DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
Press Briefing
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
19970310
FOR INFORMATION OF UNITED NATIONS SECRETARIAT ONLY
Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, told correspondents at today's noon briefing that the Secretary-General had addressed this morning the forty-first session of the Commission on the Status of Women, and the statement was available at the Spokesman's office. (See Press Release SG/SM/6179-WOM/957 issued today.)
In the statement, Mr. Eckhard said, the Secretary-General made three points: women must have equal access with men to political power and decision-making; women were more than merely participants in development, they were agents of development; and women must take an active part in the promotion of peace and the prevention of aggression, both personal and public. On that last point, he had said that in war-torn societies women often kept society going; they maintained the social fabric; they replaced dislocated social services and tended to the sick and wounded. As a result, they were often the prime advocates of peace. In "our own house", the Secretary-General had pointed out, the United Nations would still have a long road to travel to achieve gender equality, but he gave his "personal commitment to equality between women and men in the United Nations, and to the creation of a gender- sensitive workplace".
On eastern Zaire, Mr. Eckhard said that the inter-agency mission to Tingi-Tingi which was announced on Friday had taken place yesterday, Sunday, with the participation of the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for the Great Lakes Region Martin Griffiths, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), World Food Programme (WFP), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and "Medecins sans Frontieres" of the Netherlands.
The team flew from Kigali and then Goma into Tingi-Tingi, and then proceeded by vehicle to Lubutu, he said. Although no refugees were seen from the air as the plane approached Tingi-Tingi, upon landing some 700 badly weakened refugees emerged from the nearby forest. The team estimated that another 1,000 still remained in the forest. The United Nations agencies were now planning to send medical staff to Tingi-Tingi and to airlift the most vulnerable to Rwanda within the next few days, Mr. Eckhard added.
He also stated that staff of the WFP and local staff were present in Ubundu in the same general region where up to 100,000 people, presumably those displaced from Tingi-Tingi arrived yesterday and today. Sixty-five metric tonnes of food had already been delivered, and a convoy of 120,000 metric tonnes of food transported by rail and barge were also on their way. The WFP was also considering an airlift convoy on a trial basis to bring high-protein biscuits into Ubundu.
Mr. Eckhard said there was an UNHCR update, available to correspondents in his office, stating that the High Commissioner had dismissed as "groundless" allegations by the Zairian Government that the agency's temporary withdrawal from central Zaire had led to thousands of deaths. The details were available in a hand-out available in the Spokesman's office.
He drew attention to the appointments of the Secretary-General concerning Zaire, which stated that the United States Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs George Moose, was meeting with the Secretary-General at 4 p.m., at Mr. Moose's request.
On Guatemala, Mr. Eckhard said that the United Nations peace-keeping mission there had appeared to be off to a good start. As of yesterday, 785 Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca (URNG) former combatants had been registered at three assembly points, with another "400 plus" expected today. The total strength of ex-URNG was reported to be just over 3,600. The ex- combatants hand over crew-served weapons at the time of registration, but are allowed to keep their personal weapons until they are demobilized. The process of registration, training, disarmament, and demobilization would take up to 60 days, Mr. Eckhard said.
The Secretary-General had warmly welcomed the agreement reached by India and Pakistan, the Spokesman continued, to hold a meeting of their Foreign Secretaries in New Delhi from 28 to 31 March. He had also commended the willingness expressed recently by the two Prime Ministers to improve bilateral relations, and hoped that the New Delhi talks would pave the way for a meaningful dialogue aimed at resolving all outstanding issues between the two countries. The text of that statement was also available in the Spokesman's office.
Mr. Eckhard said that the Secretary-General had had a statement read on his behalf at the opening of the fifty-third session of the Commission on Human Rights in Geneva today, in which he said: "As Secretary-General, I will be a champion of human rights and will ensure that human rights are fully integrated in the action of the Organization in all other domains." The text of the statement was available in the Spokesman's office.
The Secretary-General would today be meeting with the five permanent members of the Security Council at 12:30 p.m., Mr. Eckhard said. The subject, it was understood, would be the "oil-for-food" programme for Iraq. The Secretary-General's 90-day report was undergoing final editing, but was unlikely to be out before tomorrow.
The Security Council would not be meeting today, the Spokesman said. Tomorrow it was expected to take up three items: first, the Secretary- General's report recommending a three-month extension of the United Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan (UNMOT); secondly, there was a draft presidential statement on West Mostar; and thirdly, a draft presidential
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statement, submitted by the Russian Federation, on safety and security of United Nations personnel.
On Tajikistan, the Moscow Round of inter-Tajik talks ended last Saturday with the signing of an agreement on military issues, Mr. Eckhard said. Under that agreement, the armed forces of the Tajik opposition were to disarm and integrate in stages with Government forces by mid-1998. The next round of the talks would start in Tehran on 9 April, Mr. Eckhard added.
