 p.m., we have Professor Robbert H. Dijkgraaf, who is Co-Chair of the Inter-Academy Council, will come here to brief correspondents on the result of the stakeout, which is talking about, as you know, a review of the IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change].

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And then just briefly, tomorrow there will also be, at the noon briefing, our guest, and that is John Holmes, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.  He will be here to brief you on his recent trip to the Middle East.

So, I will pass the floor over to you, Filippo, and please, the floor is yours.

[Press conference by Mr. Grandi issued separately.]

Briefing by the Spokesperson for the General Assembly President

Good afternoon.  We start earlier today because of the busy schedule.

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The President of the General Assembly, His Excellency Dr. Ali Abdussalam Treki, travelled to [the Republic of] Korea.  He left yesterday.  In Seoul, he will meet with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, National Assembly Speaker Kim Hyung-O and Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan.

After his visit to Korea, President Treki will travel to Manila, where he will attend the Special Non-Aligned Movement Ministerial Meeting on Interfaith Dialogue for Peace and Development.  President Treki will be in the Philippines from 14 to 18 March.

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On his meeting yesterday with the President of Gabon.  Dr. Treki met with Ali Bongo Ondimba, President of the Republic of Gabon.  President Bongo Ondimba was accompanied by Paul Toungui, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, and Laure Olga Gondjout, Minister of Communications, Posts, Telecommunications and New Information Technologies, and other senior officials from Gabon.

They exchanged views on important issues on the agenda of the sixty-fourth session of the General Assembly, including peace and security, development and climate change.  President Bongo reiterated the full support of Gabon for the United Nations Organization, which, in the view of both Presidents, is the best framework to promote multilateral and effective solutions to global challenges.

They discussed the situations in Africa and the Middle East, prominent on the agenda of the Security Council.  President Treki also noted the priority accorded to Africa’s interests in the General Assembly, referring in particular to the importance of the September 2010 high-level plenary meeting of the General Assembly on the Millennium Development Goals.  President Bongo Ondimba accepted President Treki’s invitation to attend the September summit.

President Treki also briefed President Bongo Ondimba on the thematic debates to be held in the General Assembly.  They also discussed United Nations reform, including reform of the Security Council, revitalization of the General Assembly and efforts for enhanced coordination and interaction among the principal organs of the United Nations.

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Also yesterday, President Treki met with the newly appointed Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Filippo Grandi, to discuss the situation of Palestine refugees in the Middle East.  The President thanked UNRWA for its vital support to nearly 4.7 million Palestine refugees and congratulated Mr. Grandi on his appointment.

President Treki noted that, after more than 60 years, the question of Palestine refugees was still awaiting a just and durable solution, based on United Nations resolutions.  Mr. Grandi expressed concern about the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, where UNRWA continues to provide health and educational services to refugees.  Mr. Grandi emphasized that UNRWA was a voluntarily funded Agency whose needs grew steadily each year.  He stressed the importance of providing UNRWA with the necessary financial and human resources to fulfil its mandate.

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Following the landslides in Uganda, President Treki wrote to President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.  Deeply saddened by the news of the landslides that have claimed many lives and destroyed some rural areas in Uganda last week, Dr. Treki stated in his letter of condolences to the people and Government of Uganda that he is encouraged by the solidarity and goodwill shown by the United Nations system and the international community in supporting Uganda.  He praised the resolve and perseverance of the Ugandan leadership and people.

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Following the earthquake in eastern Turkey, President Treki wrote to President Abdullah Gül.  In his letter of condolences to the people and Government of Turkey, Dr. Treki stated that President Gül’s resolve and leadership, and the strength and perseverance of the people, have motivated the solidarity and goodwill shown by the United Nations system and the international community in supporting Turkey in this difficult hour.

That’s what I have for you.  Questions?  No?  Thank you so much, and have a good afternoon.  Martin will join you soon, thank you.

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The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Martin Nesirky, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

Good afternoon everybody, and welcome to the noon briefing.

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As I’m sure you have all seen this morning, a memorial ceremony was held for the 101 UN staff members who lost their lives in the Haiti earthquake, and as you also know, the Secretary-General spoke at that ceremony.

We have copies of his remarks available in my office, and we also have here as our guest today the Acting Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Haiti, Edmond Mulet, to speak with us on developments on the ground.  And I’d also like to recognize Michèle Montas, my predecessor, as you well know, who is sitting, I think probably gratefully, in the front row rather than here.  But welcome to you too. 

And the floor is yours, Edmond.

Acting Special:  Thank you, Martin.  Thank you very much, and good afternoon to all.

[Mr. Mulet’s briefing on Haiti issued separately]

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So just to carry on with the rest of the briefing, in response to questions I have been getting on the Secretary-General's travels, in addition to what he told you at the stakeout yesterday, I can now confirm that the Secretary-General is expected to visit Israel, the West Bank and Gaza following his attendance at the Quartet meeting scheduled on 19 March in Moscow.  And we will get back to you with more details when we have them.

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The Secretary-General has appointed Martin Kobler of Germany as his Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan.  Mr. Kobler will be responsible for political issues, including electoral and parliamentary matters, as well as issues related to peace and stability, security sector reform and human rights.  He replaces Peter Galbraith of the United States. 

With more than 25 years in the foreign service, Mr. Kobler has a vast experience in developing policies for conflict areas.  And he most recently served as Director-General for Culture and Communication in Germany’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  We have more information on Mr. Kobler in my office.

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Just a heads up on an event tomorrow.  At noon, the Secretary-General will meet with Rajendra Pachauri, the Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).  The start of this meeting will be recorded by UN Television.  And then, at around 12:30, Rajendra Pachauri and Robbert Dijkgraaf of the Inter Academy Council (IAC) will be here to brief you.

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The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) has just announced that its annual Award will go to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.  The Award is given annually to individuals and institutions for outstanding work in population and in improving the health of individuals.  The Awards are scheduled to be presented during a ceremony on 3 June at the United Nations.

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A couple of press conferences: at 12 p.m., in addition to the one I mentioned about the IPCC, at 12 p.m. tomorrow, Filippo Grandi, the newly appointed Commissioner General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), will be our guest at the noon briefing.  And at 2 p.m., Marcela Villarreal, the Director of the FAO Gender, Equity and Rural Employment Division, will hold a press conference about supporting women to respond to the challenges of food security.

So I’m happy to take a few questions. 

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Question:  I have three questions, but I’ll break them up if you want.  I wanted to ask first about the Congo and MONUC [United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo].  There is an interview with Zimurinda, the noted warlord accused of war crimes by Philip Alston, in which he says that the UN continued to provide him and his units assistance into January 2010, that is after the Alston report, after Mr. Doss said it was no longer taking place.  And he, one of his associates, Dieudonne, says that that assistance continues to come, and thank you very much to the UN.  So I am wondering, given all the statements that have been made about this particular individual, is Zimure… does the UN dispute his statement that he received assistance from the UN into January?  And if it doesn’t, how do you, how does the UN, explain the various statements that were made? Spokesperson:  Well, first of all, I assume that you are referring to the Washington Post’s story, which is not just an interview, it’s quite a wide-ranging piece.  It’s not just an interview.  Well, first of all, MONUC reiterates that it is not providing support to Zimurinda or any units under his command.  And to come to the second point that you were raising, MONUC rations or other support may have reached units in Zimurinda’s sector during Kimya 2 and in January, contrary to MONUC’s intent.  No direct MONUC support was provided to him or his unit. 

