and the Spokesperson for the General Assembly President  

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

Briefing by the Associate Spokesperson for the Secretary-General

Hello.  Good afternoon.

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We will be having as the guest at today’s briefing Ambassador Hamidon Ali, the Permanent Representative of Malaysia to the United Nations and sixty-sixth President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), as well as Mr. Nikhil Seth, the Director of the Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, and they are here to brief you on the work plan of the Economic and Social Council for 2010.

They’ll speak after this briefing.  And also today, we should have with us shortly Jean Victor Nkolo, the Spokesperson for the President of the General Assembly, who will brief immediately after my part of the briefing.  In addition, in the next few minutes, at the Security Council stakeout for those of you who want to run over there, Choi Young-jin, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Côte d’Ivoire, is going to speak to correspondents at the Security Council stakeout following the end of the Council consultations on Côte d’Ivoire.  And, like I said, that should be in the next few minutes.

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The Secretary-General has arrived in Moscow this afternoon, where he will participate in the meeting of the Middle East Quartet on Friday.

Tomorrow, the Secretary-General is scheduled to meet with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, among other senior officials.  He will also speak at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations and receive an honorary degree from that university.

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Like I mentioned, Choi Young-jin is heading to the stakeout.  Mr. Choi, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Côte d’Ivoire, told the Security Council this morning that the political impasse in that country has seriously weakened the electoral momentum there.  He said that it is quite regrettable to see the elections once again delayed.

Choi said that the UN peacekeeping mission in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI) has set three objectives for the immediate future:  maintaining peace and stability; safeguarding past achievements, including the provisional electoral list; and establishing a definitive electoral list as expeditiously as possible.  And like I said, he should be coming to the stakeout in the next few minutes.

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The Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, Christopher Ross, is arriving in Rabat today, on the first leg of a visit to the region.  Ross will then go to Tindouf, Nouakchott and Algiers, wrapping up his tour on 25 March.

This is the Personal Envoy’s third visit to the region since his appointment.  As you remember, this trip follows the commitment reiterated by the parties -- during their informal talks in Armonk, New York, on 10-11 February -- to continue their negotiations as soon as possible.

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In a new report on the UN Assistance Mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA), the Secretary-General noted the growing consensus that there is a need for a political process to end the conflict in Afghanistan, as well as for the establishment of a programme to reintegrate low- and mid-level insurgents who wish to give up fighting.

These are elements of a resolution to a conflict that needs to end, he writes.  But they must be combined with improved governance and more efficient aid in order to regain the trust of disaffected populations.  Above all, efforts to end the conflict must result in a strengthened political order, underpinned by the constitution.  And the Security Council intends to discuss that report tomorrow.

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The World Food Programme (WFP) today announced that it has contracted mills in Pakistan’s Swat Valley to produce and fortify wheat flour, to give a much needed boost to the local economy and provide fast and reliable food access to conflict-affected families.  WFP said that the combination of conflict and high food prices since the humanitarian crisis started has been devastating to many people in the Swat Valley.  Milling flour locally will help to deal with that problem.  And we have a press release from WFP with more details.

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And last, in his message to the Special Ministerial Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement on Interfaith Dialogue and Cooperation, the Secretary-General today urged all members to take more action to reject extremism [and] counter those who polarize and distort, and humiliate and manipulate for electoral aims.  And we have that message in the Spokesperson’s office.

We do expect to have first Jean Victor Nkolo and then the President of ECOSOC, Mr. Hamidon Ali, the Ambassador of Malaysia, as well as Nikhil Seth from the ECOSOC Support and Coordination Office. 

But are there any questions for me first before we turn to our respective guests?  If not then first, Jean Victor.

Briefing by the Spokesperson for the General Assembly President

Thank you, Farhan.  Good afternoon and welcome to the many guests we have here today.

Earlier today in Manila, the President of the General Assembly, H.E. Dr. Ali Abdussalam Treki, addressed the Special Non-Aligned Movement Ministerial Meeting on Interfaith Dialogue and Cooperation for Peace and Development.  Her Excellency Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, President of the Republic of the Philippines, attended the meeting.

Dr. Treki stated that “promoting dialogue, understanding and coexistence between all races, religions, cultures and civilizations is key to building a multilateral international system based on mutual respect, reinforcing common interests, consolidating the concepts and principles of peaceful coexistence between peoples, achieving peace and removing the roots of conflict and crisis”.

He added that, “One of the most important issues that we must address, whether at the level of the Movement or at the international level at large, is the need to formulate practical and constructive measures aimed at increasing tolerance and understanding, and avoiding branding entire cultures and religions as hostile.”  The President of the General Assembly underlined the fact that “we cannot achieve this goal through dialogue alone.  It is an important first step to generate enough international momentum in order to enable dialogue to prevail over conflict, to enable collective action to prevail over unilateralism.”

