DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
Press Briefing
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
19961216
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 this morning had had a tête-à-tête with Under-Secretary-General for Peace-keeping Operations Kofi Annan -- or Secretary-General-elect, as Mr. Annan should presumably be called. For correspondents who might have missed the story last Friday, Ms. Foa added, the Security Council had come out unanimously for Kofi Annan.
As she spoke, Ms. Foa continued, the Secretary-General was meeting with the Permanent Representative of Chile, Juan Somavía. Later on, he would meet the head of the delegation of the European Commission to the United Nations, Angel Vinas. That would be a farewell call. Later this afternoon, the Secretary-General had an appointment with the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Yemen, Abdul Karim Al-Eryani. They would presumably be discussing the situation in the Lesser Hanish islands.
Kofi Annan, she said, had agreed to give a press conference after the General Assembly had met to appoint him. It would be held in room 226, but the exact hour could not be announced in advance. It would depend on the length of speeches in the Assembly, and would probably take place late in the afternoon.
"All eyes are on Tanzania", said the Spokesman, stating that today 103,370 Rwandan refugees had crossed over from the United Republic of Tanzania into Rwanda. That was the largest number so far to return home in just one 24-hour period. The total number to cross the border in the past three days, she said, was 133,000. Since the beginning of December, about 140,000 refugees had crossed the border. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there were still approximately 100,000 refugees on the road, heading towards the Rwandan border, and another 50,000 preparing to leave the Ngara-area camps. The people in camps outside the Ngara area had not yet started to move, she added.
There had been a meeting of the Steering Committee of the Multinational Force on Friday, said the Spokesman. Canada had now sent a letter to the Secretary-General for transmission to the Security Council, advising the Council to terminate the mission of that force by 31 December. That letter would, of course, be passed on to the Council. On a related topic, the report of the Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Rwanda, Raymond Chrétien, was now on the racks and officially available "for those of you who didn't get hold of the 22,000 leaked copies that were out last week". That report, too, had been transmitted to the Council.
In Afghanistan today, the Head of the United Nations Special Mission, Norbert Holl, had obtained an agreement, in principle, from the Taliban that they would join United Nations-sponsored cease-fire talks with the opposing coalition. The proposed talks would be at the working level, with three representatives from the Taliban and three from the opposing coalition. They would be held in January, either in Islamabad or in Ashkabad. Dr. Holl would chair the talks. Details were still being worked out, and she would keep correspondents informed as they came in.
Yesterday morning, the Spokesman continued, a United Nations International Police Task Force (IPTF) monitor had been physically assaulted and threatened at gunpoint by a uniformed Republika Srpska police officer while trying to stop that officer beating up a woman. The incident took place in front of the Zvornik IPTF station. It was her understanding that the IPTF officer was Dutch. The Zvornik chief of police had informed the IPTF that the offending Republika Srpska officer would be dismissed.
At 1:15 p.m. tomorrow, Ms. Foa said, there would be a briefing in room 226 by the Permanent Representative of Belarus, Alyaksandr Sychou, in his capacity as Chairman of the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security). Ambassador Sychou would discuss the results of First Committee deliberations at the current Assembly session, and would also make a number of remarks in his national capacity.
Correspondents should also keep in mind that Veran Matic, editor of B92, the Belgrade radio station that had been under fire, would be in the United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA) Club at 1:30 p.m.
On Security Council resolution 986 (1995), relating to Iraqi oil sales, she said that six contracts had now been approved; none were pending.
A correspondent asked when the Secretary-General's tête-à-tête with Mr. Annan had taken place, and how long it had lasted. The Spokesman said that it was at 11 a.m. and lasted a little more than half an hour. It was literally a tête-à-tête, however, and she could give no details as to its contents.
Another correspondent said that, over the years, UNCA members had become used to addressing Kofi Annan by his first name. What would be the etiquette now? he asked. Should he be addressed as "Mr. Secretary-General"? Would he continue to opt for informality, or would he now prefer more exalted forms of address?
The Spokesman said she could not yet give an answer. She herself had already been scolded a few days ago by a dinosaur bureaucrat for saying "Kofi Annan", rather than "Mister Kofi Annan". It was hard to break old habits, she agreed, but knowing Kofi Annan, it seemed unlikely that he would not stick with the name his friends had been calling him.