Let me explain how this works.  When Kimya 2 was running, MONUC was providing, as I have mentioned to you before in connection with this present operation, providing dry rations, fuel and medevac, for example.  But most important of these was the food, the dry rations.  And when you had that operation running, Kimya 2 running, those supplies were being taken to distribution points; about 80 distribution points from which the FARDC, the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, distributed further.  So, MONUC brought the food supplies to these distribution points, and then from there it was further distributed.  That process was going on up to the end of Kimya 2, and it continued for a couple of weeks into January. 

The reason for that is that you cannot just turn the tap off.  MONUC was not continuing to provide supplies into the system.  There were already material supplies in the system, for example, at these distribution points.  And from these distribution points, it’s being delivered out further by the FARDC.  And clearly, MONUC is not controlling that closely.  It cannot be monitoring every individual supply that goes out of those 80 distribution points.  So that’s very important, to understand the mechanics of it.  And just to reiterate, no direct MONUC support was provided to him or to his units.  What this Washington Post article does, it gives the inaccurate impression that Kimya 2 rations in the pipeline in January were directed to Zimurinda.  This is not the case.

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Spokesperson:  Zimurinda is ineligible for support and MONUC has made that clear to the FARDC commanders, and it’s made clear which units, which commanders the Mission can support, and which ones it cannot support.

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Question:  Alain Le Roy, when he was here, I guess on Friday at the stakeout, was asked and seemed to indicate he would look into whether the 18 or 19 battalions that will be assisted by the UN in Amani Leo can be named so that this type of unclarity is… obviously, there is some dispute about which units Zimurinda controls.  The Washington Post thinks two of them, the UN says they don’t.  So, the question is, what are the units the UN is supporting? Spokesperson:  You asked Mr. Le Roy, and I am sure he will get you the answer in due course.  As you know, today he’s had some other things on his mind.  As I said, it’s up to the FARDC to distribute from those distribution points.  That’s the first thing, and there are about 80 of these distribution points around the Kivus, where Kimya 2 was taking place.  And also, Zimurinda is a sector commander; that means he has a number of different battalions or contingents under his command.  It’s not just one battalion, but a number, and that’s why you cannot narrow it down to a specific unit.  From our perspective, we were providing the supplies, as MONUC does, to these distribution points, 80 distribution points.  And from there that’s were it was going further.  But no direct MONUC support was provided to him or to his units.  And importantly, MONUC is not providing support to Zimurinda or any unit under his command. 

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Spokesperson:  To answer the second question first, no, I can’t.  We’ll give you the dates when we can.  I’ve told you what I am able to tell you at the moment, and gone beyond what the Secretary-General told you at the stakeout yesterday.  That is that he will be visiting Israel, West Bank and Gaza immediately after the Quartet meeting, as you know, which is on 19 March in Moscow.  After that we will give you the dates and information when we have it.  This is something that’s still in the works. 

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Question:  I have two questions.  First of all, Mr. Mulet just informed us that it is very possible that either President [René] Préval or the Prime Minister from Haiti will be here.  Do we expect anyone from other Governments or Heads of State, perhaps Secretary [Hillary] Clinton or anyone else to be present at the donors’ conference? Spokesperson:  This is an event that is co-hosted by the United Nations and the United States, so I think it would be good for you to check with the United States State Department at what level they intend to be represented at that donors’ conference.

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Question:  Also, my other question is there is, an unofficial Asian news source, Chinese Phoenix News, and they’ve reported that China has officially signed the Copenhagen climate accord.  Does the UN have any comment on that? Spokesperson:  China today did officially inform the UN Climate Change Secretariat that it agrees to be listed under the title of the Copenhagen Accord.  And this follows a letter yesterday from India that it could also be listed.  And so that brings the number of parties to the Climate Change Convention listed under the title, the Accord, to 107. 

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Question:  Two quick questions on the ceremony this morning.  At the front of the Trusteeship Council Chamber there was an array of candles.  Can you just confirm there were 101 candles representing the 101 people who lost their lives in Haiti? Spokesperson:  That was the intention.

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Question:  Second question is, during the Secretary-General’s comments, he’s referring to the 101 people that lost their lives in Haiti, and he says, “They came to Haiti from all corners of the world, from all walks of life.”  But, according to Mr. Mulet, there were 37 Haitians that died in the tragedy.  I mean, they didn’t come from any corner of the world, they came from Haiti.  Is this like a mistake in the Secretary-General’s speech, or does it implicitly indicate a sort of prioritizing of international staff over national staff? Spokesperson:  That is absolutely not the case, and I think it’s really unfair for you to say it on a day like this, to bring that up.  In fact, if you read the speech carefully, if you’d listened to the speech carefully, he did actually say that it doesn’t matter whether people came to Haiti or were from Haiti.  He actually said that in his speech. 

Correspondent:  I must have been given a different version from the UN, but I have got it in front of me.

Spokesperson:  Read the entire speech.  You have to see these things in their context.  There is absolutely no intention to draw a distinction between any of our colleagues who died on that day, and I think you know that very well.

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Question:  I have a Darfur question but there is a UN corruption question I want to ask first.  Umoja, which is the ERP or Enterprise Resource Planning, Inner-city Press received these documents that seemed to, that indicate that the head of the programme, Mr. Paul van Essche, hired a colleague or friend of his, John Solem, who doctored his PHP, Personal History, to delete all references to Mr. van Essche having been previously his supervisor.  These are documents.  What I want to know is whether you can confirm that OIOS [Office of Internal Oversight Services] was informed of this, if there is an investigation of this and when it will be finished, and what the penalties are in the UN system for altering documents in order to be able to hire friends and cronies? Spokesperson:  Let me find out.

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Question:  Now there is a new question in which the spokesman for the Sudanese army has chided or criticised UNAMID [the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur] saying that they were, that in the course of being ambushed they ended up losing, the Government says to the SLA [Sudan Liberation Army] seven Landcruisers, 53 AK-47s and 10 communications devices.  And the Sudanese Government says this took place without a fight.  Sixty-one UNAMID peacekeepers essentially gave this materiel to rebels.  Is that true, and if so, why hasn’t the UN spoken about an incident in which this amount of materiel was lost? Spokesperson:  I think, as you know, UNAMID issued a press release at the weekend strongly condemning what was an unprovoked attack on peacekeepers.  Let me walk you through what happened, if you would like me to.  On 5 March, an assessment investigation patrol departed from Deribat, Jebel Marra, to verify reports of recent fighting in the area.  And then at around 14:45 near an abandoned village of Karra, which is approximately 50 kilometres north-east of Kass, the patrol stopped at the sound of gunshots.  The patrol was then halted by an armed group claiming to be the Abdul Wahid faction of the SLA.  And the patrol witnessed a substantial group of rebels who were heavily armed with rocket-propelled grenades, with grenades, mortars and AK-47 rifles.  The rebels demanded the UNAMID team to disarm.  And as the negotiations between the UNAMID patrol and the rebel group continued, the rebel group grew in size, with four vehicles equipped with machine guns and anti-tank guns.  And communication between the patrol and UNAMID was lost.  And then at around 21:00, several hours later, the patrol members were released, but their weapons and all of the soft-skin vehicles and the communication equipment, radios, were withheld by the rebels.  And UNAMID is clearly trying to negotiate their recovery.  The patrol members returned to the UNAMID Kass team site the following day. 

