DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
Press Briefing
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
19970320
FOR INFORMATION OF UNITED NATIONS SECRETARIAT ONLY
Juan Carlos Brandt, Associate Spokesman for the Secretary-General, began today's briefing by wishing correspondents "Happy first day of spring." He said Samsiah Abdul-Majid, spokeswoman for the President of the General Assembly, Razali Ismail (Malaysia), would later talk about this morning's ceremonies marking the occasion, at which the Assembly President had participated.
Mr. Brandt said that the Secretary-General's report to the Security Council on Angola was out today, and in it, he had noted that it was regrettable that despite determined and intensive efforts, the Government of Unity and National Reconciliation had not yet been established. The Secretary-General attributed that primarily to the failure of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) to send all of its officials to Luanda as had previously been agreed. As of yesterday, 19 March, there were only 43 UNITA deputies in Luanda out of a total of 70, and seven officials out of 11 who had been designated to take up posts in the new government. In the meantime, UNITA had raised the need for an agreed minimum programme for the new government before its establishment. There were indications that the Government of Angola was prepared to begin discussions on the Government of Unity and National Reconciliation programme without delay, but for that to happen it insisted that all UNITA officials should be present in the Angolan capital.
The Secretary-General had also pointed out in the report, Mr. Brandt continued, that the patience of the international community was wearing thin. It was in that spirit that he had decided to visit Angola from 22 to 25 March, with the objective of making a first-hand assessment of the situation, and to impress upon the parties the need to establish the government without any further delay.
Meanwhile, the Joint Commission was scheduled to meet in Luanda today to discuss the remaining issues, including the special status of UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi and the formation of the new government. The Secretary- General's report was contained in document S/1997/239 dated 19 March, Mr. Brandt added.
He then turned to the situation in Zaire and told correspondents that tension had "risen sharply" in Kinshasa since the fall of Kisangani. The following non-governmental organizations were reported to have confirmed their intention to close their offices in Kinshasa and establish new operations or reinforce those they already had in Goma and Bukavu: Merlin, Atlas Logistique, Cap Anamur and OXFAM. On the same subject, he said that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), on the other hand, was
reported to have plans to stockpile emergency supplies in Brazaville for possible use in Kinshasa should conditions continue to deteriorate.
Concerning Kisangani, the Associate Spokesman said that, following a United Nations/NGO mission to Kisangani from Goma yesterday, most of the humanitarian agencies were scheduled to return to that city today. It was expected that communication facilities would be set up by tonight. The re- establishment of a permanent presence of relief agencies in Kisangani, and their plans to stockpile food there, it was hoped, would contribute to enhanced delivery of humanitarian assistance in eastern Zaire.
Mr. Brandt said that owing to a lack of access in Ubundu, there remained a dearth of information regarding the current number of refugees present, as well as the movement of refugees across the Zaire river. Some of the maize flown into Kisangani by the World Food Programme (WFP) in recent days would be stored for delivery to refugees in Ubundu once they were accessible. In Amisi and Tingi-Tingi, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) was continuing with the registration of unaccompanied children. It had evacuated 72 children to Goma over the past three days; and in Kindu it was reported that there were 192 unaccompanied children originally from the Bukavu orphanage. Their evacuation by air to Goma by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was expected to start soon.
Mr. Brandt then made an announcement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General: The Secretary-General had decided to appoint Professor Hans van Ginkel to the post of Rector of the United Nations University (UNU). The appointment of Professor van Ginkel, a national of the Netherlands, as the fourth Rector of the University had been announced today in Paris by the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and by the spokesman for the Rector of the University in Tokyo. (For further details, see Press Release SG/A/629-BIO/3065 issued today.)
Turning to Iraq, Mr. Brandt said that the first shipment of humanitarian supplies had arrived over land in Zakho, in the north of the country. It had come by truck overland from Turkey. One truck, carrying 16 metric tons of chickpeas had now gone through Zakho and was continuing to the Ninawa distribution centre via Faidi. Seven trucks carrying a total of 109.2 metric tons of vegetable oil had also gone through Zakho. United Nations inspection agents from the Lloyd's Register monitored the arrival of the shipment and were expected to authenticate it tomorrow. He recalled that the Iraq Sanctions Committee had approved earlier this month contract number 36 involving 6,000 metric tons of white beans and 2,000 metric tons of chickpeas. Contract number 37 involved 10,000 metric tons of vegetable oil. The first shipments were still small in volume and more would arrive later, but he did not yet have the dates of those shipments. He pointed out that the distribution of those shipments would start "as soon as all practical arrangements are completed".
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Meanwhile, Mr. Brandt continued, the first substantial shipment of Thai rice was expected to arrive by ship at the port of Umm Qasr on 23 March. The proposed allocation of food to the 18 governorates of Iraq for contract numbers 36 and 37 was available in the Spokesman's office.
