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, began today's press briefing by welcoming the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Liberia, Tuliameni Kalomoh, who "had the pleasure of overseeing the successful completion of that difficult peacekeeping mission". Before Mr. Kalomoh's return home to Namibia, the Spokesman thought the correspondents would like to hear from him on the outcome of that mission. (Mr. Kalomoh's briefing is being issued separately.)

Mr. Eckhard then said that at midday yesterday in Iraq, a convoy of five United Nations vehicles involved in the implementation of the humanitarian programme in northern Iraq had been ambushed by a group of armed men who fired automatic weapons at them. Approximately 50 rounds were fired, but there were no injuries, and the team was able to leave the area safely. The incident occurred near the village of Sheladiza in the Dohuk Governorate approximately 30 kilometres from the Turkish border. It involved two vehicles of the United Nations Guards Contingent in Iraq who were escorting a team of 10 World Food Programme (WFP) observers travelling in that region as part of their duties under Security Council resolution 986 (1995). The WFP observers were travelling in three vehicles in an area where Turkish troops had been engaged with forces of the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) since the beginning of their new incursion. Preliminary reports indicated that the direction of the fire came from a mountain range that had been occupied by the PKK.

This afternoon, the Security Council would be taking up the subject of Sierra Leone, Mr. Eckhard said. Under "other matters", they would be briefed by the Secretariat on Afghanistan.

On Sierra Leone, the Spokesman noted that there was a draft resolution which would impose oil and arms sanctions against the junta in the country, in order to restore the deposed Government of President Ahmed Tejjan Kabbah. A formal meeting on the subject was possible tomorrow.

Mr. Eckhard said that the Secretary-General had met with his human rights investigative team to the Democratic Republic of the Congo this morning, and listened to their accounts of their five-plus weeks in Kinshasa, during which they were unsuccessful in their efforts to get into the field. The Secretary-General had asked them to consult with a variety of departments in the Secretariat, starting with Political Affairs this afternoon, and moving on to Peacekeeping, Legal, and the human rights office at Headquarters. After that, the Secretary-General would meet with them again. The Spokesman said the Secretary-General had requested correspondents to hold off on their

requests to meet with the team until the team had formulated their recommendations to him and he had taken a decision on what steps to take next.

Today, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva had expressed its concern at what looked like an intensified anti-UNHCR campaign broadcast on radio and television in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, particularly in the town of Uvira, in South Kivu. The UNHCR had reported that yesterday it had difficulty flying the 10 aid workers out of Goma. Despite assurances from senior officials that they could take their equipment out and depart in an orderly fashion, the UNHCR staff members were subjected to searches, and some equipment and personal belongings were confiscated. Following meetings between the agencies and the Governor of North Kivu yesterday, and with the Vice-Governor of North Kivu today, it was now confirmed that at this stage only the UNHCR had been requested by the Government to leave the area.

The Spokesman announced that pending the appointment of the Executive Director of United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), the Secretary-General had decided to appoint Darshan Johal (Canada) as the Acting Executive Director of Habitat for the period 15 October to 31 December. Mr. Johan would succeed Wally N'Dow who was returning to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The Secretary-General's progress report on the United Nations Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium (UNTAES) was out as a Security Council document today (document S/1997/767). In it, the Secretary-General had noted that while Croatia had made significant achievements in many areas, no attempt had been made by the Government to lead and support a national programme of reconciliation and confidence-building. He had also noted that there was sufficient time for Croatia to improve further its performance, and to comply fully with its obligations before 15 January 1998 when the Security Council must decide on the future of UNTAES. The Secretary-General would submit to the Council another report on the progress of the reintegration process by 8 December, Mr. Eckhard added.