Actually, it was 63, with two military observers, four police advisers, 56 protection force personnel, and one language assistant.  And as I said, they were on an investigation patrol, responding to reports of fighting, and that was their role to go out and do that.  And obviously, we’re also calling on the Government of Sudan to do all that it can to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel when they’re carrying out missions of this kind.

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Spokesperson:  I don’t know the answer to that.  I’ll need to find out.

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Question:  The Government claims that they now control the Jebel Marra plateau.  If true, it would seem to be a major development following this peace agreement announcement that was made.  Can the UN confirm the Government re-taking control of the Jebel Marra plateau? Transcript and your responses (0), Email this. Source.

Spokesperson: No, he has not.  But as you also know, he has condemned in the past, and will continue to condemn, terrorist attacks.

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Question:  But recently, since the withdrawal of WFP [the World Food Programme] and all that, the United Nations and the Secretary-General [are] more reticent to say anything about the terrorist attacks in Pakistan any more.  Is there a particular reason? Spokesperson:  I would actually question your analysis.  This is not the case, and certainly it’s not the case that WFP and other UN agencies have withdrawn.  They continue to do work there.

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Spokesperson:  I think you know what my answer will be to that.  We don’t talk about security arrangements.

Correspondent:  I have been here a long time.  In the past, every time anything used to happen, the Secretary-General used to respond.  Now, only what you say is that is what the Secretary-General has said.  [And] that’s it.

Spokesperson:  I fully respect that you’ve been here a long time and I know I’ve only been here a little.  But let’s be clear about it.  There are many things happening around the world, and the Secretary-General is trying, with the help of his advisers, to stay on top of developments around the world.  And he does this incredibly well.  Whether he responds to every single development everywhere in the world is obviously something that can be discussed further.  As I said to you, he has condemned terrorist attacks in Pakistan and elsewhere, and I am sure that he condemns this one too.

Thank you very much.

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The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Martin Nesirky, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

Briefing on Iraq elections by Ad Melkert, Special Representative of the Secretary-General, via video conference

Spokesperson: Good afternoon.

I think we’ll be ready to start shortly.  Is everything okay?  Can you hear us?

While we’re waiting, just to let you know that also at 12:30 p.m., as you know, we’ll have here with us Ms. Ann-Marie Orler, the new Police Adviser from the Department of Peacekeeping Operations.  And as you will have heard, the Secretary-General announced her appointment this morning.

And then at 4:45 p.m., [Israeli Deputy Prime Minister] Silvan Shalom will speak to reporters at the North Lawn Building stakeout following his meeting with the Secretary-General.

So, right, okay.  Good afternoon, good evening, Mr. Melkert.  Welcome to our noon briefing.

Special:  Good afternoon, Martin.  Good to see you.  Very good to have this opportunity.

Spokesperson:  And the floor is yours.

Special Representative:  All right, thank you very much.  It is a great pleasure from my side to be able… Is it still okay?

Spokesperson:  You’re audible here.

Special Representative:  All right.  Well, let me continue.  It is a great pleasure for me to be able to comment on the elections as they took place in previous days, starting on Thursday, with the so-called special needs voting, and then followed by the start of out-of-country voting in 16 countries around the world, and yesterday, the big day of elections here in Iraq.

And it has been a big day for the future of the country.  It has been very reassuring that the way upwards towards recovery and stability that we thought we saw already for some time appears to be genuinely rooted in the wish of the overwhelming majority of the Iraqi people, that reason prevails over confrontation and violence.  So I congratulate the more than 12 million Iraqis who went to the polls, which is a turnout percentage of 62.3, higher than many had expected, and that marks the historic character of election day. 

We as the UN commend the boards of commissioners of IHEC -- the Independent High Electoral Commission -- and the more than 300,000 Iraqis engaged by IHEC for their efforts to conduct elections in a well-organized and professional fashion.  And we’re proud to have supported their work.  And it is also encouraging for the UN to see that efforts that have started basically in 2005, 2004, with previous election rounds and last year’s rounds, that they show that the capacity-building objective of the UN is really bearing fruit in the strengthened capacity of IHEC to really organize these elections in a very professional way. 

Yesterday, our staff has visited polling centres in many of the governorates of Iraq, and it was really heartening to see how motivated people were to come there to the polls and to cast their votes, and even when we thought that it was relatively complicated, how the whole set up has been decided by IHEC.  Voter education that took place on a relatively massive scale really turned out to be a big help for many voters to be able to fill out their form, their ballots, in the way as they were asked to do.  And many people are quite satisfied, actually, the way that it went.

There are certainly still issues and questions with regard to certain aspects of the process.  We don’t have the impression at this point in time that they are of a massive character or of a systematic nature.  But we wait at this moment [for] the analysis of the complaints that have come in.  There was an official complaint procedure, so individual voters or parties could make use of that procedure.  And we are very keen with IHEC to see to it that dealing with the complaints will be done in a very transparent way, and will be communicated well to the Iraqi people, also in the possible consequences of dealing with those complaints.

And we therefore also encourage political agents and observers to continue to monitor the process and to direct any complaints to the IHEC, in accordance with the law.  It is expected that in a couple of days from now, probably Thursday, maybe Friday, the preliminary results of the elections will be announced by IHEC.  That will be done on the basis of 30 per cent of vote counts in each and every governorate.  And then it might still take considerable time in the whole of this month before the final results will be announced by IHEC, and their final results subsequently will have to be certified by the Federal Supreme Court.

Let me finally say that, after the big days that we have had, and the remarkable days that we have had with the elections, we are very much aware that very crucial moments will arrive when the results will be announced, and that could even count for the preliminary results.  And that’s why we as the UN have called on all candidates and parties to unite in accepting the results because that will set an example for a culture of democracy that requires commitment of all concerned beyond elections only.  And we also have called on all those newly-elected to move resolutely to seat Parliament and form the new Government, so that political, economic and social progress is not delayed.  At the same time, we must understand that in a system with probably minority parties some time will be needed to form a majority coalition.

So, let me stop here and give it back to you, Martin.  Thank you very much.

Spokesperson:  Thanks very much, Ad, for that.  And we’ll go to questions now.  I think we have until about half past, so about 20 minutes.  And I would ask folks here to say who they are and who you work for as well.  Yes, please; the first question.

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Question:  Thank you.  Sir, a significant amount of Iraq’s population is actually outside Iraq.  They are in Jordan, they are in Turkey, and they are in Syria.  How transparent do you think this election can become, or how fair, when almost 20 per cent of the population is outside of the country? Special Representative:  Well, let me first leave the figure that you mentioned, really, for your own account, because I think there are various figures being used about the number of Iraqis abroad.  But your figure is really extremely high, and I don’t think that reflects reality.  It is clear that quite a number of Iraqis are abroad, particularly in the neighbouring countries.  That was also the reason for IHEC to promote out-of-country voting in 16 countries.  That is what happened in previous days.  Figures at this moment show that probably around 275,000 Iraqis abroad voted, but these figures are still developing so it’s not yet the final figure.  But that is more or less the range that you should look at.  And that is more or less in line with what we have been seeing on previous occasions.  It is not clear what it exactly tells about the percentage of voters that turned out in countries outside Iraq, because there is no count for the total number.  Iraqis were entitled by way of number-specified identification documents to come forward and then be allowed to vote.  The final results will be made known at a later stage.

