DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
Press Briefing
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
19970528
FOR INFORMATION OF UNITED NATIONS SECRETARIAT ONLY
Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, began today's press briefing by announcing that serious fighting had broken out in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan, yesterday at 4 p.m. local time. There were reports of widespread use of high-calibre weapons that continued through the night. While the situation in Mazar-e-Sharif was unclear, there had been reports this morning that many buildings were on fire and that the Pakistani Consulate had been looted. There were also reported incidents of fighting throughout the northern region. The Taliban seemed to have left Mazar-e-Sharif sometime after the fighting yesterday, and there were unconfirmed reports that the Taliban's Acting Foreign Minister, Mullah Ghaus, who had been sent to Mazar-e-Sharif to mediate, had been killed along with two other Taliban officials.
Mr. Eckhard said that it was now estimated that there were 172 internationally recruited United Nations staff members and dependants in Sierra Leone. All non-essential staff were in the process of being evacuated. Yesterday, some staff had been flown out of Bo in a helicopter from the United Nations Observer Mission in Liberia (UNOMIL), and the remainder were expected to be transported by boat.
The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Sierra Leone, Berhanu Dinka, met for a second time with the leaders of the coup d'état, Mr. Eckhard continued, and was assured that security would be provided for all international staff. At both meetings, Mr. Dinka had been joined by the envoys of the United Kingdom, United States and Nigeria. The Special Envoy informed the coup leaders of the presidential statement adopted by the Security Council, as well as pronouncements by the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the Commonwealth and other governments. He warned the coup leaders that they faced international isolation. Mr. Eckhard then drew correspondents' attention to the statement by the Foreign Minister of Zimbabwe, dated 25 May, which stated revulsion at the overthrow of the legitimate government.
Turning to Guatemala, Mr. Eckhard said the Secretary-General had been kept informed of press allegations against United Nations staff members in Guatemala in connection with the so-called "Mincho case". "We consider these press reports to be without foundation", he said. Nevertheless, the Secretary-General had decided last week that a team from Headquarters should visit Guatemala on a preliminary fact-finding mission. That decision was taken in consultation with the Head of the United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala (MINUGUA), who had requested that such an inquiry be conducted. The team would remain in Guatemala for several days before reporting back to
the Secretary-General on its conclusions. The Secretary-General trusted that the findings of that mission would consolidate the confidence placed in MINUGUA by the people of Guatemala and by the international community and would allow the mission to revert fully to its important verification and institution-building tasks.
The Security Council was holding a formal meeting this morning on the mandate renewal of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), Mr. Eckhard said. Immediately following, the Council would meet regarding the mandate renewal of the United Nations Preventive Deployment Force (UNPREDEP) in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. A draft presidential statement by the United States on the Democratic Republic of the Congo was also being circulated among Security Council members.
The Spokesman's Office had received a press release from the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, Mr. Eckhard said. It contained updates on the trials of Georges Anderson Rutaganda and Jean-Paul Akayesu.
Mr. Eckhard reminded correspondents that The State of World Population 1997 would be presented by Senior Researcher Stan Bernstein of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) at a press conference this afternoon at 1 p.m. Also this afternoon, Ambassador Philip Dimitrov, the incoming Permanent Representative of Bulgaria to the United Nations, would brief correspondents at 3:30 p.m.
He then announced that all correspondents were advised to pick up the first information note on arrangements for the special session of the General Assembly to review the implementation of Agenda 21, which was now available at the documents counter in limited numbers.
The press briefing by the Sudanese opposition leader, Sadiq al-Mahdi, sponsored by the United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA), had been postponed to Thursday, 29 May, at 11 a.m. in the UNCA Club, Mr. Eckhard announced. On Friday, 30 May, Jose Ramos Horta, the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, would hold a briefing at 1:30 p.m. in the UNCA Club.
Asked if there was any news on the nameplate change for Zaire, Mr. Eckhard said the Mission of the Democratic Republic of the Congo had given word that it would like to be listed under "D". However, there had been no written request, which was necessary before the nameplates could be rearranged.
A correspondent asked for the names of the envoys and coup leaders who had met with Mr. Dinka. Mr. Eckhard said the names were not listed in the latest report, but he would ask the Department of Political Affairs for the names.
Daily Press Briefing - 3 - 28 May 1997
What was the Secretary-General's position on the Nigerian intervention in Sierra Leone? a correspondent asked. Mr. Eckhard said the Secretary- General had nothing further to add to his statement. The Security Council also had made clear its position yesterday. The Nigerians had informed the United Nations, as well as the coup leaders, that their sole intention was to assure the security of the international community. At this point, the Secretary-General was watching to see how the situation played out, and the Organization was evacuating non-essential personnel.
Asked for the Secretary-General's position on the United States request to investigate human rights violations in Zaire, Mr. Eckhard said there seemed to be a desire among Member States to deliver a firm message to Laurent Kabila on human rights, particularly concerning eastern Zaire. The Secretary-General was considering issuing a message during the OAU Summit in Harare, Zimbabwe, which he would be attending.
Asked when the Secretary-General would be leaving for the OAU Summit, Mr. Eckhard said the Secretary-General was scheduled to leave on Saturday, 31 May, and return on Wednesday, 4 June.
Where was the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Afghanistan? a correspondent asked. Mr. Eckhard said he needed to check with his office and could give a firm answer after the briefing.
A correspondent asked for the origin of the high-calibre weapons used in the fighting in Mazar-e-Sharif. Mr. Eckhard said reports had not indicated the origin of the weapons.
Would an investigator be appointed within the Secretariat or would the Security Council oversee the investigation in eastern Zaire? a correspondent asked. Mr. Eckhard said there were two issues being discussed. The first was the ongoing effort by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to conduct an investigation, and the second was the more recent desire expressed by Member States to deliver a message to Mr. Kabila on the importance of human rights, particularly as it applied to the situation in eastern Zaire. On the second point, there was currently discussion on the most appropriate way to deliver that message.
The same correspondent asked if that message on human rights would be delivered through a new investigative body. Mr. Eckhard said there had been discussion of a diplomatic mission, but not a new investigative body.
Asked about the fate of the human rights commission of inquiry on eastern Zaire, Mr. Eckhard said that when the commission failed to get into Zaire, it had accumulated what information it could from secondary sources. The commission of inquiry would report their findings informally to the Secretary-General and the Commission on Human Rights in Geneva.
Daily Press Briefing - 4 - 28 May 1997
Had the document signed yesterday by the Secretary-General and the Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) been made available? a correspondent asked. Mr. Eckhard said he would check with his office to see if it had been made available as a formal document of the Organization.
A correspondent asked if the United Nations had been involved in choosing the replacement for the High Representative for Implementation of the Peace Agreement on Bosnia and Herzegovina, Carl Bildt. Mr. Eckhard said there had been consultations on that subject, but it was not a decision for the United Nations to make.
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