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

UNITED NATIONS

September 24, 2002

Excerpts

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**Security Council Debate on Middle East

Just after 2:00 this morning, the Security Council ended its day-long formal meeting on the Middle East by voting on a resolution that reiterated the Council's demand for the complete cessation of all acts of violence, including all acts of terror, provocation, incitement and destruction.

The resolution demanded that Israel immediately cease its measures in and around Ramallah, including the destruction of Palestinian civilian and security infrastructure, and withdraw its occupying forces expeditiously from Palestinian cities, towards the positions held prior to September 2000.  The Council also called on the Palestinian Authority to meet its expressed commitment to ensure that those responsible for terrorism are brought to justice.

The resolution, submitted by the Council's five European members, received 14 votes in favour and one abstention, from the United States.  It was adopted after several sessions of consultations, in which drafts submitted by the United States and Syria were also considered, and an open debate that began in the morning, following a request by the Arab Group.

The Secretary-General opened that debate yesterday morning, saying that, less than a week ago, the Quartet dealing with the Middle East had agreed on the need for a process driven both by performance and by hope.  But the events of the past few days, he warned, "represent a tragic step in the opposite direction".

The Secretary-General noted the systematic grinding down of the Palestinian Authority's headquarters in Ramallah, in which 10 Palestinian civilians have been killed, and the mass protests in Palestinian cities against it.

The Secretary-General warned that any policy built on forcing the other side to capitulate "is not working, and will never work", and added that a policy of concentrating on security first had failed, since "there will be no lasting security without a political settlement".  The Palestinians, he added, need to recognize that there will be no political settlement without security for Israel.  We have copies of his speech upstairs

**Palestinians/UNRWA

Today in Amman, Jordan, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, known as UNRWA, said at a meeting of donor countries that it faces a budget deficit of 17 million dollars for this year, even as it is trying to cope with the worst humanitarian crisis in the West Bank and Gaza Strip since 1948.

The Agency's Commissioner-General, Peter Hansen, said that in addition to that deficit, half of the Agency's emergency appeal, amounting to 173 million dollars, for this year remains unfunded, and less than 47 million dollars of that appeal has actually been received so far.  The shortfall will force the Agency to cut back on food and other emergency aid for Palestinians, despite recent studies showing growing malnutrition among Palestinian children.

Hansen said that the challenges UNRWA faces are as great as any in its long and turbulent history, and added, "We have to wonder at the ability of the Palestinian population to continue coping".  The breaking point for the Palestinians, he warned, "must be somewhere close".

We have a press release with more details in my office.

Also, today is the second and final day of an International Conference of Civil Society in Support of the Palestinian People, being held here at Headquarters with the theme, "End the Occupation!"  This afternoon, the groups in attendance will present a plan of action.

Yesterday, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Kieran Prendergast addressed that Conference to deliver a message from the Secretary-General that "the essential objectives of security and humanitarian relief cannot be achieved in isolation.  We must return to the search for a just and comprehensive solution, which alone can bring security and prosperity to both peoples, and indeed to the whole region".

We have copies of that speech upstairs.

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**Oil-For-Food

According to figures released by the Office of the Iraq Programme, following months of sluggish oil export levels under the United Nations oil-for-food programme, Iraq's exports were up significantly last week, to 1.9 million barrels per day, for a total of 13.3 million barrels.  This was the highest single weekly volume of exports registered since the start of the current phase XII of the programme on 30 May 2002.  The week's oil shipments netted an estimated $344 million in revenue, at current prices and rate of exchange.

The volume of approved contracts for the purchase of humanitarian supplies which are lacking funds as a result of cumulative revenue shortfall grew to $2.32 billion, covering 1,291 contracts. 

There are more details in the full report, which is available upstairs.

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**Afghanistan

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees announced today that more than 1.7 million Afghan refugees have returned to the country, under an assistance program launched on 1 March by UNHCR and governments in the region. The rate of returns has dropped to around 20,000 in the past week from a high of 100,000 per week in May, mainly because of the approaching winter.  Around 1.5 million of the returns were from Pakistan.