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Question:  Ayad Allawi has been quoted as saying that he’s calling for some kind of an inquiry into the results, saying that there were irregularities and confusion in different polling places.  Are you aware of that and what do you make of his claim of irregularity, and will an investigation be conducted? Special Representative:  We’re aware of different points that have been made by different candidates or party representatives.  I don’t think it’s my task to comment on particular statements that have been made.  Suffice it to say that we have called on all candidates and parties to make use of the official complaints procedure, because there is simply no way to address particular issues and potential problems if the official way is not followed through the complaints procedure.  And on that basis, IHEC should rule.

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Question:  Can I just ask one follow-up.  Your statement that things were generally fair and the way that you described it, can we take that as an implicit rejection of these complaints?  What are you saying about what UNAMI [United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq] observed on the day of the election?  You are saying it seemed free and fair to you?  Special Representative:  No, not at all.  You can also not attribute to me any assessment as to the outcome of the results.  The counting is still under way.  I have not referred to fair elections; I’ve just said that the turnout has been really very good and beyond expectation, and that it was a big day just to witness Iraqis going to the polls in a country that has gone through so many things and that anyway doesn’t have a history of democracy. 

It is not my task, it is not UNAMI’s task, to assess any complaints that would come forward.  That is solely in the hands of IHEC.  And there is an appeal procedure in place.  That is also the reason why it might still take a couple of weeks before the final results can be declared, because an election judicial panel will deal with possible appeals to the initial ruling of IHEC complaints.  And we, of course, as UNAMI, will have to, will respect that procedure.

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Question:  I have got two things for you:  one, you mentioned, you used the phrase “genuinely rooted” in terms of describing the democracy there.  To what extent do you believe that the foundation as such, as shown by this election, that democracy is on a virtually irreversible course in Iraq?  That this is strong enough?  That this is going to hold? And number two, when you mention about some time will be needed to form a majority coalition, to what extent is there concern about this time frame?  How long it could go and the longer it goes would test and show the fragility of the situation there?  If it goes on for too long, there will be violence and splinters of people and there won’t be a functioning Government. Special Representative:  Yes, thank you for those questions.  Well first, on the routing.  I refer to that because it is very significant, in my view, that after a full first term of the directly-elected Parliament in 2005, now the stage to a second term has been really supported by the Iraqi people.  I think that’s a significance, also, of the turn-out figures that we have seen now.  And I believe that it is also shown by, really, the attitude of people.  Those of us -- and I’ve heard that same story over and over again from observers and poll-watchers today ‑‑ those of us who have witnessed, like in my own case, in Kirkuk, and in Mansour, which is a part of Baghdad, the motivation of people to go through the process to vote, to count, to be proud of the vote that they did cast, see that this is, really, something very elementary in human beings, that they want to take a decision to be part of decision-making about their own future.  So, both the fact that this is now the second time of elections and really a strong confirmation of a mandate for a second term of a directly elected Parliament, and this attitude of people that is so encouraging, make me make that remark.

On the Government formation, I would like to say that in a system where most probably no party will have an outright majority, it is normal that time is needed to bring parties together.  Here, it is probable that, with my continental European background, I look at that as more a matter of course than maybe the case on the basis of experience in other countries.  But I really would call on everyone to be patient, also, in the way that that process will be described.  It is natural, and it is even necessary, to have a solid coalition in place that will really stand the test of being a cohesive Government in the years ahead.

Obviously, there is an interest that it shouldn’t take longer than absolutely necessary.  If needed, and at the request of parties, the UN is certainly also available to advise in any way that might be considered necessary.  But for the time being, I believe that the Iraqi parties are also very much aware of the need to be decisive, and to have a Government in place in due course.  But any prediction could not be made at this point in time.

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Special Representative:  Well, I think in the first place it should be said that, in certain situations, it is normal that there is a caretaking Government in place, so that the current Government, headed by Prime Minister [Nuri Kamal al-]Maliki, takes care of what is absolutely necessary to continue as Government business, of course, under the watch of the newly-elected Parliament.  So, it’s very important that the new Parliament can also be seated very soon.  And then, it is a matter of parties also accepting the election results.  That, I find, is really the most important thing now, because as soon as parties accept the results, they also accept that there are winners, and relative winners, and relative losers.  And, that all of them have a role in either becoming part of a Government majority, or staying in Parliament as opposition, but with the opposition playing a crucial part in an effective democracy.  Once that is recognized from all sides, I would feel relatively reassured that also a period of transition could be phased by all concerned, in a decent way.

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Question:  Considering the level of violence before and, of course, during the elections -- the voting process rather -- what can you tell us about the Iraqi security forces in response, and of course the preventative measures that they’ve taken?  And just their capabilities, their current capacity? Special Representative:  Well, let me first say that the violence that we saw yesterday morning, particularly in Baghdad, but also in other places, and in the weeks before, particularly in the area of Mosul, is very, very regrettable.  And we deplore the loss of lives of many people yet again.  At the same time, it was really very important to note that in the turn-out figures for Nineveh, where I speak about Mosul in particular, and also in the different areas of Baghdad, we have not seen any impact.  Just in the first hours, it looked like people were a bit careful to go out and vote.  But it picked up considerably, as many observers have noted, in the course of the day.  As the manager of the voting station in Mansour that I visited yesterday afternoon told me, this is something that Iraqis will not let themselves be influenced by.  They want to go out and vote no matter what.  And let me also add that the total number of incidents, although it looked slightly frightening yesterday morning, has remained remarkably low on the scale of what has happened, even in the recent half year or so, when the average number of incidents has come down, as you know, already very substantially.

And many observers believe that we are seeing a steady increase in the capacity of the security forces to really take care of security in a much more effective way than before.  And the whole election exercise ‑‑ and now we must see that we’re not only talking Baghdad but really the whole country ‑‑ has been set up and controlled under the auspices of the Iraqi security forces.  They were in charge, and throughout the country we think that they’ve been in charge pretty well.  And, right now, they are in charge of making sure that the replacement of the ballot boxes from the voting stations to the counting centres and to the warehouses is going as it should.  And we have no indications of the contrary so far.

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Special Representative:  Well thank you for that question.  Of course, we stand advised by the Security Council mandates, and that also states that we should act at the request of the Iraqi Government ‑‑ and that is always the bottom line here.  As I said, during the Government formation process, it will really depend on what is needed.  But, both in more general terms, but also looking at some of the important issues ahead, like the relations between Arabs and Kurds, and also the issue still outstanding between Iraq and Kuwait, we really are ready to facilitate processes that would lead to political agreements.  I’ve also said something on that in my recent statement to the Security Council.

As to the future, I do believe it is important that UNAMI could contribute to the consolidation of electoral and constitutional processes on the basis also of lessons learned during this election, legislation and campaign.  And, referring to the future of Iraqi Kurdistan in the framework of the Federal State of Iraq, and also the Chapter VII issues, together with the big challenge ‑‑ maybe the biggest challenge for the new Government, the social and economic policy agenda and how to turn income from oil production into true investments into the social and economic future of the country ‑‑ we believe that in all those areas, both UNAMI and the UN country team could constructively help the people and the Government of Iraq, and along these lines, we will certainly also advise as to our potential and our willingness to stand by.

Spokesperson:  I think we have time for one more question.