The Spokesman said that the Secretary-General's report on the human rights situation in Croatia would be out shortly, if it was not out already. The report considered further developments since the last report of 5 November, and was current through late February. The security conditions for Croatian Serbs living in the former sectors, most of whom were elderly, continued to be unsatisfactory, particularly in the areas around Knin.
Mr. Eckhard said there was a letter from the Foreign Minister of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the Secretary-General about to be circulated as a document, requesting cessation of the reduction of the United Nations Preventive Deployment Force (UNPREDEP) in his country, because of the situation in neighbouring Albania. That letter would be taken up by the Council.
He drew attention to a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) press release concerning the earthquake in Iran. The Programme had contributed $200,000 for logistical support and aid coordination for Iran, in response to the devastating earthquake in northern Iran on 28 February. That press release was also available to correspondents in the Spokesman's office.
The Spokesman explained that the flag in front of the Secretariat building was flying at half-mast in honour of Dr. Cheddi Jagan, President of the Republic of Guyana, who died on 6 March.
Mr. Eckhard reminded correspondents that tomorrow, 11 March, at 11 a.m. in room 226, Mark Gilpin of the Contributions Section of the Secretariat would provide a background briefing on contributions and how they were established.
Samsiah Abdul-Majid, spokeswoman for the President of the General Assembly, told correspondents that the Assembly President had received a letter from the Permanent Representative of Qatar, as Chairman of Group of Arab States for March, requesting an urgent meeting of the General Assembly be convened to consider agenda items 33 and 35, on the situation in the Middle East and the question of Palestine, respectively. The Assembly would convene on Wednesday, 12 March, for that purpose.
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Ms. Abdul-Majid said that the Fifth Committee had today begun its first resumed session and had agreed to proceed with its work on the basis of the proposed work programme contained in document A/C.5/51/L.42/Rev.1. It had also decided to defer consideration of the items on the financing of the International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia to May, at its second resumed session. At the time of the briefing, she noted, the Committee was discussing the Organization's financial situation.
A correspondent wanted to know if -- against the background of the Commission on the Status of Women meeting, the fact that there was only 1 per cent of women in the upper echelons of the United Nations -- the Spokesman could tell when an announcement might be forthcoming on the Secretary-General's known desire to appoint a deputy secretary-general. Mr. Eckhard said that since the post did not exist and would have to be approved by the General Assembly, he did not think that the Secretary-General expected to be able to make that decision before late in the year.
Another correspondent asked the spokeswoman for the Assembly President whether, when the General Assembly took up agenda items 33 and 35 on Wednesday, the meeting would feature the full debate, or just to determine when then issues would be discussed. Ms. Abdul-Majid said it would be the debate. On whether a resolution would be tabled, she said one would expect that there would be one.
On the subject of a deputy secretary-general, a correspondent asked if the Secretary-General had made the decision in principle that he wanted one, and that -- depending on the General Assembly -- it would be a woman?
"Yes, to both", the Spokesman said.
What was the President of the Tribunal for Rwanda doing in the Secretariat today? a correspondent wanted to know.
Mr. Eckhard replied that the Secretary-General wanted to meet with him at his earliest convenience to discuss the developments in the Tribunal. The Secretary-General had conferred with him by phone regarding the administrative actions he took two weeks ago, at which time the President was in South Africa. They agreed that the Tribunal President would come to New York. "It is really just to review where we go from here now that the administrative changes had been made", he added.
Asked when "the Jim Baker post" would be announced -- reference to a report that former United States Secretary of State James Baker III would be the new United Nations special envoy to Western Sahara -- Mr. Eckhard replied that the Secretary-General's consideration of naming a Special Envoy for Western Sahara would probably be announced this week. He pointed out that the Secretary-General's programme for today included a meeting with the
Daily Press Briefing - 5 - 10 March 1997
representative for the Frente Polisario in the afternoon; he had met with the representative of Morocco on Friday. "It is getting closer", he said.
Further asked if the Special Representative would be here for the announcement, Mr. Eckhard said he did not know, but would find out.
Had there ever been any outside public relations firm hired on a short- term basis to help the Secretary-General's office or the Spokesman's office with arranging the Secretary-General's interviews and similar things? a correspondent asked. "Not hired", the Spokesman replied, explaining that Gillian Sorensen was handling external relations for the Secretary-General out of the Secretary-General's office. She had been talking to the firm of Ruder Finn about advising the office of the Secretary-General on a pro bono basis only.
The correspondent who had asked the question said that someone had called his office, claiming that when the Secretary-General came to town he might be available for an interview. "The client might want to refresh the agency about who they are representing", he noted.
"We will look into that", replied Mr. Eckhard, laughing.
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