President Treki informed participants of his intention to hold a high-level thematic debate, at the General Assembly in New York on 25 May 2010, on Dialogue among Civilizations.  This meeting will focus on how such dialogue can help foster international peace and security and resolve longstanding regional and international conflicts.  It will complement the relevant General Assembly resolutions and the initiatives and activities of other various stakeholders, including the Alliance of Civilizations and the Global Agenda for Dialogue among Civilizations.  Dr. Treki’s statement is posted online on the website of the General Assembly.

Yesterday, President Treki met with H.E. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, President of the Republic of the Philippines.  President Arroyo welcomed Dr. Treki’s visit to the Philippines as the first sitting President of the General Assembly to ever visit the country.  During the bilateral meeting with President Arroyo, both parties discussed a wide range of issues on the international agenda, in particular United Nations reform, climate change, international economic and financial crisis, Dialogue among Civilizations as well as disarmament and non-proliferation in light of the chairmanship of the Philippines of the upcoming Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference.

Dr. Treki briefed President Arroyo on the ongoing efforts to strengthen the Organization, including Security Council reform and enhancing coordination and coherence among the various entities of the UN system.

President Treki commended the Philippines for its initiative in holding the SNAMMM [Special Non-Aligned Movement Ministerial] Meeting on Interfaith Dialogue and Cooperation for Peace and Development.  He stressed the need to transform the different initiatives of dialogue into policies and practical measures at the national, regional and international levels.

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

Good afternoon, everybody.

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The Secretary-General returned in the early hours of this morning from a visit yesterday to Haiti, where he met with President René Préval and Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive in Port-au-Prince and he also visited a camp for displaced people in Petionville.

Speaking after his meeting with the President, the Secretary-General praised the Haitian people for their courage and sense of solidarity in these difficult times.  He said that, even though time has passed since the January earthquake, the world would not forget Haiti.

He noted that the revised flash appeal for the year, totalling $1.4 billion, is 49 per cent funded.  The challenge, the Secretary-General said, is to maintain the spirit of solidarity with Haiti through the forthcoming donors’ conference and beyond.

He highlighted the progress made in supplying emergency food and water.  And meanwhile, tents and tarpaulins have been supplied to approximately 60 per cent of the 1.3 million people in need, with the aim of reaching everyone by the end of April.  We have his remarks to the press in my office and online.

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The United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) expressed its sorrow at the untimely death of the Mission’s Deputy Special Representative, Takahisa Kawakami, who passed away overnight, of natural causes, at his residence in Dili.

Takahisa Kawakami, a Japanese national, had served as the Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative in Timor-Leste since September 2008.  He had also served in UN missions in Afghanistan and Cambodia.

A press release from the Mission is available in my office, and we’ll also have a statement from the Secretary-General a little later.

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Staffan de Mistura has taken up his duties as the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, arriving there on Saturday.

He said on his arrival in Kabul:  “Whatever the United Nations will be doing in Afghanistan will be done to assist both the stability and the socio-economic improvement of the Afghan people.”  That effort, he added, will be Afghan-led and Afghan-owned.

The UN Assistance Mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA) also announced today that all UN staff who had temporarily moved following the attack on a guesthouse in Kabul last October, have now returned to the country to resume their duties.  We have more details in today’s briefing notes from Kabul.

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And in Chile, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that three inter-agency teams ‑‑ composed of members from various UN programmes and partners, such as the World Food Programme (WFP), UNESCO [the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization] and the European Union ‑‑ completed assessments of the needs for the regions of Biobío and Maule last week.

The teams identified the following key needs:  shelter; water and sanitation; education and epidemiological control; and access to health services.  Based on the assessments and coordination meetings in-country, the UN agencies and partners are now finalizing the project proposals to apply to the Central Emergency Response Fund ‑‑ from which, as you may recall, the Secretary-General has authorized the release of up to $10 million.  And we have more on this in the situation report available in my office.

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The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF have released a new report on the world’s progress in providing access to sanitation and drinking water.

In it, they say that 87 per cent of the world’s population ‑‑ or approximately 5.9 billion people ‑‑ now use safe drinking-water sources.  The world is on track to meet or even exceed the drinking-water target of the Millennium Development Goals, or MDGs.

However, almost 39 per cent of the world’s population ‑‑ or over 2.6 billion people ‑ still live without improved sanitation.  And if the current trend continues unchanged, the international community will miss the 2015 sanitation goal by almost 1 billion people.

We have more on this in a press release available from my office, and you can find the report online.

And while on the subject of water, we do have in my office the Secretary-General’s message for World Water Day, which is next Monday.  And on the question of the MDGs, just a reminder that at 10 a.m. tomorrow, here at UN Headquarters, the Secretary-General will brief Member States about “Keeping the Promise” ‑‑ his report laying the groundwork for the Summit on the Millennium Development Goals, to be held here in September.

