DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
Press Briefing
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
19961004
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 was feeling better. He had been working on the phone non-stop between sips of lemon tea, and she hoped that he would be back at work over the weekend.
Three major reports had come in today, said Ms. Foa. The first one was the report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium (UNTAES) (document S/1996/821). The Secretary-General said that the normalization of relations between Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia had allowed the process of political transition in the region to gain momentum.
However, in conjunction with those positive steps towards reintegration, the Secretary-General said that UNTAES faced three challenges: unwillingness to move forward on the part of some of the Serb leaders in the region; bureaucratic obstructions on the Croatian side; and, in consequence, a continued feeling of uncertainty among the residents of the region. The Secretary-General urged the Croatian Government to take more energetic steps to foster a political and public atmosphere conducive to confidence-building, and consequently to the fulfilment of the UNTAES mandate. He said that the obstructionist attitudes of some hard-line elements in the local Serb leadership were squandering opportunities to secure firm commitments for job security, economic development, and the orderly return of Croat displaced persons. He added that the wise course for those who had been responsible for leading their people was full cooperation with UNTAES.
The second major report was that of the United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH) (document S/1996/820), said the Spokesman. It was a progress report summarizing the Mission's activities since the end of June. In it, the Secretary-General states that, with the approach of the end of the first year of implementation of the peace agreement in Bosnia and Herzegovina, there was a growing consensus on the need for a continued international presence to consolidate the gains achieved so far. He reiterated his firm conviction that "the continued presence of United Nations civilian police monitors is contingent upon the existence of a secure environment maintained by a credible international military force". He expressed concern at recent developments which fostered separatist tendencies, adding that the outcome of the elections must not be allowed to strengthen such tendencies, reinforce the results of ethnic cleansing, or confirm the division of Bosnia and Herzegovina along the Inter-Entity Boundary Line. He also expressed concern that "almost none of the 1.5 million displaced persons and refugees whose homes are now under the control of the authorities of a different group have returned home". It was the task of the international community to ensure that those who wished
to return to their former homes might do so under secure and dignified conditions. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimated that, since the beginning of 1996, only 220,000 or perhaps as many as 240,000 people had returned to their homes. Most of those had returned to majority areas -- in other words to areas controlled by their own ethnic group.
Today's third major report, said Ms. Foa, was that of the High Representative for the Implementation of the Peace Agreement on Bosnia and Herzegovina, Carl Bildt, which had been transmitted to the Security Council and was also available on the racks (S/1996/814).
The Security Council faced a busy day, said Ms. Foa. It was taking up the Secretary-General's report on Haiti, as well as the report on the United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observervation Mission (UNIKOM). The third item on the Council's agenda was a draft presidential statement on Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Ms. Foa explained that, in December 1995, the Council considered the report of the Secretary-General on the violations of international humanitarian law that had followed the fall of Srebrenica in June 1995. The Council had adopted resolution 1034 (1995) condemning in the strongest possible terms the violations that had occurred in the areas of Srebrenica, Zepa, Banja Luka and Sanski, most between July and October 1995. The Council had said that the violations must be fully and properly investigated, and demanded that all States and all parties to the conflict in the former Yugoslavia cooperate fully with the International Criminal Tribunal on the Former Yugoslavia. It had asked the Secretary-General to keep it regularly informed on progress reached during the investigation.
The Senior Adviser to the Secretary-General, Chinmaya Gharekhan had briefed the Council regularly, including on progress in exhuming mass graves, she continued. The last briefing had been given on 30 August by Assistant Secretary-General Lansana Kouyate. Ms. Foa went on to tell correspondents that the Council now had before it the draft presidential statement already mentioned: the statement would express the Council's concern at the very little progress achieved so far in the investigations, and would appeal to all the parties to make every effort to identify the fate of missing persons. The Council was also looking askance at attempts to obstruct the investigations or to destroy, alter, conceal or damage evidence.
Under the heading of "other matters", the Council was considering a draft reply to the 3 September letter from the Secretary-General on the question of Palestine. She would be elaborating on that matter later, said Ms. Foa.
"Where do we stand on the CTBT today?" she went on. This morning the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty had seen two more signatories -- Saint Lucia and Zaire -- following yesterday's signing by the Dominican Republic,
Daily Press Briefing - 3 - 4 October 1996
Ghana, Solomon Islands, Guinea, Uzbekistan, Niger and Venezuela. That made 111 signatories to the CTBT, said Ms. Foa, adding that Zaire was one of the 44 "core" countries which must sign before the Treaty enters into force, which meant that only six of the 44 had yet to sign. "We're moving along there", she commented.
