DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
Press Briefing
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
19970228
FOR INFORMATION OF UNITED NATIONS SECRETARIAT ONLY
Juan Carlos Brandt, Associate Spokesman for the Secretary-General, began today's noon briefing by introducing the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Angola, Alioune Blondin Beye. (Mr. Beye's briefing will be issued separately.)
The Secretary-General's interim report to the Security Council on the situation concerning Western Sahara (document S/1997/166) was released today, Mr. Brandt announced. Both the Government of Morocco and the Frente Popular para la Liberacion de Saguia el-Hamra y de Rio de Oro (POLISARIO) had reiterated their commitment to the settlement plan and their wish to see it implemented. However, according to the report, there had been no change in their respective attitudes towards continuing the identification process.
The report also stated that progress was possible but only if both sides committed themselves fully, in deed as well as word, to implementing the settlement plan, Mr. Brandt went on. Unless that happened, the continued presence of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) would be increasingly questioned. The Secretary-General was considering further reductions in the staffing of MINURSO, Mr. Brandt added.
The Security Council was briefed this morning on the subject of Afghanistan by the Assistant Secretary-General in the Department of Political Affairs, Alvaro de Soto, Mr. Brandt said. Under "other matters", the Council had discussed the question of Cyprus and would perhaps discuss the question of the Middle East. The Assistant Secretary-General in the Department of Peace- keeping Operations, Manfred S. Eisele, had briefed the Council on Cyprus, Mr. Brandt added. In the afternoon, the Council would hear a briefing on the Sudan by Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Yasushi Akashi.
The Secretary-General met with French Prime Minister Alain Juppe in Paris yesterday, Mr. Brandt said. The meeting lasted 45 minutes, after which the Secretary-General answered questions from the press on a variety of issues. Asked about the subject of his meeting with Mr. Juppe, the Secretary- General indicated that the issues discussed were the reform of the United Nations, the situation in the Great Lakes region of Africa and the situation in Iraq vis-a-vis the "oil-for-food" formula and other efforts of the United Nations in that country.
The Secretary-General was also asked about Zaire and he reiterated that discussions were currently taking place in South Africa and he hoped that those would lead to a good solution, Mr. Brandt said. The Secretary-General added that the joint United Nations/Organization of African Unity (OAU)
Special Representative for the Great Lakes Region was coming to Paris on Saturday, 1 March, to meet with him on the subject.
A transcript of the exchange between the Secretary-General and the press was available in both French and English in the Spokesman's office, Mr. Brandt added.
Continuing, Mr. Brandt said that the Secretary-General had a meeting today with the French Minister of Defence, Charles Millon, on the subject of peace-keeping. He then met with the French Secretary of State for humanitarian activities, Xavier Emmanuelli, for a discussion on Zaire. The French Foreign Minister, Herve de Charette, then met with the Secretary- General for a discussion on United Nations reform, the situation in Zaire, the "oil-for-food" formula in Iraq, the situation in the Sudan, Western Sahara and the former Yugoslavia.
Later, the Secretary-General was the guest of honour at a luncheon hosted by Mr. de Charette, Mr. Brandt said. There was a large contingent of veteran peace-keepers among the 100 guests at the luncheon, Mr. Brandt said. Blue berets were present at almost every table, he added.
Mr. Brandt said that in the afternoon, the Secretary-General had met with Valery Giscard d'Estaing, the former French President and current President of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly, to discuss United Nations reform in general and of the Security Council, in particular. They also discussed the situation in Bosnia from the International Police Task Force (IPTF) perspective, in particular, and they discussed the subject of the Tribunals in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda.
Next, the Secretary-General met with the French Minister for the Environment, Corinne Lepage, to discuss issues of education and the environment, Mr. Brandt said.
A briefing note from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) expressed concern about their ability to operate in eastern Zaire, Mr. Brandt said. Safe conduct passes were expiring and had not been renewed by Zairian authorities, a matter that was being discussed at the highest levels in Kinshasa. Without those safe conduct passes, it was impossible for the UNHCR to continue humanitarian assistance to the entire eastern Zaire region. However, they continued to fly out daily from Kisangani to Tingi-Tingi, where there were about 170,000 refugees in makeshift encampments. Mr. Brandt said that despite the poor situation, United Nation agencies had managed to bring enough food for those people.
The UNHCR had also received a number of calls about reports of massacres in eastern Zaire but were not in a position to confirm the alleged killings of hundred of thousands of people, he said. The UNHCR was not there when the Democratic People's Alliance forces attacked the camps in October and
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November. They also still had very limited access to large areas of eastern Zaire due to security.
The UNHCR noted that there were still between 150,000 and 170,000 refugees still unaccounted for after 200,000 refugees were identified in December, Mr. Brandt said. From the start, the High Commissioner had called on all concerned not to attack refugees and civilians. They also believed that human rights organizations should go to the Kivu region in eastern Zaire.
