DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL

Press Briefing

DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL

(Incorporates briefing by spokesman for General Assembly President)

Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, informed correspondents at the start of today's press briefing that the Security Council had this morning taken up the subject of Western Sahara. They had been briefed by the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara, James Baker III, who had then spoken to correspondents at the stake-out position outside the Council. After hearing the United Nations/Organization of African Unity (OAU) Special Representative to the Great Lakes region, Mohamed Sahnoun, the Council would also be taking up the Secretary-General's report on the situation in Angola.

The Spokesman recalled that he had mentioned both of those reports to correspondents yesterday. However, they had actually arrived on the racks today, although his Office was able to make copies available to correspondents yesterday.

At the press conference just preceding his briefing, Mr. Eckhard went on, Lloyd Axworthy, the Foreign Minister of Canada, had officially accepted the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction from the Norwegian Foreign Minister, Bjorn Tore Godal. The Secretary-General had been present at the ceremony, and had made a statement, copies of which were being made available to correspondents. The Secretary-General had been very supportive of the Ottawa/Oslo process as a first step towards a universal agreement on the destruction of landmines, he added.

The first meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)- Russia Permanent Joint Council at the level of foreign minister had taken place at United Nations Headquarters this morning, the Spokesman continued. It followed the historic signing of their NATO-Russian Founding Act on Mutual Relations, Cooperation and Security in Paris on 27 May. Following this morning's meeting, the Joint Council had issued a press summary, in English and French, both of which were available in the Spokesman's Office.

Turning to Iraq, Mr. Eckhard announced that the fourth border entry point for commodities under the "oil-for-food" formula outlined by Security Council resolution 986 (1995) had become operational at Al-Walid, on the border between Iraq and Syria. According to Denis Halliday, the new United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, a team of independent inspection

agents of Lloyd's Register mandated by the United Nations were now based there permanently. They were expecting the first shipment under the memorandum of understanding to arrive from Syria. The other entry points were Zakho, on the border with Turkey; Trebil, on the border with Jordan; and Umm Qasr (southern harbour). Al-Walid was located in a remote desert area, 140 kilometres from the other entry point with Jordan. Presently, there were five inspectors of Lloyd's, but the team was expected to grow to 10 shipments related to the implementation of resolution 986 picked up.

Mr. Eckhard announced that Uruguay would become the eleventh country to sign a memorandum of understanding on stand-by arrangements for United Nations peacekeeping operations. That signing ceremony would take place on Monday, 29 September, at 12:30 p.m., in the office of the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Bernard Miyet. The Foreign Minister of Uruguay, Alvaro Ramos Trigo, would be present to sign for his country. Recalling that he had mentioned last week that Argentina would become the eleventh Member State to sign the document, Mr. Eckhard explained that Argentina had delayed that signing for technical reasons, but was expected to fulfil the arrangement shortly.

On press releases, he said there was one from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) featuring the comments of Carol Bellamy, its Executive Director, on the subject of the violence in Algeria. She had called on the perpetrators to put an immediate stop to "this incomprehensible slaughter", stressing: "The targeting of children and women in Algeria, or anywhere, is an appalling trend."

There were also "Briefing Notes" from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Mr. Eckhard continued. There was also a report on the status of funding of the 1997 United Nations consolidated inter-agency appeal for Angola, as of 22 September; it showed that $61,897,668 had been raised, representing over 28 per cent of the total for the appeal which had been launched in March.

Belize had become the eighty-ninth Member State to pay in full its contribution for the 1997 regular budget, with a cheque for $106,508, the Spokesman also said.

He then announced that on Monday, 29 September, the Secretary-General would be attending a breakfast of the United Nations Association of the United States (UNA-USA), which would be open to the press. Also attending the breakfast would be members of the New York Congressional delegation. A press conference would take place just after the breakfast. A note to correspondents on the subject was available in the Spokesman's Office.

There was also a note from the Department of Humanitarian Affairs on the drought in Indonesia, he said. A press release from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) was announcing that the Prime Minister of Italy,

Daily Press Briefing - 3 - 26 September 1997

Romano Prodi, had given his personal support to the "Appeal Against World Hunger", a FAO initiative arising from last year's World Food Summit.

