DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL

Press Briefing

DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL

Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, today announced that seven persons -- including Jean Kambanda, the Prime Minister of the Interim Government of Rwanda during the massacres of April 1994 -- had been arrested in Nairobi by Kenyan authorities at the request of the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. They had been transferred to the detention facility of the Tribunal in Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania, according to a press release from the Tribunal.

Mr. Eckhard quoted the President of the Tribunal, Judge Laity Kama, as saying, "I hope that with these arrests there will be an increased focus on the quality of the work accomplished by the Tribunal, in light of the undeniable success it now has to its credit ... . The Tribunal is determined to do everything it can to see that justice is done, which is an indispensable prerequisite to national reconciliation in Rwanda."

The full statement, which included the list of the seven people, was available in the Spokesman's Office, Mr. Eckhard said. In addition, he had this morning spoken to the Chief Prosecutor for both Tribunals, Louise Arbour, and she had agreed to come to Headquarters on Monday to brief correspondents on the future work of the Arusha Tribunal.

Turning to Congo-Brazzaville, Mr. Eckhard said the talks in Libreville, Gabon, had begun today, chaired by that country's President, Omar Bongo. Yesterday, the Special Representative of the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity (OAU) to the Great Lakes Region, Mohamed Sahnoun, met with President Bongo and representatives of the three Congolese parties: President Paschal Lissouba, former President Sassou Ngueso, and Mayor Bernard Kolelas of Brazzaville. The parties had agreed to hold the negotiations within the framework laid out in the reconciliation proposal, as presented to them last week by Ambassador Sahnoun on behalf of President Bongo.

Ambassador Sahnoun had stated that, during his visit to Brazzaville earlier this week, he had witnessed clear signs of reconciliation between the military commanders, Mr. Eckhard said. Despite sporadic fire, the cease-fire was still holding in Brazzaville, and the ambassador was very hopeful for a positive outcome of the talks. He had also stated that he hoped the Security Council would register those positive developments and look again at the kind of contribution it could make for peace in Brazzaville.

In eastern Congo, an increase in security problems had been reported this week by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), attributable to an increase in military activities in some areas, Mr. Eckhard said. The UNHCR had been denied access in several places. In Shabunda, more than 1,000 refugees, including 200 ready to be airlifted, were

dispersed when between 200 and 300 troops arrived in the area. There had also been rumours that the troops' presence emptied a hospital of refugees 100 kilometres away. Details were available in UNHCR Geneva's briefing notes for today.

Mr. Eckhard said the Security Council was being briefed this morning by the Secretariat on Angola and Somalia. They would also discuss a United States proposal for a Dag Hammarskjöld Medal, which is intended to be given to peace-keepers.

The Georgia-Abkhazia talks begin next Wednesday in Geneva, Mr. Eckhard said. In that connection, President Eduard Shevardnadze of Georgia would arrive in New York on Monday and would meet with the Secretary-General at 11 a.m. He would brief the Security Council under the Aria formula at 11:30 a.m., and would brief the press at about 1:15 p.m. at the Delegates Entrance.

The Secretary-General's report on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was out today, and had recommended a six-month extension, Mr. Eckhard said. The current mandate of UNIFIL would expire at the end of the month.

The Government of Poland had formally requested assistance from the Secretary-General to cope with damage from flooding, Mr. Eckhard said. River levels had continued to rise in southern Poland, and the situation was judged as critical. They were asking for such contributions as tents, blankets and recovery equipment. Further information was contained in a Department of Humanitarian Affairs situation report, available on "Relief Web".

At 4 p.m. today, the Secretary-General would be meeting with Enrico Macias, Mr. Eckhard said. Mr. Macias was well-known in the French-speaking world, if not worldwide, and for a generation had been one of the most popular performing artists in France and elsewhere. He would be designated today by the Secretary-General as the first United Nations Messenger for Peace. The Secretary-General also expected to name other popular figures to help him reach out to the world's public to spread the word about the United Nations' essential work -- which was "to assist the needy, the downtrodden, the displaced" -- and to say that this generation would hand on a peaceful world to the next. If the press were interested in covering the meeting, they should contact the Spokesman's Office.

A press release from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) stated that over 70 personalities had signed that body's "Appeal against Hunger", part of its "Food for All" campaign, Mr. Eckhard said. In a separate development regarding global awareness and support in the fight against hunger and malnutrition, the FAO announced today that it would hold "Telefood", a worldwide audio-visual programme, between 17 and 19 October, in connection with World Food Day on 16 October. "Telefood" was expected to build upon the

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momentum created by the 1996 World Food Summit and was designed to keep in the public eye the decisions taken at the Summit. Secondly, it would invoke the solidarity of all people concerned about the problems of hunger in the world.