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And I’d like to remind you that tomorrow, at 12:15, the Secretary-General will hold a press conference here in this room, just after he has finishes talking to the General Assembly about progress in implementing the Millennium Development Goals.

The Secretary-General will also talk to you about his forthcoming trip to the Quartet meeting in Moscow, which will be followed by his visit to the Middle East.  And he’ll also discuss his just-concluded one-day visit to Haiti in advance of the donors’ conference at the end of this month.

The Secretary-General will be holding bilateral talks with the Russian leaders before the Quartet meeting in Moscow.

So, that’s what I have for you.  Questions?  Matthew, welcome back!  We missed you.

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Spokesperson:  Hope you haven’t lined them all up from the previous week.

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Question:  No, no, no, these are all fresh, believe it or not.  One is, did Vijay Nambiar travel to Myanmar?  There are some reports that the letter described by the Secretary-General some time ago at his stakeout was in fact delivered by Mr. Nambiar.  Can you confirm or deny that? Spokesperson:  Well, I have seen one report, not some reports.  I’ve seen one report, and I have been in touch with Mr. Nambiar, and he says it’s not true.

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Question:  Okay.  Can I also, I wanted to ask…  This came up on Sri Lanka…  There is a quote, maybe you’re going to say, maybe this won’t be true either, but, quoting Farhan Haq of your Office, speaking to the Sunday Times of Sri Lanka, saying that in fact there may be… that the panel that the Secretary-General says that he, you said that the Secretary-General told President [Mahinda] Rajapaksa that will be set up, may in fact not be set up anytime soon.  That there is a reconsidered… that there is a lot of thought about it in terms of mandate, and some say that this NAM [Non Aligned Movement] letter has caused the Secretary-General to rethink setting up a panel.  Does he intend to go forward, and when? Spokesperson:  Well, he hasn’t yet appointed a panel of experts, and this would be, as I’d mentioned to you here, to advise him on accountability issues as they might apply to Sri Lanka.  And he is still considering such a panel’s terms of reference, and is in contact with his advisers, including the High Commissioner for Human Rights, on this.  No persons have been suggested to him as experts yet.  And it’s unlikely that such a panel will be actually established very soon.

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Question:  So, who will be suggesting these people, and when you say not soon, he’s informed the president he’s going to do it, so I guess it’s, to me, it seems fair to say:  when is he going to do it?  A month, two months? Spokesperson:  It’s a fair question, you’re absolutely right.  And the Secretary-General has said that he intends to appoint a panel of experts.  But he hasn’t said yet exactly when.  And as I’ve just said to you, it’s unlikely that that would be established very soon.  And as for who is putting forward names, as I’ve just said, the Secretary-General is in touch with his advisers, including the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

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Question:  Martin, the Israelis are showing no lenience now; they’re proceeding to build the new settlements in East Jerusalem.  Is there anything the Secretary-General is going to suggest on the Quartet, in order to put more pressure or apply anything to make the Israelis come to order and concede with the request of the Quartet? Spokesperson:  Well, you will have seen first off that the Secretary-General put out a statement last week, and there was also a statement issued on Friday by the Quartet itself, that condemned Israel’s decision to advance planning for these new housing units in East Jerusalem.  And the Quartet, which, as you know, will be meeting in Moscow on the 19^th at the principals’ level, which means including the Secretary-General, has agreed to closely monitor developments in Jerusalem and to keep under consideration additional steps that may be required to address the situation on the ground.  And as I have also mentioned here before, the aim of the Quartet will be to take full stock of the situation when it meets in Moscow on the 19^th.

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Spokesperson:  This is an opportunity for the Quartet to look across the horizon at everything that’s out there and any unilateral actions taken by either party cannot prejudge the outcome of negotiations and they will not be recognized by the international community.  The Secretary-General has been very clear on ‑‑ and you’ve heard John Holmes here as well ‑‑ being very clear on what needs to happen with regard to access to Gaza.  Further questions?

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Question:  Okay, Somalia and then internal justice.  On Somalia, there was this Law of the Sea filing, filed by Somalia but with a Memorandum of Understanding with Kenya about Somalia’s off-shore rights, and [Ahmedou] Ould-Abdallah coordinated it.  There was some controversy about it some months ago and now, I think on Friday, the UN’s website now says, now acknowledged that the MoU with Kenya was voted down by the TFG [Transitional Federal Government] parliament and is non-actionable.  What I’m wondering is what, since this was a UN, given the UN’s involvement in trying come up with this joint Kenya-Norway funded plan, what now?  Is there any response by whatever the office is, Ould-Abdallah’s office in Nairobi, to the rejection of his action by the TFG parliament? Spokesperson:  I haven’t seen any.  But let’s ask.