UNHCR also said that nearly 268,000 Afghans have left Iran for their homeland since the beginning of April, when the voluntary repatriation operation began.

**Human Rights

High Commissioner for Human Rights Sergio Vieira de Mello today addressed an informal meeting of the Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, saying that his Office will help States to integrate and implement the treaties that they have accepted.

Referring to the events of 11 September, he said, "A brutal attack and exceptional threat may require an extraordinary and unequivocal response".  That response, however, should involve measures that are taken in transparency, are of short duration and respect fundamental human rights norms.

We have copies of his statement upstairs.

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**Questions and Answers

Question:  The Secretary-General has now completed his meetings with the five Ambassadors, the five Permanent Representatives of the Security Council. What was the essential message that he presented to these gentlemen in those meetings? And what do you think he accomplished by those meetings?

Spokesman:  Those were private meetings.  He was consulting with each of the Permanent Members on the subjects of the Middle East generally and Iraq specifically.  But he has not told me, and I don't think he feels obliged to tell you, about the substance of those conversations.

Question:  What's the official position of the Secretary-General on the dispute between Lebanon and Israel concerning the Wazzani River?

Spokesman:  He is supportive of U.S. efforts to mediate between the two countries.  He is aware that the U.S. has sent water experts to the area.  There was an erroneous report, I think, a couple days ago that the United Nations had sent water experts, or intended to send water experts.  That's not so.  And so he's watching the situation carefully, asking both sides to keep the rhetoric calm and lower the volume and let's see if we can't find a peaceful settlement to this water dispute.

Question:  Has the Secretary-General given any reason why he scheduled the meetings with the P-5?

Spokesman:  No, I think you can just close your eyes and imagine what's going on behind the scenes as members of the Security Council try to reach agreement on the text of a resolution concerning Iraq and the situation in Iraq.

And how the international community responds to it will have a major impact on the Middle East region as a whole.  That is the general topic area that he's been covering with them, but again, I have no more specific details.

Question:  The Secretary-General is meeting the Foreign Minister of Pakistan.  Do you have anything on that?

Spokesman:  No, normally we don't say anything before a meeting.  If you ask specifically, we can try to get a readout after the meeting.

Question:  What was the level of the Secretary-General's participation in the drafting of "Resolution Iraq"?

Spokesman:  I don't think he would be involved at all in the drafting.  He very clearly passed the ball to the Security Council and to Hans Blix after he received the letter from the Iraqi Foreign Minister a week ago last Friday.  He does not want to interfere with the Council's deliberations.  But the way the institution has evolved in recent years, the Secretary-General works very closely with the Council.  I think he would be urging them to maintain unity.  As he said at his Quartet press conference, the Council is only strong when it is united.  He is staying in touch with the parties, but he is not getting involved with the drafting.  In fact, to my knowledge, there isn't a draft.

Question:  Can you tell us anything about the persons who are going to be participating in the talks in Vienna, beginning Monday, on either of the sides that make up the parties?

Spokesman:  I'll have to check with Mr. Blix's office to see if they can let us know.  I don't know if they yet have the list on the Iraqi side.  I assume it will be Mr. Blix and his senior aides, but let me check with his office and get back to you after the briefing.

(The Spokesman's Office later announced that Mr. Blix would head the United Nations delegation and be accompanied by his senior directors. Additionally, there would be an IAEA presence on the United Nations side.  There was, however, no word on the composition of the Iraqi delegation.)

Question:  What is the UN thinking on what Baghdad was referring to over the weekend when it referred to an agreement Iraq had with the Secretary-General?

Spokesman:  I frankly don't know whether the reference was to the Memorandum of Understanding of 1998 or something more recent.  But there was not an agreement as such between the Iraqis and the Secretary-General except his advice to them when they were drafting their letter to keep it short, keep it simple, and make the acceptance of the inspectors unconditional.

Okay, Richard?

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