He said the Security Council was today consulting on the report of the Secretary-General referring to the United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH) contained in document S/1997/224. Also, the President of the Security Council had received a letter from the representative of Qatar asking the Council to meet and to discuss further the situation in the occupied Arab territories.
He announced that Indonesia had become the forty-fifth Member State to pay its regular budget assessment in full, with a cheque for $1,491,111. Last year on this date, only 41 Member States had paid their contributions in full. The United Nations was now owed $2.9 billion, out of which under $1.1 billion was for the regular budget, and over $1.8 billion for peace-keeping. He said that a summary of the outstanding contributions to the United Nations regular budget, to the peace-keeping budget and to the International Tribunals' budget as of 15 March was available in the Spokesman's office.
On the Secretary-General's visit to South Africa and on his second day there, he said that the Secretary-General had met with President Nelson Mandela; they had discussed Angola, Zaire, Sudan, the Middle East and United Nations reform. After that meeting, both men had met with the press. Asked about Angola and the political prospects by the time he arrived there, the Secretary-General had indicated his optimism by saying: "we have not given up; a lot of work is being done behind the scenes and I still hope that by the time I get to Angola there will be a Government of National Unity and Reconciliation in peace".
Asked about Zaire, the Secretary-General had expressed his hope that the talks in Nairobi would bear fruit in Lome, Mr. Brandt added. In answer to another question, he had also told the press that he was pleased that African leaders were "energetically involved" on the Zaire issue and were working together to find a solution to it.
The Associate Spokesman said that following the meeting with President Mandela, the Secretary-General had gone to the Parliament, where he was the guest of honour at a luncheon given by the Speaker, Frene Ginwala, and had met other personalities. He had then met with Archbishop Desmond Tutu and other members of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The Secretary-General expressed admiration for what the Commission had been able to accomplish. He had subsequently met with Thabo Mbeki, Deputy Executive President of South Africa, who briefed him on the recent summit in Nairobi. The Secretary- General and Mrs. Annan then went to a reception on Robben Island organized in support of the Ex-prisoners Fund and the establishment of a museum there. Mr. Brandt, on the significance of Robben Island, recalled that it was there Mr.
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Mandela had been imprisoned for a number of years. Other guests expected at the event were United States First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and United States television personality Bill Cosby, he added.
Mr. Brandt said he had received a press release from the WFP concerning their assessment of the situation in Albania. A mission, led by Robert Hauser, the head of WFP's Eastern Europe Unit, had recently returned from there. The press statement had details of the mission.
In connection with the Security Council Committee set up to monitor the sanctions against Iraq, Mr. Brandt pointed out a notice in today's Journal regarding an orientation meeting on the procedures for implementation of Security Council resolution 986 (1995), to be hosted by the secretariat of the Committee. The programme, aimed at familiarizing participants with the requirements for completing application forms for humanitarian supplies, would be held tomorrow, 21 March, at 3 p.m. in the Trusteeship Council Chamber. It was open to all interested Member and Observer States, United Nations agencies, intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations.
He announced upcoming press conferences in room 226 in connection with the forty-first session of the Commission on the Status of Women, currently being held at Headquarters, as the Commission observed the fiftieth anniversary of its first session at Lake Success in 1947. The first press conference would take place today at 2:30 p.m., and would be given by the United States representative to the Commission, Linda Tarr-Whelan. Tomorrow, 21 March, at 11:15 a.m., a press conference would feature Angela King, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Gender Issues and the Advancement of Women. She would be joined by Sharon Brennen-Haylock (Bahamas), Chairperson of the Commission on the Status of Women, and Aloisia Woergetter (Austria), Chairperson of the Working Group on the Elaboration of a Draft Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
Mr. Brandt also informed correspondents that the recently taped World Chronicle television programme, also with Ms. King, would be broadcast today on Channels 3 and 31 at 3 p.m.
Asked if the Secretary-General had any opinion on the proposal of the President of the General Assembly to expand the Security Council, Mr. Brandt replied that he was not sure that the Secretary-General had seen the proposal yet. However, Mr. Brandt continued, the Secretary-General had expressed his views in the past that the Security Council was a creature of the politics of 1945, that the Council needed to be expanded and that he was closely following the consultations of Member States on the matter.
A correspondent wanted to know "why the rush" on the part of the Secretary-General in producing a report criticizing Mr. Savimbi, given that the Secretary-General was scheduled to visit Angola, and scheduled to meet
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with Mr. Savimbi to get a first-hand assessment of the situation. There was no rush, the Associate Spokesman answered; the Secretary-General had "a responsibility to tell it as he sees it, and it is important that the international community sees that he not only understands the issues and the implications fully, but that he is prepared to meet with all parties with the understanding that everybody knows what the situation is". On the other hand, he was mandated by the Security Council to do so; there was an expiration of the mandate of the United Nations Angola Verification Mission (UNAVEM III) coming soon and it was the Security Council, after all, that had the authority to renew or not renew the mission of the United Nations in Angola.
