DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL

2 December 1996

Press Briefing

19961202 FOR INFORMATION OF UNITED NATIONS SECRETARIAT ONLY

"I thought you would all be off seeing Elizabeth Taylor", Sylvana Foa, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, told correspondents at today's Noon Briefing. Ms. Taylor was also holding a press conference.

Today was the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, which focused on the problem of trafficking in human persons, especially women and children. The International Day would be observed on 6 December, however, because World AIDS Day, 1 December, was being observed today.

Ms. Foa said the Secretary-General had met at 10 a.m. with Mwallmu Julius Nyerere, former President of the United Republic of Tanzania. The focus of their discussion had been the situation in eastern Zaire. Former President Nyerere was at Headquarters to speak on a round table organized by the International Peace Academy, from 3:30 to 6 p.m. tomorrow, 3 December, in the Economic and Social Council. The topic would be: Responding to the Growing Crises in the Great Lakes region. As was known, Mr. Nyerere was acting as the facilitator of the Burundi peace talks, which was closely tied to what was occurring throughout the rest of the region.

There was very little new information on eastern Zaire, she went on to say. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) now estimated that 544,000 people had returned to Rwanda from eastern Zaire. That estimate included about 17,000 who returned in the last several days from the group that had been spotted near Minova. Concern remained because it was still impossible to move an observation team into the town of Numbi due to impassable roads. The volcano overlooking the North Goma camps had begun to erupt. "Luckily, no one remained in the camps to be hurt."

World AIDS Day would be observed in the General Assembly Hall at 3 p.m., Ms. Foa said. The Secretary-General would report that today some 22 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, while the total number of worldwide AIDS-related deaths had reached 6 million. Over 90 per cent of all new HIV infections occurred in the developing world, and programmes to halt the spread of new infections had so far met with limited success. In addition, new, anti-viral therapies and treatments remained extremely costly and beyond the means of the vast majority of AIDS sufferers in the developing world.

"The United Nations has taken a lead in providing vital education and prevention programmes, and was working closely with Member States and local populations on the ground", she said. "But today, more than ever, the global challenge of HIV/AIDS demands an informed, considered, and generous response from us all."

The report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1078 (1996) authorizing the setting up of a multinational force was now available, Ms. Foa said. The resolution also asked the Secretary-General to consult with all parties, to draw up a concept of operations and a framework for a humanitarian task force. "The idea of the humanitarian task force was to be a follow-up force to the multinational force", she said.

In his report, the Secretary-General said, "As of the date of the report, the nature, strength, composition, mandate and modus operandi of the multinational force envisioned under Security Council resolution 1078 [and also under Security Council resolution 1080] are still under consideration by the Member States concerned. As long as the Member States involved in the discussions have not taken a final decision, it would not be possible for the United Nations to present to the Council a detailed concept of operations for the proposed, follow-on humanitarian task force". Ms. Foa added, "We don't know what we will be following on".

"However, the immediate concern of the Secretary-General is that hundreds of thousands of men, women and children are still facing hunger, disease and violent death", Ms. Foa continued. "Most of them are scattered in inaccessible and inhospitable areas of eastern Zaire, beyond the reach of those who can bring them help. Neither the United Nations system, nor the non-governmental organization community have the capacity in such conditions to secure access to the refugees and displaced persons, and to deliver to them the relief they need with the necessary speed. This is why the Secretary- General believes that the practical way to avoid a humanitarian disaster is the establishment of some form of military presence in the region."

Continuing, Ms. Foa said the Secretary-General had asked his Special Envoy to the Great Lakes region, Raymond Chrétien, to consult with all parties concerned. He had been to South Africa for consultation with President Nelson Mandela. He had also been in touch with other leaders of the region, with the Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), and with the special representatives of other organizations and countries. He was expected to return to New York around 10 December. He would make his report to the Secretary-General on various aspects of the situation, including possible political solutions, and the Secretary-General would then report to the Security Council. At present, Mr. Chrétien was en route to Nice, where he was expected to see President Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire.

On Afghanistan, Ms. Foa said that the Secretary-General's third three-month report on the United Nations Special Mission to Afghanistan was available today. In it, the Secretary-General said, "The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan remains serious and is likely to deteriorate sharply over the winter months. In spite of the destruction of 300,000 anti-personnel land-mines, it is estimated that up to 10 million mines still remain. It is

Daily Press Briefing - 3 - 2 December 1996

estimated that on average one person is killed per hour in a mine incident. This rate is likely to increase in coming months, as the population, especially children, enter former areas of conflict in search of firewood".

