DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL

Press Briefing

DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL

Juan Carlos Brandt, Associate Spokesman for the Secretary-General, told correspondents at today's noon briefing that he was awaiting information from Geneva concerning the meeting that took place at 3:30 p.m., local time, on the question of the allegations by the Cuban Government that it had been the subject of "biological aggression". Mr. Brandt understood that the meeting had ended, and that the Chairman had made some comments.

Mr. Brandt said that yesterday afternoon the President of the Staff Council and other members of the staff were informed by the Chief of Staff and by Denis Halliday, former Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources Management and newly appointed Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, of the following appointment, contained in a statement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General:

"The Secretary-General has decided to appoint Rafia Salim, a national of Malaysia, as Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources Management. Mrs. Salim's appointment will be effective on 15 October 1997. She will succeed Denis Halliday who is taking up his appointment as Humanitarian Coordinator of the Oil-For-Food Programme on 1 September 1997.

"Mrs. Salim has been Assistant Governor at the Bank Negara in Malaysia since 1995, responsible for human resources management and legal affairs. Between 1991 and 1995, she worked as General Manager, Human Resource Department, of the Malayan Banking Berhad. Mrs. Salim also headed the Legal Department of that bank. As General Manager, she introduced and implemented improvements relating to performance management, computer systems for human resource management, as well as handling industrial relations, welfare activities of employees and development programmes and training.

"From 1974 to 1988, Mrs. Salim worked in various capacities in the Faculty of Law of the University of Malaya where she rose to become the Dean of the Law Faculty.

"Mrs. Salim holds the LL.B. and LL.M. degrees from Queen's University of Belfast and is an Advocate and Solicitor of the High Court of Malaysia. She is married and has four children."

Mr. Brandt added that a full biographical note was available in the Spokesman's Office.

The Associate Spokesman noted another appointment by the Secretary- General, that of Major-General Jioje Konousi Konrote of Fiji to the post of Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Mr. Brandt understood that an exchange of letters had already taken place with

the Security Council, and that the Council concurred with the Secretary- General's decision. (See Press Release SG/A/649.)

Mr. Brandt said the Security Council met this morning to consider extending the term of three judges at the International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. He believed the Council had adopted a resolution on that item. In other action, the Council was presently considering the situation in Somalia and hearing a briefing by Ismat Kittani, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Somalia. A busy schedule was under way, which included briefings by the United Nations Secretariat on Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Cambodia.

Mr. Brandt said the Security Council Sanctions Committee (in relation to the situation between Iraq and Kuwait) was scheduled to meet today at 3:30 p.m. in Conference Room 7. A provisional agenda was available.

Turning to the situation in Angola, Mr. Brandt said that the Joint Commission, composed of representatives of both the Angolan Government and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) and chaired by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Angola, Alioune Blondin Beye (Mali), met yesterday and welcomed the resumption of the extension of State administration in Angola. Thirteen areas were placed anew under the State administration and a few more areas were expected to be handed over to the State today.

He said that the Joint Commission insisted, however, that both the Government and UNITA improve their cooperation in this matter. It drew UNITA's attention to its total absence of cooperation in the Lundas, and indicated the possibility of dispatching a special mission to Cacula to resolve existing difficulties in that area. In the view of the Joint Commission, while tensions persisted throughout the country, their level had diminished somewhat, and the overall situation remained generally calm and stable. "So, hopefully there won't be a need for sanctions which the Council is dealing with, right now", Mr. Brandt added.

He said he had received a telephone call this morning from Myriam Dessables, the spokesperson for the Secretary-General's investigative team for the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Their work was proceeding; they were having meetings, dealing with the question of witnesses, setting up interview, and so on. However, the meeting scheduled for today with the Government's designated counterpart, Etienne Mbaya, Minister for National Reconstruction and Emergency Relief, did not take place. It was being rescheduled at a time and date to be announced.

