DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
Press Briefing
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
19970319
FOR INFORMATION OF UNITED NATIONS SECRETARIAT ONLY
Juan Carlos Brandt, Associate Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan, began today's briefing by informing correspondents that the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Tajikistan, Gerd Merrem, who was present, would be talking to them about events in that country, about which he had briefed the Security Council yesterday.
Beginning with the situation in eastern Zaire, Mr. Brandt said that the United Nations inter-agency mission to Kisangani had been approved by the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire late last night and had left Goma this morning. The World Food Programme (WFP) airlift between Mwansa in the United Republic of Tanzania and Kisangani had resumed today and the plane made one rotation carrying 35 metric tons of food. About 100-200 tons of food had been looted since the weekend, but following an official appeal by the Alliance to the local population some of the looted food was being returned and WFP trucks were picking them up by the roadside. Life in Kisangani seemed to be slowly returning to normal and schools had re-opened.
In Ubundu, he said, there was currently no international presence of humanitarian agencies, for security reasons. Eighty-two volunteers of the Zairian Red Cross were working under the supervision of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and approximately 30,000 had crossed the Zairian river to the west bank. In addition, access from Kisangani to Ubundu on the west bank of the river was currently being explored by the WFP. A press release was available to correspondents in the Spokesman's office on the issue.
Still on the region, the Associate Spokesman told correspondents that the Emergency Relief Coordinator and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Yasushi Akashi, had today at a donor conference in Geneva launched the United Nations Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal for the Great Lakes Emergency, covering eastern Zaire, Burundi, and Tanzania. A press release on that was available in the Spokesman's office, as well as a copy of the appeal -- a "very voluminous" set of documents relating to it.
Mr. Brandt said that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had announced today that it was seeking $115 million for its programmes in the Great Lakes region this year, focusing on the return of tens of thousands of refugees in eastern Zaire and rehabilitation of areas that had once hosted them. The UNHCR needs were outlined in the United Nations consolidated inter-agency appeal for $324 million issued today by the Department of Humanitarian Affairs for 1997 operations in the area.
Turning to the Security Council, Mr. Brandt said it was being briefed today by the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General to Sierra Leone, Berhanu Dinka. The Council would also discuss the report of the Secretary-General on human rights in Croatia, and there was a possibility that it would agree on a draft presidential statement and meet for the issuance of that statement. On other matters, the Council might discuss the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, in view of the latest developments. Looking ahead, the Council might tomorrow discuss the report on the United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH) concerning increase in the strength of the International Police Task Force (IPTF) as well in its mandate, to enable it to carry out additional human rights investigative tasks.
Mr. Brandt then announced that the Marshall Islands had today become the forty-fourth Member State to have paid in full its assessment for 1997, with a cheque for $129,469. On the same date last year, 41 Member States had paid in full. The United Nations was now owed $2.9 billion, out of which almost $1.1 billion was owed to the regular budget, and over $1.8 billion to peace- keeping. Last year on the same date, $3.1 billion was owed, out of which $1.2 billion was for the regular budget, and $1.9 billion was for peace-keeping.
A transcript of the Secretary-General's remarks upon his arrival in South Africa today was available in the Spokesman's office, along with a question-and-answer session, which followed the Secretary-General's remarks, Mr. Brandt said. The Secretary-General had indicated that he had been looking forward to the trip; and that the United Nations and South Africa shared a lot of history. He had then expressed his hope that as South Africans continued to develop their country and build a multi-racial society, their example would be a good one for the countries around the African continent.
Continuing, the Secretary-General had said that there were difficulties around the continent, but also good news, the Associate Spokesman continued. "When we look at what happened here in South Africa, when we look at the way you resolved your problems, it reminds me of the great African capacity for forgiveness, for reconciliation."
The Secretary-General had then spoken about eastern Zaire, Angola, and the forthcoming summit on eastern Zaire, in Lome, Togo, Mr. Brandt said. He had concluded his remarks by saying, "you can then go on to joint projects and focus on economic and social development of the people, and I applaud what has happened here. I applaud President [Nelson] Mandela and the effort South Africa has made in helping me and other governments resolve some of the African crises. I look forward to my stay here".
During the question-and-answer session that followed, Mr. Brandt said, the Secretary-General was asked his views on Zaire, and whether he was optimistic. He had reminded journalists that the Security Council had come up with a five-point peace plan which both sides had accepted, but with different conditions. Zaire had accepted it unreservedly and would want to see it
Daily Press Briefing - 3 - 19 March 1997
implemented. The other side would want to see cease-fire and talks go hand in hand, preferably talks before cease-fire or simultaneously.
The Secretary-General had also been asked about whether the new Angolan government would be postponed again, to which he had indicated that efforts were being made to "bring everybody down, and I hope it will succeed and that a national government will be formed during my visit to Angola", Mr. Brandt said.
He had then added: "I think that the people of Angola deserve it. They are tired of war, and their leaders will have to have the courage to give them peace and stability." Copies of the exchange were available in the Spokesman's office, Mr. Brandt said. (For the Secretary-General's remarks, see Press Release SG/SM/6182 issued today.)
Mr. Brandt said the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) had announced a three-day meeting on "the costs and effects of corruption in Latin America", beginning today in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. It would examine the negative impact of corruption on democratization, the environment and economic and social development. Copies of the UNDP document were also available in the Spokesman's office.
Finally, Mr. Brandt said, the World Health Organization (WHO) had today announced a breakthrough in tuberculosis control and also that the global tuberculosis epidemic was levelling off for the first time in decades. According to the WHO, the breakthrough would make it possible to save millions of lives and dramatically reduce the threat of multi-drug resistant strains in the next decade. Copies of the announcement were available in the Spokesman's office.
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