DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
Press Briefing
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
19970516
FOR INFORMATION OF UNITED NATIONS SECRETARIAT ONLY
Hiro Ueki, Associate Spokesman for the Secretary-General, began today's noon press briefing by informing correspondents that the Secretary-General yesterday sent a letter to the President of the General Assembly, Razali Ismail, concerning the reappointment of James Gustav Speth as Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
According to the letter, the Secretary-General, following consultations with members of UNDP's Executive Board -- conducted, at his invitation, by the Board's bureau -- had decided to ask the Assembly to confirm the appointment of Mr. Speth for a further four-year term of office beginning on 16 July. The Secretary-General asked that the Assembly take up the matter at the earliest opportunity. Mr. Ueki said he understood that the Assembly might do so on Tuesday, 20 May.
Continuing his State visit to the Russian Federation, the Secretary- General today met with the Mayor of Moscow and had lunch with senior heads of media organizations there, Mr. Ueki said. He also met with the Chairman of the State Duma (Parliament), G.A. Seleznev, as well as with the Executive Secretary of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), I.M. Korotchenya. This afternoon, he addressed the Moscow Institute of International Relations on the subject, "Countries with Economies in Transition: Progress and Challenges".
This evening, the Secretary-General would be a guest of honour at a musical recital and reception to be hosted by the Russian Foreign Minister, E.M. Primakov, Nr. Ueki said. Tomorrow, he would travel to St. Petersburg, following his meeting with the President of the Russian Federation, Boris N. Yeltsin. A draft of the Secretary-General's speech to the Moscow Institute had been received, but there had been some changes in it. The final text would be made available to correspondents as soon as the changes were received.
As correspondents already knew, the Security Council this morning authorized an increase in the strength of the United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH) by 120 police personnel, Mr. Ueki said. That action was based on the recommendation the Secretary-General made earlier this year. As had already been announced, the Council would hold a formal meeting at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, 21 May, to consider the item, "Protection for humanitarian assistance to refugees and others in conflict situations". That meeting was listed in today's Journal.
Mr. Ueki said the Libya Sanctions Committee met yesterday to consider the question of Libyan flights to the Niger and Nigeria last week. The Chairman of the Committee might have briefed the Security Council this morning on that meeting and was expected to inform it that no consensus had been reached on the matter. Committee members had asked the Chairman to approach the countries and parties concerned in order to gather further evidence, to facilitate its work so that a consensus could be reached.
Mr. Ueki said that 1,942 refugees in eastern Zaire had been repatriated in eight flights to Rwanda today, bringing the total flown there to 28,192. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) hoped to send teams to the south of Biaro and to Mbandaka on the border with the Congo over the weekend. The transit centre in Kisangani still held 4,000 people. Fifteen thousand refugees were believed to be in Biaro, some 4,000 in Obilo, and several hundreds in Ubundu. A UNHCR briefing note out of Geneva, containing information on the refugees' repatriation and current location, was available on the third floor.
He went on to say that Mohamed Sahnoun, Special Envoy of the Secretary- General and the Organizations of African Unity (OAU), yesterday attended the meeting between South African President Nelson Mandela and the leader of the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo/Zaire (ADFL), Laurent Kabila, in Cape Town. Mr. Ueki understood that Mr. Kabila was now back in Lubumbashi. Ambassador Sahnoun had left Cape Town on his way to Harare for consultations with President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe on the Great Lakes situation. Events were unfolding in Zaire by the minute and were being followed very closely by the Secretariat. Ambassador Sahnoun would continue with his efforts to promote a peaceful and democratic transition in Zaire.
The fifth Department of Humanitarian Affairs situation report on the Iran earthquake was available on the third floor, Mr. Ueki.
Mr. Ueki then announced that tomorrow, 17 May, was World Telecommunications Day. The theme for this year was "telecommunications and humanitarian assistance", aimed at highlighting the growing role of telecommunications in disaster mitigation and relief operations. A press release on the subject was available on the third floor.
In Geneva, Ralph Zacklin, the Officer-in-Charge of the High Commissioner/Centre for Human Rights, had issued a statement condemning the senseless killings of 30 innocent women and children near Blida in Algeria yesterday, Mr. Ueki said. The statement expresses shock and dismay at the brutal acts of terrorism in which some 60,000 were killed over the past few years. Those acts were unacceptable to the international community and were contrary to international human rights norms, he said. Mr. Zacklin appealed to all to ensure maximum respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and in particular for the right to life.
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