DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
Press Briefing
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
19961003
FOR INFORMATION OF UNITED NATIONS SECRETARIAT ONLY
Sylvana Foa, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, told correspondents at the noon briefing today that the Secretary-General had no appointments as he was "under the weather". She said there seemed to be a flu going around "which had struck the United Nations First Avenue Headquarters with a vengeance", adding that it had nothing to do with the financial crisis.
However, the Secretary-General had sent condolences to the President of the Republic of Bulgaria and the President of the Bulgarian Parliament over the shocking murder of former Prime Minister Andrei Lukanov, Ms. Foa said.
This morning, the Dominican Republic, Ghana, Solomon Islands and Guinea had signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), Ms. Foa said. Yesterday, Togo signed the Treaty, which now had a total of 106 signatories. Another 12 countries had "signed up to sign".
Ms. Foa said the Secretary-General's report on the United Nations Support Mission in Haiti (UNSMIH) (document S/1996/813) was out today. In the first comprehensive report on the Mission since it was established on 28 June, he notes with concern that the security situation had deteriorated in recent weeks. The attacks and shooting incidents in Port-au-Prince reflected an increase in subversive activities, in which some of the demobilized Haitian military and members of extreme rightist organizations seemed to be involved. A number of popular movements had also been held throughout the country and it could not be excluded that a number of locally based vigilante brigades might step up their activities, thus threatening public security and eroding the country's stability.
According to the report, Ms. Foa said, the Haitian national police had not yet reached the level of experience and confidence required to control and defeat threats posed by subversive groups. The 6,000-member Haitian police force was fully deployed in 174 locations in February. However, the young force had three fundamental shortcomings -- inexperience, inadequate equipment and insufficient leadership. For example, the appointment of mid-level and senior-level officers had been delayed. A command centre at police headquarters in Port-au-Prince, and similar centres at each of the nine departmental headquarters, were yet to be established. The Inspector- General's office was investigating 115 cases in which police officers might have been involved in human rights violations. So far, it had completed 35 cases; 14 officers had been dismissed and another 14 were suspended.
Under the circumstances, the Secretary-General considered that UNSMIH's military element -- still the largest and best equipped security force in Haiti -- remained a key factor in the ability of the Haitian authorities to
contain the danger of destabilization by forces threatening democracy, Ms. Foa said. Currently, the Mission had 600 regularly funded troops, 672 voluntarily funded troops and 271 civilian police, for a total force of 1,543.
In the Secretary-General's view, the presence and assistance of the international community would be required beyond November, Ms. Foa said. That would help the Haitian Government set up a professional, well-managed and well-equipped civilian police, ensure the consolidation of a stable environment, allow democracy to take root, and see that economic and social development would be translated into a visible improvement in the people's living conditions. The Mission's mandate would expire at the end of November.
This afternoon, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi, would leave for Bujumbura where he would meet with local authorities and with the United Nations Special Representative for Burundi, Marc Faguy, Ms. Foa said. They would discuss progress in getting direct negotiations started with all parties in the context of the 12 October meeting of the heads of State of the Great Lakes region of Africa.
Ms. Foa said the Security Council was holding consultations today on the Secretary-General's report on the United Nations Preventive Deployment Force (UNPREDEP).
A meeting to mark World Habitat Day would be held from 3 to 7 p.m. on Monday, 7 October, in the Dag Hammerskjold Auditorium, Ms. Foa said. Wally N'Dow, head of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) and Secretary-General of the Habitat II Conference, would open the meeting. Panel discussions would be held on partnerships in sustainable cities, women in human settlements, civic engagements and building sustainable cities. Everyone was invited. There would also be an address from the Secretary- General.
Ms. Foa then announced that the Minister for External Affairs of India, Inder Kumar Gujral, would hold a press conference at 3:30 p.m. tomorrow, 4 October, in room 226.
Ms. Foa said the unofficial, background note for correspondents on the use of sanctions under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, had been updated to reflect the changes that had occurred with respect to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) and Rwanda. Copies were available in the Spokesman's office.
Turning to Liberia, Ms. Foa said the Secretary-General's Special Representative, Anthony B. Nyakyi, today sent a special team to a village about 45 miles west of Monrovia, to investigate the terrible massacre which occurred there on 28 September. The large team included a United Nations pathologist, as well as members of the United Nations Observer Mission in Liberia (UNOMIL), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), security
Daily Press Briefing - 3 - 3 October 1996
officers, representatives of local human rights organizations and legal officers. They would gather preliminary information on the massacre to prepare for a full investigation. The massacre was being taken very, very seriously, Ms. Foa said, adding that it was "a horrible, horrible event".