The latest report from the Human Rights Field Operation in Rwanda (HRFOR) and a status report regarding recent killings and other attacks against genocide survivors was released in Geneva this morning, Mr. Brandt said. A background briefing was given by the Chief of the Operation, Javier Zuniga, he added.
The Secretary-General today announced the appointment of Major-General Evergisto Arturo de Vergara of Argentina as Force Commander of the United Nations Peace-keeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), Mr. Brandt said. He succeeds Brigadier General Ahti Toimi Paavali Vartianinen, who relinquished his post today.
A biographical note on Major-General de Vergara was available in the Spokesman's office.
Mr. Brandt said that many correspondents had asked about yesterday's incident at the library entrance to the United Nations building near 42nd Street, where a United Nations security officer was attacked. He said the attacker had been identified as Vladimir Fontana, a national of the Dominican Republic, who was being detained at the 17th Precinct of the New York City Police Department. The victim of the attack, Officer Richard Allyne, a national of Barbados, was released from Lenox Hill Hospital last night but today was again taken to the hospital for a more comprehensive examination of the eye injury he sustained in the attack. Mr. Brandt described the eye injury as "quite serious".
The United Nations as well as Officer Allyne would be pressing charges for assault and battery against the attacker, Mr. Brandt said. It was believed to be the first time the United Nations had pressed charges in an incident of that kind, he added.
The latest report of the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) on the production, consumption and trafficking in illicit drugs would be released at 11:15 a.m. (New York time) on Tuesday, 4 March, at a press briefing teleconferenced between Vienna and New York, Mr. Brandt said. The INCB President, Oskar Schroeder of Germany, Board member Gottfried Machata of Austria and INCB Secretary Herbert Schaepe would speak from Vienna. United States Board member Herbert Okun would speak from New York. Mr. Brandt said journalists attending the briefing in room 226 would be able to ask questions
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of officials in either city. A press kit and more information could be obtained by called Tim Wall at the Department of Public Information (DPI), tel. (212) 963-5851 or fax (212) 963-1186.
At the request of United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA), Mr. Brandt reminded correspondents of the launching of a new report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on the critical role of energy in sustainable development today at 1:30 p.m. in the UNCA club. The UNDP Administrator, James Gustave Speth, would lead the briefing and answer questions. A light luncheon would be served.
Mr. Brandt announced that there would be a press conference in room 226 at 11:15 a.m. on Monday, 3 March, on the status of negotiations in preparation for the special session of the General Assembly to review the implementation of Agenda 21, the programme of action adopted by the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). The Permanent Representative of Brazil Celso Luiz Nunes Amorim and Derek Osborn of the United Kingdom, Co-chairs of the Ad Hoc Inter-sessional Working Group of the Commission on Sustainable Development, would speak. The Working Group was meeting in New York, from 24 February to 7 March, he added.
The recently taped World Chronicle television programme with Carla Abou- Zahr, a social scientist and researcher with the World Health Organization (WHO), would be shown today on in-house television channels 6, 23 or 38 at 2:30 p.m., Mr. Brandt said.
In the subsequent question-and-answer session, a correspondent asked if Vladimir Fontana, the man who attacked a United Nations security guard, had any previous relationship to the United Nations. Mr. Brandt replied that he did not. Was he a resident of New York or a tourist? the correspondent asked. Mr. Brandt said that he did not yet have that information but would try to check it.
A correspondent asked what the implications were for the United Nations pressing charges against Mr. Fontana. Mr. Brandt said the attacker was liable for the damages he inflicted on the security officer. As to the legal details involved, Mr. Brandt said he was not a lawyer and did not know the precise legal issues involved but would look into it.
Is there any reason why Mr. Fontana was trying to get into the United Nations? a reporter asked. Mr. Brandt said there was none known. When pressed to show his identification for attempting to enter the grounds, Mr. Fontana punched the security officer twice in the face, he added.
Were Israel's moves in East Jerusalem discussed in the Secretary- General's meetings in Paris? a correspondent asked. Mr. Brandt reminded the correspondent that the Secretary-General had discussed the Jerusalem settlements issue with the President of Israel in London earlier this week.
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He added that there seemed to be no mention of that issue in the Secretary- General's exchanges with senior French officials or with the press in Paris but he would double check.
A correspondent asked if there was any further activity in regard to complaints about the Russian arms sales to Armenia. Mr. Brandt said that he believed the issue had been discussed a couple of days ago in the Security Council. He added that he would look into the matter further.
There were reports that China was ready to sign some human rights agreements, a correspondent said. Was there anything further known about that? a correspondent asked. Mr. Brandt said at this time there was not.
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