DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
Press Briefing
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
19970424
FOR INFORMATION OF UNITED NATIONS SECRETARIAT ONLY
Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, began today's noon briefing by noting that the Secretary-General had made some remarks this morning to the hundreds of visiting daughters at the United Nations today.
Mr. Eckhard welcomed some of those daughters in attendance at the noon briefing. He said that another daughter was on her way up to the briefing table, referring to Samsiah Abdul-Majid, spokeswoman for General Assembly President Razali Ismail (Malaysia).
Mr. Eckhard said the Secretary-General had also taken a few questions from the children, one of which was "what do you do?". He related details of his programme of yesterday as a typical workday, and talked about food as a weapon of war. The transcript of his remarks to the children and his response to their questions would be made available this afternoon. Mr. Eckhard then mentioned that he was looking for a woman Deputy Spokesman, and indicated his willingness to consider the youngsters' applications.
Tomorrow, the Secretary-General and Mrs. Annan would be honoured at a Solemn Interfaith Service at St. Bartholomew's Church at Park Avenue and 51st Street at 9 a.m., the Spokesman said. The service, which would last one hour, would be conducted by the Interfaith Center of New York and the Temple of Understanding. It would also welcome the Permanent Representative of the United States, Bill Richardson, and the entire diplomatic community at the United Nations.
Mr. Eckhard said that the staff of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) were escorted towards refugee camps south of Kisangani by members of Laurent Kabila's Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo/Zaire (ADFL) at 1 p.m. local time today. They reached one camp at Kasese at Kilometre 25 and found it empty. It had contained 50,000 people. The Alliance then forced the group to return before they were able to reach a second camp at Biaro, located at Kilometre 37.
The Spokesman said that "the United Nations continues to be acutely concerned about the refugee population in this region, particularly in light of increasing rumours that there might have been killings of refugees". The Security Council was working on a draft presidential statement concerning the situation in eastern Zaire, and he believed that a text had been agreed upon at the expert level. There was a chance, pending agreement by the Council members, for the issuance of a text today.
Also this morning, the Security Council had heard a briefing by the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Kieran Prendergast, on the subject of Burundi, Mr. Eckhard added.
Mr. Eckhard then read a statement on Afghanistan which was available in the Spokesman's Office, as follows: "The Secretary-General is deeply disturbed by reports that the great Buddhist sculptures in the Province of Baniyan in Afghanistan may be under threat of destruction in the continuing military operations in the area. He appeals to both the political and military commanders involved to ensure that no harm is done to these priceless sculptures which have purely historical and cultural significance, which should be preserved." (See today's Press Release SG/SM/6222.)
Mr. Eckhard also noted the availability of a news release upstairs from the World Food Programme (WPF) announcing the launch of "a new and longer emergency operation to feed the most needy people in Albania". The aid would target 400,000 destitute people with no alternative means of survival since the collapse of the social welfare system. A previous emergency operation launched on 4 April targeted 7,500 people in social institutions, as well as destitute families. With the new food -- 15,000 tons of wheat flour -- the WFP would cover the needs of the targeted population until the next harvest in July. The operation would cost approximately $6.5 million, he added.
Bhutan today had signed the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and of Their Destruction, making it the 164th signatory, Mr. Eckhard said. Seventy- five countries had ratified the Convention, which opened for signature on 13 January 1993 and would enter into force on 29 April. "Of course, we are watching what is happening in Washington in that connection today as well", he added, referring to the vote in the United States Senate on the ratification of the Convention.
The Bahamas had paid its contribution in full to the United Nations for the current year, with a payment of $113,015, bringing to 54 Member States the number paid in full for 1997, Mr. Eckhard said.
He reminded correspondents that there would be a press conference, as previously announced, on the outcome of the negotiations on the "Earth Summit + 5" review on Friday, 25 April, but noted that the time had changed to 2:30 p.m. The Chairman of the current session of the Commission on Sustainable Development, Mostafa Tolba (Egypt), was the featured speaker. Just prior to that, at 10:30 a.m. also tomorrow, the non-governmental organizations participating in the negotiations would hold a press conference. Both would take place in room 226.
As of today, the Spokesman said, 26 countries remained under Article 19 of the United Nations Charter, which outlines the "no vote" restriction for non-payment of dues. Three countries had "come out from under" the "no vote"
Daily Press Briefing - 3 - 24 April 1997
restriction: Burundi, Guatemala, and Haiti had made the necessary minimum payments to sustain their right to vote in the General Assembly.
A correspondent, noting reports that the United States was developing a new trade preferential policy towards Africa, asked if the United Nations was going to be part of that programme or whether it was bilateral. Mr. Eckhard said that he believed it was bilateral, but was sure that the Secretary- General would welcome it, given his emphasis on stimulating the private sector to invest in those developing countries. At this point, foreign investment was concentrated in the dozen or so more advanced developing countries. The Secretary-General would, therefore, "welcome anything that would stimulate development", he added.
In the Secretary-General's speech this week at the Council on Foreign Relations, a passing reference was made to preventive diplomacy and post- conflict peace-building, a correspondent noted. He asked whether the Secretary-General had actually articulated his position on light weapons or conventional disarmament, and whether he had specific plans for the role of the United Nations in various proposals on those weapons. The Spokesman said he would ask.
Asked about the avenue and the frequency of contact between the United Nations and rebel leader Laurent Kabila, Mr. Eckhard said that "the avenue" was Mohamed Sahnoun, the joint United Nations/Organization of African Unity (OAU) Special Representative for the Great Lakes Region, who maintained regular contact with both sides. Mr. Sahnoun had been dealing with representatives of both Mr. Kabila and Zairian President Mobutu Sese Seko. He occasionally had direct contact with Mr. Kabila. This morning, he was in Windhoek, Namibia. His style of negotiation had him moving around a lot, and "we never know where he's going to show up next".