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Question:  And also, there was this case, I believe it was Thursday, maybe of last week, there is a case in the UN Dispute Tribunal in front of Judge Adams.  I think its Bertucci v. the United Nations, in which he issued a couple of orders saying, ordering an official to come before his court and produce evidence, and the OLA [Office for Legal Affairs] person said that she’d informed her bosses, but they hadn’t said who the person that he was speaking about was, and the person never came.  He said this is kind of an abuse, that it undermines the rule of law for the Secretariat to disobey his orders.  Now, I’m wondering what the Secretariat’s reasoning is for not complying with an order of its own internal Dispute Tribunal. Spokesperson:  Again, I’d need to find out about that.  I don’t know about that in detail.  So, I prefer to seek some guidance on that, okay.

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Spokesperson:  I don’t have anything on that, no, I don’t have anything on that, no.

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Spokesperson:  This is not something for the Secretary-General, is it?  This would be something for the Security Council.

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Question:  Does the Secretary-General have any comment, opinion on that, as of course they were talking before [about] 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012 and now 2014?  It seems to me that they are moving silently forward; and beside that the mandate is absolutely in the hands of the Security Council, does the Secretary-General have anything to say on that? Spokesperson:  Well, precisely because it’s a matter for the Security Council, that’s why the Secretary-General would not want to prejudge anything that they would have to say on the matter.

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Question:  One question on Somalia ‑‑ I apologize if this was asked on Friday ‑‑ there was a report of the French and the Somali pirates, suspected Somali pirates to the authorities in Puntland, which of course is not a recognized part of Somalia, and I wondered if that was congruent with advice that the Office of Legal Affairs has given this Somali contact group, piracy contact group, because previously it seemed like they had settled on Kenya as being the prime location.  Not a question for immediate answer, if it’s something that needs to be looked into. Spokesperson:  Well, I mean, any question is for me to answer if I can.  In this case, this sounds like something to ‑‑ of course, I can check with OLA on the advice that’s been given in the past, but this sounds like it’s something that you need to ask the French about.

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Question:  On Sudan, I think you will have something on this, but there may be a follow-up.  There is this controversy about the April elections in which one of the main opposition parties has actually… they’ve criticized the UN and the Government and the National Elections Commission for printing ballots, shifting a contract they had in Slovenia to one in Sudan, which they say is a Government-contracted printer of ballots, and they say this is somehow both a waste of money and may undermine the fairness of the elections.  I understand that the UN has tried to say it has no role in that; but given, they’ve asked for UN investigation of this and the UN does have this big UNMIS [United Nations Mission in Sudan] peacekeeping mission, what is the UN’s role with regard to the elections, and what does it think of this shifting of the printing of ballots at much higher cost to a Government-affiliated printer in Sudan? Spokesperson:  Well, as I have seen, there is a statement from, or a press release from, the Mission, from UNMIS, they’ve put out a press release, and I would refer you to that.  It’s quite detailed.

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Question:  I know.  The only reason I’m asking it here is that the Umma party has said that “this requires an investigation by the Secretary-General”.  So, I just wanted to know whether, at the Secretariat level, given the importance of this election to all that the UN has been doing there for years, there is something… basically, the press release of UNMIS says we have no role in this substantive thing, we only provide technical assistance.  But it seems like, if this is something that’s caused doubts about fairness in Sudan itself, I just wondered, the UN’s just going to stand behind UNMIS’ statement and, therefore, the election? Spokesperson:  Well, look, it’s not a question of standing behind the statement if UNMIS is part of the United Nations, and UNMIS has a very clear mandate.  And it’s very specific what it said in that press release, and that’s the first thing.  And the second thing is that they are the people on the ground, and they provide the guidance back to the headquarters and this is the guidance that’s been received.  And these people on the ground know what they’re doing.

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Question:  I guess, and this will be the last thing, I just wonder… I mean, sometimes it’s either a Member State or in this case an opposition party, if they have some kind, if they feel that the UN on the ground is not operating fairly, and they say, we want the Secretary-General to look at it, I guess sometimes the Secretary-General does and sometimes doesn’t.  Is that fair to say or…? I don’t think it’s always the case that, whatever the UN does on the ground, Headquarters says, we stand behind it.  So, they’ve asked, their request wasn’t to UNMIS, it was to the SG, that’s why I’m pursuing this. Spokesperson:  Look, if a specific missive of whatever kind has been directed very specifically at the Secretary-General, then I’m sure there will be some response.  But I’m not aware of that.  Okay.