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Special Representative:  All right.  I think I understood your question on what was complex about the voting situation.  The complexity was really in the ballot.  It was quite a big ballot, I think a lot bigger than one would normally see, because of the choice by the council representatives to allow for double the number of candidates for the places available.  And then also, the 18 governorates that, particularly in the out-of-country voting and in the special needs voting, had to be part of the availability of forms.  So people had to be explained how that works.  But, as I said, it turned out pretty well.  And we even ask the question how did it go with illiterate people that could not write or read ‑‑ they got, of course, some assistance, but it didn’t turn out to be a specific point of concern. 

And then, your second question was?  Sorry.

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Special Representative:  Well, in all the voting stations, there were complaint forms available on a place where people could really see them.  And with any question that they had, also to the staff in the voting station, and certainly with their concerns, they would be referred to those forms and assisted to fill them out.  And those forms are transported together with the overall results forms of each individual voting station to the central count centre here in Baghdad, and they will be processed in the coming days.  And, each and every complaint will be dealt with by a team of lawyers, mainly Iraqi lawyers ‑‑ about 100 of them standing ready ‑‑ and they will be assisted by a number of highly experienced UNAMI staff.

Spokesperson:  Okay.  Well, thank you very much, Mr. Melkert, for coming on to this briefing.  It’s terrific to have a readout from the spot right after the vote.  So thank you very much for doing that.

Special Representative:  My pleasure, thank you.

Spokesperson:  Okay.  Goodbye for now.  Okay, so we’re going to switch gears and, as I mentioned, we have with us the new Police Adviser to for the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Ms. Ann-Marie Orler, and I would invite her to come and join me here.

[Briefing by Ms. Ann-Marie Orler issued separately]

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The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Martin Nesirky, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

Good afternoon everybody.  And I think there is an expression in show business: “How do you follow that?”

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But just to reiterate that the Secretary-General has indeed actually arrived in Santiago, on a visit to Chile to show solidarity with the Chilean people as they deal with the destruction caused by the earthquake on 27 February.  And you’ve heard plenty about this already, I think.

But, he said on arrival that the United Nations stands ready to help provide any assistance that the Chilean Government requests, immediate and long term.  And now is the moment, he added, for the United Nations and the international community to stand with Chile and its people.

This afternoon the Secretary-General will meet with President [Michelle] Bachelet and President-elect [Sebastián] Piñera, as well as senior Government officials in charge of national disaster and emergency humanitarian assistance.  Tomorrow he will travel to Concepción to see for himself the situation there.

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As you know, millions of Iraqis will head to the polls on 7 March to elect a new Council of Representatives, in an exercise that has been supported by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).  Later this afternoon, we will have a statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General concerning those elections.  And the noon briefing guest on Monday will be the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, Ad Melkert, who will talk to you about the elections via videoconference from Baghdad.

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This morning, Joseph Mutaboba, the Secretary-General’s Representative in Guinea-Bissau, briefed the Security Council in an open meeting, saying that this year could be a turning-point for that country.  He said that Guinea-Bissau is experiencing a relatively stable political environment and growing international attention, which is a window of opportunity that should not be missed.  He continued to brief the Council in closed consultations afterwards.  The Council is expected to issue a press statement on Guinea-Bissau.

At 3 o’clock this afternoon, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Alain Le Roy will inform the Security Council about his recent visit to Chad, in closed consultations.  He may also discuss Darfur.  Once those consultations have ended, Mr. Le Roy has said that he will speak to reporters at the Council stakeout.

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In Haiti, the World Food Programme (WFP) starts today the second phase of a general food distribution.  New coupons are being given out today and the distribution of a full food basket will begin in Port-au-Prince tomorrow. The operation will target 1.9 million beneficiaries in and around Port-au-Prince and will run through the end of this month.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that, in addition to food, emergency shelter, site management and sanitation continue to be the priorities.  OCHA adds that, to date, 425 sites have been assessed -- housing an estimated 606,000 people in Port-au-Prince, Leogane, Gressier and Jacmel.  Also according to OCHA, protection monitoring teams are visiting an average of eight displacement sites per day.

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The Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, B. Lynn Pascoe, will travel to India and Nepal next week.   He will be in India on 9 March for discussions with Government officials on a range of regional and international issues. He then travels to Nepal from 10-12 March.  In addition to visiting the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN), Pascoe will hold meetings with senior Government officials and political party leaders to discuss the state of the peace process and encourage forward movement in the period ahead.

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And talking about the period ahead, The Week Ahead, 8 March is International Women’s Day.  At 11:15 a.m., there will be a press conference by the United Nations Global Compact and the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) to announce the launch of the UNIFEM-UN Global Compact joint initiative, which is called “Women’s Empowerment Principles”, and this offers guidelines on how to empower women in the workplace.

And, as you know, on 9 March, on Tuesday, at 10 a.m., there will be a ceremony in memory of the United Nations system staff members who were killed in the Haiti earthquake, and that will take place in the Trusteeship Council Chamber.

At 12 p.m. on that day, Edmond Mulet, the Acting Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Haiti, will be at the noon briefing here to update correspondents on the situation in Haiti.

And on Wednesday, 10 March, we will have Filippo Grandi, newly appointed Commissioner General of UNRWA as the guest of the noon briefing.

Okay, so that’s what I have for you.  I can take some questions.  Please.

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Spokesperson:  I don’t have anything for you on this.  Obviously, any violence at this time -- rather critical time -- is to be looked at very carefully.  But I don’t have anything specific for you.

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Spokesperson:  As I’ve said, anything that leads to increased tension in the region at this time is something that needs to be carefully looked at.  Obviously any tensions are something that the Secretary-General will want to be aware of, and is made aware of.  I don’t have anything more specific for you just at the moment.  Matthew.

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Question:  Sure.  I have two questions, Liberia and Sri Lanka.  On Liberia, there is this controversy about the incident in Lofa county that’s arisen about whether the UN peacekeeping force there took sides between the two groups, and even religions, it’s alleged.  There continue to be these reports and it looks like the SRSG there has challenged reporters to not ask the question.  So, I wanted to ask here, what is the UN’s response to reports, pretty widespread in Liberia, that the UNMIL improperly took sides during rioting in that region? Spokesperson:  Well, first of all, I am not going to second-guess the Special Representative if he is speaking on the ground, which is where it should be.  What I would say, as a general principle, is that any of our peacekeeping operations, or other missions on the ground, are there for all the people of the country, and they work in a dispassionate manner, not taking sides.

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Spokesperson:  Like I said, like I said, I am not second-guessing what the Special Representative is saying on the ground.  I am saying, as a general principle, an obvious general principle, that where there is a United Nations mission on the ground, the reason they are there is to be serving the people of the country in general, and not in some partisan fashion.

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Spokesperson:  Yes.

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Question:  Yesterday you read out the… here that Navi Pillay had called for an investigation of events during the conflict.  Since then, the Minister of Human Rights and Disaster Management has rejected that and has said, once again, that Sri Lanka will not further investigate what took place.  Since the Secretary-General had said that he believes the investigation should take place, and if not, he will name a panel.  It’s still a little unclear to me what he said he would do.  Has the Secretariat taken note of this pretty open statement by the Minister of Human Rights of Sri Lanka that they would not investigate the events?  And if so, what would Mr. Ban do?  Is Mr. Pascoe, as part of his trip to India and Nepal, that he considers performing the trip that had been mentioned to Sri Lanka?  And finally, there are reports in the Sri Lankan media about the Foreign Minister of the country writing to “a senior official”, who I am told is Vijay Nambiar, requesting a job for his son with the United Nations Secretariat.  Are you… Can you confirm, you know, get an answer, yes or no, if that took place? Spokesperson:  On the third one, I’ll find out, I don’t know anything about that.  On the first two, as it happens…  Well, let’s start with the question about Lynn Pascoe; why isn’t he going to Sri Lanka on this particular trip?  Mr. Pascoe does still intend to visit Sri Lanka fairly soon, but we don’t have the dates for that yet.  And it’s not a part of the trip that I just mentioned -- otherwise I would have mentioned that to you.  And, as it happens, the Secretary-General spoke by telephone with President [Mahinda] Rajapaksa yesterday evening, and he informed the President of his intention to go ahead with the establishment of a panel of experts.  He also explained that such a panel would advise him -- meaning the Secretary-General, that’s very important, Matthew -- on the way forward on accountability issues relating to Sri Lanka.

