Posted on 02/04/2003 3:18:07 PM PST by HAL9000
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY FRED ECKHARD
SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Tuesday, February 4, 2002
IRAQ: POWELL TO BRIEF SECURITY COUNCIL AT 10:30 A.M. MEETING WEDNESDAY
{German Ambassador Gunter Pleuger, in his capacity as Security Council President for the month of February, told reporters after this morning's consultations on the program of work, that on Wednesday, starting at 10:30 a.m., the Security Council will hold a formal meeting on Iraq, with a briefing by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. In all, he said, 12 foreign ministers were to attend the Wednesday meeting.
Pleuger said all Council members would speak, with Powell speaking first and the others chosen by lot to address the Council afterward. Besides Powell, the other speakers were asked to keep their presentations within six to eight minutes. Pleuger said Iraq has requested to participate in the meeting, and if the Council accepts, it would have an opportunity to speak after the Council members have done so.]
Asked what Secretary-General Kofi Annan expects from the Wednesday meeting, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General would not pre-judge, adding that he looks forward to see what the U.S. Secretary of State will bring to the table.
Asked further whether the Secretary-General would travel to Iraq, the Spokesman said he had no plans to make such a trip. Asked about Annan?s meeting today with Iraq?s Ambassador to the United Nations, Mohammed al-Douri, Eckhard said the Secretary-General had asked for the meeting.
Asked about the Secretary-General?s view about the planned visit to Baghdad by UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) Executive Chairman Hans Blix and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei, the Spokesman said there was ?no distance? between the Secretary-General and the two officials on their decision to go. He noted that Blix, who spoke with the Secretary-General over the weekend, takes his instructions from the Security Council.
PRESS ACCESS LIMITED FOR WEDNESDAY MEETING
Because a large influx of journalists is expected at UN headquarters on Wednesday, the access to the Security Council stakeout area will be limited. The Media and Accreditation office will hand out 250 special passes for journalists and technicians, starting at 5:00 this afternoon. Resident Correspondents will not need the special pass to have access to the stakeout with the special pass.
On Wednesday morning at 8:00 a.m., the Media Liaison Unit will distribute 100 tickets for the press gallery, on a first-come first-served basis, in the Security Council chamber. Tickets for the chamber will be needed by both resident and non-resident correspondents.
In addition to the Security Council stakeout, a second position will be set up at the Delegate?s entrance, for the arrival and departure of delegations. UNTV cameras will be at both from 9:00 a.m. onwards. UNTV will also cover live the photo opportunity at the start of the luncheon being hosted in the Delegate?s Dining Room by German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer.
The meeting in the Security Council will be covered live via UN webcast.
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