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 that the Secretary-General upon arrival would make a statement on the finances of the United Nations. That was in the wake of the Congressional action in Washington last night, which stripped from the funding legislation for fiscal 1998 the contributions on arrears that had been worked out between the Administration and Congress. The Secretary-General would also announce an important personnel appointment.

Turning to Iraq, Mr. Eckhard said that eight members of the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) had arrived safely in Amman, Jordan, early today (local time). They would be flying to Bahrain shortly. Sixty-eight staff members of UNSCOM had also left Baghdad on an UNSCOM flight this morning. As UNSCOM Executive Director, Richard Butler, had indicated yesterday, only a skeletal staff of seven remained at the Monitoring and Verification Centre. In addition, there were 12 Chileans taking care of UNSCOM helicopters at a nearby airbase.

Still on Iraq, the Security Council last night adopted a presidential statement, Mr. Eckhard said. Council members were also asked to submit, by noon today, any comments they might have on the draft letter proposed by the Russian Federation yesterday concerning an emergency meeting of the Special Commission. By way of background, Mr. Eckhard reminded correspondents that UNSCOM had originated as a small group of about 20 members, on the assumption that their work would be concluded in a matter of months. When it became clear that it would take much longer, full-time staff were then hired, and the original Commission became an advisory oversight group for the people who did the day-to-day work. That Commission now meets twice a year, and had in fact met just recently.

The Executive Director of the United Nations Iraq Programme and United Nations Security Coordinator, Benon Sevan, arrived in Baghdad today, Mr. Eckhard said. The visit is in connection with the oil-for-food programme. Mr. Sevan would be in Iraq until 23 November.

The Secretary-General's human rights investigative team to the Democratic Republic of the Congo last night received a response from the Minister of Reconstruction, Etienne Mbaya, for a meeting with the liaison committee on Monday morning. The team cannot get into the field until they have worked out the practical arrangements, such as security, with that committee, he said.

Mr. Eckhard announced a press release from the Under-Secretary-General for the Office of Internal Oversight Services, Karl Paschke, which said that the Board of Auditors, the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU), and Oversight Services

Daily Press Briefing - 2 - 14 November 1997

yesterday convened their first formal tripartite oversight coordination meeting.

The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, had addressed the Third Committee this morning, said Mr. Eckhard. The text of that address was available in the Spokesman's Office.

Mr. Eckhard also announced that tomorrow the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) would complete a four-year operation to repatriate about 60,000 Tajik refugees, who had fled into northern Afghanistan in 1992 to escape civil war in their country. Today, the final group of 250 refugees were leaving the Sakhi camp near Mazar-e-Sharif on their way to Tajikistan.

Also available in room 378 was a press release from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), announcing a major extension of a programme to improve food supply and distribution in the rapidly expanding cities of the world. It also contained FAO's appeal for financial support from donors.

There was also an update from the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania, concerning the trial of Jean-Paul Akayesu, the former Bourgomaster of Taba Commune. That trial would resume on Monday.

Mr. Eckhard further drew attention to three new documents on United Nations reform which were out today. One was on results-based budgeting, while the other two were the statements made by the Permanent Representative of Luxembourg, on behalf of the European Union, and the Permanent Representative of Colombia, on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement.

World Chronicle TV being aired today would feature Mr. Paschke at 2:30 p.m. on in-house channels 3 or 31, the Spokesman said.

Concerning press conferences, he told correspondents that on Monday, 17 November, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Burundi, Sergio Paulo Pinheiro, would be available at 11:30 a.m.

On Tuesday, there would be a United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA) briefing in which the Secretary-General of Amnesty International, Pierre Sane, would launch Amnesty's latest report, "Algeria: civilian population caught in a spiral of violence".

Concerning the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Mr. Eckhard announced that the Secretary-General had appointed Matthew Nimetz, of the United States, as Deputy to his Personal Envoy, Cyrus Vance, concerning the dispute between that country and Greece. Mr. Nimetz had served as United States envoy and supported Mr. Vance's efforts between March 1994 and September 1995, when the interim accord was concluded between those two

Daily Press Briefing - 3 - 14 November 1997

countries. He would chair the continuing talks between them over the remaining issue, which was the name. Mr. Nimetz's biography was available in room 378.

He drew the attention of correspondents to a Department of Humanitarian Affairs situation report on the floods in Somalia, which said that 1,000 people had died and 200,000 were deeply affected. Two days ago, the Department of Humanitarian Affairs announced a Flash Appeal for Somalia, urgently requesting $4.6 million in supplies and another $5 million in cash to meet the pressing humanitarian needs of about 800,000 people over the next six to eight weeks.

Asked about names of the members of the Special Commission, Mr. Eckhard referred the correspondent to the Spokesman's Office, where such a list was available.

Asked whether the Secretary-General would give a statement on Iraq at the briefing, or merely take questions, the Spokesman replied that he would take questions on Iraq, but also had a statement on United Nations finances, as well as the announcement of a new personnel appointment.

Asked to comment on a statement by the Foreign Minister of Iraq accusing Mr. Butler of "authorizing without authorization" U-2 flights over Iraq, Mr. Eckhard said it was within the authority of Mr. Butler to authorize those flights in consultation with the nation that provided the aircraft and the pilots, in this case the United States.

* *** *