To a follow-up question about whether Mr. Sahnoun had established any headquarters in the region, Mr. Eckhard said that it was Nairobi, in theory, but he did not know the last time he was there.
Asked about the subject of the Secretary-General's meeting this afternoon with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Mr. Eckhard said he believed it was a routine meeting, but would check on whether there was a specific item on the agenda.
On whether there was any prognosis of talks resuming on the situation in Zaire, the Spokesman said that Mr. Sahnoun continued to be "optimistic" that it would be possible to bring the sides together. In the meantime, the Spokesman's Office was watching the progress on the ground and listening to "fairly discouraging comments" by both Mr. Kabila and Mr. Mobutu. So, "you'd have to toss a coin to see how it might come out", he added.
Daily Press Briefing - 4 - 24 April 1997
The Spokesman said that he had just received a press release from the World Health Organization (WHO), which he would make available to correspondents but which was embargoed until 2301 hours GMT today. It concerned new data on oral contraceptive pills and the risk of heart attack.
He said that the study had been conducted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)/United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (HRP). It would be published in the British medical journal, The Lancet, on 26 April. Described as an important study, it provided, for the first time, reliable data on the risk of heart attack in contraceptive pill users in developing countries, and confirmed that young women in both developed and developing countries who had no risk factors for cardiovascular disease could use the pill safely. The study found, however, that the risk of heart attack increased substantially in pill users over 35 years of age if they smoked or had high blood pressure.
Ms. Abdul-Majid said she would like to join the Spokesman in welcoming the daughters. Upon asking if they had had a chance to visit the General Assembly Hall, she told them that "the man who sits in the centre on the podium is my boss".
The spokeswoman said that the tenth emergency special session of the General Assembly had begun this morning to consider "illegal Israeli actions in occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territories". A statement by Assembly President Razali was available, but she would read excerpts as follows for the benefit of those who were not at Headquarters:
"This emergency special session of the General Assembly reflects the conviction of the membership that there exists an increasingly grave situation involving peace and security. In the past two months, the Security Council twice held extensive discussions, and the General Assembly once, on the illegal Israeli actions in occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. For the second time, the issue has been placed before the General Assembly. The discussions in the Security Council have proven to be inconclusive, since it has been unable to take action because of lack of unanimity of its permanent members. The convening of this session, which is being held in accordance with the provisions of General Assembly resolution 377 (V) of 3 November 1950, entitled "Uniting for Peace" at the request of a Member State and with the concurrence of a large majority of the Members, demonstrates clearly their gravest concern and awareness of the implications of the present situation.
"The maintenance of international peace and security is certainly a matter of concern to all States, as well as peoples. A threat to peace and security in any part of the world has a direct bearing on universal peace and security. No nation or group of nations can claim immunity from such
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developments. It is, therefore, appropriate that the General Assembly, given that the Security Council had not been able to take action due to the lack of unanimity of its permanent members, be the universal assembly to try to address the issue effectively.
"I have referred to the obligation placed upon this Organization to act in the face of this crisis. Permit me to recall here that there are certain obligations which affect us all: there is the obligation assumed by each Member under the Charter to ensure that international peace, security and justice shall not be endangered; and there is the obligation shared by all Members to respect the decisions of this Organization.
"This emergency special session of the General Assembly underlines the resolve of Members to seek recourse in the General Assembly to resolve the issue with all peaceful means, fearful of grave consequences in the event the issue has not been satisfactorily resolved. It is not being conducted with rancour or acrimony, but is an effort to eliminate tension and to protect and save the peace process at this critical juncture. Our meeting underscores the important role of the General Assembly and the concomitant responsibility in the maintenance of international peace and security." (See Press Release GA/9237 issued today.)
Ms. Abdul-Majid said that there were 57 delegations inscribed to speak. At the time of the briefing, the Permanent Observer for Palestine and the representatives of Israel, Senegal, Kuwait, Qatar and Indonesia had delivered their statements. Texts, including those of the Observer for Palestine and the representative of Israel, had been made available to correspondents.
A draft resolution was expected to be out this afternoon, she said, which she would make available to correspondents as soon as she received it.
Turning to procedural matters, Ms. Abdul-Majid said that, as the Spokesman had indicated, 26 Member States were now among countries in arrears under Article 19 of the United Nations Charter.
According to rule 63 of the Assembly's Rules of Procedure, the President and the Vice-Presidents of the current emergency special session were to be those of the fifty-first regular Assembly session. (President: Razali Ismail (Malaysia); Vice-Presidents: African States -- Angola, Burundi, Ghana, Libya, Niger and the Sudan; Asian States -- Cyprus, Pakistan, Philippines and the United Arab Emirates; Eastern European States -- Latvia; Latin American and Caribbean States -- Bahamas, Honduras and Paraguay; Western European and Other States -- Andorra and Turkey; and the five permanent members of the Security Council -- China, France, Russian Federation, United Kingdom and the United States.
Daily Press Briefing - 6 - 24 April 1997
Also this morning, the Assembly decided that the Credentials Committee would consist of those members which served during the fifty-first session -- China, Dominican Republic, Gabon, Netherlands, Paraguay, Philippines, Russian Federation, Sierra Leone and the United States.
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NOTE:In the press briefing by the Under-Secretary-General for Administration and Management issued yesterday, 23 April, the last sentence of the second full paragraph on page 5 should read: "This month, we have found them and are giving them to Permanent Missions that cannot buy them, together with providing training, so that they can access the optical disk system through the Internet."