Mr. Eckhard then told correspondents that Ambassador Sahnoun, who had been expected at the Spokesman's briefing to talk to correspondents, would no longer be able to do so. When he was finished with the Security Council, an announcement would be made, and the Ambassador would talk to the media at the stake-out position outside the Security Council Chamber.

On press conferences in room S-226, he announced that at 4:30 p.m. today, Denmark would sponsor a press conference by the World Federation of United Nations Associations, which would speak on the "Current situation in Myanmar". At 6:30 p.m., the Prime Minister of Albania, Fatos Nano, would talk to the press; and on Monday, at 11 a.m., the Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Milan Milutinovic, would be available.

Asked for details of the meeting between the Algerian delegation and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, Mr. Eckhard said he did not have a read-out on the meeting, but would check for one. Did the United Nations really have a role in Algeria then? he was further asked. The Spokesman said that the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights had both exercised their "moral voice" in expressing the concern of the international community, while at the same time hoping that the parties could resolve what was essentially an internal conflict.

A correspondent, noting that the Secretary-General's position on landmines had now "put him at odds" with three of the five permanent members of the Security Council, wanted to know if those governments had talked to him on that issue. Mr. Eckhard said he would have to check, but he did not believe that the Secretary-General had had discussions with Council permanent members on that subject. From the beginning, however, he had welcomed the Ottawa process as a first step towards a universal treaty, he added.

Alex Taukatch, spokesman for the President of the General Assembly, Hennadiy Udovenko (Ukraine), said that the Assembly today would wind up the first week of the general debate. By the end of the day, it would have heard a total of 76 speakers, including 14 heads of State, one Crown Prince and 10 heads of government. He pointed out that technically speaking, heads of State were not part of the general debate, since they could come to the Assembly to speak at any time.

The speakers had continued to address a wide variety of issues on the session's agenda, continued Mr. Taukatch, but perhaps the keyword so far was "reform", judging by the attention devoted to it by the speakers. For those correspondents who followed the debate, he noted that there was one change in the latest list of speakers: Namibia had been scheduled to speak sixth in the afternoon today, but Panama would now speak in that spot, while Namibia would address the Assembly on Monday afternoon.

Daily Press Briefing - 4 - 26 September 1997

Mr. Taukatch said that the President of the General Assembly had met this morning with the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iran. They had discussed various issues related to the work of the session, including United Nations reform and increase in the membership of the Security Council. Those issues had also been discussed in the President's meeting later this morning with the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Malaysia, where they had an extensive exchange of views on the consideration by the Assembly of the Secretary- General's reform proposals, as well as reform of the Security Council.

Mr. Udovenko had also received a courtesy call from the King of Swaziland, he said. In the afternoon, the Assembly President was also scheduled to meet with the Permanent Representative of Zimbabwe, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Burundi, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the United Republic of Tanzania.

To a question on obtaining details of the Secretary-General's meeting with the Greek Foreign Minister, Mr. Eckhard said he could not go into details of the Secretary-General's bilaterals that were sensitive. His Office gave out read-outs of a general sort, but the more sensitive it was, the less his Office was able to say. He had no information concerning the Secretary- General's meeting with Turkey's representative, but would check for the correspondent.

A correspondent wanted to know if the two "Friends" of the President had made any progress in resolving the issue of how and when the package of reform proposals would be considered at the session. The Spokesman explained that by asking the Ambassadors of Brazil and Norway to assist him, the President had only made a first step. The President was trying to consult personally with all regional groups and he welcomed contributions from as many delegations as possible. At this point, Mr. Taukatch said, it was too early to say how exactly the item would be handled, but perhaps some time later next week "we will have a clearer idea".

To a question as to whether there were plans for more live radio broadcasts -- similar to the one that had featured the High Commissioner for Human Rights this morning, Mr. Taukatch reminded correspondents that Mrs. Robinson's broadcast was already the third produced by United Nations Radio. The first two had featured Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Dr. Nafis Sadiq, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Those live international broadcasts had received very positive response and stimulated great interest among broadcasters and news organizations. There were calls for more and he believed United Nations Radio would try to accommodate them.

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