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

Good afternoon, all.

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The Secretary-General left Japan today and arrived in Singapore, where he met with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and had a working dinner with Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong.

Tomorrow morning, he expects to travel to Myanmar, arriving first in Yangon and then travelling to the capital, Nay Pyi Taw.  He is scheduled to meet with Senior General Than Shwe in the capital, and we’ll provide you with other details of his visit as his trip progresses on Friday and Saturday.

You will recall that the Secretary-General had expressed four main areas of concern on which he intends to move forward:  the release of all political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi; the resumption of dialogue between the Government and Opposition as a necessary part of any national reconciliation process; the need to create conditions conducive to credible elections; and the need to consolidate and build on the joint humanitarian effort launched after Cyclone Nargis.

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This coming Monday, former US President Bill Clinton will begin his first visit to Haiti as the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for that country.

In Haiti, the Special Envoy will meet with Government officials about how to best support the efforts to prepare for hurricanes, generate new jobs and enhance the delivery of basic social services.  Clinton will also focus on how to ensure that the United Nations, civil society and the donor community align their activities with the Governments’ recovery plan as well as with each other.

This visit will be his second to Haiti this year.  As you remember, he accompanied the Secretary-General to the country in March.  You have a media advisory upstairs for more details.

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The Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) today selected Yukio Amano of Japan as the Agency’s next Director General.

In the final round of voting, the Chair of the Board said that Amano won 23 votes from Board members, while Abdul Samad Minty of South Africa won 11 votes and there was one abstention.

Tomorrow the Board will meet again and procedurally move to appoint Amano as the Director General.  Amano will replace Mohamed ElBaradei, who has been Director General since 1997 and whose current term expires this 30 November.

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In its first consultations for the month of July, the Security Council adopted its programme of work for the month ahead.  Ambassador Ruhakana Rugunda of Uganda will brief you in this room, at about 12:30, about the Council’s work over the coming month.

Cyprus

Talks between the Cyprus leaders continued today in Nicosia under UN auspices.

Speaking after the leaders’ meeting, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Cyprus, Tayé-Brook Zerihoun, told the press that the leaders discussed the follow-up to the agreement reached on the opening of certain crossings.  They also exchanged views on the issue of territory that each of the two constituent states would occupy in a future federation.

The leaders decided that, at their next meeting, on the ninth of July, they will open discussions on security issues.  We have more on Cyprus upstairs, including a more complete schedule of the leaders’ upcoming meetings.

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The latest report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Office for West Africa (UNOWA) has just been released.

In the report, which covers the first half of this year, the Secretary-General notes that the overall peace and security situation in West Africa continues to improve, but he warns of a fragile progress in the area of governance.

Specifically, he raises deep concern about the recent wave of unconstitutional changes of government in the sub-region.  The Secretary-General recommends that “to combat the phenomenon of coups d’état, the international community must respond in a firm, proactive, collective and consistent manner to address both their root causes and the practices that can serve as triggers”.

The report also highlights other key issues, such as drug trafficking and cross-border organized crime, and conflict-prevention efforts through the tri-partite collaboration, involving the United Nations, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU).

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The Gender Advisory Unit of the UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Affairs in North Darfur, today launched the reactivation of women centres at the Abu Shouk Camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in El Fasher, North Darfur.

Women centres were established to provide livelihood activities for women, as well as support in the context of sexual and gender based-violence.  The Abu Shouk Centre will carry out several activities, including tailoring, candle making, henna and coffee sessions, handicraft, adult literacy classes, and awareness-raising on women's health, on sexual violence and assistance on reproductive health.

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UNAIDS has strongly welcomed today’s decision in India to decriminalize homosexuality.

According to Executive Director Michel Sidibé, “The Delhi High Court has restored the dignity and human rights of millions of men who have sex with men and transgendered people in India.”

He noted that oppressive laws, such as the one that was repealed today in India, drive people underground, making them much harder to reach with HIV prevention, treatment and care services.  Sidibé added that today’s ruling sends a positive message to the more than 80 countries in the world that still prohibit same-sex relations.  We have more on that upstairs.

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On Pakistan, even as UN agencies have expressed their concerns about the health and welfare of approximately two million displaced people living in north-west Pakistan, they have praised the Pakistanis who have provided food, shelter and other resources to those in need in that region.

“The everyday people of Pakistan are the real heroes of this current crisis in Pakistan,” said Martin Mogwanja, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Pakistan.  Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, he said, “They set an inspiring example of extraordinary generosity for the whole world.”

He said that he hoped this example is followed by the governments of this world, whose continued urgent support is desperately needed.  We have a press release upstairs with more details.

