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 briefing that the Secretary-General's report on the implementation of Phase II of the oil-for-food programme for Iraq was out today. In it, he indicated that despite the ongoing implementation of the programme, the population of Iraq continued to face a serious nutritional and health situation, and that there was an urgent need to contain the risk of further deterioration. He also noted the urgent need to undertake a systematic review of the whole process of contracting, processing of applications, approvals, procurement, as well as shipment and distribution of the items concerned.

The Secretary-General, therefore, suggested that the Security Council re-examine the adequacy of the revenues from the programme and consider the possibility of increasing those revenues to meet Iraq's priority humanitarian requirements, Mr. Eckhard said. The Executive Director of the Office of the United Nations/Iraq Programme, Benon Sevan, was meeting with the Permanent Representative of Iraq to the United Nations, Nizar Hamdoon, today at noon to discuss further details of the programme's implementation in the next phase, should that be approved by the Security Council.

Turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mr. Eckhard said that the Secretary-General's human rights investigative team met yesterday with an inter-ministerial liaison committee comprising representatives of the Ministries of the Interior, Reconstruction and Defence. During the meeting, the team was introduced to the liaison agents from the army, the police and the Ministry of Reconstruction who would accompany the advance team on the reconnaissance mission to Mbadanka, which was now scheduled for tomorrow. At further meetings today, the team and the three government liaison agents finalized the arrangements for the deployment of the advance mission. They would go to Mbadanka on board a Lockheed Martin C100 provided by the United Nations Mission in Angola, and assess the security and logistical requirements necessary for the full deployment to take place later this week.

The Secretary-General had sent a letter to all members of the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC), a body that links all of the entities of the United Nations system and met twice a year, Mr. Eckhard continued. In the letter, he called on the United Nations system and its development partners to work with governments in the Great Lakes region of Africa to plan and support a much larger-scale reconstruction and development effort in the region. The text of that letter was available in room 378.

Concerning Haiti, Mr. Eckhard said that, with the establishment of a follow-on United Nations civilian mission, the Secretary-General had decided

Daily Press Briefing - 2 - 1 December 1997

to extend the assignment of his Special Representative, Enrique ter Horst, until mid-December. Mr. ter Horst had planned to leave the post at the end of November. With the end of the United Nations Transition Mission in Haiti (UNTMIH), its military component would be withdrawn. Mr. Eckhard stated that the first group of peacekeepers would begin repatriating on 4 December, starting with the Canadian contingent. Most of the 1,200 troops would be withdrawn by Christmas, but some Pakistani troops would stay during the liquidation period -- probably until the end of January or early February -- essentially to protect United Nations property. There were now 250 civilian police, 100 of whom would be rotated out and replaced shortly by an Argentinian special police unit. A firm date for that change was not yet available, he added.

The Kyoto Conference on Climate Change opened today, the Spokesman reminded correspondents, with statements urging governments to move beyond long-standing negotiating positions to take serious steps to reach an agreement. The Director-General of the Environment Agency and State Minister of Japan, Hiroshi Ohki, was elected President of the conference. The total number of registered participants was already close to 10,000, including some 2,100 delegates, 3,600 observers, 3,500 correspondents, 120 special guests and 450 staff and affiliated personnel servicing the conference. A press release on the conference was also available in the Spokesman's Office.

On Cambodia, he announced that an advance team of exiled political figures, about 13 in all, had arrived in Phnom Penh this morning. They were met by the Representative of the Secretary-General in Cambodia, Lakhan Lal Mehrotra, and several United Nations monitors. Seventeen additional members of the team were scheduled to arrive tomorrow.

On the Security Council, Mr. Eckhard said that the Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to the United Nations, Fernando Berrocal Soto, was President for the month of December. The Council itself had no scheduled meetings today, but the President was meeting bilaterally with other members concerning the programme of work for the month.

Drawing attention to the day's appointments of the Secretary-General, he noted that he would have a working luncheon on the subject of Cyprus with his Special Adviser on Cyprus, Diego Cordovez, and the United States Special Envoy, Richard Holbrook. Later this afternoon, the Secretary-General would leave for Canada, as had been previously announced, for a three-day State visit. The Secretary-General's statement at the opening of the Landmines Conference in Ottawa on Wednesday morning would be available late tomorrow or early Wednesday, carrying a "Check against delivery/Embargoed against delivery" designation.

