DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
Press Briefing
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
19970430
FOR INFORMATION OF UNITED NATIONS SECRETARIAT ONLY
Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, started today's noon briefing by announcing that the refugee repatriation from eastern Zaire had begun today. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that one Ilyushin plane left Kisangani for Kigali early this afternoon, local time, with 186 children on board. A second plane was scheduled to depart for Gisenyi, Rwanda, with 50 refugees. Arrangements were being made for two more Ilyushin flights, which were expected to bring the total number of refugees moved to Rwanda today to 600.
The United Nations/Organization of African Unity Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region, Mohamed Sahnoun, was in the Angolan capital of Luanda today, the Spokesman noted.
The Emergency Relief Coordinator and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Yasushi Akashi, would be travelling to Iraq, Mr. Eckhard continued. Mr. Akashi would arrive in Baghdad on Saturday, 3 May, for a six- day visit. He would meet with government officials and United Nations staff in Baghdad and would also visit the northern part of the country to meet with local officials and with staff of the United Nations system agencies in Erbil and Suleimaniyah. Mr. Akashi would observe first-hand the implementation of the "oil-for-food" programme, based on Security Council resolution 986 (1995), throughout Iraq, reviewing the functioning of the distribution system for humanitarian goods, as well as the observation mechanisms in place in Iraq.
The six-month period covered by the current "oil-for-food" arrangements would expire on 7 June, Mr. Eckhard noted, adding that the Secretary-General would report to the Security Council before that date.
The Secretary-General's progress report to the Security Council on the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) was out today, the Spokesman said. In that report, the Secretary-General said that "both parties to the conflict seem determined to continue their direct contacts and to broaden their bilateral relations". The report indicated that in response to increased demands arising from a strengthening United Nations involvement in the peacemaking progress, the Secretary-General planned to appoint, as successor to his current Special Envoy for Georgia, Edouard Brunner, a resident special representative who would be based in Tbilisi and Sukumi. The current mandate of UNOMIG was due to expire on 31 July 1997.
The Provisional Electoral Council of Haiti had released this morning the official results of the 9 April legislative elections, Mr. Eckhard said. Further details were expected, but run-off elections were expected in most of
the nine senatorial races. One third of the seats in the Senate and two vacancies in the House of Deputies were being contested, along with local Council seats.
Liberia, the Spokesman said, was now entering a transition period, from civil conflict to a civil and democratic society, where citizens would have the opportunity to rebuild their lives. To make that transition a success, a vast amount of resources were needed to help restore basic social and economic services for the population. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) had issued a five-page background document, produced by its office in Liberia, on UNDP efforts towards sustainable human development in that country. The UNDP, he added, was coordinating the United Nations System Inter-Agency Community Reintegration and Peace-Building Programme, which focused on medium- term reintegration, rehabilitation and governance activities.
The newly appointed Special Representative to Liberia, Tuliameni Kalomoh, arrived on 28 April in Monrovia to take up his post, Mr. Eckhard said. A press release from the United Nations Observer Mission in Liberia (UNOMIL) was available in room 378.
The Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Alvaro de Soto, would visit Cambodia on 2 and 3 May, Mr. Eckhard said. The Assistant Secretary-General was expected to meet with the First and Second Prime Ministers, the Foreign Minister and other senior officials to discuss recent political developments in Cambodia, as well as other matters of mutual concern.
Cuba, the Spokesman said, had ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention yesterday. The number of countries that had ratified the Convention was now 88, while Signatory States remained at 165. He reminded correspondents that the Convention entered into force yesterday.
The Security Council was being briefed this morning by the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Carl Bildt, on the implementation of the peace process, the Spokesman said. In the afternoon, the Council would be briefed by the outgoing Special Representative for Cyprus, Han Sung-Joo. Mr. Eckhard reminded correspondents that the permanent five members of the Security Council had issued a statement last night, "rather late", on their meeting with the main United Nations actors on Cyprus. The statement was available in room 378.
The Secretary-General would visit the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) tomorrow at 12:30 p.m., Mr. Eckhard said. The Secretary-General would address the board of the NYSE and have a working lunch with the members of the Board.
World Press Freedom Day would be observed on Friday, 2 May, at Headquarters with a ceremony at 10 a.m. in the General Assembly Hall, the Spokesman said. Speakers would include the President of the General Assembly,
Daily Press Briefing - 3 - 30 April 1997
Razali Ismail; the Secretary-General; a taped message from the Director- General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Federico Mayor; the President of the United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA), Raghida Dergham; and Chilean playwright Ariel Dorfman. The anchor of the CBS Evening News programme, Dan Rather, would be the keynote speaker, and the Assistant Secretary-General for Public Information, Samir Sanbar, would moderate. Several other messages on video would be shown as well.