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I have just received two statements.

There is a statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General on Ghana and the Gambia.

The Secretary-General welcomes the Joint Communiqué signed today in Sirte, Libya, between the Governments of Ghana and the Gambia, to end the tension that arose following the deaths and disappearances of Ghanaian nationals in Gambian territory in 2005.  The Secretary-General applauds both countries for their commitment to settle the differences between them in a peaceful and negotiated manner.  He trusts that the Joint Communiqué will strengthen the existing fraternal and cordial bilateral relationship between Ghana and the Gambia.

The Secretary-General acknowledges and expresses appreciation for the immense contribution of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which worked preventively and in partnership with the UN to resolve the problem between the two countries.

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We also have a statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General on Niger.

The Secretary-General is deeply concerned about the ongoing political and constitutional crisis in Niger, which threatens to destabilize the country and undermine the progress made in recent years to consolidate democratic governance and the rule of law.  He regrets the most recent decisions taken by the Niger Government, which have made it extremely difficult for the country’s democratic institutions and the Constitutional Court, to play their roles as guarantors of the rule of law.  The Secretary-General calls for restraint and political dialogue to resolve the crisis.

The Secretary-General offers his good offices to work with regional partners, in particular the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States, to find a solution to this political crisis.

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Out on the racks today is the Secretary-General’s report to the Security Council on children and armed conflict in Sri Lanka, covering the period from 15 September 2007 to 31 January 2009.

In line with recent developments, the Secretary-General urges the Government of Sri Lanka to build on the progress achieved today with the support of the UN and other parties, and to ensure that children released by armed groups have access to care, protection and reintegration programmes, including other appropriate assistance to those recruited as children who are now over 18 years of age.

In particular, he stresses for the Government to ensure that the identification, release, and rehabilitation of all children leaving armed groups and their successful reintegration into the communities is given priority and implemented in accordance with international standards.

He also urged the Sri Lankan Government to facilitate access of humanitarian actors and the delivery of assistance to internally displaced persons.  He wants to ensure the relevant care and protection for children separated from their families, and to address the high rates of malnutrition among internally displaced children.

The Secretary-General also urges the government to ensure effective implementation of its “zero tolerance” position on child recruitment, including systematic and vigorous investigations for every reported case, followed by prosecutions and convictions of responsible perpetrators.

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In Timor-Leste, a total of 62 United Nations Volunteers from around the world will gather in the country this month at the request of the Government, to support upcoming local elections.  The volunteers have been asked to cover five different areas of support, including field operation, logistics, civic and voter education, and monitoring.

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Finally, the World Tourism Organization (WTO) has revised downward its forecast for international travel in 2009.  This is due to a recorded decrease of international tourist arrivals from 269 million in 2008 to 247 million between the months of January and April in 2009.

Aside from the global financial crisis and increased unemployment worldwide, the WTO also associates the decline in travel to the recent pandemic of the H1N1 virus.  In light of the new travel forecast, the WTO has said that action is needed to boost trade and build infrastructure that in turn would stimulate demand for travel.

And this is all I have for you today.  Yes.

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Spokesperson:  Yes, there has been a Secretary-General report on this situation, and you can find it upstairs.

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Spokesperson:  The Secretary-General has addressed this issue several times.  We can refer you upstairs to the relevant documents.

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Question:  Michèle, a human rights report, Human Rights Watch report, says that Israel used drone planes to attack civilians in Gaza and as many as 39 civilians may have died from that.  Can you confirm that Israel did use those drone planes? Spokesperson:  You are referring to which report?

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Spokesperson:  I cannot at this point confirm that.

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Spokesperson: Yes, I am aware of the Human Rights report, but I don’t have any confirmation of that.

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Spokesperson:  I don’t have that information.  Yes, Matthew.

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Question:  Two questions on Haiti and Sri Lanka.  In Haiti, AP has reported that they’re saying that a bullet killed the protester, not a blunt object as was stated here.  One, [inaudible] found out whether the peacekeepers used live ammunition or not; and two, what is the UN’s response to, I think the UN was the one that said that it was a blunt object.  I mean, what are the next steps? Spokesperson:  Well, that is what MINUSTAH had said, that’s true.  But there was an autopsy performed, and as far as I know, the result of the autopsy is not out yet.  The matter is in the hands of the Haitian authorities who are investigating, right now, what happened.  And in terms of the UN, MINUSTAH, using live ammunition, I was told by MINUSTAH that they fired in the air.

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Spokesperson:  That I didn’t get an answer on.  But from what I gather, they are rubber bullets, mostly.