I’ll just repeat that last sentence, because it is important that you get this right: he also explained that such a panel would advise him -- the Secretary-General -- on the way forward on accountability issues related to Sri Lanka.  Okay.  And on the other question, I’ll try to find out.

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Question:  I’m just wondering if this, I mean, if it is what you said, why this wasn’t read out as part of a kind of readout.  Has he had other communications in the last couple of days with presidents of countries informing them… I mean, it seems like it’s big news, I’m glad that you read it, but I’m wondering… Spokesperson:  You’ve asked me a question about the panel of experts, I have some information I can give on that question.  It’s as easy as that.  Yes, please.

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Question:  I have some questions about Chile.  And so, you announced that the Secretary-General will meet the Chilean President and the next President.  And when will he meet, at what time will he meet the Chilean President?  And do you have any plan to release any statement about the meeting?  And, as far as I know, OCHA has not released a flash appeal concerning assistance for Chile.  So, do you think at the meeting with the Secretary-General, do you think the Chilean side will make some announcement about giving the authorization to release the flash appeal by, from OCHA? Spokesperson:  Starting with that last part first, I am not here to speak for the Chilean Government.  You just had the Chilean Ambassador here, you could have asked him that.  But, clearly, what I have also said is that the United Nations will respond if asked by the Chilean authorities.  And I have no idea what the Chilean President is going to say in that meeting with the Secretary-General.  I’ve said -- and we’ve said consistently -- that we’re ready to help.  That is why the Secretary-General is going there to express not just his solidarity with the people, but to reiterate the UN’s [readiness], the UN as a whole, including the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, to provide assistance, both immediate emergency assistance and longer-term assistance.  You’ve heard also from the Ambassador here a reiteration of the list of the very specific items that have been requested by Chile.  And as you also heard, OCHA is coordinating the response from countries to that very specific list of items, whether it is field hospitals or temporary bridges, generators, this kind of thing.  On the flash appeal, to come back to the beginning, this is a matter for the Chilean authorities to raise, and if they do, then we’ll be listening and ready to respond.  Yes?

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Spokesperson:  I beg your pardon.  And on the timing of the meeting, I don’t know that right here and now, but I can tell you afterwards for sure.

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Question:  Martin, I had asked you last week also about this construction of museum of tolerance over Palestinian graves, and that what is the reaction of the Secretary-General.  You said you have no guidance at this point in time.  Have you had any reaction as yet or you’re still waiting for the guidance? Spokesperson:  I’m always seeking guidance, certainly.  (Laughter)

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Spokesperson:  At this point, that is the short answer.

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Spokesperson:  Masood, if I had something, I would be able to tell you.  I don’t.  Okay.  Yes?

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Spokesperson:  I think it’s conceivable that it will happen.  I don’t know what, the reason I say that is because I don’t know what’s happened since my colleagues, including the Secretary-General, landed, which was while we were sitting here.  So, I don’t know whether plans have changed in the meantime.  But it was certainly something that was being looked into as part of the programme.

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Spokesperson:  No, no and not organized by the Chilean Government.  I think it’s organized by a Chilean TV station, as I have understood it.  But, I’m sure that they could explain it better to you.  And this would, if it happens, it would be the Secretary-General taking part in a larger event.  It’s not his event, and it’s not built around him.  He would be taking part in it, if that happens.

Okay, Matthew.  I’m just going to answer about Liberia in more detail, because I now have it.

The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) has refuted claims that its forces were partial -- which is what I was saying in principle, and they’re doing it very specifically here -- in last weekend’s violent incident in Lofa county.  And the Head of UNMIL said UNMIL troops acted promptly and supported no side in the violence.

And having first heard about a violent demonstration in Konia town, a batch of UNMIL Formed Police units was quickly deployed in the town.  And on the morning of the violence in Voinjama, both military and police forces intervened to restore calm.  And she described the incident as unfortunate and said it was based on what she called unfounded rumours -- this is talking about the Head of UNMIL -- unfounded rumours that spread from Konia to Voinjama.

The UNMIL boss said that the Lofa incident, which has ethnic undertones, shows that more challenges still remain, despite the progress made so far in maintaining peace and security in Liberia.  And she said that, while the UN is in Liberia to keep the peace, it is up to Liberians themselves, regardless of religious and ethnic affiliation, to decide whether they want peace.

And UNMIL has confirmed that shotguns and firearms were actually used in the violence by the mob, and that resulted in four deaths.  And the UNMIL Police Commissioner, Gautam Sawang, said three bodies were distinct because of the bullet wounds, but the other one has yet to be established.

And that’s what I have for you from Liberia.

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Question:  And two non-peace-and-security UN questions.  One is about this case the Brzak versus UN sexual harassment case.  After you’d… Rachel Mayanja, who is the Special Adviser on Gender Issues to the Secretary-General, sitting where you are, said that, you know, the UN only invokes immunity if it’s for the good of the Organization, and seemed to be saying that it was invoked in this case to get the case dismissed in order so that the UN could carry out its own investigation of the facts.  Also, the deputy head of Equality Now had said clearly this morning that she believes the Secretary-General should have waived immunity in this case, or still should.  I guess I’m wondering, does… does… is that why the UN didn’t invoke immunity?  Is there some investigation we’re unaware of going on about this, you know, 2005 alleged sexual harassment?  Or how did it benefit for the Organization to quash the case, rather than have it heard by a court? Spokesperson:  Matthew, I gave you my answer the other day, and a slightly elaborated answer was then subsequently distributed to correspondents.  And I don’t have anything to add to that.

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Spokesperson:  Matthew, I’ve said what I’m going to say on it.

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Question:  Okay, fine.  The other was about, and some people here, various correspondents have raised this, that the furniture and various things that are in the building now that, this is not about the move, it more has to do with 38 floors of desks and chairs and everything that is sort of left in the building now that it is being emptied.  Some people wondered whether the UN is either going to donate it to people that need it or sell it to cover costs that are trying to be, in some cases imposed on journalists, I just wondered if you could give us a sense, what’s going to happen with all the stuff left in the building, and has there been any attempt by the UN, given what it says about environmental issues, to recycle anything? Spokesperson:  Furniture where, sorry?

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Question:  Within the whole Secretariat Building.  The 38 floors of office furniture, we’ve been informed is basically just going to all be destroyed.  It seems strange to people, so, I am wondering if you have any… Spokesperson:  Well, let me check with the Capital Master Plan people exactly what the answer is to that.  But my understanding was that the intention was to re-use a lot of furniture where it was feasible to do so -- in other words, if it’s not falling apart.  But, let me find out.  That was my understanding. Let me find out what the answer is.

