SECRETARY-GENERAL ARRIVES IN CAIRO AFTER VISITING YEMEN AND ERITREA

Press Release
SG/T/2016/Rev.1*

SECRETARY-GENERAL ARRIVES IN CAIRO AFTER VISITING YEMEN AND ERITREA

CAIRO, 31 December -- On Saturday, 30 December at 9:30 a.m., the Secretary- General held talks with the Vice-Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Yemen, Abdul Karim Al-Iryani. Mr. Al-Iryani said the Secretary-General's presence in Sana'a was a great occasion, being the first visit by a United Nations Secretary- General to Yemen. He expressed his Government's appreciation for the very effective contribution of the United Nations development programmes throughout Yemen, and for the role of the United Nations and the Secretary-General in resolving the crisis of 1994, which threatened the unity of Yemen.

The Secretary-General assured the Foreign Minister that the United Nations system, represented by eight agencies and programmes throughout Yemen would continue to provide assistance in the various aspects of economic development. The Secretary-General mentioned the fact that the United Nations had helped Yemen remove 40,000 mines around Aden, and would pursue the mine-clearing programme despite the shortfall in contributions from the international community.

The Foreign Minister then presented Yemen's views on the dispute with Eritrea over the Hanish islands in the Red Sea. The Secretary-General reiterated his readiness to play the role of honest broker if the two sides so desired. he would be in Asmara tomorrow, 31 December, for talks with the Eritrean President and would listen to his point of view, after which he would be in a better position to put forward some ideas.

At 10:15 a.m. the Secretary-General met the President of Yemen, Lieutenant- General Ali Abdalla Saleh, with whom he discussed the strong relationship between the United Nations system and Yemen, and reviewed the development programmes being carried out by the United Nations Country Team throughout Yemen. They also conducted a tour d'horizon of world issues, including the situation in Iraq and the Secretary-General's efforts to persuade Iraq to implement Security Council resolutions 986, and the question of Libya's relations with the United Nations and the situation in Western Sahara.

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* Reissued to incorporate additional information on page 3.

The Secretary-General and President Saleh reviewed the dispute between Yemen and Eritrea over the Red Sea islands of Hanish. The Secretary-General informed the President that the United Nations was prepared to offer any assistance if requested to do so by the parties.

Concerning healthcare in general, the delegation stated that the Government had increased its efforts to extend health services to the general President Sales then bestowed Yemen's highest honour, The Order of Unity, First Class, upon the Secretary-General, in recognition of his services to humanity and world peace. The Secretary-General thanked the President, the Government and the people of Yemen, expressing his sincere wishes for success, prosperity and peace to the Republic of Yemen.

At 11:20 a.m., the Secretary-General called on the Prime Minister, Abdul Aziz Abdul Ghani. The Prime Minister expressed his appreciation for the extensive contribution of the United Nations system to development in Yemen over the years, exemplified in the activities of the eight agencies and programmes, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), World Food Programme (WFP), World Bank and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The Prime Minister also referred to the positive work of the United Nations Capital Development Fund.

The Secretary-General and Mr. Abdul Ghani reviewed Yemen's forthcoming five-year development programme, in which the United Nations system would play a vital role. The Prime Minister underlined the need for developing countries to have access to modern technology. He also mentioned the fact that contributions from donor countries were on the decrease and the Secretary-General concurred, saying that he too had to deal with donor fatigue. He informed the Prime Minister that he had been invited to attend as an observer, along with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the next Group of Seven summit in Lyons, France, in June, where he would be making the case for more assistance from the rich, industrialized nations to the poor, developing countries.

The Secretary-General also mentioned the seminar on journalism, due to be held in Sana'a from 7 to 11 January, under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI), and which will be attended by over 120 journalists from some 70 countries.

At 12:20 p.m. the Secretary-General met the Speaker of Parliament, Sheikh Abdulla Ben Hussein Al-Ahmar, and the Head of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Hassan Al-Matari, as well as members of the Committee. They had a lively discussion about world events, including the question for sanctions against Iraq and the Secretary-General's efforts to persuade Iraq to accept the oil-for-food formula contained in Security Council resolution 986; the role of the United

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Nations in the peaceful resolution of conflicts, such as those in Afghanistan, Tajikistan and some parts of Africa, in addition to the dispute between Yemen and Eritrea. On the latter, the Secretary-General once again underlined his hope that a just solution could be found soon, so that peace may prevail in this important region, leading to prosperity for its people. "There could be no development without peace", he said, "nor can there be peace without development."

At 1:30 p.m., the Secretary-General was the guest of honour at a luncheon hosted by the Prime Minister and attended by all members of the Cabinet of Ministers and the diplomatic corps in Sana'a. In his toast, the Prime Minister praised the efforts of the Secretary-General in promoting world peace and added, "We, in the Republic of Yemen recognize the role of the United Nations represented by its Secretary-General. And it is worth recalling that Yemen, since it joined this international forum in 1947 has been amongst the countries that supported the Organization in its efforts to play an effective role for the last half century. We would like to confirm our attachment to the principles of the Organization and to the principle of the peaceful resolution of international conflicts..."