It was estimated that as many as one in 10 Afghans suffered from a disability of some kind, Ms. Foa continued. Malnutrition was now estimated to affect 15 to 20 per cent of all children under five years of age. Safe drinking water was estimated to be available to only 5 per cent of the rural population and, at best, to only 40 per cent of the urban population. More than 2 million Afghan refugees lived outside the country and there were hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons, including up to 50,000 newly displaced as a result of fighting in northwest Afghanistan. The head of the Special Mission continued to shuttle between the Taliban and the Supreme Council to persuade them to meet under United Nations auspices to resume the negotiation of a cease-fire. Those efforts led to a meeting in his office in Islamabad, Pakistan, on 7 November, in which the two sides attended. No specific agreements were reached, but the two sides agreed to continue talks on a cease-fire.

The Secretary-General said, "The suffering of the Afghan civilian population, who continue to bear the main brunt of the civil war, oblige the international community to intensify its search for a peaceful solution".

In that regard, the Emergency Relief Coordinator and Under-Secretary- General for Humanitarian Affairs, Yasushi Akashi, would launch the 1997 Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal for Afghanistan at 11 a.m. tomorrow, in the Trusteeship Council, Ms. Foa said. There would be a short film, produced by Reuters, on the serious humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. According to the Department of Humanitarian Affairs, Afghanistan had the highest rates in Asia of infant, childhood, and maternal mortality. More than 500,000 people in Kabul alone would need urgent food aid to survive the winter. She recalled that the 1996 Appeal was about one-third funded. Hopefully, the 1997 Appeal would receive more support.

Turning to Liberia, Ms. Foa asked, "Remember the disarmament and demobilization process in Liberia? Well, it is losing steam". Only 22 combatants, including five children and one female soldier, were demobilized yesterday. That brought the total number of demobilized combatants since 22 November, when the demobilization began, to 2,258. About 500 of those were "kids under fifteen". The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) had very limited resources and it was working with Save the Children and 40 local non-governmental organizations to assist demobilized child- soldiers. At each disarmament centre, one desk was set up for the children, who were asked to fill out a "tracing form". If families could be traced, they were sent home. If not, they were interviewed to assess their needs, and

Daily Press Briefing - 4 - 2 December 1996

provided with counselling and support to return to school. They were also provided with a month of rations, coupons for health care, blankets and other necessities.

At present, UNICEF had four international and 20 national staff in the region, she said. The funds were very limited. It would be appealing for $40 million for its work very shortly, through the Department of Humanitarian Affairs. In the seven-year war in Liberia, UNICEF believed that approximately 50,000 children were killed, and that between 30,000 and 50,000 had been orphaned or abandoned. Another 300,000 had been forced to flee their homes.

Turning to Guatemala, Ms. Foa said that the peace process was "travelling" this week. On 4 December, the Guatemalan Government and the Unidad Revolucionaría Nacional Guatemalteca (UNRG), together with Jean Arnault, the Moderator, would travel to Oslo, Norway, for the signature of the Cease-fire Agreement. On 7 December, they would go to Stockholm, Sweden, to sign the Constitutional Reform and Electoral System Agreement and, on 12 December, they would be in Madrid, Spain, to sign an agreement on the foundation for the reintegration of the URNG into the Guatemalan political system. On 29 December, they would be in Guatemala City for the signing of the overall Guatemalan Peace Agreement. "This is their way of saying thank you to all the countries that helped them in the peace process", Ms. Foa said.

On Saturday, the Government of Sierra Leone and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) declared that the armed conflict in Sierra Leone had ended with immediate effect, Ms. Foa said. The Secretary-General had issued a statement commending the parties for their dedication and commitment to the peace process, and urging them to implement the provisions of the accord in good faith.

Ms. Foa then announced the following events:

-- At 1 p.m. today, in the United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA) Club, Human Rights Watch would launch its new report, "Bosnia and Herzegovina, Deadly Legacy: The Continuing Influence of Bosnia's Warlords";

-- At 7:30 p.m. today, an exhibit entitled "Inspiration and Innovation, Helen Keller and the American Foundation for the Blind", would open in the General Assembly visitors lobby;

-- On Wednesday, 4 December, at 1:30 p.m. in the UNCA Club, the Parliamentarians for Global Action would present parliamentarians from the Great Lakes region; and

-- On Thursday, 5 December, at 1:30 p.m., the World Wildlife Fund would hold an UNCA Club briefing on the Law of the Sea.

Daily Press Briefing - 5 - 2 December 1996

A correspondent then asked a series of questions regarding the "Dallaire cable" -- the 11 January 1994 cable by General Romeo Dallaire, head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) in Kigali, to General Maurice Baril, regarding information on plans to kill Tutsis.

Why had the Secretary-General not turned the information over to the Security Council? he asked. Ms. Foa said that the Secretary-General had not made the Dallaire cable public for several reasons. First, the cable named the informants. Second, such private cables were not routinely made public. Third, there was serious concern that release of the information might spark violence.