The ceremony to receive a gift from Arab women to the United Nations and the world's women symbolizing "sisterhood solidarity" would be held at 3 p.m. today, instead of at 12:30 p.m. as originally scheduled, Ms. Foa said. The gift, a brushed stainless steel sculpture, would be received by Under- Secretary-General Ismat Kittani on behalf of the Secretary-General. Senior Advisor to the Secretary-General, Rosario Green, would also attend the ceremony.
A correspondent asked why the Secretary-General could not receive the gift from the Arab women. Ms. Foa said that yesterday afternoon, he had been "hit with a little flu bug which this morning was not any better, in fact it was a little bit worse". The bug seemed to be making the rounds of the United Nations. "If you start calling up the 38th, 37th, 36th or 27th floor, you will find the flu has gotten into the air-conditioning system."
Referring to the Secretary-General's report on Haiti, a correspondent asked if the United Nations was monitoring what was happening in Washington. He had heard that a United States ambassador testified this week before a congressional sub-committee that the security personnel of Haitian President Rene Preval and former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide were involved in murder. However, the Secretary-General's report did not refer to the matter. Ms. Foa said the report did say that there were 115 cases in which police officers might have been involved in human rights violations and that they were being investigated.
Continuing, the correspondent said the ambassador had testified under oath that he was positive the personnel were involved. Ms. Foa said that, although the man might be positive, "at the United Nations, you are not guilty until you've been convicted".
What was the exact purpose of Mr. Brahimi's trip to Bujumbura? a correspondent asked. Ms. Foa said he would be involved in the process leading up to the 12 October meeting of heads of State and government from the Great Lakes region. They were very concerned about the situation in Burundi and had been pushing hard for the start of direct negotiations between all the parties. Mr. Brahimi would also confer with Mr. Faguy. Ms. Foa said she would make his full schedule available to correspondents.
Regarding implementation of the oil-for-food formula, a correspondent asked whether the Secretary-General had a timetable for sending United Nations observers to northern Iraq. Ms. Foa said there still was no time-frame. The United Nations received regular reports on the situation there from its people
Daily Press Briefing - 4 - 3 October 1996
on the ground. Some points needed more clarification. Next week, she would have a better idea of the situation.
Was the situation right for sending in observers? the correspondent asked. The United Nations was still trying to ascertain that, Ms. Foa said. Evidently, the situation was good in some areas and not so good in others, and the United Nations was examining the wider picture. Ms. Foa added that the first thing she had ever learned from the United Nations was the line: "we are reassessing the situation and redefining our role".
A correspondent said there were reports that, of the four people who had been in the United Nations compound in Kabul where former Afghan President Najibullah had been seeking refuge, two had escaped to Pakistan, contradicting other reports that all four had been killed. Asked if she could confirm the reports that two people had gotten to Islamabad, Ms. Foa said she would check.
Samsiah Abdul-Majid, spokeswoman for General Assembly President Ismail Razali (Malaysia), said she had revised the summary work schedule of the Main Committees and the plenary, which had been made available to correspondents earlier this week. The revised version, covering the next three weeks, was available on the third floor.
The Sixth Committee (Legal) was this morning considering measures to eliminate international terrorism, she said. A number of documents, other than the Secretary-General's report on the item (document A/51/336) -- which she had mentioned yesterday -- were now available. They were mainly letters, including one transmitting the official document adopted at the Ministerial Conference on Terrorism, held in Paris earlier this year (document A/51/261).
A new document for the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary), which would be meeting next week, was the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) on the financing of UNOMIL. The ACABQ recommended the appropriation of $14.01 million for UNOMIL for the 12-month period from 1 July 1996 to 30 June 1997.
She said the speakers in the general debate today were Pakistan, Dominican Republic, Senegal, Israel, Barbados, Bahrain, Burkina Faso, Guinea- Bissau, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Hungary, Nigeria, Zaire, Uzbekistan and Guinea.
The Assembly President would meet today with the Foreign Ministers of Angola, Nigeria and Slovakia, Ms. Abdul-Majid added.
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Note:On page 3 of yesterday's daily briefing, the fifth paragraph should read as follows:
"On Thursday, 3 October, at 11:15 a.m., the President of the Dominican Republic, Leonel Fernandez Reyna, would hold a press conference in room 226 and Spanish and English interpretation would be available, she said."
Daily Press Briefing - 5 - 3 October 1996