Pressed further, Mr. Brandt said that the Secretary-General was not criticizing Mr. Savimbi or UNITA; but was being factual in his observations, in his reports, as mandated by the Security Council, and he had the duty and the responsibility to do so.
Mr. Brandt was also asked about the United Nations Preventive Deployment Force (UNPREDEP); were they increasing the patrols on the border with Albania, in view of the latest developments in that country? He answered that there had been reinforcements deployed in the area and they were keeping a close eye on the situation. However, he did not know the exact number of troops, but could obtain them for the correspondent, he said. On whether Mr. Hauser, following his return from Albania, could brief the press, Mr. Brandt replied that he was in Europe, and he would see if someone else from WFP could come over to give an assessment. He urged correspondents, however, to read the press release he had earlier referred to.
Samsiah Abdul-Majid, spokeswoman for the President of the General Assembly, said that as Chairman of the working group on the question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council and other matters related to the Security Council, Assembly President Razali Ismail (Malaysia) had today presented a paper on the reform of the Council to the group for consideration. Introducing the proposals, Ambassador Razali had said that in the light of all the hard work the group had already put into the process, it was his conviction that another phase in its deliberations should be started with the aim of reaching conclusion to its work. As Chairman of the working group, it was his duty to provide a complete picture for the full membership to examine and pronounce on.
The spokeswoman said that the President's paper was in the form of a draft resolution, containing 12 preambular and 10 operative paragraphs. The words chosen reflected language in the United Nations Charter or accepted language as much as possible. The proposals addressed all aspects of Security Council reform, including the issues of expansion, decision-making including the veto, and working methods of the Council. The paper drew on many diverse and comprehensive views that had been expressed by delegations, and contained elements for careful examination and discussion by the whole membership.
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According to the spokeswoman, Ambassador Razali had said in his statement that the underpinnings of the proposals were based on the need to enhance the representativeness, credibility, legitimacy and authority of the Security Council. He believed that the proposals outlined in the paper represented a fair and balanced view so that members could begin to determine the elements in the composition and working methods of a new Security Council that would better underline the Council's ability to deal with the issues of peace and security.
Ambassador Razali had proposed an increase in Security Council membership from 15 to 24 by adding five permanent and four non-permanent members, she said. No names were mentioned in the proposals. It was a framework decision to expand the Council by nine. The five permanent members proposed were one each from the developing States of Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean, and two from industrialized countries. The four non-permanent members would be one each from Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America and the Caribbean.
Also in the proposals, Ambassador Razali had indicated that no one State would become a new permanent member unless another four in the pattern he had described also obtained the required majority of at least two thirds vote in the General Assembly, she said. "The fate of one is therefore inextricably linked to the fate of the others, thus preventing a so-called quick-fix", he said, according to the spokeswoman.
On the issue of the veto, she said by the proposal, the Assembly would decide that the new permanent members would not have the right of veto. The General Assembly would decide to discourage its use by urging the original permanent members of the Security Council to limit the exercise of their veto power to actions taken under Chapter VII of the Charter. The paper also suggested a time-frame for the implementation of the proposals. The President hoped that the draft resolution containing the framework decision would be adopted during June to September this year; and that by 28 February next year the Assembly would vote to designate the permanent members by State. A week after the designation, the Assembly would vote to amend the Charter. The paper provided for a review conference 10 years after the entry into force of the amendments, to review the situation created by the entry into force of the amendments, she said.
On voting methods, the spokeswoman said the paper elaborated measures the Assembly would urge the Council to undertake to enhance transparency and to strengthen the support and understanding of Council decisions by the whole membership of the Organization.
The spokeswoman said that the President had this morning rung the Peace Bell to herald the first day of spring. Speaking at the ceremony, he said that one of the "distressing characteristics of our times is our unique ability and penchant for killing and devising more effective ways to kill.
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What drives this skill to manufacture such horrific weapons and system of death? And what accounts for the conspiratorial silence in the midst of such horror, exacerbated by the widespread availability of weapons such as we have seen in eastern Zaire?" The President said that collective security -- the concept underpinning the role of the United Nations in matters of international peace and security -- could be achieved without nuclear weapons and a global arms race. A new world order could be established that thrived on justice and equity, sustainable development and the upholding of universal values which bound all. "It takes vision, perseverance and the courage of one's conviction ... to think and act with responsibility", the President added. (See Press Release GA/9227 issued today.)
Asked whether the President could meet with correspondents to explain the proposals and to tell them why he thought they were significant, Ms. Abdul-Majid said she had received many such requests and the President was considering the matter. An announcement would be made whenever it was decided to hold a briefing, she said. Replying to another question, she said that the paper containing the proposals was by the Chairman of the working group. Asked where copies could be obtained, she said that the paper was a conference room document for the working group. Correspondents would, however, be provided with the excerpts of Ambassador Razali's statement (see Press Release GA/9228 issued today) and the highlights of the proposals, she said.
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