Ms. Foa added that there was no one in the Security Council or the press who was at the United Nations at that time, who could claim that the dangerous urgency and explosive nature of the situation in Rwanda was not made clear on a daily basis during those weeks and months, beginning in October 1993. The Secretary-General, at that time, harangued and bombarded the Council with calls for more troops. The Secretary-General's Special Adviser, Chnmaya Gharekhan, briefed the Council on the situation in Rwanda and on a synthesis of the intelligence being received almost daily. "Everyone knew what was going on", she said. "No one can argue that the need to act was not made very, very clear, as it had been on Burundi, and now on eastern Zaire."

Continuing, Ms. Foa said that the United Nations took information from many places and analysed and synthesized it. "We do not go running to the Security Council with every cable", she said. "This was a cable that said, 'Someone believes plans are being formulated'. It did not say, 'Someone believes something is going to happen tomorrow'." That information was included with other information being received from the field and from sister agencies. It was handled in the normal way.

The Secretary-General should have informed the Security Council, the correspondent said. Ms. Foa replied that the Security Council was informed that the situation in Rwanda was explosive, dangerous, and there was an enormous urgency. Then three Member States with "clout, influence and an intelligence capacity in the region" were shown the Dallaire cable and asked for their help. It was hoped they could do something about it. Unfortunately, no one could. Although efforts were attempted at "every single level", 500,000 people still died. "The United Nations, just like everyone else involved, is going to live with that for the rest of their lives", she said.

"To keep insisting that this was a cover-up, that the United Nations decided to let all these people die, is a disgrace", Ms. Foa continued. In fact, there was no cover-up. The information was brought to the attention of three Member States with clout in the region, and the situation in general was brought to the attention of the Security Council "time and time again".

Daily Press Briefing - 6 - 2 December 1996

What was the Organization's procedure for handling information of that gravity? the correspondent asked. Was it normal to not hand such information to the Security Council, yet to hand it to the embassies on the ground? Yes, Ms. Foa said. It was given to them because it was felt they might be most effective in responding to the situation. It would be naive to think that every cable that came into the United Nations would be forwarded to the Security Council. "Our job is to take our information from the field, to analyse it, and to go to the Security Council with recommendations on what should be done with it", she said.

The correspondent said that the informant referred to in the cable continued to work for General Dallaire and UNAMIR until 6 April 1993, and he informed General Dallaire of the plans of the Hutu extremist forces to collect and distribute weapons and commit the exterminations. Did that information reach the Under-Secretary-General for Peace-keeping Operations, Kofi A. Anan? he asked. Ms. Foa said she had no information concerning other information from that particular informant. She had not read the entire file. The entire file took up filing cabinets that went the length of the room.

To the correspondent's statement that his Government intended to request an official inquiry, Ms. Foa said that there was nothing to hide and she welcomed the request. "We are extremely proud of the way we handled this", she said. "We are very, very sorry that it was not effective in saving the lives of 500,000 people."

Would the letter of President Preval of Haiti to the Secretary-General, requesting renewal of the mandate of the United Nations Mission in Haiti (UNMIH), be made available? a correspondent asked. That letter had been out for some time and would be made available, Ms. Foa said.

Asked for an update on Security Council resolution 986 (1995), regarding the sale of Iraqi oil, Ms. Foa said that the Saybolt Company, which had been contracted to inspect and certify that metering systems were operating at acceptable standards, was supposed to enter the region tomorrow. One metering station at Zakho still had to be inspected. It should take a couple of days to ascertain that the meter was working, and "that is the last item on our list". An interim report had already been issued by the Secretary-General. The final report to the Council "that would start the clock ticking" simply had to wait for the report by Saybolt, she said.

Samsiah Abdul-Majid, spokeswoman for General Assembly President Razali Ismail (Malaysia), said the plenary this morning continued considering the item on the question of Palestine. As of today, all the Main Committees, with the exception of the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) and the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) had concluded their work. On Friday, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) and the Sixth

Daily Press Briefing - 7 - 2 December 1996

Committee (Legal) had concluded their work with the adoption of a number of drafts, a listing of which had been made available to correspondents that day.

[The Third Committee approved draft resolutions on the strengthening of the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights/Centre for Human Rights (A/L.3/51/L.39/Rev.1) without a vote; and on the situation of human rights in Iran (L.41/Rev.1) by a recorded vote of 78-26-49, in Nigeria, (L.53/Rev.1) by a recorded vote of 86-14-56, and in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) (L.68) by a recorded vote of 131-1-20.]

[Drafts approved by the Sixth Committee, all without a vote, on Friday afternoon, were those on the report of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization (A/C.6/51/L.20), establishment of an international criminal court (L.10), and measures to eliminate international terrorism (L/15/Rev.1).]

Ms. Abdul-Majid said the Second Committee would be considering many draft texts this morning and afternoon, in hopes of concluding its meeting today. A list of drafts it approved would be made available later in the day. The Fifth Committee still had to conclude a number of items, including those relating to the 1996-1997 budget, the 1998-1999 budget outline, and human resources management. The plenary would meet tomorrow on the situation in the Middle East.

* *** *