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Question:  I’d appreciate it.  Maybe they have some statement on what’s being done, because there is all this talk of it being a green building, but when you actually walk around, the way things are now, it seems it’s a little hard to believe that. Spokesperson:  Okay, all right.

Correspondent:  All right.

Spokesperson:  You have a question?  No.  Any further questions?  Oh, sorry, yes, I didn’t see you there.

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Question:  Do you have anything from Mr. Robert Serry on Jerusalem, the situation in Jerusalem?  You know, over 30 people, mostly over 50 years of age, have been hurt, injured by bullets from the Israeli army.  Do you have anything from Robert Serry or any action from him?  Is he doing any contact to stop this violence against the worshipers? Spokesperson:  Let me find out.

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Spokesperson:  Let me find out.  Let me find out what I can.  Robert Serry may well have said something, I am not aware of it.  Let me find out.  Okay, thank you very much.  Have a good weekend.

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The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Martin Nesirky, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

Good afternoon; welcome to the briefing, with a slight delay.  I realized that the US Ambassador was at the stakeout and thought I would wait until that was over.

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As you have heard already, the Secretary-General will be travelling to Chile this evening.  He wants to express solidarity and sympathy with the people and Government of Chile following the earthquake on 27 February.  He will also assess the humanitarian assistance effort and the scale of the disaster for himself.

The Secretary-General is expected to meet on Friday with President [Michelle] Bachelet and President-elect [Sebastián] Piñera, as well as senior Government officials in charge of national disaster and emergency humanitarian assistance.  He will reiterate that the United Nations system, through its Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), is committed to assisting the Chilean Government and people in any way required, both in the immediate and long term.

During his visit, he is also expected to visit the city of Concepción, one of the cities most affected by the earthquake, and to meet with the staff at the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and other UN agencies and programmes which have a presence in Chile.

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The Security Council, in a meeting this morning, heard an update on the sanctions placed on Iran under resolution 1737 (2006) by the Chairman of the Council’s sanctions committee dealing with that resolution, Ambassador Yukio Takasu of Japan.  Among other things, he noted the work that the Committee has done to try to obtain more information about arms-related materials from Iran that were found on board two ships, the Hansa India and the Francop.

The Council then continued its discussions in closed consultations.  Under other matters in those consultations, Council members heard the incoming Special Representative for Afghanistan, Staffan de Mistura, and discussed sanctions on Sudan.

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The Secretary-General has selected the members for the new High-Level Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing that will work to mobilize the financing promised for climate change during the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen last December.  You’ll recall that the Secretary-General announced the launch of the Group on 12 February.

As you know, the Group will be co-chaired by Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and Meles Zenawi, the Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.  The Group consists of 19 experts.  I have a full list of the members of the Group in my office.  And tentatively, the Group is scheduled to hold its first meeting on 29 March in London.

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The Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot leaders met at the UNFICYP [United Nations Force in Cyprus] Chief of Mission Residence in Nicosia today.  And speaking to the press after the meeting, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy, Alexander Downer, said that there was substantial discussion about the economy.  The leaders’ next meeting is going to be on 16 March.  At that meeting, it’s expected that there will be more discussions on the economy, as well as European Union matters.  We have a transcript of Mr. Downer’s encounter with the media available in my office.

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Kai Eide gave his farewell press conference today as the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Afghanistan.  He told reporters in Kabul that this year will be the most challenging that Afghanistan has faced since the fall of the Taliban.  He said that it is a year where negative trends have to be reversed, or they will become irreversible.

Eide emphasized that a successful transition strategy depends on a change of mindset in the international community and among Afghan authorities, in which the Afghan people take greater control over their own future.

He was asked about potential peace talks with insurgents, and responded that “it is high time that we get into this kind of a political process”.  Eide said that the reconciliation and peace process, whatever shape it takes, should get underway as soon as possible.  And we have the full transcript of that press conference in my office.

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The UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Michael Williams, met today with the Lebanese Prime Minister, Saad Hariri, and they discussed the Secretary-General’s recent report on the implementation of resolution 1701 (2006).

Williams said afterwards that the report highlights that, despite recent rhetoric, the situation along the Blue Line has remained relatively stable, and all parties have continued to reassure the United Nations of their commitment to the cessation of hostilities and the full implementation of resolution 1701 (2006).

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This morning in Geneva, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, introduced her Office’s annual report to the Human Rights Council.

On Sri Lanka, she said the opportunity for peace and reconciliation continues to be marred by the treatment of journalists, human rights defenders and other critics of the Government.

Pillay added that she remained deeply concerned by the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran, where there has been a violent crackdown on dissent, and by the wave of executions in Sudan.

On Egypt, she said an urgent and independent inquiry into the killings of migrants trying to enter Israel via the Sinai Desert must be conducted.

The High Commissioner also stressed that the United States should conduct thorough investigations into allegations of torture at the detention centres in Guantanamo Bay and Bagram.  Her full address is available in my office.

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I was asked earlier about the new gender entity ‑‑ or gender architecture.  Last December, the Secretary-General submitted to the General Assembly an important reform proposal outlining his vision for the new gender entity. And it is now up to Member States to take decisive action on this long overdue reform process.

The Secretary-General has been urging Member States to expedite matters and take this up in the General Assembly as a priority.  The Secretary-General looks forward to a swift decision by the General Assembly and stands ready to appoint the senior official who will head the new entity.

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A couple of press conferences; at 11 a.m. tomorrow, there will be a press conference by the NGO “Equality Now” about international laws that are meant to protect women against sex discrimination and the progress of implementation of these laws since the adoption of the Beijing Platform of Action in 1995.

And at 11:30 a.m., Ambassador Heraldo Muñoz, the Permanent Representative of Chile to the United Nations, will be here to brief you on the situation in Chile.

So, that’s what I have for you.  I’m happy to take questions.

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Question:  I want to ask you ask you a question about the Congo.  On Tuesday, you’d said, in response to a question, that Operation Amani Leo hadn’t begun yet.  But now it seems that it did begin the previous weekend and that they’re working with some 18 battalions of the Congolese army ‑‑ they’ve put that number ‑‑ in providing logistical support.  I guess I had wanted to know, given all the human rights issues that have been raised about the previous support to units that Philip Alston has said burned down villages and killed people.  Will the UN list which battalions it is working with, these 18 that Mr. [Alan] Doss has mentioned, and can you describe what the logistical support consists of?  Does it involve moving ammunition for these units? Spokesperson:  Well, I would ask you to speak to MONUC [the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo] about some of these details; for example, the exact list of the battalions.  What I can say is that a lot of planning goes into these kinds of actions, and that’s mandated indeed by the Security Council:  that there must be sufficient planning that goes into any of these actions that take place.  And that is particularly important to ensure that civilians are protected.  And that’s why this planning has been under way for some time.  The Operation Amani Leo itself, officially, if you like, officially started on 1 January, but not in an operational sense ‑‑ that the planning needed to be done.  And that’s why we’re now getting to the phase where you can begin specific actions, specific operations.  On the kind of support that is provided, it is primarily logistical support, and it’s limited to the duration of the particular operation that is taking place.  And it would include, for example, providing rations and water and fuel.  And it also includes evacuating people who have been wounded and it also includes, if rebels surrender, that they are also taken away from the area where the operation is going on.