The Secretary-General thanked the Government and people of Yemen for their hospitality, saying he was especially proud to be the first Secretary-General to visit the Republic of Yemen.

In the afternoon, the Secretary-General visited the United Nations headquarters in Sana'a which houses the offices of UNDP, WFP and UNFPA, and met with the staff of the United Nations system in Yemen, including the aforementioned programmes and WHO, UNHCR, FAO, UNICEF, the World Bank and the United Nations Information Centre. He underscored the importance of coordination among the programmes and agencies.

At 6:45 p.m., the Secretary-General held a press conference for the Yemeni and international press.

At 7:35 p.m., the Secretary-General met the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Planning and Development, Abdul-Kader Bagamal, who briefed him on Yemen's development programmes.

The Secretary-General was accompanied on this visit by the Executive- Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), Hazem El-Biblawi, his Military Adviser, Major-General Franklin Van Kappen, and the UNDP Resident Coordinator, Onder Yucver, who attended all the aforementioned meetings.

On Sunday, 31 December, at 8:30 a.m., the Secretary-General left Sana'a for Aden, accompanied by the Under-Secretary of the Foreign Ministry for Political Affairs of Yemen, Ghaleb Ali Gamil; the Permanent Representative of Yemen to the United Nations, Abdalla Al-Ashtal; and the UNDP Resident Coordinator in Yemen.

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The Secretary-General arrived in Aden at 9:15 a.m. and was received by the Governor of Aden, Taha Ghanem, and senior officials. After a tour of the city, which included the national Museum and Al-Muashek point where the Arab and Red Seas meet, the Governor presented the Secretary-General with the key to the city.

During their discussions, the Governor expressed his appreciation to the Secretary-General for the UNDP's contribution to the development of Aden's infrastructure. The Secretary-General informed the Governor that a further $5 million was forthcoming from UNDP for reconstruction programmes.

The Secretary-General arrived in Asmara at 1:20 p.m. He was received by the Foreign Minister of Eritrea, Petros Solomon, senior officials and the UNDP Resident Representative in Eritrea, M. Ngwenya.

In a brief airport statement the Secretary-General pointed out that this was his second visit to Eritrea; his first was in January 1993. He said he was on a mission of goodwill, to listen to the views of President Isaias Afwerki on the dispute between Eritrea and Yemen over the Red Sea islands. The Secretary- General added that he would also discuss with the President regional issues, as well as development programmes in Eritrea which were one of the main activities of the United Nations.

At 2 p.m. the Secretary-General held a tête-à-tête meeting with President Afwerki.

At 3 p.m., they were joined by their delegations for a working lunch. The Secretary-General was accompanied by his Military Adviser, Major-General Franklin Van Kappen, and the UNDP Resident Coordinator. President Afwerki was accompanied by Foreign Minister Petros Solomon, his Chef de Cabinet Amin Hassan and the Head of the Department of International Organizations at the Foreign Ministry, Semere Russom.

The Secretary-General conducted a broad review of United Nations peace- keeping operations, including those in Mozambique, Angola, Rwanda, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Kuwait and Bosnia and Herzegovina. They also discussed the situation in the Great Lakes region, particularly the question of Rwandan refugees in Zaire and the United Republic of Tanzania. The President raised the question of the proliferation of light arms in developing countries, and urged the United Nations to address this serious problem in a comprehensive manner. The Secretary-General briefed the President about the Organization's efforts to deal with this issue, especially the United Nations demining programmes.

At 4:15 p.m., the Secretary-General left Asmara for Cairo. In an airport statement, the Secretary-General said he had conferred with President Afwerki on the dispute between Eritrea and Yemen over the Red Sea islands of Hanish, following talks he held in Yemen with President Ali Abdulla Saleh.

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The Secretary-General said he was pleased to note that the political will existed on both sides to resolve the issue by peaceful means.

The Secretary-General reiterated that he stands ready to extend his good offices to help the two countries settle their differences. He still hopes, however, that the issue could be resolved bilaterally or through regional arrangements.

The Secretary-General intends to report to the Security Council on his consultations with the parties.

The Secretary-General expressed his best wishes to the Eritrean people for peace and prosperity on the occasion of the new year, 1996.

He was seen off at the airport by Foreign Minister Solomon and the UNDP Resident Representative in Eritrea.

The Secretary-General arrived in Cairo at 6:30 p.m. local time on a working visit. He was received at the airport by the Deputy Foreign Minister, Sayed Al- Masri, a representative of the Presidency and the Chief of Protocol of the Foreign Ministry.

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