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Question:  Okay.  There is also in Sri Lanka, in these camps, however you want to describe them, in Vavuniya on Sunday there was a protest by residents trying to be reunited with relatives or not be pinned in.  And it’s reported that the military opened fire.  Is that something that the UN is aware?  Back to the same question; they are paying for the camp.  Is it legitimate to be firing bullets by those guarding the camps? Spokesperson:  It’s never legitimate to fire bullets on civilians; that’s our position.  Now, in terms of what is happening in the camps, we have very little control of what happens in the camps in the sense that the camps are run by the Sri Lankan Government.  They are not run by the UN, as I said before in this room.  So, there is nothing really I can say in terms of our presence there.  We are not present.

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Question:  I just wanted to ask, because I know that the humanitarian agencies will say, you know, they won’t provide funding in areas that they have no access to.  WFP (World Food Programme) says that about North Korea and stopped funding some provinces because they had no access.  How, in this case, is the UN providing funding for camps that it has no access to? Spokesperson:  I will try to find out how it’s done.

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Question:  (Inaudible) members from the three Gaza ships remain in prison in Israel.  Is the UN involved in this, in negotiating for their release, and has the Secretary-General any remarks or reaction? Spokesperson:  No, we have not been involved in anything concerning the ships and the people on those ships.  The UN has absolutely no role at this point.

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Spokesperson:  That I cannot tell you. 

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Question:  Yesterday one of my colleagues asked why Ambassador Ross, the Personal Envoy to the Western Sahara, is optimistic and the reasons for that.  And you mentioned there was a paper upstairs.  I looked for it this morning.  I couldn’t locate it.  Is it possible that he is optimistic because the parties have agreed to strengthen the Arab Maghreb Union while discussing the Sahara, and also that Algeria has decided to open the borders with Morocco, which have been closed for a while now? Spokesperson:  Your question is a very good one.  However, I am not privy to what he is basing his optimism on.  We can certainly put you in touch with the right people to tell you more about this.  Yes, Pat.

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Question:  I am wondering whether, as a Haitian expert yourself, you would be willing to say what you think are the most critical issues for Mr. Clinton to address on his arrival there and whether you had a chance to share that with Mr. Clinton before he leaves? Spokesperson:  Mo, I haven’t had a chance to speak this time around with Mr. Clinton.  I spoke to him when we went to Haiti together.  In terms of what the priorities are, I think they were actually outlined by him and the Secretary-General when they had a press conference here.  That hasn’t changed.  Right now he is going for his second visit and he is going to meet with Haitian officials and with NGO groups.  And you can certainly get more information from President Clinton’s spokesperson, who will be travelling with him.

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Spokesperson:  Yes.  Basically, we have one hurricane season coming up, and in fact, already it has been raining steadily and there has been a tremendous amount of worry on the part of populations in some fragile areas like Gonaives about another possible flooding.  Until now (inaudible) Savane Désolée, which is a desert area, which is before Gonaives, has now become a lake.  It was a desert, it has become a lake.  We have fish in it.  And this is to tell you that the impact of the last hurricane season has not gone away yet.  People are still getting mud out of their houses in Gonaives.  I know there are some infrastructure works, which I think Mr. Clinton is going to go and see, that are taking place right now, trying to open the bed of the major river that actually had so much water flowing into Gonaives the last time. So, there is a lot of work being done. But, will that be enough?  As you know, one of the big problems is deforestation, the fact that there is so little coverage in terms of trees and vegetation.

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Question:  I wanted to know, the President of Niger, Mr. Tandja, has dissolved the constitution and tried to extend his rule outside of the…well, some countries have commented on it; I don’t know if the UN -- Spokesperson:  I just did, right now.  You were here.

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Question:  Actually I wasn’t in here, but I am glad to know that.  I just missed that.  I want to also ask you, you’d said, on the people that are travelling with the Secretary-General in Myanmar, you said that they were chosen because of their willingness to pool.  I’m just wondering, as we come up to the trip now, what does this pooling mean?  How are we going to -- Spokesperson:  No, no, no.  I said some of them were willing to pool, some of them.  We gave priority to wire services.  And there are three wire services travelling with the Secretary-General.  And for TV, the pool material is being done by the BBC, and it is being fed.  We have informed all of UNCA and we have informed all the TV media here how they can access that material.

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Spokesperson:  There is no print pooling, no.  It’s just that the wire services will actually send material out immediately.

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Spokesperson:  I can check for you. I don’t have the list with me.

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Spokesperson:  It’s going to be extremely difficult.  The materials that your colleagues are sending will give you information, but there is no way you can reach, it’s going to be very difficult to reach people in Myanmar when they are there because of communications problems. 

Thank you so much.

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

Good afternoon, all.

