DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
Press Briefing
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
19970324
FOR INFORMATION OF UNITED NATIONS SECRETARIAT ONLY
Juan Carlos Brandt, Associate Spokesman for the Secretary-General, informed correspondents at the beginning of today's briefing that the office of the Spokesman had put out a statement received from Fred Eckhard, who was travelling with the Secretary-General, and was currently with him in Angola. The statement said that the Secretary-General had today been able to secure from the Angolan rebel leader Jonas Savimbi a commitment to take the final step to implement the peace agreement with the Angolan Government.
The Secretary-General had met privately with Mr. Savimbi at his headquarters in Bailundo in central Angola today, Mr. Brandt said. After the meeting, the Secretary-General told correspondents that he and Mr. Savimbi had agreed that all the deputies and ministers of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) would return to Luanda and sit in the National Assembly before the Secretary-General's departure.
By way of background, the Associate Spokesman recalled that there had been problems regarding UNITA's activities in the Parliament, which had prevented the two sides from forming the Government of National Unity and Reconciliation, as was called for in the peace agreement that they had reached in Lusaka, Zambia, in 1994. Implementation of the agreement was being monitored by the United Nations current largest peace-keeping mission, with over 6,000 troops. The Secretary-General would address the Parliament tomorrow after the remaining UNITA members were flown into the capital by the United Nations in the morning. The Secretary-General would personally be at the airport to receive them.
Mr. Brandt said that the Secretary-General, speaking from a balcony overlooking the assembled crowd, told them: "This is a happy day for the people of Angola. I thank Mr. Savimbi and the leaders of Angola for the courage they have shown. Now we can look forward to reconstruction and social development, and we of the international community will be there to assist and to support you and to do our part. Today is an important day for Angola and the people of Angola; today we decided to take that final and difficult step towards the formation of a Government of National Unity and Reconciliation".
The Associate Spokesman said that Mr. Savimbi had confirmed that the UNITA members of the Parliament would travel to Luanda tomorrow and that UNITA ministers of the government would also come to the capital in the next few days. Standing next to the Secretary-General, Mr. Savimbi had commented: "We will consolidate peace, so that this peace is secured".
There was a lot of hope, but, Mr Brandt said "it is not over till its over".
The text of the Secretary-General's address to the Joint Commission today was available in the office of the Spokesman, Mr. Brandt said. "As it has just arrived, I have not read it myself and so, don't have highlights for you. Please read it carefully."
On the Secretary-General's activities in the past few days, the Associate Spokesman said that on Saturday, upon his arrival in Namibia, he had had a first meeting with President Sam Nujoma at the airport; later this was followed by another, more formal meeting with the President, the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister and other members of the Government. They had talked about Zaire, African representation on a democratized Security Council, and other African issues. That was followed by a two-hour working lunch with President Nujoma.
The Secretary-General had then left for his journey to Angola, where he met with the press upon arrival and told them that the people of Angola were tired of war, Mr. Brandt said. "They are looking to their leaders to provide the peace that they've been yearning for. The international community shares that dream."
The Secretary-General had further said that he hoped that a Government of National Unity could be formed, mentioning that was the first peace-keeping operation that he was visiting as Secretary-General, Mr. Brandt said. Asked if the withdrawal of the United Nations Angola Verification Mission (UNAVEM III) would be postponed, he had replied that at the current stage there were no plans to postpone the withdrawal of United Nations troops, making it all the more important that the Government of National Unity be formed. He had also pointed out that the international community had spent a lot of time and resources on the effort to find a solution to the conflict, and appealed to the leaders to have the courage to make peace.
On Sunday, Mr. Brandt continued, the Secretary-General left for Cuito early in the morning. Upon his arrival he was greeted by thousands of spectators during an "incredible rainstorm". The Secretary-General went ahead to address the crowd, telling them that he had come to extend the solidarity of the international community to their determined efforts to reconstruct their lives and their city. He then visited the Brazilian Battalion camp in the city before leaving for Luanda, where he attended a working luncheon hosted by the Foreign Minister, Venancio de Moura. Following that, he attended a meeting with United Nations representatives and then was briefed by UNAVEM military and civilian police personnel. The Secretary-General's programme ended on Sunday with an official reception hosted by his Special Representative, Alioune Blondin Beye, at the United Nations compound.
