PRESS BRIEFING BY FRED ECKHARD
SPOKESMAN FOR THE UN SECRETARY-GENERAL

UNITED NATIONS

September 18, 2002

Excerpts

. . .

**Iraq

Yesterday afternoon, Hans Blix, the Executive Chairman of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commmission for Iraq (UNMOVIC), met with an Iraqi delegation for preliminary talks about practical arrangements related to the resumption of inspections.  In a statement issued afterwards, UNMOVIC said the Iraqi delegation had informed them that it needed some time to study and consult in Baghdad about these practical arrangements.

It was agreed that further talks would take place and be concluded at a meeting in Vienna the week of the 30th of September, and the exact timing of the meeting being subject to the Executive Chairman's need to be available to the Security Council.  Both sides believe the meeting yesterday afternoon was useful, and the Iraqi delegation welcomed the return of inspectors, the statement said.  We have the statement upstairs, although I think most of you saw it yesterday.

. . .

**Upcoming Guest

Finally, tomorrow at the noon briefing, our guest will be the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Terje Roed-Larsen, and he will be releasing the latest UN report on the Palestinian economy which includes important new statistics for the first half of this year.

**Questions and Answers

Question:  This morning only resident correspondents were allowed at the Security Council stakeout.  Just wondering if there was a change of rule about…?

Spokesman:  No, we've told security repeatedly that the guidelines we agreed on is that every accredited journalist, no matter what the color of your card, can go to that stakeout.  So if I have to go down and see Chief McCann again to straighten this out, I'll do so immediately after this briefing.

Question:  The meeting that I think is scheduled between the Secretary-General and the Iraqi Foreign Minister -- could you tell us a little bit about who requested that meeting and what you expect the agenda to be?

Spokesman:  I'll have to check for you. I'm sorry.  I don't know.

(Before the briefing concluded, Mr. Eckhard added:  "We've been told that the meeting between the Secretary-General and the Iraqis was requested by the Iraqi side.  And we usually don't say what it's about.  But you might ask them if you want to know what it was about beforehand.  We often try to get readouts if we can, and we'll see if we can later today".  That meeting would take place at 5:30 p.m. today.)

Question:  You quoted the press release about the meeting between Hans Blix and the Iraqis.  And that language includes the phrase:  "to conclude the practical arrangements in the week beginning the 30^th of September".  I take it

from that that the UN has established with Iraq that those arrangements have to be agreed by the end of the week beginning the 30^th of September.  Is that correct?

Spokesman:  My reading of that statement, and I don't speak for Mr. Blix -- he has his own press spokesman who issued that statement -- but my reading of that statement is that both sides agreed that these negotiations would be concluded in Vienna at that session.

Question:  There were some indications that a massacre took place in Burundi on a night of September.  And the figures ranged between 200 and 1,000 people killed.  Is the UN looking into the matter?

Spokesman:  I have to look into that for you.  I don't have any information or guidance on that subject.  [The President of the Security Council later told the press that the Council deplored the continuing conflict and firmly condemned the massacres just carried out in the Gitega region.

. . .