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Question:  Martin, I just wanted to know, maybe you’ve talked about this earlier.  This in regard to this UN Commission on the Benazir Bhutto investigation.  Have you heard from the Commission that they’re going to delay this process, because they’re supposed to give a report at the end of this month?  I believe that they have been given more evidence and they’re sending a team back to Pakistan.  Is that the case? Spokesperson:  I am not aware of that.  As far I know, they’re still on track for the end of this month.  But let me find out.

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Spokesperson:  Well, Masood, maybe you’re ahead of me.  I’ll see what I can find out.  [The Spokesperson later added that the Commission said that it has not asked for an extension past the end of its current mandate.]

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Spokesperson:  Okay, right.  Thank you very much.  Thank you, and hope to see you this afternoon, 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

So good afternoon, everybody.  Welcome to the briefing.  Jean Victor Nkolo, Spokesperson for the President of the General Assembly, will also be here a little bit later to brief you.

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The Secretary-General will be travelling to Haiti this Sunday on a one-day visit to assess conditions on the ground.  And this will be the Secretary-General’s second visit to Haiti since the tragic earthquake of 12 January.

And while in Port-au-Prince, the Secretary-General will meet with Haitian President [René] Préval and Prime Minister [Jean-Max] Bellerive, as well as with the leadership of MINUSTAH [the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti] and the UN country team.

The Secretary-General will also visit a camp for internally displaced persons and engage directly with Haitians still suffering the debilitating consequences of the earthquake.

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I have a statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General on Pakistan.

The Secretary-General condemns the series of attacks in Pakistan which has occurred in recent days.  These include the suicide bombing today in Lahore which killed and injured scores of people, as well as the attack on the office of the humanitarian non-governmental organization World Vision International.  He reiterates that no cause can justify such inhuman and indiscriminate acts of violence.  He extends his condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government of Pakistan, and wishes those injured a full recovery.

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The Security Council adopted a resolution this morning extending the mandate of the UN Mission in Chad and the Central African Republic (MINURCAT) by two months, until 15 May.

The Council then went into consultations to hear a briefing from Michael Williams, the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon.  He presented the Secretary-General’s latest report on the implementation of resolution 1701 (2006), which notes that the continued respect for the cessation of hostilities by Israel and Lebanon has provided for the most stable period in the relationship between the two countries for decades.  Yet the situation remains fragile, and this is further compounded by the use of increasingly strident and bellicose rhetoric warning of renewed conflict.

Wolfgang Weisbrod-Weber, Director of the Asia and the Middle East Division of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, also briefed on the work of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

Mr. Williams, I understand, will speak to reporters at the Security Council stakeout after the consultations have finished.

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And the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, B. Lynn Pascoe, today ended his three-day visit in Nepal.  He urged Nepal’s political leadership to move forward in the peace process by taking action to reintegrate former combatants and complete the new constitution on time.

And Pascoe told reporters before his departure that Nepal's leaders understand exactly what has to be done, and now is the time to move it forward.  He described his visit as being “extremely good”.  He said that the two biggest issues Nepal now faces are the question of integration and rehabilitation, and drafting of the constitution.

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The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) is extremely worried about the worsening situation for the civilian population in Somalia following the latest indiscriminate fighting in Mogadishu and elsewhere in the country.  The agency estimates that, since the beginning of the year, more than 100,000 Somali civilians have been forced to flee their homes across the country.

UNHCR is especially concerned about the safety and well-being of some 8,300 people who, without any means to get out of Mogadishu, remain displaced within the capital.  As the fighting rages on, aid agencies lack access and cannot assist these extremely vulnerable internally displaced people. And we have more in today’s UNHCR briefing notes.

So that’s what I have for you.  Happy to take questions.

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Question:  Martin, I got what you said yesterday about Pakistan.  The aid workers -- I got that press release.  I just wanted to know, today three bombs exploded in Lahore, the city of Lahore.  Any reaction from the Secretary-General?  Spokesperson:  I guess you came in late, Masood, because I just read out a statement in the name of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General on Pakistan, addressing precisely this topic.  Happy to take other questions.

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Spokesperson:  Well, first of all, we mentioned yesterday that the trip by Lady Ashton is separate from the trip by the Secretary-General.  This is not a joint visit.  And we’re not saying exactly at this point when the Secretary-General will be going to Gaza.  But, as we’ve announced, he will be going after the Quartet meeting.  But the exact timing is not something that we have at the moment.

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Spokesperson:  I didn’t say I didn’t know.  It’s whether I am going to tell you.

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Spokesperson:  I am not aware of any plans at the moment, but that could change.  I will look into it, but I am not aware of any plans at the moment. 

