DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
Press Briefing
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
19961125
FOR INFORMATION OF UNITED NATIONS SECRETARIAT ONLY
Sylvana Foa, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, began today's noon briefing by stating, "We do have some really sad news today. According to the preliminary reports that we're getting from the Comoros Islands, there were probably about six members of the United Nations family on board that Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa that was hijacked and subsequently crashed."
"We're still checking the list; we don't have everything down firm yet because of problems with the passenger list, but they were evidently staff and people affiliated with the United Nations and families. We also lost a very, very good friend of the United Nations -- somebody who spent his entire life covering the news all over the world, travelling to the hot spots and generally risking his life to bring people who really were in need of help from very remote and dangerous places. That was Mohamed Amin, who we all knew as 'Mo' Amin. I think you've all seen his documentaries. He was the Africa Bureau Chief and cameraman for Visnews, now Reuters TV. He was the journalist who brought to the attention of the world the famine in Ethiopia in 1984. Without those pictures, I don't think we would have had the massive world-wide effort that we did have to save those lives. He was 53 years old and we send his family and friends our deepest condolences. He was really a good friend to people in need."
Ms. Foa then announced that Iraq had sent a letter to the Senior Adviser to the Secretary-General, Chinmaya Gharekhan, which, in effect, states that Iraq was satisfied with the position that Mr. Gharekhan had taken about the implementation of Security Council resolution 986 (1995) and agreed with the views of the Secretariat on the modalities for the implementation of resolution 986, as set out in the Memorandum of Understanding.
Regarding the pricing formula, Ms. Foa said that overseers had come back and that the December pricing formula would go today to the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 661 (1990). The Secretary-General would submit an interim report to the Security Council before the end of the month. There was still work to be done, but there was optimism that there would be movement within the next few weeks.
Turning to events in Liberia, Ms. Foa said that on Friday, 22 November, the disarmament and demobilization process had begun. As of yesterday, 808 soldiers of various factions had been disarmed and demobilized, many of them children. A child soldier was any soldier under the age of 15. At the Randall St. demobilization site, there had been 133 demobilized soldiers, 62 of them children. They had surrendered 120 weapons and materiel, all in serviceable condition. At another site, 97 soldiers had been demobilized, 16 of them children. Four demobilization sites were now operational and more would be established in coming days. Each site had a limited capacity to disarm and demobilize. There were now 26 United Nations observers at nine sites, along with the Economic Community of West African States' Monitoring Observer Group (ECOMOG). There would be 20 more military observers deployed shortly. "We're moving along, cooking with gas and we're going to beef up UNOMIL to do it," she said.
Regarding the situation in eastern Zaire, Ms. Foa said that United Nations staff had entered the Bukavu area during the last few days. They had visited six camps in South Kivu, all of them destroyed and abandoned. In all those camps they had found only one refugee, an older woman whose children had taken flight. She was now on her way back to Rwanda. United Nations staff had found people burying 12 decomposing corpses, including those of children.
The United Nations had been prevented from entering the Zairian town of Sake, so reports that refugees were moving from Bukavu towards Goma could not be confirmed. Few refugees from South Kivu had returned to Rwanda. Today, some 1,800 had returned from Goma to Gisenyi, on the Rwandan side of the border. Of that number, 600 had come from South Kivu -- the first large group from that area. Returning refugees had stated that many more refugees were still in the South Kivu area.
Between Thursday and Saturday, refugees had crossed into Rwanda at a rate of 3,000 to 4,000 per day. Most were emerging from the Virunga National Park near Mugunga. At Mugunga, refugees were being transferred by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to Gisenyi. Some 12,000 other refugees, mostly from Zaire and Burundi, had arrived in the United Republic of Tanzania over the weekend. Of those, 8,000 of them were Zairians who had entered Tanzania by boat and 4,000 were Burundians who had travelled overland from that country. Total new arrivals in Tanzania this month amounted to more than 90,000. The new arrivals from Burundi said another 20,000 Burundians were massed at the border, trying to cross into Tanzania at Kibondo. They were fleeing clashes between government forces and rebels in the south of Burundi. Tanzania now harboured some 725,000 refugees -- 535,000 from Rwanda, 30,000 from Zaire and 160,000 from Burundi.
Saturday's Canadian-sponsored informal donors' meeting on refugee reintegration for the Great Lakes region, held in Geneva, had drawn some 135 representatives of 20 countries, including Rwanda, United States, Australia, Japan and others, as well as Europe, along with representatives of United Nations humanitarian agencies and non-governmental organizations. They had discussed how best to achieve reintegration, including strengthened support for professional human rights monitoring, enhanced assistance for the justice system and measures in support of peace-building and national reconciliation. A communique from the conference, along with the text of
remarks made by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Sadako Ogata, were available in the Spokesman's Office.
The Security Council today was discussing reports of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Angola Verification Mission (UNAVEM III), the United Nations Preventive Deployment Force (UNPREDEP) and Western Sahara. The Council was also being briefed on Somalia and Council resolution 986. At 4:30 p.m., the Council would undertake consultations of the whole on recommendations on the appointment of the Secretary-General.