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Question:  The reason I’m asking about battalions, and I’d ask you to ask them, given that the amount of reporting by Alston and Human Rights Watch and others, they list battalions that they say have committed war crimes.  So, it seems, I haven’t seen MONUC come out and say, and they’re keeping these assurances that they won’t work with units that have a problem.  But it seems like ‑‑ I’m just asking whether they can list the battalions.  And then the groups can cross-reference it with their records of crimes. Spokesperson:  Sure.  Well, I think as we’ve said from here, and as MONUC has consistently said, in this planning stage the intention was precisely to look at the commanders and the battalions to ensure that they weren’t people who had been involved in previous violations of human rights in previous operations, and that planning for each of these specific operations would involve doing those checks.  So, if an operation has started in a particular area, as we now know is the case, then the battalions taking part will have been through that screening process.

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Question:  I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were going to answer that way.  That’s why I kept asking, are they willing to work with [Colonel Innocent] Zimulinda?  Maybe you feel that you’ve answered that, I just couldn’t get it, yes or no. Spokesperson:  Look, units commanded by Zimulinda are not receiving any assistance from MONUC.  Very straightforward.

Correspondent:  I appreciate it.

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Spokesperson:  I will need you to sit forward a little bit so that I can hear your answer in the microphone.  Thank you.

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Question:  There is currently a lot of violence taking place in Iraq just prior to the elections this Sunday.  There is talk that these elections may be delayed.  Is the Secretary-General concerned about this? Spokesperson:  The elections, as far as we understand it, are on track.  Some voting, as you know, for special groups already began today.  And the main voting is on Sunday.  The key thing is that the Secretary-General has appealed in the past for these elections to be carried out in such a way that all those people who wish to vote can do so in a safe manner.  Now, clearly, there has been violence in the run-up to the elections.  The key thing is that people do have a right to vote and should be able to exercise that right.  Further questions?  Anything else?

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Question:  Sure.  There’s been an interview by Mr. [Ahmedou] Ould-Abdallah, the Secretary-General’s Representative on Somalia, though not in Somalia, in which he urges UN agencies to return to Mogadishu.  But the article says UN Headquarters in New York will not allow Ould-Abdallah to relocate his office because of safety fears.  So, I wanted to somehow square…  One, is it true that he’s been, as reported, that he’s been barred from returning?  And, if he is barred, which UN agencies is he asking to go back and how would they not be barred?  I don’t understand that? Spokesperson:  That’s a good question; I’ll need to find out the answer to that.  The key thing is, as we have heard, security is indeed extremely difficult in Somalia, and not just in Mogadishu.  However, equally, there is an important job to be done, a humanitarian job to be done.  Squaring that circle clearly is not easy.  But to answer your specific question, I’ll have to get back to you.

[The Spokesperson later added that Somalia has been at the highest level of security risk since the mid-1990s.]

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Question:  And also, is there any way to know ‑‑ there is a lot of talk of the WFP [World Food Programme], but also the rest of the UN system, being unable to operate in southern Somalia given either threats or attempts to take money by Al-Shabaab.  Is there any update on that?  Are any UN services being provided in those areas and has there been any moving forward in the negotiations, I guess with the United States, on them providing aid to those agencies? Spokesperson:  I haven’t got an update for you on that.  But I would note that Peter Smerdon, the WFP spokesman in Nairobi is available, and probably has an up-to-date picture for you.

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Spokesperson:  Again, it’s really difficult to hear you if you’re sitting way back there.  But I did hear your question, just about.

Correspondent:  I can repeat it.

Spokesperson:  That’s okay, I did hear it.  I did hear it.  As I mentioned yesterday, the Secretary-General is going to be going to Moscow to take part in the Quartet talks, or meeting, I should say.  Clearly, any movement of this kind is welcome.  For these proximity talks to be able to start, that’s a welcome development, certainly.

Okay, thanks very much.  Thank you.

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and the Spokesperson for the General Assembly President  

The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Martin Nesirky, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, and Jean Victor Nkolo, Spokesperson for the President of the General Assembly.

Briefing by the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General

Good afternoon, everybody.

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Jean Victor Nkolo will be back up here again after my briefing just to brief you on something to do with the General Assembly.

And then at 12:30 p.m., Rachel Mayanja, the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women, will moderate a press conference to mark International Women’s Day, and the 15-year review of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.  So, we’ll try to keep this quite short.

At 1 p.m., the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) will be holding a press conference about a new publication called The World Map of Women in Politics 2010, which is a joint publication by the IPU and the United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women.

And at 2 p.m., the Minister for Women and Children’s Affairs of Ghana will be here to brief you on efforts to promote gender equality and empowerment of women in Ghana.

At 11:40 a.m. tomorrow, there will be press conference about a new micro-donation initiative called “Massive Good” that will allow travellers to give $2 towards the health-related Millennium Development Goals.  And we have more information on that in my office.

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And just a heads up that the theme of the thirty-fourth annual United Nations International School-United Nations Conference is “Bioethics: Striking a Balance”.  And that conference is being held on Thursday and Friday at the Trusteeship Council Chamber.

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The Secretary-General has just addressed the Commission on the Status of Women high-level event marking International Women’s Day.  He said that as a son and husband, a father and grandfather to girls, and as UN Secretary-General, it is his duty to fight for gender equality and women’s empowerment, which are fundamental to the very identity of the United Nations.  We have copies of his remarks in my office.

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On Chile, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that the situation in the main affected areas is still critical.  Access to food and the restoration of electricity and drinking water are still the top priorities.

As far as the UN’s Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) is concerned, the Commission headquarters suffered no serious structural damage, but parts of the main building continue to pose a security risk for staff members.  For this reason, many divisions will be relocated throughout the headquarters to areas that are in suitable condition.

And staff whose offices are in good condition will return to work tomorrow, while the remaining staff will return gradually as repairs advance and staff safety is ensured.

The Secretary-General is in contact with the directors of the UN agencies in Santiago. And I can tell you that all of the staff of the Commission and those of the 14 other UN agencies with a presence in Chile have been accounted for.

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Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes arrived in Gaza yesterday, as part of his four-day visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory.  Holmes witnessed the conditions in Gaza, one year after the end of Operation Cast Lead, as well as the local efforts to alleviate the suffering of the population.  He said that it is disturbing to see that the unacceptable blockade of Gaza has continued.  Holmes called on all parties to the conflict to allow the unimpeded provision of assistance to those in need.

And at a press conference yesterday, Holmes recalled the case of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who has been held incommunicado for nearly four years, and repeated the United Nations call for his immediate release.  And Holmes has scheduled meetings in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem today.

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We have some fact sheets available in my office about the work that the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) has been doing to support preparations for the national elections that are scheduled to take place on 7 March.

So, that’s what I have for you.  I’m very happy to take questions.  I’m conscious that we do have another press conference at 12:30 p.m., and that Jean Victor needs to speak to you as well before that.

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Question:  Thank you.  After the visit to Gaza by Under-Secretary-General John Holmes, and speaking of officials in Israel and other areas, will he be briefing the Security Council on the situation in Gaza? Spokesperson:  I’d need to find out.  He will certainly be able to report back when he is here.  What form that takes, I don’t know yet.

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Question:  I’m just curious, Martin, why the Secretary-General chose to mark, and the UN chose to mark, International Women’s Day today, which is 3 March, when International Women’s Day is 8 March. Spokesperson:  I think you’d have to ask the organizers of this, the Commission on the Status of Women.  I really don’t know why that is.

[The Spokesperson later said that the United Nations is holding the International Women’s Day official observance today to take advantage of the presence of so many gender ministers who are present for the Commission on the Status of Women session.]

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