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Question:  On Chad, is it the Secretary-General’s view that, if the peacekeepers leave, the people who are being protected, the refugees from Darfur, will be exposed?  And that, therefore, does he feel strongly that they should remain? Spokesperson:  Well, look, this extension today is a technical extension and in the meantime, the United Nations will continue discussions on the future of MINURCAT beyond 15 May.  And the UN’s clear preference is for MINURCAT to stay, with the appropriate level of troops to fulfil the mandate given by the Security Council.  I think that that implicitly answers your question.  The recommendations of the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping, who recently visited Chad, will be reflected in a report that is going to be submitted to the Security Council quite soon.  And then it’s for the Security Council to decide on the way forward.

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Spokesperson:  Well, not, to my knowledge, recently.  But he does speak periodically, of course, but not, to my knowledge, recently.  I can find out.

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Spokesperson:  I cannot answer that specifically, but clearly this is something, as you know, more relevantly in this context, Mr. [Alain] Le Roy was just in the region talking with the authorities precisely about this topic.

Correspondent:  I know.  Mr. Le Roy was reluctant to strongly state what you just said, less strong, on that the UN would like the troops to stay.

Spokesperson:  Well, that’s the UN’s preference -- that MINURCAT should stay with the appropriate level of troops so that it can carry out the mandate that was given to it by the Security Council.

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Question:  Forgive me, I didn’t quite catch it.  Who was it that delivered the 1701 report for the Secretary-General at the Council session this morning, and may I assume that report will be available to us in print? Spokesperson:  This is Michael Williams, if I remember correctly, and he will be coming to speak to you at the stakeout.

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Spokesperson:  Why don’t you ask him?

Correspondent:  Martin, also, the President of the ICTY, International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, is quoted to say that now the exit strategy -- actually, the end of the old trials with the so-called residual category -- will be by the end of 2014.  I wonder whether the Secretary-General does have any opinion of that?  How he is satisfied with the prolongation of…

Spokesperson:  Where was this stated?

Correspondent:  I read it in the newspaper two days ago.  I can find out, but…

Spokesperson: Okay.  I’m just trying to understand the context.  Well, that’s something that I need to find out about.  I don’t have any immediate reaction to that.

Correspondent:  It’s 2014 now; it’s a totally new date that was given.

Spokesperson:  Right. Okay, well let’s see what we can find out.  Any other questions?

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Spokesperson:  Well, at the moment they’re working from the Logistics Base, which is next to the airport, as you rightly say.  I think that that’s something that the Secretary-General will be able to assess on the ground when he is speaking to Edmond Mulet and the rest of the team there, precisely what’s happening.  I think, clearly, what you can imagine, is that at the moment the focus has been to be able to help the people.  And so they’re working from where they’re working.  But I hear what you’re saying, and I’m sure it’s a concern for them too.

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Question:  The lease that they had with the landlord, for which they were paying $94,000 a month -- which to some people sounds an extraordinary amount of money for Haiti -- does that lease have anything about an act of God, and have they stopped paying this money? Spokesperson:  This is something that I can’t answer here.  I will need to find out.  I don’t know.  Okay, any other questions?  Okay, in which case, I pass the floor to you, Jean Victor, and wish you a good weekend.

Briefing by the Spokesperson for the General Assembly President

Thank you, Martin.  Good afternoon

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Today in Seoul, the President of the General Assembly, H.E. Dr. Ali Abdussalam Treki, met with H.E. Lee Myung-bak, President of the Republic of Korea.

The meeting addressed the presidency of the Republic of Korea of the Group of 20 (G-20) and the preparations for the United Nations high-level plenary meeting on the Millennium Development Goals (MDG Summit) that will take place from 20 to 22 September 2010 at the General Assembly, in addition to the recent natural disasters in Haiti and Chile, as well as climate change and other issues on the agenda of the General Assembly.

Dr. Treki expressed his appreciation of the role the Republic of Korea plays in supporting the work of the United Nations and in particular that of the General Assembly.

On the chairmanship of the Republic of Korea to the G-20, President Lee assured Dr. Treki that his country will ensure that the November 2010 Summit of the Group addresses the concerns of the developing world, in particular the impact of the global financial and economic crisis on their economies.  Dr. Treki underlined the need to involve the entire membership of the General Assembly in this regard, highlighting the concerns of developing countries regarding the global economic and financial situation.  In this context, Dr. Treki extended an invitation to President Lee to address a meeting of the General Assembly in his capacity as Chair of the G-20 Summit.

Both parties expressed the need to strengthen multilateralism and the importance of formulating collective responses to the global challenges facing the world.  They highlighted the importance of ensuring the success of the upcoming Mexico meeting on climate change.

On United Nations reform, both Presidents agreed that there is a need to strengthen the Organization in all areas, and to exert all efforts to build consensus around the various reform initiatives and to reflect the interests of the various stakeholders.