Myanmar had become the 136th signatory of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), Ms. Foa said. The Treaty still had only one ratification, that of Fiji.
A new summary, dated 15 November, of outstanding contributions to the United Nations, to peace-keeping and to the international tribunals was available, Ms. Foa announced. Russia had written a check for $41 million on Friday, bringing the Organization's outstanding debt down to just below $2.5 billion.
In a few minutes, the Secretary-General would be meeting with Edouard Brunner (Switzerland), his Special Envoy to Georgia. Mr. Brunner would brief him on the recent elections in Abkhazia and on the general situation in the region.
A note was now available on the signing of the peace accord between Guatemala and the Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca (URNG), which would take place in Guatemala City on 29 December. Correspondents wishing to attend should fill out a form available from the media accreditation section or from the document racks.
Ms. Foa then announced that at 11:15 a.m. tomorrow, 26 November, the United States Mission would sponsor a press conference with William Orme, Executive Director of the Committee to Protect Journalists. He would be introducing the recipients of the sixth annual 1996 International Press Freedom Awards, which had been won by journalists from India, Mexico, the Palestinian Authority and Turkey. Three of the journalists would be available to discuss their experiences and the situation in their countries.
A correspondent asked whether the announcement regarding oil exports from Iraq would be followed by "weeks of delays". Ms. Foa responded that the Secretary-General would be sending an interim report to the Security Council. The Seybolt company, contracted to provide oil inspectors in Iraq, had sent in an advance team to examine metering stations. The team had found that the station monitoring exports to Turkey was not functioning properly and the Government of Iraq had said that the problem would be fixed shortly. That team would have to go back to make sure it was functioning. The Secretary-General had made clear that he did not want the "clock to start ticking" until everything was up and running. Another logistics team would look at accommodations and facilities for the customs inspectors from Lloyd's. Thereafter, they would need to see a "green light" on the pricing formula.
Asked for an update on the demand by Iraq that the United Nations replace certain staff in that country, Ms. Foa said that following a discussion with Mr. Gharekhan, Iraq had agreed to the modalities of the Memorandum of Understanding laid down by him.
Were the child soldiers in Liberia demobilizing spontaneously or had they been brought in by their commanders? a correspondent asked. They had been brought in, but more detail and "color" would be available later, she said.
Asked when oil would being flowing from Iraq, Ms. Foa said that there were still additional steps to be taken. "If I knew, I'd be a rich woman."
Samsiah Abdul-Majid, spokeswoman for General Assembly President Razali Ismail (Malaysia), said that the plenary was today considering the strengthening of the United Nations system. Some 17 speakers were expected to address the Assembly.
This morning the President, on behalf of the Assembly, had expressed sympathy with the Government and people of Honduras following recent floods in that country. He expressed the hope that the international community would show its solidarity and respond to requests for assistance.
The General Committee would meet on Wednesday on requests to include two items in the Assembly agenda -- the proclamation of 7 December as international civil aviation day and on cooperation between the United Nations and the International Organization for Migration.
The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) was considering several resolutions -- four for action and one to be introduced -- including one on the transit environment of land-locked States in Central Asia. That draft would invite donor countries to provide assistance to improve the transit environment for newly independent and developing land-locked States in Central Asia and their transit developing neighbours.
The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) had many drafts on human rights, including one on human rights in Kosovo, by which the Assembly would condemn human rights violations and demand that the authorities in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) take all necessary measures to end all human rights violations against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo, release political prisoners and cease the persecution of political leaders. By a draft on human rights in Nigeria, the Assembly would call for the Government to conduct trials in strict conformity with international human rights instruments and for the Government of Nigeria to fully implement its interim undertakings to the Secretary-General without further delay.
Seven drafts related to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and five on the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices were before the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization).
The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) this afternoon would discuss the Organization's programme budget for 1996-1997, including the budget of the International Seabed Authority for 1997, which included a request of $2.8 million for administrative expenses. Also, it would consider requirements resulting from resolutions and decisions adopted by the Economic and Social Council in 1996, totalling some $1.1 million.
A correspondent then asked what was the President's view on a permanent forum for indigenous people, which was to have been created in the United Nations system. She said that she would check with him.
Asked when the plenary would take up relations between the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), she said that the agenda item was scheduled for 12 December.
Would the press be able to travel with the Secretary-General when he went to Bolivia to attend the second Summit of the Americas? a correspondent asked. Ms. Foa responded that when the Secretary-General travelled with a chartered plane, seats were sometimes available for correspondents. But the Secretary-General usually travelled on commercial flights where possible. He would likely travel towards the end of next week. No other trips were planned, though he may travel to Guatemala to attend the signing of the Peace Acord, if possible.
Asked whether there would be a noon briefing on Friday, 29 November, the day after Thanksgiving, Ms. Foa said that there would not. The Spokesman's Office would be staffed, she said. For her part she would be attempting to clean off the "archaeological ruin I call a desk".
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