She went on to say that she had been given a statement issued at the request of the Missions of Guyana and Venezuela, whose Foreign Ministers had met at Headquarters today with senior United Nations officials to review the state of discussions on the controversy between the two countries. In reviewing the situation, the Foreign Ministers had noted that relations between the two countries were good, and were improving in a number of areas. They noted also that the discussions, taking place under the aegis of the Secretary-General, were being conducted in a cordial and positive atmosphere. The Ministers agreed that in the period ahead there should be more frequent meetings between the Facilitators from their countries, and between them and the Secretary-General's Personal Representative. They further agreed to keep the progress of discussions under regular review and to meet again to assess the situation at an appropriate time in the future. Ms. Foa assured a correspondent that the press would be kept informed of developments in the area.
She concluded by informing correspondents that next Monday, 7 October, was World Habitat Day. Wally Nidow, Executive Director of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), would open a meeting at 3 p.m. in the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium; there would be many panel discussions; a statement by the Secretary-General was already available, although under embargo. In it, he basically said that World Habitat Day was an observance that drew attention to the plight of the nearly 1 billion people around the world who were either homeless or had inadequate shelter, without access to electricity, water or sanitation. The majority of those people lived in the rapidly expanding cities of the developing world.
Ms. Foa added that Ruth Perry, Chairman of the Council of State of the Liberian National Transitional Government, would hold a press conference at Headquarters at 1 p.m., on Wednesday, 9 October. On Thursday, 10 October, at 11:30 a.m., the President of Sierra Leone would also hold a press conference.
A correspondent asked why Jonas Savimbi, the leader of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), had not attended the recent meeting of regional leaders at Luanda, and what the implications of his absence might be. Ms. Foa said his absence meant that a very unique opportunity of adding new momentum to the peace process had been missed. However, she said that the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Angola, Alioune Blondin Beye was currently at Headquarters. He would be reporting on the question to the Secretary-General. If correspondents wished, she would arrange for Mr. Beye to give them a more in-depth view of developments. "So we'll set our traps out for Mr. Beye", she said, adding that it was possible the briefing would be conducted in French.
Asked for details on the current position in the Guyana-Venezuela border dispute, the Spokesman told the correspondent that she would arrange for a briefing to cover that question.
Daily Press Briefing - 4 - 4 October 1996
Samsiah Abdul-Majid, spokeswoman for General Assembly President Razali Ismail (Malaysia), said that 13 speakers were addressing the Assembly today, including the Presidents of the United Republic of Tanzania and of Suriname. Other speakers were Saint Lucia, Mozambique, India, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Kazakstan, Botswana, Zambia, Panama, Fiji, Seychelles and Ghana.
The General Committee would meet on 8 October to consider a request (document A/51/231) for the inclusion of an item entitled "Observer status for the International Seabed Authority" in the Assembly's agenda, Ms. Abdul-Majid said, adding that the request had been submitted by 18 countries.
A number of pledging conferences were to be held in November, for development activities and the World Food Programme (WFP). Announcements of voluntary contributions for the UNHCR would be held on 13 November and, for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), on 5 December.
A new document for consideration by the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) when it meets next Monday, 7 October, was a report of the Secretary-General (now available as document A/51/428) on Western Sahara. The report covered the period 5 October 1995 to 30 September 1996. On Monday the Committee would also be considering requests by petitioners to be heard at the meeting.
A new document had been issued for consideration by the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary), said Ms. Abdul-Majid. It was a report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), on the financing of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). Basically, she said, the ACABQ concurred with the Secretary- General's recommendation for the Assembly to appropriate $13.3 million for the period 1 July to 30 November 1996, and about $18.6 million for the period 1 December 1996 to 30 June 1997 (subject to the Mission's extension after 30 November).
There was also the Secretary-General's report (document A/51/191/Add.1) on the financing of the United Nations Support Mission in Haiti (UNSMIH), she said. That called for the appropriation of about $57.2 million for the period 1 July 1996 to 30 June 1997, and an assessment of about $24 million from 1 July to 30 November. Further assessment was contingent upon Security Council extension of the Mission's mandate.
The Assembly President's schedule today included meetings with the Presidents of the United Republic of Tanzania and Suriname, and with the Foreign Ministers of Cambodia and Niger, she concluded.
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