Dr. Treki briefed President Lee on the various meetings to be organized in the General Assembly in the coming months.  He referred to the upcoming thematic debates on issues such as water, financing for development, disarmament and non-proliferation, dialogue among civilizations, peacekeeping, as well as on the situation in the Middle East.  President Lee assured Dr. Treki of the support of the Republic of Korea for the work of the General Assembly and efforts to strengthen the United Nations.

Also today, Dr. Treki met with H.E. Yu Myung-hwan, Minister for Foreign affairs and Trade of the Republic of Korea.  They exchanged views on a wide range of issues on the agenda of the UN, including efforts to reform and strengthen the UN, climate change, the preparations for the MDG Summit, disarmament and non-proliferation issues as well as the situation in the Korean peninsula and in the Middle East.

On Security Council reform, Foreign Minister Yu expressed his appreciation of the transparent and inclusive manner in which Dr. Treki is leading the process of intergovernmental negotiations in the General Assembly.  Dr. Treki informed Mr. Yu that he received numerous inputs from Member States, including from the Republic of Korea, on their respective positions regarding this very important issue.  He indicated that, although there is wide support for the need to reform the Security Council, positions remain far apart.

Foreign Minister Yu voiced support for the initiatives of the President of the General Assembly to hold high-level thematic debates on issues of importance to the international community.  They agreed to further the cause of multilateralism and pursue collective solutions to various global problems.  Dr. Treki expressed his appreciation of the role played by the Republic of Korea in supporting the United Nations, and paid tribute to the role of the Secretary-General, a national of the Republic of Korea, in strengthening the Organization.

Also today in Seoul, President Treki met with H.E. Kim Hyung-oh, Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea.  They discussed important issues on the agenda of the sixty-fourth session of the General Assembly.  President Treki underlined the important role played by parliamentarians in advancing the issues on the agenda of the United Nations.  He praised the role of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in this context.  He stressed the need to further enhance the relationship between parliamentarians and the UN.  In this context, he extended an invitation to the Speaker of the National Assembly and a delegation of the Republic of Korea to visit the General Assembly.

The meeting was attended by the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs, Trade and Unification Committee, Vice-President and Executive Member of the IPU.

Finally, two meetings that the President of the General Assembly held yesterday in the Republic of Korea.  He met with Dr. Sagong Il, Chairman of the G-20 Summit Korea Coordination Committee.  They exchanged views on the outreach efforts by the Republic of Korea to the countries [that are] not members of the G-20.  President Treki also met with H.E. Dr. Han Seung-soo, former Prime Minister and President of the fifty-sixth session of the General Assembly.

That’s what I have for you today.  Yes.

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Question:  Hi, Jean Victor.  I was wondering if you had an update on this, the fact that in the city of Fallujah there is a very high rate of birth defects among babies?  There was a letter that was sent to the President of the General Assembly last fall, in September, and so I was wondering if you had any follow-up on that? Spokesperson:  This is indeed a very important, a very grave issue.  We have submitted queries that are coming from the media and other entities to the President.  He is fully aware of that.  But the fact remains that Member States, a Member State, or groups, regional groups, have to come forward and ensure that this becomes an issue that can be discussed in the formal proceedings of the General Assembly.  The President received a letter that was signed by several personalities, including a former minister and other people who are very interested in this matter.  He is fully aware of that.  He continues to consult on this issue, but so far as far as I know, no Member State has come forward to address this issue in the formal framework of the General Assembly.

No further questions?  I wish you a pleasant and safe weekend.  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.

So, good afternoon, everybody.

As you know, we have with us today John Holmes, who is the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.  We have about half an hour.  He is available to brief you on his recent visit to the Middle East.

So, please, I’ll give the floor to you straight away, to save time.

[Briefing by Under-Secretary-General Holmes issued separately]

Okay, just very briefly, a few points and, of course, I’m happy to take questions.

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The Secretary-General addressed a Panel on Violence against Women this morning and in his remarks he said that women’s empowerment is central to all of the Millennium Development Goals.  Freedom from fear and violence is a precondition for this empowerment.  He said the United Nations must have the resources it needs to pursue this goal with the urgency it deserves.  The Secretary-General urged Member States to press ahead and establish a strengthened UN gender entity.

This Panel was part of the fifty-fourth session of the Commission on the Status of Women, and we have copies of his remarks available from my office.

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Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Alain Le Roy briefed the Security Council this morning on Sudan.  He discussed with Council members the preparations for the April elections in that country.

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The Secretary-General has appointed Major General Luiz Guilherme Paul Cruz of Brazil as Force Commander of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).  Major General Paul Cruz will be replacing the outgoing Force Commander, Major General Floriano Peixoto Vieira Neto, who is also from Brazil. 

The Secretary-General appreciates Major General Floriano Peixoto’s performance while serving in MINUSTAH, where his dedication, professionalism and leadership greatly contributed to the United Nations stabilization efforts in Haiti.  And we have more information on the new Force Commander in my office.