Daily Press Briefing - 3 - 16 December 1996
Asked whether there were plans for a press conference by Secretary- General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Ms. Foa said that there was nothing in the works at the moment. She and the Deputy Spokesman, Ahmed Fawzi, had a thick pile of new requests for interviews; the two of them would have to go upstairs at some point this week to do some arm-twisting and see if they could not get the interviews scheduled. "But things are kind of busy right now."
A correspondent asked what would she do and who would be Kofi Annan's spokesperson. Ms. Foa said that when she first came to the United Nations a year ago, she had made it clear that she had come for one year only. She had been seconded by the UNHCR for a year, and had come in with a one-year contract.
It had been a real privilege and an honour, said the Spokesman, to work with Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali. "And it sure has been a privilege and a pleasure working with you guys. You are an exceptionally wonderful press corps. But despite all the fun, it's really time for me to go off and do something new. I've asked UNHCR if they'll give me a year's unpaid leave to try something new in my life -- like be in love, write a book, and enjoy things a little bit. I've talked to Kofi, and I've told him that I don't know how long I can sit on the beach, but that I'm available if he ever needs anyone for a mission ... . So, maybe you'll be seeing me some place at some point."
"But we don't know yet who'll be the new spokesman. Obviously, Kofi will have to make that decision fairly soon. Meanwhile, Ahmed Fawzi is going to be holding the fort, and the show will go on. But I'm going to miss all of you. You're all going to get my phone number and my e-mail address and my address, and if you don't show up on my doorstep, you're in big trouble."
Her last day, said the Spokesman, would be 31 December 1996 -- the day her contract expired. She would have to get everything done by that day, because she had noticed that her pass also ran out on 31 December, and after that the security guards would not let her back in the Building any more.
Samsiah Abdul-Majid, spokeswoman for General Assembly President Razali Ismail (Malaysia), said that the President had been personally and formally notified on Friday by the President of the Security Council of the Council's decision to recommend Mr. Kofi Annan as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations, to succeed Boutros Boutros-Ghali. Also present were regional group chairmen and the Vice-Presidents of the Assembly on a representational basis for the regional groups. The Assembly President, Ms. Abdul-Majid went on, was extremely pleased with the timely decision of the Council. He said that the Council has made the right choice in Mr. Annan. His appointment augurs well for the joint efforts of governments and the Secretariat to reform the United Nations. That statement had been made available to correspondents last Friday, 13 December, as Press Release GA/9204.
Daily Press Briefing - 4 - 16 December 1996
The first part of the selection process -- Mr. Annan's recommendation by the Council -- was now over, said the spokeswoman. In the second part -- his appointment by the General Assembly -- Member States in the Assembly would consider agenda item 16, appointment of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, tomorrow afternoon, Tuesday, 17 December. Member States had been formally notified of the Council's decision on Friday evening by Ambassador Razali. That had been done both through letters to heads of delegations and personally, through a meeting of Assembly Vice-Presidents from the five regions.
Tomorrow's scenario would comprise several steps, said Ms. Abdul-Majid. First, the President had extended invitations to heads of delegations to meet with Mr. Kofi Annan at 1.15 p.m. in the Indonesian Lounge. That meeting was a symbolic act of the coming together of Member States with the Secretariat in the joint effort to strengthen the United Nations, and also to underline the seriousness of the Assembly in considering the appointment. Media arrangements were being made for that event. Correspondents should contact Sonia Lecca at 963-6934 for details. United Nations TV and photo services would cover the event.
The plenary itself, she told correspondents, would consider item 16 at 3 p.m. The meeting would begin with the Assembly President calling on the Secretary-General to speak. It was in accordance with the Secretary-General's wish that he should speak first. Then the President would call on the President of the Security Council to inform the plenary of the action taken by the Council.
There would be two drafts of the Assembly to be considered for action, she continued. One would be on the Assembly's decision to appoint Mr. Annan as Secretary-General for a period of five years, from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2001. Another draft was to pay tribute to Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali. That draft would reflect the sentiment of the larger membership. Copies of the drafts would be available later this afternoon. The drafts were being presented at the initiative of the Chairman of the African Group on behalf of the African States.
After the Assembly had acted on those drafts, said Ms. Abdul-Majid, Mr. Annan would enter the Assembly Hall; the Assembly President would then address the Assembly, followed by the regional group chairmen and the representatives of the host country. The President would then administer the oath of office, and the Secretary-General-designate would be invited to address the Assembly.
The Plenary would then continue its business, considering other items scheduled for that afternoon. The Assembly was scheduled to conclude this current segment of the session tomorrow, 17 December.
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