DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
Press Briefing
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
19960925
FOR INFORMATION OF UNITED NATIONS SECRETARIAT ONLY
Sylvana Foa, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, began today's briefing by announcing that Marrack Goulding, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, would brief correspondents on the situation in Afghanistan which, she added, was "rather timely from what we see happening militarily there today".
The Secretary-General was watching the situation in the Jerusalem area and in Ramallah in particular, with great concern. He hoped all sides would exercise restraint, and has asked to be updated throughout the day.
In his first meeting today, the Secretary-General met with the President of Guatemala, Alvaro Arzu Irigoyen, and said the President had helped create a climate in which the United Nations negotiating efforts could prosper, she said. Mr. Arzu Irigoyen said all substantive items had been agreed between the Guatemalan Government and the Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca (URNG). What remained were such operational matters as the cease-fire, the demobilization of the URNG and the re-insertion of its members into civilian life. The role the United Nations would play in helping the parties implement their agreement was discussed, and the Secretary-General assured the President that the United Nations work would be divided among all the different programmes, funds and agencies of the system. "So, we're in there to help them until they get it all sorted out", she said.
Later this morning, the Secretary-General met with the President of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Kiro Gligorov, and was now meeting with the Prime Minister of Sweden, Goran Persson. His other meetings of the day included the Foreign Minister of Paraguay, Ruben Melgarejo Lanzoni; the President of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Alija Izetbegovic; the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Basdeo Panday; the Foreign Minister of Canada, Lloyd Axworthy; the Prime Minister of Slovenia, Janez Drnovsek; and the Foreign Minister of Denmark, Niels Helveg Petersen.
This evening at 6 p.m., the Secretary-General would receive the InterPress Third World News Agency International Achievement Award for his contribution to advancing the cause of development, democracy and world peace, Ms. Foa said. Previous recipients included Martti Ahtisaari, the President of Finland; Randall Robinson of TransAfrica; Danielle Mitterrand, former First Lady of France, and Jean-Bertrand Aristide, former President of Haiti. The guest speaker tonight was Fernando Berrocal Soto, Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to the United Nations and Chairman of the "Group of 77" developing countries. Roberto Savio, Director-General of the InterPress Service, would present the award. Read outs of today's meetings could be made available.
In advance of Mr. Goulding's briefing, Ms. Foa said there were currently seven international United Nations staff in Kabul, including five men. There were no immediate plans for evacuation.
Ms. Foa said there was some good news, though she was reduced to the telling of only partial good news because she had not had any real good news in a long time. There were still only 90 Member States that had paid their dues in full, but today the United Nations had received a check from the Russian Federation, towards peace-keeping, dues of more than $29 million. That meant outstanding contributions were down to "a meager $2.7 billion. Gettin' there". That was $ .7 billion for the regular budget, and $2 billion for peace-keeping.
Yesterday, 71 countries signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), she said. The list of those countries, and of those signing today and in the coming days, was available in her office. The Afghanistan Mission had asked for an emergency meeting of the Security Council, to be held at 3 p.m. today. The Council would also be briefed at 3:30 p.m. tomorrow by Carl Bildt, the High Representative for the Implementation of the Peace Agreement on Bosnia and Herzegovina. He would then brief correspondents in room 226 at approximately 4:45 p.m. Regarding queries about Mr. Bildt's upcoming report to the Council, she said only parts of the report had so far been received and they had been sent for advance translation. A full report was not expected until early next week.
Ms. Foa then listed press conferences to be held tomorrow in room 226. At 10:30 a.m., the Foreign Minister of Ireland, Dick Spring; at 11 a.m., the Foreign Minister of Italy, Lamberto Dini; at 12:45 p.m., the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom, Malcolm Rifkind; at 1:30 p.m., the Hunger Project winners of the tenth annual Africa Prize for Leadership for the Sustainable End of Hunger, sponsored by the Mission of Mali; at 2:15 p.m., the President of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Alija Izetbegovic; and at 3:30 pm., the President of Guatemala, Alvaro Arzu Irigoyen.
At 4 p.m. today, in the Economic and Social Council Chamber, a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) conference on "Empowerment in Action - Women in Decision Making" would be opening, Ms. Foa said. Three hundred women leaders and activists would review progress made in fulfilling the commitments made at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing and chart a map for future action. Bella Abzug -- "our favorite" and the architect of the Scoreboard of Commitments in Bejiing -- was expected. Also expected were Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the highest ranking woman at the UNDP, Gertrude Mongella, Secretary-General of the Beijing Conference, and Letitia Ramos Shahani, President of the Philippines Senate.
Daily Press Briefing - 3 - 25 September 1996
The spokeswoman for the President of the General Assembly, Samsiah Abdul-Majid, said the Presidents of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and of Guatemala had addressed the Assembly this morning. The President of Bosnia and Herzegovina would speak this afternoon. Other speakers today were the Vice-Chancellor and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany; the Prime Minister of Sweden; the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of China; the Minister for Foreign Affairs of France; the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Algeria; the Secretary for External Affairs of the Federated States of Micronesia; the Deputy Prime Minister and Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of Austria; the Prime Minister of Slovenia; the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Cooperation of Luxembourg; the Minister for Foreign Affairs of South Africa; and the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago.
The President of the United States, William Clinton, and the President of Poland, Aleksander Kwasniewski, had addressed the Assembly yesterday, as well as speakers from 12 other countries -- the Prime Ministers of Latvia and Japan; the Deputy Prime Ministers and Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Croatia, and of Ireland on behalf of the European Union; the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom; as well as the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Belgium, Denmark, Canada, Egypt, Costa Rica and the Republic of Moldova.
Ms. Abdul-Majid said that Assembly President Razali Ismail would have four meetings today, and was meeting with the President of Colombia, Ernesto Samper Pizano, at the time of the briefing. In separate meetings yesterday with the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, the Foreign Minister of India and the Prime Minister of Latvia, as well as those held on Monday with the Vice-Foreign Minister of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Foreign Minister of Iran, the Assembly President sought the Ministers' cooperation in enhancing the image of the United Nations. The Ministers expressed their support for the President's efforts in that regard, and indicated their Governments' willingness to cooperate. They also discussed issues relating to United Nations reform.
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