On the arrest of the Rwandans in Kenya, Mr. Eckhard was asked if he knew how long they had been residing in that country. In addition, when was the request for their arrest made by the Tribunal? Mr. Eckhard said he did not know how long they had been in Kenya. The United Nations had been asking the Government of Kenya to turn over all those indicted, but it was only recently that the Government had agreed to cooperate. It was a secret operation that had been in planning for some time.

Pointing out a mother-son duo in the list of those arrested, a correspondent wanted to know his age and whether it was a situation of a teenager helping his mother out. Mr. Eckhard said he believed the son was an adult.

Asked about the troops involved in the military activities in Congo- Brazzaville, the Spokesman said they had not been specified.

What kind of action Ambassador Sahnoun wants the Security Council to take in Congo-Brazzaville: a statement, resolution, or something else? a correspondent asked. Mr. Eckhard said there was a proposal for a force. The ambassador was probably hoping that some agreement could be reached on "a little peace-keeping assistance". Asked if the Council was holding that up, he said the matter was under discussion.

Asked if Monday's press briefing by Ms. Arbour would only concern the Rwanda Tribunal, Mr. Eckhard said that correspondents were welcome to ask questions about the Yugoslavia Tribunal as well. Despite the administrative problems that had bothered the Tribunal in Arusha, which were now largely corrected, judicial history was more likely to be made in the Rwanda Tribunal. They had more "big fish" than the Yugoslavia Tribunal had.

What was happening in Angola? a correspondent asked. Had Special Representative Alioune Blondin Beye met with either President Jose Eduardo dos Santos or Jonas Savimbi? Mr. Eckhard said he could not confirm that those meetings had taken place. However, the Special Representative had encountered no problem in gaining access to those leaders.

"There continues to be concern that the events in the Democratic Republic of Congo have had a destabilizing influence on the peace process in Angola", Mr. Eckhard said. "There have been some military activities in the north that we have been watching carefully and we continue to be concerned about, so we have agreed to brief the Council on a regular basis on developments in Angola."

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To another question about Enrico Macias, Mr. Eckhard said he was a North African singer who had been at the top of the charts in France and beyond for over 20 years. As to how he was selected as the first United Nations Messenger for Peace, he said that early this year Mr. Macias had asked to see the Secretary-General when the Secretary-General was in Europe. "They met and he said, 'I am at your disposal to help promote the work of the United Nations -- I believe in it.' The Secretary-General had this conviction that we have become a bit aloof as a bureaucracy and we really need to reach out to everyday people and explain what we do. So, he put the two together, and said what better way than to get very prominent, popular personalities to help tell the United Nations story. So he started with Mr. Macias."

Was the Secretary-General a fan of Mr. Macias' music? a correspondent asked. "I think you could say yes, as of today", Mr. Eckhard said.

A correspondent asked where there was any indication of what Mr. Macias would be doing. Would he be "singing about the United Nations"? Mr. Eckhard said that a person with that much public exposure could put out the word orally and reach millions in one fell swoop. When such people had convictions and they expressed them, they could influence the masses, and it was hoped that would happen.

Asked if the Organization would be encouraging volunteers from the field of the arts, Mr. Eckhard said it was not just the arts. The Secretary-General had in mind athletes or anyone else known to the general public, nationally or internationally. He would be enlisting their help to tell the United Nations story. "It started with Mr. Macias volunteering, and, certainly, if there are other volunteers out there, we will be happy to hear from them", he added.

Asked about costs for Mr. Macias, Mr. Eckhard said there were no financial implications to the appointment, as it was purely voluntary. Mr. Macias had travelled all the time as part of his performing career. Everywhere he went, it was expected he would now look for an opportunity to say something about the United Nations work.

A correspondent asked about the content of the message. How were the Messengers to be briefed, and how would the Organization make sure they spread the right message? Mr. Eckhard said that, in his first meeting with the Secretary-General, Mr. Macias had a very clear idea what he wanted to say. At issue were the broad principles of the Organization. "You do not have to get into the conference on Rio + 5 or something when you are talking to a huge public", the Spokesman added. The Secretary-General wanted them to speak from their personal convictions as well, from the heart.

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