Still on Angola, the Associate Spokesman announced that the Secretary- General would be issuing another report shortly, possibly tomorrow, before the mandate of UNAVEM III expires at the end of the March. He recalled that the Security Council had in February extended the mandate by only one month.
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On press conferences, he announced that there would be a closed meeting of the Security Council Committee established by resolution 661 (1990) to monitor the sanctions against Iraq today at 4:30 p.m. in Conference Room 7. Immediately after that, the Chairman of the Committee, Antonio Monteiro (Portugal), would give an oral briefing to interested Member States in the same conference room. After that, he would be in room 226 to brief the press.
Another press conference would be held tomorrow at 10:45 a.m. by Emma Bonino, the European Union Commissioner responsible for the management of the Union's Humanitarian Office, Fisheries and Consumer Policy. Her subject would be the humanitarian aid situations in the Great Lakes region of Africa, Albania and other trouble spots in the world.
Mr. Brandt said that the Security Council would not meet today. Tomorrow, it would have consultations on the Secretary-General's progress report on the United Nations Observer Mission in Liberia (UNOMIL) -- the twenty-second report -- and then discuss other matters. In the afternoon, the Council would have the meeting of the informal working group on the Council's documentation and other procedural questions.
In connection with Liberia, he pointed out that the Secretary-General's report was now out, as document S/1997/237, dated 19 March. In it, the Secretary-General reported that the progress made since last January was generally encouraging. The outcome of the disarmament and demobilization exercise could be considered to be in substantial compliance with the Abuja Agreement. He also said that the main focus of UNOMIL must now be the forthcoming elections, and made recommendations on the role of the mission in it.
Among other measures, the Secretary-General had recommended that UNOMIL's electoral unit, which currently comprised only one person, be strengthened, and that 200 additional personnel be recruited from among existing UNOMIL and United Nations staff members, as well as from Member States and regional organizations to observe the polling and counting of votes. He had also recommended that a clear understanding be reached with the Economic Community of West African States' Monitoring Observer Group (ECOMOG), regarding its responsibilities for the protection of international personnel during the electoral process, and that UNOMIL be authorized to make appropriate arrangements for the production of broadcasts for daily radio programmes to make sure that Liberian voters received neutral, factual information about the electoral process, the Associate Spokesman added.
He further pointed out that this afternoon, there would be close consultations among members of the Security Council and troop contributors on UNOMIL at 3:30 p.m. in Conference Room 7.
Turning to the Great Lakes region, he said that in Kisangani, the agencies currently present were the United Nations High Commissioner for
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Refugees (UNHCR), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and World Food Programme (WFP), and also the non-governmental organizations OXFAM, Omnis, Caritas and the Zairian Red Cross. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was there last week and was expected to return on Wednesday. A UNHCR team was scheduled to arrive in Kisangani today.
Concerning Kindu, he told correspondents that 99 unaccompanied children were evacuated to Goma over the weekend, bringing to 166 the total evacuated since the operation started on Thursday. Of that number, 164 were already in Rwanda. In Amisi, a total 167 refugees had been flown to Goma. That number included 73 children.
Mr. Brandt said that the number of returnees crossing the border at Goma was rising. Between 17 and 23 March, 1,400 refugees had crossed over. They had come from various collection points around Sake and Tongo (north-west of Goma) where they were picked up by UNHCR trucks and transported to Goma.
In Ubundu, he said that information about the situation remained very scarce. Indeed, there had been no direct contact by any international organization over the last six days. The vast majority of the refugees originally located on the east side of the river had supposedly moved to the west bank. The town was thought to be demilitarized, except for some ex- Forces Armees Rwandaises (FAR) elements.
Concerning Punia, the Associate Spokesman said that there had been no contact for the past couple of weeks. According to missionaries, it appeared that some refugees who had been reported leaving Punia towards Ubundu were returning to Punia.