Mr. Eckhard, indicating that there had been several requests from correspondents for transcripts, said that the Secretary-General's speech in Atlanta on the CNN Global Forum programme would be rebroadcast on Sunday, 4 May, at 1 p.m., and again on Monday, 5 May, at 1:30 a.m., Eastern Standard Time.
There were two UNCA briefings coming up, the first one today at 2 p.m. with the Indonesian Ambassador-at-large for East Timor, Francisco Lopez de Cruz, at the UNCA Club. Tomorrow, at 1:30 p.m., UNCA would host a briefing by the designated representative of the Taliban of Afghanistan, Abdul-Hakeem Mujahid.
The Secretary-General's appointments for the morning had included the Personal Representative for East Timor, Jamsheed Marker, who briefed him on his recent visit there, Mr. Eckhard said. Both Mr. Bildt and Professor Han were on the Secretary-General's agenda for the afternoon.
The first question from the floor was a correspondent's query on the Haitian elections and whether the Spokesman would comment on the low level of participation. "No, the role of the United Nations was to provide technical assistance, and not to judge the quality or fairness of the elections", Mr. Eckhard said.
Did the meetings with the Secretary-General and his envoys to Cyprus mean that something substantive was going on? a correspondent asked. Mr. Eckhard recalled that the Secretary-General had said yesterday that his hope was to get the two community leaders to meet face to face, for not just one, but perhaps a series of three meetings, starting the coming summer. "I don't think anyone has any illusions about the complexity of the Cyprus problem", he said. "That's why it's been with us for so long. As I said yesterday, even if the atmospherics improve as a result of these meetings -- if they take place -- then it would have been worth the effort, from the Secretary-General's point of view."
Would the Secretary-General ring the bell at the Stock Exchange? a correspondent asked, adding that a lot of the guests there did that. Mr. Eckhard said he did not really know about the bell. He added that in Atlanta, the Secretary-General had continued to emphasize the importance of civil society and private sector involvement. In his talks with The Coca Cola
Daily Press Briefing - 4 - 30 April 1997
Company, he had talked about a partnership with the United Nations and governments to try to get development going, through job increases. "He thinks this is the way to invigorate development efforts, because government contributions to development are going down, but private sector investment in developing countries is going up rapidly", he said. "That explains his interest in this sector."
It was reported that President Mobutu Sese Seko had said that he would not participate in talks directly with Laurent Kabila, a correspondent said. Had Ambassador Sahnoun said anything about it? "No, Ambassador Sahnoun told us that there continued to be a failure to agree on where and how these talks were to be held, but not that either party has refused to talk", Mr. Eckhard said. "His understanding is that there still is an agreement, that they will talk. It's just a matter of deciding where."
What was United Nations policy involving war criminals? a correspondent asked. What was the Security Council and the Secretary-General's involvement, respectively? "The role of the United Nations police monitors in Bosnia and Herzegovina was expanded to include certain investigative activities", Mr. Eckhard noted, "but not to carry out police activities. The responsibility for arresting those charged by the Tribunal in The Hague remains with the governments."
But had the Council authorized the holding and handing over of the accused? the correspondent asked. The Spokesman reiterated that from the beginning, it had been the responsibility of governments to arrest, and to extradite to The Hague, anyone that has been indicted by the Tribunal.
Returning to the question of eastern Zaire, a correspondent asked if the 60-day deadline to evacuate refugees had been extended. "Well, there was a pretty much across-the-board negative reaction to the 60-day deadline, because it was unrealistic", Mr. Eckhard said. "We understand that as a result of [United States] Permanent Representative Richardson's meeting with Mr. Kabila, Mr. Kabila had indicated that it was more of a target than a deadline. We certainly hope that that is the case, particularly since we haven't found the refugees yet."
Were there any reactions from the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) administration on the report issued Friday concerning dismissals and shake-outs? a correspondent asked. Mr. Eckhard said that he did not have a read-out from their meeting in Nairobi at which the report might have come up, "though it was not Mr. Paschke's intention to link those two events. [Karl Paschke is the Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services.] The Secretary-General expects Habitat to move on the areas where shortcomings were found".
Daily Press Briefing - 5 - 30 April 1997
Who had replaced the two people fired from the Rwanda Tribunal? the correspondent asked. Mr. Eckhard indicated that a new Registrar had been announced very shortly after the resignation of the former Registrar, and "we announced a new Deputy Prosecutor yesterday".
There had been criticism that one of them had been from Habitat and was now in the Tribunal in an administrative capability, a correspondent said. Mr. Eckhard responded that a lot of time had been spent looking for a Deputy Prosecutor. "The search was careful, and I have to assume that the person is fully qualified", he said.
* *** *