The Executive Committee on Humanitarian Affairs was meeting today to look into the implementation of the Secretary-General's reform package in the humanitarian sector, as well as a number of humanitarian issues in specific countries, the Spokesman said. He recalled that the Committee was one of four created by the Secretary-General and was composed of the Emergency Relief Coordinator, representatives of the UNHCR, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and the WFP; it also had the participation of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Mr. Eckhard announced that the Under-Secretary-General for Management, Joseph E. Connor, and the Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services, Karl-Theodore Paschke, would attend a symposium to be hosted by the Swiss Government in Montreux on 9 and 10 October. It would be devoted to the

Daily Press Briefing - 3 - 7 October 1997

oversight system in the United Nations, and be held under the sponsorship of the Geneva Group, which was made up of 13 Member States and Switzerland. The symposium was aimed at modernizing the structures of the specialized agencies. Representatives of a large number of international agencies and United Nations bodies would also attend.

The Spokesman drew the attention of correspondents to a Secretary- General's bulletin which came out yesterday. Since such documents did not receive widespread distribution, the Spokesman's Office had made copies for the media, because "in our memory, it is the first time that there has been a formal Abolition of Obsolete Administrative Issuances". He said the effort was the work of the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and United Nations Legal Counsel, Hans Corell, who had been going through all the back administrative announcements to identify those that were obsolete and would now be formally withdrawn. "That is another step in the reform story that I thought you should know about", Mr. Eckhard said.

Providing an update on the report he made yesterday on the "oil-for- food" plan outlined by Security Council resolution 986 (1995), Mr. Eckhard said that 96 per cent of the total value of applications received so far had been approved. The update, which was in "a slightly different format" from the one he had been using, had data that was effective as of yesterday. It also mentioned accrued interest, for the first time, which had not been in the weekly report that the Spokesman had been using. Copies of the progress report were available in the Spokesman's Office.

He announced a press release from the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague, also available in the Spokesman's Office, which stated that the Appeals Chamber had ruled that Drazen Erdemovic should enter a new appeal.

Also available was the actual request from Department of Peacekeeping Operations to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) concerning the assistance that the United Nations was asking ICAO for in the investigation of the helicopter crash in Bosnia and Herzegovina, he said. Correcting the information he had provided last week, Mr. Eckhard said that the United Nations was not asking ICAO to conduct an independent investigation, but to "assist our investigation in specific ways".

The Spokesman then confirmed that the background briefing on United Nations reform, which he had spoken about last week and yesterday, would indeed take place today at 3 p.m. It would be conducted by two Secretariat officials who would work through a document that had been prepared for the General Assembly. The document had listed the Secretary-General's recommendations in three categories and was an informal background paper to assist the Assembly in its consideration of the agenda item on reform, which would begin tomorrow afternoon.

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Turning to assessed contributions, Mr. Eckhard announced that the United States had sent in another cheque for $44.9 million, "I don't know why, it just kind of trickles in", he said.

The World Chronicle television programme, with the Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) Assistant Director-General for Forestry, David Harcharik, would be shown today at 2:30 p.m. on in-house television channel 6 or 38.

From the United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA), the Spokesman announced that tomorrow at 2 p.m. at the UNCA Club, a briefing by the Kashmir Study Group -- which had conducted visits to India and Pakistan in the spring of this year -- would present their findings and recommendations for peace in Kashmir. He also announced an appeal for the purchase of tickets to the UNCA Awards Dinner on 24 October. The tickets were selling rapidly, he added: "get yours soon or miss the big event".

Addressing the replacement of Mr. N'Dow at Habitat by Mr. Johal, a correspondent asked for details: had any reasons been previously announced? Mr. Eckhard said that Mr. N'Dow was being called back to the UNDP. There was a three-month gap that the United Nations needed to plug until it could announce his replacement. Asked whether the issue had anything to do with "all those Paschke reports about Habitat", he answered, "No, it does not."

Another correspondent asked why Mr. N'Dow was being called back "now", pointing out that Mr. Paschke's reports had been "extremely damaging" about the management of Habitat. The Spokesman said that if the correspondent had read Mr. Paschke's second report, he would have seen that the management of Habitat was fully cooperative with Mr. Paschke in addressing the concerns that he had raised. The report, therefore, was not aimed at Mr. N'Dow.

Exactly what had Mr. Eckhard meant by Mr. N'Dow being "called back"? a correspondent asked. The Spokesman replied that Mr. N'Dow had been asked to assume his previous functions and position at the UNDP.