Mr. Brandt told correspondents that in a letter dated 6 February, the President of Algeria had requested United Nations assistance for the upcoming parliamentary elections in the country. The United Nations subsequently dispatched an evaluation mission to Algeria from 6 to 12 March, and the mission submitted a confidential report on 17 March. Based on that report and its conclusions, the Secretary-General had sent a response to the President of Algeria, basically making three points. The first was that the United Nations was ready to supply to the Government of Algeria a small technical team to coordinate and support the work of the international observers who would be invited on the occasion of the parliamentary elections which would take place there. In providing that assistance, the United Nations role would be to facilitate the international monitoring of the electoral campaign, as well as the progress of the tallying of votes. The United Nations itself would not observe the elections in order to ensure their proper course and its results, and similarly, the Organization would not make any declaration regarding the elections.
Next, Mr. Brandt continued, the Secretary-General said in the letter that the Government of Algeria should, of course, provide in an appropriate
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way for the security of those staff who were part of that small technical team. Finally, he stated that the United Nations would send the technical team as soon as possible, so that the international observers may ensure the widest possible coverage of that important process. In anticipation of questions, Mr. Brandt said the letter would not be released, nor would it be issued as a document, since it was a private letter.
"To help correspondents plan ahead", Mr. Brandt told them that the Secretary-General would later next week depart New York for New Delhi, were he would address the Non-Aligned Movement's Foreign Ministers' meeting on 7 April, and hold meetings with leaders from the Movement. He would pay an official visit to India at the invitation of that Government. In the course of that visit, he would hold meetings with the President of India, the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister. He would also meet with representatives of various sectors of Indian society, including leaders of the business community.
From India, the Secretary-General would proceed to Geneva, where he would attend the meeting of the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC), Mr. Brandt said. While there, he would address a public meeting co- hosted by the Association Suisse de Politique Etrangere and the Institut Universitaire d'Haute Etudes Internationales and hold meetings with members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the United Nations in that city.
His next stop would be Italy, where he would be making an official visit, he said. He would inaugurate the United Nations Staff College in Turin on 12 April and open the Joint United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)/Department for Humanitarian Affairs workshop on Transition from Relief to Development in Countries in Crises. During that visit, he would meet with the President, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Defence, the Foreign Minister, both Foreign Relations Committees of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies and other officials of the Italian Government. The Secretary-General would also accept the Bonino Foundation Award which had been bestowed upon him. He would also have an audience with His Holiness Pope John Paul II in the Vatican, the Associate Spokesman added.
Mr. Brandt said that the Secretary-General's next stop would be Germany on an official visit, during which he would meet with the President in Berlin, and with Chancellor Helmut Kohl and the Minister for Foreign Affairs in Bonn. He would also participate in a session of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the German Bundestag, and meet with other political figures and leaders of German society.
The Associate Spokesman said that Switzerland had today paid its contribution to the regular budget as a non-Member State, with a cheque for the balance of $388,000, in addition to the $3,478,623 partial payment that had been made on 30 January.
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He announced that the World Health Organization (WHO) had a press release, available in the office of the Spokesman, on the commonly referred to "mad-cow disease". The release stated that the WHO was organizing a consultation in Geneva from 24 to 26 March on medicinal and other products in relation to human and animal transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. Some 50 specialists from about 15 countries were participating in it and would try to assess the current situation in animals, especially cattle and possibly sheep. The conclusions of the consultation should be particularly important, since the possible consequences of mad-cow disease in human beings was still a serious concern for health authorities and beef consumers. Mr. Brandt added that there was also available in the Spokesman's office extensive background material obtained from the Internet that contained further and detailed information on the disease.
He then announced that the Staff Union Committee for the Security and Independence of the International Civil Union would tomorrow, 25 March, observe -- as it does every year -- the Day of Solidarity with Detained Staff Members. The date, which marked the day of the abduction, 12 years ago, of United Nations staff member Alec Collett, sought to highlight the plight of scores of detained staff members. In the observance, he continued, a short ceremony would be held at 12:30 p.m. at the United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA) club. Staff Committee President Rosemarie Waters would make remarks, as would United Nations Security Coordinator, Assistant- Secretary-General Benon Sevan, UNCA Vice-President Ian Williams, and United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) New York Office Chief, Bill Lee. The Permanent Representatives of a number of Member States had been invited, but their confirmation was pending.