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The Secretary-General, in his meetings with a wide range of Japanese leaders and people today, emphasized the need to “seal the deal” at Copenhagen and said he cannot imagine a truly effective response to this challenge without Japan’s leadership.

The Secretary-General held a meeting, and a working dinner, this evening in Tokyo with Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso.  He said afterward that he had reaffirmed his conviction of the need to resume dialogue on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, including the Six-Party Talks, and expressed the UN’s readiness to provide any assistance required.  He also discussed Myanmar, which he will visit later this week, and expressed his appreciation for Japan’s support to his efforts there.

The Prime Minister briefed the Secretary-General on Japan’s latest contribution to UN peacekeeping and the Secretary-General expressed his appreciation for its decision to take part in the UN Peacekeeping Operations’ Standby Arrangements.

The Secretary-General began his day in Tokyo with a breakfast with Japanese business leaders from the Keizai Doyukai and the Global Compact Japan Network, who are playing a leading role to bring a new era of responsible and sustainable business.  He then had a lively exchange with students at Tokyo University.

The Secretary-General also had an opportunity to reach out to the next generation of Japan’s leaders by being interviewed on a children’s news programme.  And he met with a special group of Japanese celebrities who are working hard as UN Goodwill Ambassadors to mobilize support for victims of poverty and oppression around the world.

Tomorrow, the Secretary-General will depart for Singapore, and then travel to Myanmar on Friday.

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On Iraq, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, (UNAMI), issued a statement today, angrily condemning the deadly bomb attack in al-Shourga market in Kirkuk, which killed and injured dozens of innocent people.  The Mission said the attack was yet another attempt to provoke reactions that would lead to sectarian and ethnic conflict.

The UN Mission extended its sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery for the wounded, and it called on all groups “not to respond in the fashion that the killers want them to do: with revenge”.

We have that statement upstairs.

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On Pakistan, the six-month mandate of the Commission of Inquiry into the facts and circumstances of the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has formally begun today.  The Commission is composed of three members with Ambassador Heraldo Muñoz of Chile as the head.  He is joined by Marzuki Darusman of Indonesia and Peter Fitzgerald of the Republic of Ireland.  The Commission will soon be making its first visit to Pakistan.  The date of this visit is yet to be finalized.

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Earlier today in Geneva, Johan Verbeke, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Georgia, participated in a press conference, along with his counterparts from the European Union and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).  The press conference followed today’s round of the Geneva International Discussions.

A joint communiqué was read out on behalf of Verbeke and the other two co-chairs of the Discussions.

In remarks to the press, Verbeke said that there had been a very concrete result today.  He said that the Abkhaz side ‑‑ which had always been committed to a prevention mechanism ‑‑ had indicated that they would now move to the implementation stage.  Proof of that was that on 14 July there would be a first consultative meeting in Gali under UN auspices, Verbeke added.  Participants of the Discussions agreed to meet again on 17 September 2009.

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On Western Sahara, the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, Christopher Ross, has completed his second trip to the region since his appointment, at the beginning of the year.  He was in Madrid yesterday where he met with Spain’s Foreign Minister, on the final leg of the week-long tour.

Ross made previous stops in Algiers, Tindouf, Nouakchott and Rabat, and said that he was optimistic about an upcoming informal meeting intended to pave the way for a fifth round of negotiations.  He added that such a meeting would make an important contribution to the search for a resolution to the conflict, which has gone on too long and is hindering the work which needs to be done on regional integration.

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The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, (MONUC), has deplored the prison break that occurred this past Friday at the Aru Central Prison, in the north-eastern Ituri province.  This is the second reported prison break in the [Democratic Republic of the Congo] in less than a month.

The Mission says prison conditions at Aru and across much of the country remain well below international standards.  It again called on the Congolese Government to improve conditions and strengthen security at all detention facilities.

Meanwhile, the Mission says that more than 10,000 Rwandan refugees and former rebels have been repatriated since January.  The Mission explains that the bulk of returnees are civilian refugees but the number also includes some 1,100 former fighters.

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The Force Commander for the UN/African Union Mission in Darfur, (UNAMID), General Martin Luther Agwai, has continued to visit troops across Darfur.  Today General Agwai visited an Egyptian Battalion deployed in Ed Al Fursan in South Darfur.  His new Deputy, General Duma Dumisani has also been out in the field visiting the South Darfuri towns of Nyala, El Daein and Muhajeriya.

In the meantime, the Civil Affairs Section of UNAMID has held a one-day workshop on Social Peacebuilding in Nyala.  The key issues that were tackled included, how to solve land disputes among different groups, transitional justice, as well as how to prevent clashes between farmers and pastoralists.  The workshop was attended by civil society organizations, government officials and participants from Nyala University.