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The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Côte d'Ivoire, Choi Young-Jin, has just completed a meeting in Abidjan with the new President of the Independent Electoral Commission.  Choi outlined to the new head of the Commission the assistance that the UN mission will provide to his institution in the run-up to the elections.

In recent days, Choi has met with a number of party leaders, including President Laurent Gbagbo and key opposition figures.  We have a statement from the mission in Côte d’Ivoire (ONUCI) with more details on that.

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And UNICEF [the United Nations Children's Fund] has announced today that Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi will be its newest Goodwill Ambassador.  And for those of you who aren’t soccer fans, Mr. Messi plays for FC Barçelona and is the current FIFA World Player of the Year.  UNICEF says Messi will work on a series of events to highlight the challenges faced by vulnerable children around the world and supporting children’s rights.

And continuing on this sports and goodwill theme, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has named [Indian] cricket star Sachin Tendulkar as a Goodwill Ambassador.  Mr. Tendulkar is the first player to score 10,000 runs in one-day international cricket matches.  And you can find more on these appointments online at the UNICEF and UNEP websites.

So, questions?  Please.

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Question:  [asked during John Holmes’ briefing] Mr. Holmes, on the new settlements in East Jerusalem, is the UN’s message the same or does it follow what [United States Vice-President] Joe Biden said in terms of asking for those settlements to cease while negotiations are taking place?  And part two of that question, in your discussions with Israeli officials, did you ask on behalf of OCHA [Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs] for the settlements to cease due to the humanitarian situation for those families being evicted? [Following Under-Secretary-General Holmes’ answer, the Spokesperson added the following]:

Spokesperson:  Just to come back to your point about the settlements.  The Secretary-General shares the deep frustrations of the Palestinian leadership and of Arab League members at the Israeli announcement of new settlement units in East Jerusalem.  And as you know, the Secretary-General and members of the international community, including the United States, have condemned this announcement. As John [Holmes] has just mentioned, settlements are illegal, and their expansion violates the Road Map.

The United Nations has registered its protest with the Israeli Government.  And we are also in contact with the Palestinian leadership and are counselling them to continue to engage in efforts to convene indirect negotiations.  The United Nations is active on the ground and is coordinating with international partners in the lead-up to the Quartet meeting in Moscow.

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Question:  The Secretary-General had the visit of the Israeli Deputy [Prime] Minister Silvan Shalom a few days ago, and the Deputy [Prime] Minister -- I guess he is the Vice Premier, whatever -- he said that he had asked the Secretary-General to do certain things with the Security Council with regard to Iran.  And meanwhile, Israel has [resolution] 1860 outstanding, and the border crossings are closed.  So I wondered, from the Secretary-General’s perspective about this meeting, I thought there is a section of the [United Nations] Charter that says that the Secretary-General is not allowed to act in the interests of other countries, as he has to be independent.  And yet, here is a country that comes to him -- doesn’t respond in any way to something like the 1860 and the border crossing being closed but asks him to go to the Security Council to bring something about another country, and to punish another country.  And I just wondered what the Secretary-General’s feelings are?  Or what his response was to the Israeli official, because we couldn’t hear that from the Israeli official? Spokesperson:  Well, look, the Secretary-General meets many officials, ministers and other Government officials from any number of countries.  And when those ministers or other officials come, the Secretary-General is in listening mode.  It’s not for him to dictate what those ministers or other officials tell him.  I am not going to go into details of precisely how the Secretary-General responded in this particular case.  Just a couple of points:  one is that any action in the Security Council, that rests with the Security Council.  And the second point is just to reinforce that the Secretary-General believes that it is important to listen to many people, from wherever they may be, to understand their point of view.  This is not the same thing as always sharing that view.  But it’s being able to listen, to be able to be an honest broker between parties, which he is currently doing with regard to the Middle East.

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Question:  But why doesn’t he speak to officials from Hamas, as they are the elected officials?  Is there -- he can speak with Israel, Israeli officials, with this resolution against Israel that’s not responded to in any way. Spokesperson:  Well, Rhonda, you know very well that the Secretary-General speaks with the Palestinian Authority.  Other questions?

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Spokesperson:  I don’t have any further update.  It may have been that John did, but I don’t have any further updates.  Certainly we’re aware of the reports about an earthquake taking place, in fact during the inauguration ceremony, as I understand it.  But I don’t have any further details at the moment.  If we do, we can come back to you.  [He later provided information from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), which reported that there were four aftershocks today, the strongest measuring 7.2 on the Richter Scale.  ECLAC said it received no reports of major damage in Santiago, but damage was reported in Rancagua.  No fatalities had been reported yet, it added.]

Spokesperson:  Let me see.  Anything else?  Okay.  Thank you very much.  Have a good afternoon.

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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

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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