DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
Press Briefing
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
19970227
FOR INFORMATION OF UNITED NATIONS SECRETARIAT ONLY
Juan Carlos Brandt, Associate Spokesman for the Secretary-General, began today's briefing by informing correspondents that the Secretary-General had learned with concern the decision of the Government of Israel to proceed with construction at Har Homa. He considered unhelpful any action that might impede the final status negotiations scheduled to begin next month between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). No objective was more important than for the parties to find mutually agreeable solutions to the sensitive issues involved, including Jerusalem.
Continuing, Mr. Brandt confirmed that the Security Council had received a communication this morning requesting an urgent meeting of the Security Council.
A presidential statement on Somalia had been issued by the Security Council this morning, Mr. Brandt announced. A copy of the statement was available in the Spokesman's Office. The Council had also paid tribute to the memory of the late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, and all members spoke, including China.
At the time of the briefing, the Council was expected to begin consultations on Angola, after which a meeting to take action on a draft resolution was expected, Mr. Brandt said. As of 9:30 a.m., there were 14 speakers inscribed with more speakers likely to be added, he said.
Continuing, Mr. Brandt explained that the Security Council sessions were likely to stretch into the evening as the Council was scheduled to later take up the issues of the Sudan, Afghanistan and other matters. On the Sudan, the Security Council would hear a briefing by the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Yasushi Akashi, and on the subject of Afghanistan, the Assistant Secretary-General in the Department of Political Affairs, Alvaro de Soto, would brief the Council. Under "other matters", the Council might consider the situation in the Middle East, Mr. Brandt added.
The sixth report of the Director of the United Nations Mission for the Verification of Human Rights and of Compliance with the Commitments of the Comprehensive Agreement on Human Rights in Guatemala (MINUGUA) (document A/51/790) was released yesterday, Mr. Brandt announced. The Mission concluded that, during the period covered by the report, major progress was made in complying with the commitments of the Comprehensive Agreement. In particular, a trend was observed towards greater respect on the part of agents of the State for a number of the human rights given priority under the Agreement, including the right to life.
The report also concluded that the ending of the internal armed conflict, the willingness of the Government to fight crime and impunity, the dismantling of counter-insurgency support structures, which had been a source of human rights violations, and increased control by the Government over its agents were important factors in achieving that progress, he said.
Nevertheless, Mr. Brandt continued, the report warned that the enjoyment of human rights by the population as a whole remained precarious, and government efforts against crime and impunity had achieved only partial results. The persistence of widespread criminal violence continued to cause a serious lack of public safety and distrust in the institutions responsible for the rule of law. Mr. Brandt added that the report covered the period 1 July to 31 December 1996, during which the peace process continued, with the signing of all pending agreements, and culminated in the signing of the Agreement on a Firm and Lasting Peace in Guatemala City on 29 December.
The Secretary-General was pleased to announce the appointment, with immediate effect, of Staffan de Mistura as Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, Mr. Brandt announced. Mr. de Mistura, a national of Sweden, had long experience in humanitarian work in the United Nations system, having served with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). In June 1991, Mr. de Mistura acted as Special Envoy of the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for the Persian Gulf Crisis to Northern Iraq. His other assignments included those as Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Albania and Special Field Representative of the Personal Representative of the Secretary-General for Humanitarian Issues of the Persian Gulf Crisis.
Mr. de Mistura would succeed Gualtiero Fulcheri of Italy, who departed Baghdad on Monday, Mr. Brandt said. Mr. de Mistura was expected to arrive in Baghdad in the next few days. A biographical note on Mr. de Mistura was available in the Spokesman's Office, he added.
Mr. Brandt announced that Spain had paid $25,348,876 and Palau $106,508 in contributions to the regular budget of the Organization, bringing the total number of Member States paid in full for 1997 to 39. At this time last year, the total of paid Member States was 32. "We're a bit ahead", Mr. Brandt said, "but still not quite there." Outstanding contributions now stood at over $3 billion with $1.1 billion owed to the regular budget and just under $2 billion owed for peace-keeping.
The Secretary-General had arrived in Paris for the second portion of his visit to three European countries, Mr. Brandt said. He had met this morning with the President of the National Assembly, Philippe Seguin, and they had a detailed discussion of United Nations reform, in general, and Security Council reform, in particular.
Daily Press Briefing - 3 - 27 February 1997
This morning, before leaving for Paris, the Secretary-General also met with the President of Israel, Ezer Weizman, Mr. Brandt continued. They discussed the question of the settlements, United Nations reform, and the relations between the United Nations and the State of Israel. Afterwards, the Secretary-General had met with Leader of the Opposition in the British Parliament, Anthony Blair, and they had discussed United Nations reform and the situation in the Great Lakes region of Africa. The Secretary-General was now meeting with the French Prime Minister, Alain Juppé.
A new report of the UNDP on the critical role of energy in sustainable development would be released at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, 28 February, in the United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA) club, Mr. Brandt said. The UNDP Administrator, James Gustave Speth, would lead the briefing and answer questions. A light luncheon would be served, he added. A media advisory on the UNDP's new report was available in the Spokesman's Office.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) would hold a briefing this afternoon at 1:15 p.m. on its new state of the environment report, "The Global Environment Outlook", Mr. Brandt said. The report was launched during the recent UNEP Governing Council session in Nairobi.
The recently taped World Chronicle television programme with the new head of the World Bank's New Debt Initiative Implementation Unit, Axel Van Trotsenberg, would be shown on in-house television channels 6, 23 or 28 at 2:30 p.m. this afternoon, Mr. Brandt announced.
He further announced that the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Angola, Alioune Blondin Beye, would be at the noon briefing tomorrow, 28 February, to brief correspondents on the latest information from Angola and to answer questions.
In the subsequent question-and-answer session, a correspondent asked if the meeting between the President of Israel and the Secretary-General had taken place before the issuing of the Spokesman's statement. Mr. Brandt replied that it had.
A correspondent asked if some of the documents on the third floor counter were being moved to the basement. Mr. Brandt said it was his understanding that the increasing amount of paper documents made it necessary to move some of the older documents to the basement in order to make room for the newer ones.
Did the request for an emergency meeting of the Security Council come from the Arab Group? a correspondent asked. Mr. Brandt said that it was his understanding that it had, but that his Office would verify it. (It was later announced that it came from the League of Arab States on behalf of the Arab Group of States.)
Daily Press Briefing - 4 - 27 February 1997
A correspondent asked if a report in the Montreal press that the Canadian Government was extending its troops presence in Haiti for five more years was true and would that presence be under United Nations auspices. Mr. Brandt said he was not aware of the report, but reminded the correspondent that the United Nations Mission in Haiti (UNMIH) was expected to end in June or July. "However, a number of Member States were considering ideas concerning ways in which the mission might be extended", he added.
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