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Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro earlier today delivered an address, on the Secretary-General’s behalf, to the thirteenth ordinary session of the Assembly of the African Union in Sirte, Libya.

Noting the meeting’s theme of addressing the role of agriculture in African food security and economies, she said progress towards the Millennium Development Goals remains inadequate.  She also said that climate change, violent conflicts and the resurgence of non-constitutional changes of governments continue to imperil the lives of millions across Africa.

“Clearly, we meet at a critical time,” she said, exhorting the Heads of State and delegates at the meeting to mobilize action to protect the poorest and most vulnerable ‑‑ and prevent more from joining their ranks.

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With the start of a new month, we have a new Security Council President; with Uganda replacing Turkey in the Council’s rotating presidency.

Ambassador Ruhakana Rugunda of Uganda will hold bilateral consultations with Council members today on the programme of work for July.  He then expects to brief the media in this room tomorrow, at about 12:30, about the schedule for the coming month.

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea – WFP

The World Food Programme, (WFP), says due to the limited amount of resources received, it will drastically scale back its operations in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

WFP Spokesperson in the DPRK, Lena Savelli, in an interview today to UN Radio, said the agency will now be focusing on operations in only 57 counties in the country, instead of the 131 counties it had planned to feed originally.  This will bring down the planned number of beneficiaries from 6.2 million to 2.27 million.  Current resources are sufficient to be at around this level of distribution through to October, but the programme ends in November.

At time of launch, the programme was valued at $504 million to reach all of the hungry people in the DPRK.  But so far, WFP has received only $75 million and it has been forced to cut out much of its operations.

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The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) says it has transferred nine prisoners from the UN Detention Facility in Arusha to Cotonou, in the Republic of Benin.  The prisoners will be serving the remainder of their sentences there.

The transfer comes as a result of decisions adopted in May by the President of the Tribunal after signing relevant agreements with the Government of Benin. The Tribunal says the prisoners are now in the custody of Beninois prison authorities and have begun serving their sentences at a detention facility in Porto-Novo.

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The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that a clinical trial is being launched in three African countries of a new drug that could eliminate river blindness.  According to the agency, river blindness is a devastating illness that has plagued 30 African countries for centuries.  Over 100 million people are at risk of infection.

The development of the new drug is being carried out by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, which is sponsored by UNICEF, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank, as well as WHO.  We have more on that upstairs.

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Agricultural experts are warning against more severe food crises in Africa, unless extensive and long-term efforts are made to prevent them.

During UNCTAD’s meeting on food security in Africa, which has just ended in Geneva, they said that the African farming sector had been neglected for years.  They called for a massive, well-funded programme to support small-scale farmers who produce the majority of Africa’s food.  The gathering also stressed how climate change added to Africa’s food crisis, by bringing droughts and floods.  There is a press release upstairs.

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And also, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), along with the World Bank, are concerned that family planning and other reproductive health programmes vital to poor women have fallen off the development radar.  The global economic crisis, they say, has markedly compounded the lack of funding for such programmes, thus jeopardizing the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal for maternal health.

UNFPA estimates that more than 500,000 women die each year during pregnancy and childbirth from mostly preventable and treatable medical problems.  Calling for an increased investment in women, UNFPA Executive Director, Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, said that “it is not a lack of knowledge that is hindering progress; it is a lack of political will to protect the health and rights of women”.

This is all I have for you today.  Yes.

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Spokesperson:  No.

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Spokesperson:  Not yet.

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Spokesperson:  I don’t have the information on that.  I’ll try to get it for you.

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Spokesperson:  I don’t have any reaction on it at this point, but I will let you know.  I will get the information.  Yes.

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Question:  Thank you, Michèle.  You mentioned that Mr. Ross is so optimistic about the issue of Western Sahara.  Can you tell us what signs of optimism he saw during his meetings to the region; and why couldn’t he set a date yet for the next informal meetings between the Polisario and the [inaudible]? Spokesperson:  You can go to us upstairs and we can give you what we have in terms of the decisions that were taken and the discussions that took place.  Beyond that I do not have any information for you.  But you have upstairs a communiqué from the discussion group.  Yes.

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Question:  Michèle, on the IDPs, you have been giving the updates on the UN appeal.  Last time you said that only 35 per cent of the appeal has come in so far.  Has this been increased to 40 per cent or it’s just 35 per cent?  Do you have any update on that? Spokesperson:  On Pakistan, let me check for you.  I have some figures here; let me check whether there has been an increase on this.  [Checks some papers.]  No, no new figures.  What I have is the distribution of food rations, but nothing else.  The only thing I have is that we have enough supplies for the next two months despite a 51 per cent funding shortfall.

