DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL

11 December 1996

Press Briefing

DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL

19961211 FOR INFORMATION OF UNITED NATIONS SECRETARIAT ONLY

"It is another exciting day at the United Nations corral", Sylvana Foa, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, told correspondents at today's noon briefing. The Tarumi Violin Children's Foundation, a group which performed around the world to raise money to help victims of natural disasters, had arrived this morning to serenade the Secretary-General. The children played "Peace On Earth" and "It's a Small World". "They were absolutely adorable", she said. "I never saw such tiny, serious violinists, with such tiny violins."

At 11 a.m., the Secretary-General had received a courtesy call from his former Representative in El Salvador, Ricardo Vigil of Peru, she said. The Secretary-General had wanted to personally bid him farewell and thank him for his work in El Salvador between October 1995 and September 1996. At noon, the Secretary-General would receive the credentials of the new Permanent Representatives of Qatar and Togo. This afternoon, he would speak at the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in the General Assembly. The text of his speech was still under lock and key.

Today, at 5 p.m., the Secretary-General would meet with Raymond Chretien, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes region, who had returned from his mission to the area, Ms. Foa said. Mr. Chretien would brief the Security Council at 3:30 p.m tomorrow, and had tentatively scheduled a press briefing for 4:30 p.m. in room 226.

On the sale of Iraqi oil under Security Council resolution 986 (1995), Ms. Foa said that, according to the latest report of the four "overseers" -- officials charged with approving oil sales contracts -- a total of four contracts had now been received. Two new contracts, received at 2:53 p.m. and at 3:10 p.m. yesterday, were now under active consideration. One of two previously received contracts had been approved, and the second of those had been returned to the company "to cross the i's and dot the t's" before resubmission. Henceforth, the overseers would be reporting updates to the Spokesman's Office on a daily basis, at 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

"Just a reminder to countries, that we are getting close to the 15th of December", Ms. Foa said. By that date last year, 104 countries had paid their regular budget dues for 1995. This year, as of 11 December, only 97 had paid. "Do we want to fall behind 1995?" she asked. "Get that money in. We want to beat out 1995." Neon lights would be put up for any country paying its regular budget dues before 15 December, she quipped.

"Let's go to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)", Ms. Foa said. Following consultations with regional groups, the Secretary-General was recommending to the General Assembly that the term of office of UNEP's Executive Director, Elizabeth Dowdeswell, of Canada, be extended for one year, beginning 1 January 1997.

Ms. Foa went on to explain the reasons for the recommendation of a one- year extension. As was known, she said, the United Nations was conducting a very serious review of its economic and social sectors. In January 1997, the Governing Council of UNEP would take up basic questions regarding the financing and organization of the Programme. In June 1997, the Assembly would hold a special session to review all programmes and committees established under Agenda 21, including UNEP, the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (HABITAT), and the Committee for Sustainable Development. Since the review was ongoing, it was decided that it would not be prudent to extend her term for more than one year.

Turning to "another report under lock and key", Ms. Foa said that the Secretary-General's Report on the United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH) was expected to be distributed to the members of the Security Council this afternoon. "We tried very hard to get a copy, but it was no go", she said.

At the Peace Implementation Conference in London last week, it had been agreed to recommend an extension of the mandate of the United Nations International Police Task Force (IPTF), Ms. Foa said. It was also agreed that that Task Force would be allowed to investigate or assist investigations of human rights violations by local law-enforcement personnel. In light of that new responsibility, the United Nations would evaluate whether an increase in the number of police monitors was required. At present, there were 1,700 authorized police monitors. Further details on that matter would become available in the Secretary-General's report. Meanwhile, the Contact Group was still finalizing a draft omnibus resolution on Bosnia and Herzegovina, which would be available soon.

Turning to the Great Lakes region of Africa, Ms. Foa said that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had evidently found an estimated 100,000 Rwandan refugees in Zaire's Shabunda region, about 175 kilometres west of Bukavu. Initial reports indicated that those people were malnourished and stricken by diseases. No further details were currently available. The relief agencies in the area had begun an emergency airlift, mainly of high-protein biscuits and medicines. Flights from Nairobi and Entebbe would stop in the central Zairian town of Kindu to transfer the goods to smaller planes, because Shabunda did not have a very large airport. The UNHCR also reported that there were still no new returns to the communes of Rwanda by refugees who had been in the southern camps around Uvira.

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On Tajikistan, Ms. Foa said that although New York had not yet received a written report, an agreement seemed to have been reached this morning between President Emomali Rakhmonov of Tajikistan and the Tajik opposition leader, Sayid Abdullo Nuri. It should be recalled that the two were holding meetings in northern Afghanistan. They had planned to meet only yesterday, but because they were making progress, they had decided to continue their talks. They had agreed to restore the cease-fire -- which would be monitored by joint teams accompanying United Nations observers -- and to meet again in Moscow on 19 December to sign a peace accord. The Security Council would receive a briefing on the matter this afternoon.

Ms. Foa then announced that at 2 p.m., Nana Mouskouri -- international singer, member of the Europarliament, and honorary spokesperson for UNICEF -- would speak in room 226 in connection with the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of UNICEF. That press conference was sponsored by the Mission of Greece.

