DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
Press Briefing
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
19970611
FOR INFORMATION OF UNITED NATIONS SECRETARIAT ONLY
Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, began today's press briefing by reading a statement attributable to the Spokesman, as follows:
"The Secretary-General is increasingly concerned about the deteriorating situation in Congo, Brazzaville, and the rising human toll of this conflict. He calls on the parties to cease hostilities and promptly begin negotiations to settle their differences. He welcomes President Omar Bongo's readiness to mediate, and appeals to other leaders in the region with influence on the parties to assist in any way they can. He has requested his Special Representative Mohamed Sahnoun to support this peace effort." (See Press Release SG/SM/6254-AFR/10.)
Mr. Eckhard went on to say that Mr. Sahnoun was in Geneva today. He had met the Officer-in-Charge of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ralph Zacklin, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Sadako Ogata, and the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Cornelio Sommaruga. The focus of the meetings were the plight of refugees and displaced persons in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighbouring countries. A note to correspondents, prepared in Geneva, describing Mr. Sahnoun's activities there, was available in the Spokesman's Office.
Mr. Zacklin was expected in New York today, he said. He would have meetings at Headquarters tomorrow and would be invited to talk to correspondents on Friday on the human rights investigative team that President Laurent Kabila of the Democratic Republic of the Congo had agreed to accept and that would be sent on 20 June.
Following up on questions asked yesterday about invitations to the talks on Cyprus, Mr. Eckhard said that letters had been delivered to the two community leaders today by the Deputy Special Representative for Cyprus, Gustave Feissel, inviting them to New York from 9 to 13 July for face-to-face talks. The precise location would be announced closer to the date of the talks.
The Secretary-General's Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, James Baker III, began meetings with the concerned parties in London today, Mr. Eckhard said. He had met with representatives of the Government of Morocco and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia El-Hamra and Rio de Oro
Daily Press Briefing - 2 - 11 June 1997
(POLISARIO). He would also hold consultations with envoys from Algeria and Mauritania. Those discussions were in preparation for his second visit to that region.
Referring to news articles of today on the agreement by a United States' Senate Committee concerning United States' payment of arrears to the United Nations, Mr. Eckhard said the Secretary-General had been encouraged by what the United States Administration saw as a major breakthrough. The process was an ongoing one and the Secretary-General and Member States looked forward to a positive outcome.
Mr. Eckhard then reported that the third Special Conference to Support the Peace Process in Liberia would take place in Geneva tomorrow, under the chairmanship of the United Nations. The member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), donor countries and various United Nations organizations and other international bodies assisting the peace process would attend. They would discuss preparations for the forthcoming elections, humanitarian assistance and reconstruction efforts. Staff members of the Department of Peace-keeping Operations might brief the Security Council on the matter this morning, he added.
Also on Liberia, he said that a handout, issued in Liberia, was available in the Spokesman's Office. It announced that Tesema Negash of Ethiopia, who served as the Humanitarian Coordinator there, was leaving the post.
The Security Council was discussing Albania, Iraq and Bosnia and Herzegovina today, Mr. Eckhard said. Under other matters, the members would be briefed on Afghanistan and on Liberia, if time permitted. On Albania, the Secretary-General had conveyed to the Council this morning the fifth biweekly report on the multinational protection force established by Security Council resolution 1101 (1997) (document S/1997/440). The report was submitted to the Secretary-General by the Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations.
Mr. Eckhard then said that two handouts, issued by the Department of Humanitarian Affairs, were available in the Spokesman's Office. One described the activities of the United Nations observers in Iraq. Some of the information included in the handout referred to the fact that each observer travelled 300 to 900 kilometres per day "in broken-down vehicles that were leftovers from other missions", and that they leave in pairs from Baghdad on five-day or 12-day missions. The second handout from the Department concerned the United Nations Volunteers in Iraq. About 50 volunteers also serve as observers.
Daily Press Briefing - 3 - 11 June 1997
The Spokesman then drew correspondents attention to the United Nations Population Award ceremony yesterday, and the fact that the Secretary-General had been struck by the presence in the audience of the spouse of one of the awardees. Elizabeth Aguirre Calderon Sol was the awardee, and the spouse was the President of El Salvador who, with their three sons, were there in the audience in support of her achievement. The Secretary-General had commented "that behind every leader is a spouse".
Mr. Eckhard reminded correspondents that the Secretary-General had promised to meet with them once every two months. Therefore, he would give a press conference tomorrow, Thursday, 12 June, primarily on the issues related to the African region that were uppermost in his mind. However, he would take questions on any subject.
Also tomorrow, the Associate Administrator of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Rafeeuddin Ahmed, would launch the UNDP's 1997 Human Development Report at 11 a.m. in room 226. The report would be launched globally from Bonn, Germany, via video teleconferencing.
Mr. Eckhard then announced that the Secretary-General would be the keynote speaker at the International Bar Association's fiftieth anniversary ceremony on Friday, 13 June. His statement, which would address issues of international law and the United Nations role in developing international norms, was available in the Spokesman's Office with an embargo.
Correspondents were then informed that a series of press briefings would be organized during the course of next week on the General Assembly's special session -- which would review the progress in the implementation of Agenda 21. The special session would take place at Headquarters from 23 to 27 June. The Under-Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, Nitin Desai, would give the first briefing from 11 a.m. to noon on Monday, 16 June, in room 226. Briefings would be held daily, focusing on various aspects of the special session. Preparatory meetings would also be convened during next week.
A correspondent asked whether the Secretary-General considered the fact that the United States Senate was only earmarking $819 million to pay its outstanding dues a positive outcome or whether the Secretary-General was disappointed. Mr. Eckhard said the Secretary-General did not want to comment at the present time on a process that still had a long way to go to be completed.
Mr. Eckhard was then asked how the Secretary-General was informed of the plan, who informed him, and was it still the case that he did not want benchmarks for reforming the Organization determined for him by others outside the Organization. Mr. Eckhard said the Secretary-General had been informed about the plan when he visited Washington, D.C. at the end of last week. He had been briefed on the broad outlines of the agreement that had been reached
Daily Press Briefing - 4 - 11 June 1997
the day before he arrived there. The Secretary-General's views on benchmarks remained the same -- that they should be proposed by him. He would like all Member States to judge him on how well he implemented the reform plan he would release in July.
A correspondent said diplomats had told him privately that the plan was a "take it or leave it offer". Was the Secretary-General inclined to take it or leave it"? he asked. Mr. Eckhard said he would not agree with that characterization. The plan to date had been agreed to only on the Senate side, which meant that the process was not completed in Washington. In addition to that, another part of the process would presumably take place in New York between the United States and other Member States. The Secretary- General was encouraged by what the United States' Administration considered a breakthrough. He would be watching the process as it proceeded during the next several months.
Asked if the Secretary-General would incorporate the specific benchmarks that the Congress was requesting into his "track two" proposals in July, Mr. Eckhard said he did not want to comment on that matter. He repeated that the Secretary-General had not seen the draft legislation. He had seen only the broad outline and preferred not to make any further comments on it.
A correspondent asked when the Secretary-General would present his reform proposals. Mr. Eckhard said the target date for the release of the "track two" package was 16 July.
When asked if the Secretary-General had made any suggestions in his report to the Security Council on Albania, Mr. Eckhard said it was a report from Italy which the Secretary-General had transmitted to the Council. It did not contain his views.
* *** *