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Spokesperson:  Yes, shortfall, in the $162 million emergency operation in Pakistan, which was the amount that was quoted during the appeal.

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Question:  The other thing that I wanted to ask you was:  I asked this question about the helicopters and you said for the African Union-UN force in Sudan the helicopters have not been provided to them.  And you said if there are at any point in time additional helicopters sent to them you will have such information.  No such helicopters have gone? Spokesperson:  As far as I know, the type of helicopters we requested, we don’t have them.  We have received, I gather, six helicopters from Ethiopia.  But I’ll try to find out more for you on those helicopters.  Actually you can address your request to DPKO.

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Spokesperson:  To find out what was received and what type of helicopters were received.  Yes, Pat.

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Spokesperson:  Well, you have to go to the mission and find out.  Yes, in back there, yes.

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Spokesperson:  Why were the permanent contracts abolished?

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Spokesperson:  Well, I think what we should do is have someone here to talk to you about those management issues.  And we can certainly arrange that since a number of reforms are effective today, including a new internal justice system, including a number of new reforms, particularly reducing the number of contracts from about a dozen to three types of contracts.  But we can get some additional information for you, and we can get someone to brief you on that.

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Spokesperson:  As you know, there is someone replacing him for the time being, that is his deputy, Andrew Gilmore.  We don’t have an announcement yet for his replacement.  Yes, Tarek.  We expect it soon.

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Question:  Yes, Michèle, I’m not sure if you were asked this yesterday or not.  Is Mr. Ban Ki-moon going to send an envoy to Iran to investigate the acts of violence which followed the presidential elections there? Spokesperson:  Not that I know of.

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Spokesperson:  No.

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Correspondent:  Mr. Ahmadinejad.

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Spokesperson:  Well, you know, as I said earlier, I said it two days ago, this is a matter for a country to decide.  Mr. Ahmadinejad is recognized as being the Head of State; he will be dealt with like with any other Head of State, of course.

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Spokesperson:  Yes, but we usually, you know, the usual way we operate is that we usually congratulate a Government when it comes into place.  At this point Mr. Ahmadinejad is still on his current term.  And he won’t start his new term until, if I understand this correctly, until the end of July.  [Later, the Spokesperson added that once a Government is seated, it would receive a congratulatory letter, but that has yet to happen in this case, since the mandate is yet to start.]  Yes, Khaled.

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Question:  Just to follow up on that.  Since the SG has issued a statement expressing his concerns about the elections there, now that things seem to be settled from the Iranian side, isn’t like, another reaction needed from the SG…? Spokesperson:  No, there is no reaction needed, you know.  I have always said it is something for a country to decide for itself.  As I said earlier to you, Khaled, the main problem that the SG had, and he expressed it had to do with post-electoral violence.

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Spokesperson:  Well, we have put out statements on post-electoral violence in quite a few countries.  Yes.

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Spokesperson:  But we always do.  We always do that!  I was asked that question yesterday about Prime Minister Hariri.  When Prime Minister Hariri is inaugurated; when his new Government starts, he will receive a letter of congratulations, the way we do for every Head of State who starts a mandate.  It’s a standard procedure.  You see, the UN does not determine government, the UN does not recognize Governments.  The UN deals with existing Governments.  Yes, Matthew.

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Spokesperson:  Well, in this specific case, the Secretary-General has expressed his stance on this.  He has said ‑‑ and you saw his statement ‑‑ that he asked for the return of constitutional order in Honduras.

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Spokesperson:  Well, for the time being we still stand by our announcement; what we have said before.

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Spokesperson:  Well, they’re dealing with people essentially.  I mean most of the UN agencies work for humanitarian purposes on the ground.  They work with people; they work on issues of development, on issues of… and from what I gather, this work continues.

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Spokesperson:  I don’t know which…  They don’t have to be in contact with Government people all the time.  This is not the case.  They have a programme that they are working on.

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Spokesperson:  As I said, the United Nations is not in the business of recognizing government.  However, the Secretary-General said in his statement that he wished for the return to constitutional order and the re-instalment of the President.

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Spokesperson:  This is what the SG has said and we stand by that.  If there are any changes, then I will let you know.  Yes.

