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, began today's press briefing by saying that the preliminary results of the Independent Election Commission in Monrovia, Liberia, showed that Charles Taylor's National Patriotic Party held over 75 per cent of the vote. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf's Unity Party followed, with 9.5 per cent of the vote. Of Liberia's 1,864 polling stations, 1,344 had reported their results. The Independent Election Commission was responsible for administering and conducting the elections, as well as formulating and enforcing guidelines for the electoral process. Further details of the vote were available in the Spokesman's Office.

Turning to Congo-Brazzaville, Mr. Eckhard said the two delegations in the peace talks had agreed to hold their first face-to-face negotiations today in Libreville, Gabon, at 5 p.m., local time. After that, they would meet with Gabon's President Omar Bongo, who was sponsoring the talks, as well as with the joint United Nations/Organization of African Unity (OAU) Special Representative for the Great Lakes Region, Mohamed Sahnoun. The names of those representing the two sides in the meetings were available to correspondents in the Spokesman's Office.

Heavy fighting between government and rebel forces in the north-west region of Rwanda had forced the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to suspend its activities in Ruhengeri prefecture, Mr. Eckhard said. According to local military authorities, clashes during the period from 11 to 16 July had left up to 40 civilians and 150 former Rwandan army soldiers dead. On 7 July, Assistant High Commissioner for Refugees, Sergio Vieira de Mello had met with Rwanda's Vice-President Paul Kagame and other high-level officials to review UNHCR's activities in the country. The UNHCR had airlifted more than 58,000 refugees from Congo-Kinshasa to Rwanda.

Turning to Georgia, Mr. Eckhard said the high-level talks between the two sides had opened in Geneva today at 5:20 p.m., local time. The Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Georgia, Liviu Bota, who was chairing the talks, had been the only speaker during the opening session. Mr. Bota had read a message on behalf of the Secretary-General. The text of that statement was available to correspondents, as was a press release from the United Nations Office at Geneva, which provided some details on the meeting's logistics.

There had been another arrest in connection with the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, Mr. Eckhard said. Kenyan authorities, at the Tribunal's request, had arrested Georges Ruggiu, a Belgian national who had been a journalist and broadcaster on the Radio television libre des mille

collines. That station was notorious for its provocative broadcasting during the 1994 massacres in Rwanda. Mr. Ruggiu had already been transferred to the Tribunal's detention facilities in Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania.

It was believed that Mr. Ruggiu had made numerous broadcasts in French which had incited violence and hatred against Tutsi, moderate Hutu, and Belgian nationals during the 1994 massacres, Mr. Eckhard continued. He was the first non-Rwandan to be arrested in connection with the genocide in Rwanda. There were currently 20 suspects and accused persons in custody at the Tribunal's facility, he added.

During their recent discussions at Troutbeck, the leaders of the two Cypriot communities, Rauf Denktash and Glafcos Clerides, had agreed to meet prior to the next formal session in the series of discussions sponsored by the United Nations, Mr. Eckhard said. That informal meeting would take place at 6 p.m., on 28 July, in the home of the Deputy Special Representative for Cyprus, Gustave Feissel, who lived in the buffer zone in Nicosia.

The Security Council had just concluded its closed discussions on a draft presidential statement on Angola, Mr. Eckhard said. It would meet formally at 12:30 p.m. In addition, Council President Peter Osvald (Sweden) would read a statement to the press on the International Police Task Force (IPTF) in Bosnia and Herzegovina at the stake-out position in front of the Council Chamber after the current briefing.

The Council Chamber would undergo renovation beginning today and continuing through mid-August, Mr. Eckhard continued. That refurbishing was a gift from the Government of Norway. During the renovation the Council would meet in the Economic and Social Council Chamber.

The Secretary-General's appointments today had included a morning meeting with Ambassador Edgar Camacho-Omiste of Bolivia, which had been in a certain way a farewell call, Mr. Eckhard said. The Ambassador had presented a silver plate to the Secretary-General, on behalf of Bolivia's outgoing President, Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada. During the presentation, the Ambassador had expressed his Government's best wishes for the Secretary-General's success.

The Spokesman then said that tomorrow, 24 July, the Secretary-General would present the "UN 21 Awards" to staff members in recognition of contributions which had enhanced the Secretariat's efficiency and effectiveness. The presentation ceremony would take place from 12:15 to 1 p.m. in Conference Room 4.

In keeping with his practice of trying to bring to the briefing members of agencies who were passing through Headquarters from their field operations, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) representative in Bangkok, Anthony Hewett, would be at the briefing tomorrow, Mr. Eckhard said. Mr. Hewett would address correspondents on the humanitarian situation in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Next, the Spokesman reminded correspondents of the two troop-contributors meetings scheduled for today. A meeting on the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) would be held at 4 p.m. in Conference Room 5. At 5 p.m., in the same room, there would be a meeting on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

What was tomorrow's schedule for the newly-appointed United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, President Mary Robinson of Ireland? a correspondent asked. She would meet with the Secretary-General at Headquarters tomorrow, Mr. Eckhard said. After their meeting, they would jointly address members of the press. Further details on that would be announced later today or early tomorrow.

A correspondent asked for the spelling of the name of the broadcaster arrested in connection with Rwanda and whether the Tribunal would pursue non-military persons who had allegedly incited violence through the media. Mr. Eckhard read out the spelling of Mr. Ruggiu's name and replied that the Tribunal's mandate was not limited to military personnel; its work applied to anyone accused of gross violations of international human rights.

Asked for more information about Mr. Ruggiu, Mr. Eckhard referred correspondents to the press release issued by the Tribunal, which was available in the Spokesman's Office. For additional information, correspondents could also contact the Tribunal's press office in The Hague, which was known to keep late hours.

Next, several correspondents asked a series of questions about the Council Chamber's renovation. Was the Chamber being enlarged? a correspondent asked. Mr. Eckhard said no, it was just being "freshened up". Asked for further details, Mr. Eckhard said his understanding was that the project would involve wall coverings, rugs, curtains and chairs. Another correspondent said that the Chamber had been renovated a few years earlier. To that, Mr. Eckhard replied, "Well, Norway feels very strongly it was time to do it again". Asked about the location of Council consultations during the renovation, Mr. Eckhard said he understood that the Council would continue to hold consultations in its Consultation Room. A correspondent asked whether new chairs were being added to the Council Chamber in view of that body's possible expansion. Mr. Eckhard said the renovation project was not designed to anticipate change, but was proceeding on the basis of the Council's current membership.

* *** *