In progress at UNHQ

DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL

2 May 1996



Press Briefing

DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL

19960502 FOR INFORMATION OF UNITED NATIONS SECRETARIAT ONLY

Sylvana Foa, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, told correspondents at today's noon briefing that the Secretary-General had returned to New York in the morning and would be meeting with Chairman Arafat shortly after noon today. Chairman Arafat would hold a press conference in room 226 at 3:30 p.m. Correspondents were urged to arrive early because of security measures.

Responding to queries on Chairman Arafat's previous visits to the United Nations, Ms. Foa said that his most recent visit was on 23 October 1995, when he met with the Secretary-General; he was also present on 22 October, for the special commemorative session of the General Assembly for the fiftieth anniversary. He also came to the United Nations on 14 September 1993, when he also met the Secretary-General. There were two other previous visits, November 1974 and also December 1988, when he went to the United Nations Office in Geneva.

Ms. Foa told correspondents that the informal briefing organized by the United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA) with the Permanent Representative of Chile, Juan Somavia, previously scheduled for 3 p.m. today in the UNCA Club, would be rescheduled due to Mr. Arafat's press conference at almost the same time.

Yesterday, the Governments of Eritrea and Yemen agreed to settle peacefully through arbitration their dispute over Greater Hanish Island and several other islands in the Red Sea, Ms. Foa said. Both Governments approved the terms of an accord on the principles of this arbitration. The Secretary- General welcomed the agreement and the decision to solve the problem by peaceful means. He paid tribute to the mediation role played by France. He thanked those who played a role in the resolution of the conflict, including Egypt and France.

The Security Council had met at 11 a.m. today and was going over its work programme for the month of May; then they would take up other matters.

"We're really on a roll. Yesterday it was Hopper the rabbit. Talk about hoppers, today, the UN received a check for $30.80 mailed from Helena, Montana, on behalf of three people and four firebelly toads" as a contribution towards covering the United States debt to the United Nations, Ms. Foa said. The letter said that the toads were "especially appreciative of the UN's work maintaining the ozone layer and the earth". Ms. Foa said she deeply thanked the firebelly toads and their family. She added, "We're seriously considering

making next week Pay-Your-Dues Pet Cockroaches of America Week, and see what we get".

As of 30 April, she continued, United States citizens' individual contributions amounted to $16,120.41 from 1,238 cheques from 2,672 people and animals (dogs, cats, rabbit and toads). The numbers, including donations per state, were available in the Spokesman's office.

Regarding a question yesterday on Eastern Slavonia, Ms. Foa said that communications with Vukovar, specifically its satellite phones, were still not working. "We have to try and call through Zagreb, and it doesn't work. Vukovar, if this message reaches you, please call home", she said. "A lot of people are trying to get some information from you."

However, reports coming from the United Nations Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium (UNTAES) had been checked and there were no reports on any massive Serbian exodus from the region. "We have, however, observed the withdrawal of all the militia, about 700, belonging to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, as well as the withdrawal of heavy weapons and military equipment, including 29 tanks, 23 artillery pieces and 11 AA guns, this last week. Also, she said that the Jordanian infantry battalion had arrived, "so we now have 4,243 troops on the ground, of an authorized strength of 5,000", around 85 per cent of the total deployment mandated for UNTAES. A Pakistani infantry battalion was on its way, as well as an Argentine company.

Peter Fitzgerald, head of the International Police Task Force (IPTF) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, would be at Headquarters next week and had been asked to attend Monday's noon briefing to give an update on IPTF and also on IPTF officer Tiny Blackman, whom many correspondents had asked about.

A correspondent asked about the United Nations military adviser, General Franklin van Kappen, and his investigation of the shelling of the UN compound in Qana, adding that the weekly foreign affairs newsletter in Jane's Information Group had said that the investigator had concluded that the base had been targeted deliberately by the Israelis. Ms. Foa, saying that she had seen the story on the wires, noted that basically "no one has a finished report". The investigation report had been worked on all week "and they need to pursue certain aspects of the investigation further. They don't feel that they have a conclusive report yet, and they're still following up", she said. "I know there are lots of rumours out there. There are little bits and pieces of the puzzle going all over the place, and they are still being put together", and something was expected next week.

Could General van Kappen come to the noon briefing on the day he would brief the Security Council? the correspondent asked. "The request has already been put in, complete with strong-arm tactics, and pleas" she said.

Daily Press Briefing - 3 - 2 May 1996

With the financial situation being what it was, had anything been done to diminish the amount of paper and print put out by the Organization, that seemed to be increasing rather than decreasing? a correspondent asked. Benon Sevan, the Assistant Secretary-General for Conference and Support Services had put out a note to Member States on the subject. "Member States were not very pleased, as there was no longer any free paper, and they were getting only one copy of every document, instead of being able to pick up 10 or more when they go to the meetings", Ms. Foa said. Also, Mr. Sevan had agreed to come to the noon briefing at some point next week to give correspondents "a full run-down on economy measures", including cutting the flow of paper, she added.

Was the United Nations considering a way of thanking these animals, perhaps a Bring-your-pet-to-work Day? a correspondent asked. "That's a very good idea", Ms. Foa said. "We've been writing them letters and thanking them. Daisy, the dog who wanted to pay her dues even though she was not a model citizen in any other respect, got a letter the other day. We told her we liked her the way she was". Perhaps a Bring-your-toad to the UN would be appropriate, she added.

What was happening to the money? a correspondent asked. The money was still in a reserve fund that the United Nations could use for emergencies or whatever, and "that money can be paid back to that reserve fund as the dues of Member States flow in", Ms. Foa said.

Referring to a story "that kept coming up for the last 20 years", a correspondent asked if the United Nations had an official position on whether Chairman Arafat wore his gun while he was addressing the General Assembly in 1974? Ms. Foa asked if any of the correspondents had been present at that meeting. From the back, one of the correspondents shouted, "He did not!". Another said that she had been present, "and the consensus was then, among those of us who watched it", that he was pointing his finger. Ms. Foa suggested that correspondents ask Chairman Arafat at the press conference.

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For information media. Not an official record.