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Question:  On the Myanmar trip, AFP is quoting a Myanmar official saying it’s unlikely the Secretary-General will meet with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.  I’m wondering, what would indicate the success of the trip?  What’s he hoping to accomplish?  For some reason, maybe I’ve missed it, but I haven’t heard, like, what are his goals going in and how will he measure the success of the trip? Spokesperson:  Well, I extensively talked about it.  About the four goals.  Matthew, you were here; that was two days ago.  [Later the Spokesperson spelled out these areas of concern:  the release of all political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi; the resumption of dialogue between the Government and Opposition as a necessary part of any national reconciliation process; the need to create conditions conducive to credible elections; and the need to consolidate and build on the joint humanitarian effort launched further to Cyclone Nargis.]

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Spokesperson:  Well, he is going [interrupted]

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Spokesperson:  Well, as I said, he has expressed four areas of concern.  These areas of concern, if you want to have them again, I can of course [interrupted]

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Spokesperson:  He expects that, yes.

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Spokesperson:  Sure.

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Question:  He’s said previously that he’s concerned in monitoring the issue of both the doctors that were detained, and also these two UN staff about which still nothing has been said.  Has the UN been able to accomplish, particularly on its own staff members, anything in terms of getting them either, you know, released or brought before a court or anything like that? Spokesperson:  Well, I know that the UN Country Team has hired a lawyer who has visited them.  And we can confirm that they are still detained in Colombo.  And really, we have our lawyer working on that with them.

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Spokesperson:  I don’t have that information, but as soon as I get it, you can have it, sure.

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Spokesperson:  Well he has.  He has spoken about it in private with a number of people who could be influential in having them released.  I cannot say any more about this.

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Spokesperson:  Thank you so much.

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

Good afternoon, all.

I will make this short, as I know that many of you have to follow the General Assembly meeting taking place right now.

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At 12:30 p.m. today, Olusegun Obasanjo, the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on the Great Lakes Region, will hold a press encounter at the Security Council stakeout.

Later today, at about 1 p.m., at least we hope so, in this room, Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, President of the General Assembly, and Manuel Zelaya, President of Honduras, will hold a joint press conference on the situation in Honduras.  We will confirm the time as soon as possible.  But this is the way it appears right now.  He is scheduled to start speaking in the General Assembly in about ten or 15 minutes.

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We have a statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General on Georgia.

Following the lack of agreement of the Security Council to continue the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia, (UNOMIG), the Mission effectively ceased its functions as of 16 June 2009, and started its withdrawal.  The Secretary-General expresses his gratitude to the parties for their cooperation with the Mission since its establishment in 1993, and welcomes their expressed readiness to continue to extend their support to the Mission until its full withdrawal.

The Secretary-General affirms the readiness of the United Nations to continue its other key activities and remain engaged in the region.  To that end, he has asked his Special Representative, Johan Verbeke, to continue to represent the United Nations at the ongoing Geneva international discussions on security and stability and on the return of internally displaced persons and refugees.

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The Secretary-General has arrived in Japan, where shortly on arrival, he had a meeting, as well as a working dinner, with Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone.  Speaking to the press afterward, he said that he and the Foreign Minister had discussed the implementation of the Security Council resolution on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Myanmar, UN-Japanese cooperation and the fight against piracy off the waters of Somalia.

On Myanmar, he said that he realized that there are concerns about the timing of his visit because the trial of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is still pending.  He said that he was very conscious of timing, but added that it had been a challenge to find the most appropriate time to come.

The Secretary-General stressed that the Government of Myanmar should release all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi; they should immediately resume the dialogue between the Government and opposition leaders; and they should also create an atmosphere, as well as a legal framework, conducive to credible elections.

He also urged the North Korean authorities to refrain from taking any further measures which may deteriorate the already very serious situation there.  We have the full transcript upstairs.

The Secretary-General has a full day tomorrow in Tokyo.  He will meet with Prime Minister Taro Aso, with Japanese business leaders, children, students, UN Goodwill Ambassadors and political leaders.

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Kai Eide, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, told the Security Council in an open meeting today that the present situation in Afghanistan is complex, but, if it is managed well, could become a turning point to efforts to bring the conflict to an end.

He said that the elections in August will help to strengthen people’s confidence in the democratic process and strengthen Afghanistan’s institutions.  He has urged all candidates to campaign with dignity and fairness and called on the international community to avoid any interference in the election process.

Eide noted that the Secretary-General, in his recent report on Afghanistan, had appealed for a review of the operations by Special Forces.  Eide welcomed the commitment by the commander of the forces on the ground to a fundamental shift in attitude, and noted that the majority of civilian casualties is caused by the insurgency.

He promised the Security Council that he would provide a set of benchmarks for the UN Mission in Afghanistan’s progress by September.  We have his statement upstairs.  The open debate on Afghanistan is continuing, with 28 speakers inscribed.

Today is also the last day of the Turkish Presidency of the Security Council.  Uganda will assume the rotating Presidency of the Council for the month of July.