To a question about whether the Secretary-General had made any comments about the expulsion of UNHCR staff from Goma, the Spokesman said he had not. The Secretary-General had, however, been in touch with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Sadako Ogata, and was satisfied with the way she had been handling the issue.

Alex Taukatch, the spokesman for the President of the General Assembly, Hennadiy Udovenko (Ukraine), said that the Assembly would today conclude 12 days of general debate. Saying "I know you love the statistics", he told the correspondents that by the end of the day, the Assembly would have heard a total of 176 speakers, including 18 heads of State, one crown prince, 14 prime ministers, 16 deputy prime ministers, 111 foreign ministers, five other ministers, and 11 chairmen of delegations. Not participating in the debate were nine countries.

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He then pointed out some minor changes in the general debate schedule. According to today's Journal, Vanuatu was scheduled to speak before the Bahamas, but in fact they would speak in reverse order. In addition, Saudi Arabia would not speak in the afternoon today.

Looking ahead, continued Mr. Taukatch, the Assembly would tomorrow begin consideration of agenda item 157. He warned correspondents: you would have to remember that number, as there will be a lot of references to it", as it referred to the agenda item on United Nations reform. He pointed out that in today's Journal there had been another minor error: the document number concerning the agenda item on reform should read A/51/950, not A/52/303. He noted, however that document A/52/303 was also related to the question of reform because it was the "Proposed programme budget for the biennium 1998- 1999: Measures on proposals of the Secretary-General".

Mr. Taukatch said that the President of the General Assembly this morning had a meeting with Ambassador Timothy Bandora of the United Republic of Tanzania, who was heading the delegation of that country during the week- long absence of the Permanent Representative. Pointing out that the United Republic of Tanzania was the chairman of the "Group of 77" developing countries, he said the Assembly President and the Ambassador had discussed the consideration of the agenda item on United Nations reform during the session.

Chad could now be crossed out of the list of countries under Article 19, said the spokesman, as it had made the necessary payments to reduce its arrears below the level specified in that Article. Mr. Taukatch noted the importance of Article 19 for voting purposes in the General Assembly, again pointing out that a number of elections were coming up in the Assembly soon. The first, on 14 October, would be for the five non-permanent members of the Security Council.

He drew the attention of correspondents to a General Assembly rule that no subsidiary organ of the Assembly was permitted to meet at United Nations Headquarters during the main part of the session of the General Assembly, unless explicitly authorized by it. Today, he said, the General Assembly had decided to recommend that the Committee on Information would meet at United Nations Headquarters during that time. No specific date had been set yet.

Mr. Taukatch was asked which were the nine countries that had not participated in the general debate. He gave their names as Cameroon, Cambodia, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Somalia, Yugoslavia and Saudi Arabia. To a further question, he said a variety of reasons might account for the failure of a country to participate. In the case of Saudi Arabia, which was on the list for this afternoon, the delegation had just informed the Secretariat that it had decided not to speak.

Daily Press Briefing - 6 - 7 October 1997

Asked if the statistical data on the speakers in the general debate was going to be made available, Mr. Taukatch said that it was -- as soon as the last-minute changes were made.

A correspondent asked Mr. Eckhard how close the United States was to losing its voting rights in the Assembly under Article 19. The Spokesman answered that as of today, the United States was a "borderline case" on Article 19 which would be calculated at the end of the year for application next year. He explained that the bulk of the United States' contributions would normally be received in the fourth quarter; if the legislative process went through as expected, therefore, the United States would back well away from the Article 19 threshold. "But, of course, we are in a continuing resolution right now, as I understand it."

Asked how close to Article 19 the United States might be, he said it was difficult to calculate, but that it was safe to say they were a borderline case.

If a country were to "dip below the borderline", but were to pay up later, would their voting rights be restored? Mr. Eckhard was further asked. He said his understanding was that the figure was calculated at the end of the year for the first of the following year.

On whether the calculation for purposes of Article 19 was based on the regular budget, or also involved peacekeeping budget arrears, Mr. Eckhard replied that peacekeeping and the International Tribunals dues were part of the calculation because they were also assessments, and not voluntary. "That is why the calculation is difficult, and always complicated", he said.

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