At 1:30 p.m. tomorrow, 12 December, the United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA) would host a briefing on East Timor by Ambassador Francesco Lopes Da Cruz, Ambassador-at-Large for Indonesia, in the UNCA Club, Ms. Foa said.

At 5:30 p.m., 18 December, UNCA would also hold a "Christmas-Yule- Hannukah-Kwaanza-End-of-General-Assembly-and-UNCA-and-Secretary-General- election-New-Year's party. "No matter what you celebrate, come celebrate it with UNCA", Ms Foa added.

What was the Secretary-General's response to the beginning of the straw poll process and its results? a correspondent asked. Ms. Foa said the Secretary-General was watching the process "with the same fascination that we all are". He was happy that the process was moving along.

Had the Secretary-General met with Kofi A. Annan, Under-Secretary- General for Peace-keeping Operations, in the course of the past few days? a correspondent asked. Ms. Foa said that he met with all United Nations officials on a regular basis. She doubted very much there would be a meeting between them on the subject of the polling for the selection of the Secretary- General, however.

Asked how closely the Secretary-General had been following the voting, Ms. Foa said she did not know. "He can turn on the television, just like the rest of us", she said.

Did the Secretary-General's recommendation on the UNEP Executive Director position reflect his opinion of Ms. Dowdeswell's performance on the job? a correspondent asked. Ms. Foa said it had nothing to do with that. There were many economic and restructuring issues before the Organization. The Governing Board of UNEP would meet in January to look at the financing and

Daily Press Briefing - 4 - 11 December 1996

governing of UNEP. Additionally, there were problems in the Organization. As was known, it was carrying out downsizing. For those reasons, it was felt that it was better to stand pat until the Governing Board and the General Assembly had their chance to consider the matter.

Samsiah Abdul-Majid, spokeswoman for General Assembly President Razali Ismail (Malaysia), said he would speak at the fiftieth anniversary of UNICEF this afternoon in the Assembly. His statement would be made available.

Ms. Abdul-Majid said that yesterday, the plenary had adopted all the draft texts of the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security), 26 of which were by vote, including those on the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, on an international agreement to ban anti- personnel land-mines, and on the convening of a fourth special session of the Assembly devoted to disarmament.

By a vote of 163 in favour to 2 against (Israel, United States), with 5 abstentions, the Assembly decided to convene, subject to the emergence of a consensus on its objectives and agenda, the fourth special session devoted to disarmament in 1999. There were three votes on the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, on the legality of the threat or use of nuclear weapons. Paragraph three, adopted by a vote of 139 in favour to 7 against, with 20 abstentions, underlined the unanimous conclusion of the Court that there existed an obligation to pursue in good faith, and bring to a conclusion, negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects, under strict and effective international control.

By the terms of paragraph four, adopted by a vote of 110 in favour to 27 against, with 29 abstentions, the Assembly called on all States to fulfil their obligation immediately by commencing multilateral negotiations in 1997, leading to the early conclusion of a nuclear-weapons convention. The draft as a whole was adopted by a vote of 115 in favour to 22 against, with 32 abstentions.

Ms. Abdul-Majid said the draft resolution on an international agreement to ban anti-personnel land-mines was adopted by the Assembly by a vote of 155 in favour to none against, with 10 abstentions.

By that resolution, the Assembly urged States "to pursue vigorously an effective, legally binding international agreement to ban the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti-personnel land-mines". It welcomed the various bans and moratoriums, and called upon States that had not yet done so, to declare and implement such bans and moratoriums.

She said that, as had been done yesterday, she would continue to make available a list of voting results on the third floor, as the plenary adopted draft texts of the Main Committees.

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She said the plenary had a full schedule tomorrow, apart from the reports of the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural). It would consider a number of items and draft resolutions. By the drafts on the financing of peace-keeping operations, the Assembly would appropriate about $25.3 million for the United Nations Preventive Deployment Force (UNPREDEP) from 1 July 1996 to 30 June 1997, as well as $75.6 million for the same period for the United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and $140.5 million for the United Nations Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium (UNTAES).

The draft resolution on international assistance to Rwanda for the reintegration of returning refugees would urge all States, United Nations organizations and specialized agencies, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and multilateral financial and development institutions to continue to assist Rwanda in the resettlement and reintegration of refugees, she said. The Assembly would call for the provision of continued assistance to alleviate the intolerable conditions in Rwandan prisons. It would encourage the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda to pursue its work speedily and call upon all States to cooperate with the Tribunal.

She said that by another draft, on assistance to the Palestinian people, the Assembly would urge Member States, international financial institutions, and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to extend generous economic and social assistance to the Palestinian people. It would urge them to open their markets to exports from the West Bank and Gaza Strip and call upon the international donor community to expedite the delivery of pledged assistance.

She said the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) also had "quite a full plate". One of the issues before it was on the financing of the United Nations Angola Verification Mission (UNAVEM III), for which an appropriation of $152 million for the period from 1 July 1996 to 30 June 1997 was sought.

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