Mr. Brandt drew attention to a press release from the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha, which stated that the hearing of preliminary motions filed by the Defence in the matter of the Prosecutor versus Ferdinand Nahimana, charged in connection with the 1994 genocide in

Daily Press Briefing - 3 - 27 August 1997

Rwanda, would be held today, 27 August, before Trial Chamber 1 of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. On 1 September, the Defence would file a motion seeking orders for witness protection measures in the case of another detainee, a former Bourgmestre of Muganza, who would be heard by the Tribunal. Three other persons already indicted by the Tribunal were scheduled to make an initial appearance on 3 September before the Tribunal. Their names and positions and the circumstances of their arrests were also listed.

Noting the mission of Under-Secretary-General Yasushi Akashi in the Great Lakes region since 21 August, Mr. Brandt said that Mr. Akashi had had a series of meetings in Nairobi with Mohamed Sahnoun, the Joint United Nations/Organization of African Unity (OAU) Special Representative for the Great Lakes Region, and Pierce Gerety, the Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Great Lakes Region. Last Sunday, Mr. Akashi went to Burundi to assess the situation, particularly the issue of "regroupment" and the humanitarian impact of sanctions. Yesterday, he visited Kigali, Rwanda, to assess the situation there, especially the conditions of the prisons, the question of access to victims and the funding of humanitarian programmes. Today, accompanied by Rwandan officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Kigali, he was visiting the Ntarama Genocide Victim Memorial in the prefecture of Kigali Rural and a special prison in Kigali.

Mr. Brandt said Peru had paid in full its current budget assessments with a check for $414,878. Outstanding contributions totalled more than $2.6 billion, out of which $0.7 billion was for the regular budget, and $1.9 billion was for peace-keeping. The regular mid-month report on Member States' outstanding contributions to the United Nations was now available to correspondents.

There had been a couple of news stories recently on the meteorological phenomenon called "El Niño", Mr. Brandt said. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) was hosting a conference with participants from more than 100 countries in which the most important topic being discussed was the current phenomenon of "El Niño". The meteorological event, named after the child Jesus by Peruvian fishermen since it peaks at Christmas, caused both floods and droughts responsible for loss of life and the displacement of people. At a press conference at the United Nations in Geneva today, the President of the Institute of Global Environment and Society said that the July 1997 sea surface temperature in the tropical Pacific had exceeded all previous records, a major climate event already noticed in several parts of the world. A special session on the current "El Niño" would take place on Thursday, 28 August, at 6 p.m. in the International Conference Centre in Geneva.

Daily Press Briefing - 4 - 27 August 1997

Mr. Brandt said the Government of Myanmar had appealed for assistance in providing relief due to heavy rainfall since July. A situation report from the Department of Humanitarian Affairs in Geneva was available in the Spokesman's Office.

A correspondent asked Mr. Brandt about reports that the Korean Government had sought United Nations intervention in connection with the defection of two diplomats, and what was the Organization's involvement in the matter. Mr. Brandt replied that the United Nations was not involved. As he had said yesterday, he had no comment on the question of defection. On the question of talks, he understood that, indeed, they had been postponed. He said that, for further information, he had been given the name of Chris Kessler at the United States Department of State in Washington, D.C. (telephone 202-647-6968). Mr. Brandt understood that the State Department Spokesman was going to make a statement on that item at his 12:30 p.m. briefing today.

The Associate Spokesman said he had just received information regarding the meeting today in Geneva -- the formal consultative meeting of States Parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction. It had been agreed that the State parties wishing to do so should provide to the Chairman by 27 September a submission containing their observations, including from national experts, on the information provided to the meeting by the Governments of Cuba and the United States. That meant that basically the next date for taking up the issue would be 27 September. Information concerning today's meeting would be available in the Spokesman's Office.

To a follow-up question on the Korean matter, the correspondent asked what the Organization's position would be if a Member State sought intervention to prevent other States from holding up diplomats who defected. Mr. Brandt said that was "highly hypothetical", adding, "you know what we do with hypothetical questions -- we stay away from them". It would not be prudent to start elaborating on something that had not happened and was out of the range of "my expertise".

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