Mr. Brandt said that the World Chronicle television programme with Gritakumar Chitty, Registrar for the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, would be shown today on in-house television channel 6 and 23 or 38 at 2:30 p.m.
Asked about the date of the Secretary-General's visit with the Pope, Mr. Brandt said that the dates were being fine-tuned right now. On when the Secretary-General would be departing, he said it would be "towards the end of next week", following his return from Africa on 28 March. He would be confirming the dates later.
A correspondent noted that the Secretary-General had received a briefing from Executive Deputy President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa concerning the situation in Zaire, and wanted to know the current position of the joint Special Representative of the United Nations/Organization of African Unity (OAU) Mohamed Sahnoun following the incident in Kisangani at the weekend when Mr. Sahnoun was present at the rally of rebel leader Laurent Kabila.
Mr. Brandt answered that Mr. Sahnoun continued to be the representative of the United Nations and the OAU, and continued to be extremely committed to
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the cause of peace in Zaire. "He will attend -- as will the Secretary-General -- the meeting in Lome, Togo; the work continues."
Asked if the consolidation of Government in Angola struck the Secretary- General as any "kind of model, or example of what might or should happen with the United Nations", Mr. Brandt replied that the Government of National Unity and Reconciliation should be established first. "If it is, it would be a good thing, a good example of the kind of work that the United Nations is able to do, as we have seen in other examples throughout the world."
A correspondent said that a Panamanian newspaper had reported that Assistant Secretary-General Alvaro de Soto had told the Government of Panama that if they invited the President of Taiwan, Province of China, the United Nations Secretary-General would not go to the conference. Could he confirm that? Mr. Brandt answered that he had not seen the article, but it was his understanding that Mr. de Soto had had a recent private conversation on this matter; so nothing that was used in the press based on a private conversation could be used or could be taken as an official position of a United Nations official. He could not, therefore, tell the correspondent anything about it. Another correspondent said that according to press reports, Canada was trying to broker some sort of arrangement in Haiti, to which end the Prime Minister of Canada would go to Haiti next week to see the Haitian President. What was going on, and was the United Nations part of the arrangement?
The Associate Spokesman said that there was a lot going on in Haiti. The international community had invested considerably in Haiti to keep it from going "where it should not go". Much progress had been achieved; much remained to be achieved, and he was sure that the international community would do all that was necessary to ensure that Haiti was a success story.
Samsiah Abdul-Majid, spokeswoman for the President of the General Assembly, Razali Ismail (Malaysia), said that this afternoon the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) would hold a formal meeting where it would conduct a question-and-answer session on the Secretary-General's reform measures presented in his letter to the Assembly President (documents A/51/829 and A/INF/51/6 and Corr.1). She recalled that the Secretary-General had explained those documents to correspondents in his press conference last week.
The Executive Coordinator for United Nations Reform Maurice Strong, and the Under-Secretary-General for Administration and Management Joseph Connor would be present to answer questions. Before that, however, the Assembly President would hold an informal meeting with Member States to exchange views on the letter; Mr. Strong would also be there, she said.
Also this afternoon in the Fifth Committee, Ms. Abdul-Majid said, the United States would table a draft resolution on the scale of assessments (document A/C.5/51/L.46). The draft specified a number of elements and criteria as the basis on which the Committee on Contributions should recommend
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to the Assembly, at its next session, a scale of assessments for the period 1998-2000. That included a ceiling of 20 per cent, the use of gross national product (GNP) instead of net national income, a statistical base period of three years with automatic annual updating, and a low per capita income relief gradient of 75 per cent; currently, the gradient was set at 85 per cent. Also included was the non-eligibility of permanent members of the Security Council for relief based on low per capita income, she added, recalling that the United Republic of Tanzania had presented last Monday a draft resolution on the same subject, where it recommended a ceiling of 25 per cent.
Also this afternoon, she said, the Fifth Committee would consider two documents, one from the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), and the other from the Secretary-General on the financing of the Military Observer Group of the United Nations Human Rights Verification Mission in Guatemala. The ACABQ was recommending that the Assembly approve the appropriation of $4 million gross for the period 15 February to 31 May.
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