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On his last day as the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, Staffan de Mistura congratulated the Government of Iraq on its steady progress towards the restoration of full sovereignty for the country, as well as for its efforts towards a more stable, democratic and unified Iraq.  He said, as US troops are redeploying outside of Iraqi cities, “What has been achieved is a real source for congratulation.”  De Mistura added that the primary responsibility for putting Iraq on an irreversible path towards lasting peace and development rests with its people, who are relying on their political leaders to put the needs of the State and of the people above all other interests.  We have his full statement upstairs.

Also today, UNICEF says that a $10 million project funded by the European Community to improve Iraq’s water and sanitation services is under way, and should improve water and sanitation for about 100,000 people in Iraq.

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On Darfur, a number of Darfur rebel groups say they are ready to resume peace talks with the Government of Sudan.  That’s according to the Office of the Joint United Nations-African Union Chief Mediator.  According to his office, Djibril Bassolé met earlier today with the rebel leaders in Tripoli as part of his series of consultations with all the parties to the conflict.  They discussed the Doha peace talks and conditions for the rebels’ effective participation in the search for a solution to the crisis.

Bassolé’s office also reported that Doha will remain the venue for the Darfur peace process.  The Chief Mediator will soon propose a date for the resumption of the talks.

The Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) says a contingent of peacekeepers came under attack yesterday near their base in Geneina, in West Darfur.  One peacekeeper sustained a gunshot wound in the leg and is in a stable condition now.  The attackers remain unidentified.

The Mission also reports that an advance party of Ethiopian peacekeepers has arrived in Darfur by road from Ethiopia, an 1,800-kilometre trip.

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In Somalia, a total of more than 170,000 people have been displaced from the capital, Mogadishu, since early May, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).  The continuing displacements are the result of fresh fighting between Government forces and Islamist fighters.

OCHA is warning that a spell of drought is also endangering the livelihoods of more than 700,000 pastoralists.

Despite the on-going fighting and insecurity, OCHA reports that humanitarian agencies, including the World Food Programme (WFP), the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), and the UN Children’s agency (UNICEF), have continued to provide urgently needed lifesaving assistance to the affected population.

WFP also reports that since late 2007, when naval escorts started protecting ships loaded with WFP food heading to Somalia, not a single ship carrying the agency’s food has been attacked by pirates.  This positive development has ensured that a vital lifeline to some 3.5 million needy people is kept open.

Under the European Union’s Atalanta operation, which started in December last year, WFP has been able to deliver more than 400,000 metric tons of food into Somalia, through Mogadishu, Merka, Bossaso, and Berbera ports.

WFP remains extremely grateful to the European Union for committing itself to escorting ships carrying WFP food for this year.

WFP is, however, worried about any rise in Somali piracy attacks against ships carrying humanitarian assistance and commercial cargoes to Mombasa port, in neighbouring Kenya.

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On Tanzania-Burundi refugees, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, has welcomed a decision by the Tanzanian Government to give more time for the voluntary repatriation of some 36,000 Burundians living in the Mtabila refugee camp in north-western Tanzania.

This last remaining camp hosting Burundian refugees in Tanzania was scheduled for closure today, 30 June, when all its residents were expected to voluntarily repatriate home.

But the Tanzanian Government has announced that the refugees will now have the chance to plan their return home during the traditional high season for repatriation which runs to the end of September.

The Tanzanian Government has also given the assurance that no refugee will be forcibly repatriated.  We have more in a UNHCR press statement upstairs.

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Still on refugees, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees says one of the world’s largest resettlement programmes today passed a new milestone when the 50,000^th Myanmar refugee left a camp in Thailand to begin a new life in the United States.

Resettlement from the nine refugee camps along the Thai-Myanmar border has been ongoing since 2004, but had received an enormous boost in early 2005 when the US offered to give new homes to refugees from the camps.

The refugees, most of whom had been in Thailand for more than 20 years, had not seen a realistic prospect of returning to Myanmar any time soon and were also not able to settle permanently in Thailand.

Some 112,000 registered Myanmar refugees remained in the nine camps along the Thai-Myanmar border and UNHCR expected to resettle a further 6,000 to 7,000 of them in 2009.

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On the first visit ever of a UNICEF Executive Director to the Syrian Arab Republic, Ann Veneman met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Government ministers and First Lady Asma Akhras al-Assad, and she visited programmes assisting children, youth and Iraqi refugees.

“ Syria is recognizing the critical importance of investing in children and adolescents,” said Veneman.  “Yet challenges remain including ensuring quality education, providing opportunities for youth and addressing the impact of drought.”

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