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, told correspondents at today's noon briefing that the Secretary-General was very pleased with the unexpectedly positive outcome of the talks held yesterday in Nicosia between the two leaders of the Cypriot community. It was the second meeting between the leaders of the two communities; each had been held under the good offices of the Chief of the United Nations Mission in Cyprus, Gustave Feissel.

The leaders of the Cypriot community agreed yesterday to continue their discussions on the fate of hundreds of people who were missing in Cyprus, Mr. Eckhard said. As a first step, they had agreed to provide each other immediately and simultaneously with all the information already at their disposal on the location of graves of missing persons from both communities.

A Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus had existed since 1981, but had become largely inactive, the Spokesman noted. It had consisted of three persons, one from each of the two Cypriot communities and a representative of the United Nations. The United Nations representative had retired some time ago and had never been replaced. The Secretary-General was actively considering the appointment of a new United Nations representative to the Committee so that it could resume its work. A press release issued in Cyprus was available in room S-378.

The Preparatory Committee on the establishment of the proposed international criminal court would meet at Headquarters from 4-15 August, Mr. Eckhard reminded correspondents. The Preparatory Committee would continue its work on a draft statute for the proposed court. The present session would focus on the concepts of complementarity and the "trigger" mechanism, and on various procedural matters. A diplomatic conference, to be held in Rome in June 1998, was scheduled to adopt the consolidated text prepared by the Committee.

The survey team from the Department of Peace-keeping Operations, which had arrived in Brazzaville yesterday, had inspected the city's airport and found it to be in good condition, Mr. Eckhard said. Tomorrow, the group was expected to visit the front line, accompanied by representatives of the factions. The team had indicated that it had received assistance from both parties and expected to conclude its visit to the area next week.

The names of the human rights investigative team to Congo-Kinshasa would be given out "in the next hour or so", the Spokesman said; at present, the Security Council and the host Government were being informed.

The Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Ibrahima Fall, would represent the Secretary-General at the presidential inauguration of Charles Taylor tomorrow, 2 August, in Monrovia, the Spokesman said. An

Daily Press Briefing - 2 - 1 August 1997

embargoed copy of the statement which Mr. Fall would read on behalf of the Secretary-General was available in room S-378.

The World Food Programme (WFP) had protested strongly today against the requisition of its food stores in Sierra Leone by the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council, the Spokesman stated. Also, from Rwanda, the WFP had informed of the completion of its distribution of food rations to over 1 million Rwandan returnees. Press releases on both issues were available to correspondents.

The General Assembly, Mr. Eckhard said, would meet briefly on Monday to decide whether or not to retain the item on United Nations reform on its agenda for the upcoming fifty-second session. No substantive discussion was expected, as it was a procedural matter.

A correspondent asked what was expected of the East Timor talks, and what kind of impact could be expected from President Mandela's initiative. Mr. Eckhard said it was hard to say anything at this point, "but when a statesman of President Mandela's international rank throws his weight into an issue, you expect some impact, and, of course, we hope it will be positive". He reminded correspondents that the talks were at the ambassadorial level and that Chairman Jamsheed Marker would brief the press upon their conclusion.

Was there anything on Angola? a correspondent asked. The Spokesman said he did not have anything new on that situation.

* *** *