In his statement this morning on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, the Secretary-General stressed that "it was essential to create the political and economic conditions that would

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enable the hope of the Israelis and Palestinians to live side-by-side in peace to become a reality", Mr Eckhard said. The full text was available in room 378.

He also announced that the status of contributions document, as at 31 October, was now out, pointing out that it contained information on what every nation owed in every category of assessed contributions.

It was also World AIDS Day, Mr. Eckhard reminded correspondents, noting that the Secretary-General's message on the occasion had been out as a press release (SG/SM/6400) on 19 November. In it, the Secretary-General called attention to the fact that this year's observance focused on the plight of children. Although AIDS was the most publicized disease in the world, the Secretary-General said, its impact on children had received inadequate response and AIDS programmes for children had lagged behind those of adults.

Mr. Eckhard also reminded correspondents that the three-day recognition of the International Day of Disabled Persons would begin today at 5:30 p.m., with the opening of an exhibit in the Public Lobby. Other events were scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.

Mr. Eckhard was asked why the Secretary-General, if he felt so strongly about the humanitarian situation in Iraq, had not made "specific recommendations, with figures" to the Security Council regarding how much he would like to see oil revenues increased in the oil-for-food programme. The Spokesman asked why the Secretary-General was expected to recommend a figure, pointing out that a specific figure would require a "fair amount of research". There were probably also different views among members of the Council on the subject. The Secretary-General had merely spoken out in favour of the principle of an increase, without getting into numbers.

The correspondent suggested that, if the Secretary-General did not put out "even a ballpark figure", the Council was not likely to increase the oil revenues. Mr. Eckhard replied that he did not think that Council action depended on the Secretary-General mentioning a figure or not mentioning one. He made two key points: that they might consider increasing the amount of oil; and that the procedure for planning and distribution needed to be tightened up. "It is up to the Council to decide what they are going to do, and I don't think his mentioning a figure would have made a difference."

To the point the Spokesman made about such a figure requiring some research, a correspondent asked how realistic it was to expect that the Council would come up with it, given that this week was the deadline for renewing the programme. Mr. Eckhard reminded the correspondent that "the Secretary-General doesn't get out in front of the Council" on such a matter. The Council first had to decide on a course of action. Then, the Secretariat would follow up with a plan of how best to accomplish that.

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A correspondent said it was her understanding that the Secretary-General had earlier put in a $3 billion figure in an earlier draft of his report. The Spokesman answered that he did not wish to discuss earlier drafts. "There is only one final draft", he said, "and that is the one that came out today."

Concerning Sierra Leone, a correspondent asked how soon the Secretary- General would report to the Council on the constitution of an observer mission, considering that disarmament was scheduled to start this week. Mr. Eckhard said he would check on that.

Alex Taukatch, spokesman for the President of the General Assembly, Hennadiy Udovenko (Ukraine), said that the Assembly was meeting this afternoon at 3 p.m. to consider agenda item 36: Question of Palestine. Twenty-six speakers had been inscribed on the list and it was expected that the Assembly would continue consideration of the item tomorrow afternoon.

This morning, Mr. Udovenko made a statement at a solemn meeting of the Committee of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, said Mr. Taukatch. That statement would be made available as a press release (GA/SM/19). The President had also issued a message in connection with World AIDS Day, which would also appear as a press release (GA/SM/18).

Concerning the President's appointments today, the spokesman said Mr. Udovenko met this morning with his "Friends on Reform", the Permanent Representative of Botswana, Legwaila Joseph Legwaila, and the Permanent Representative of Ireland, John Campbell. Concerning that subject, he noted that informal consultations to consider a draft proposal under item 157 on United Nations reform would be conducted by the two ambassadors tomorrow at 3 p.m.

Mr. Taukatch said the President had also met this morning with the European Union Humanitarian Affairs Commissioner, Emma Bonino, and the President of Trinidad and Tobago, Arthur Robinson, who headed a high-level delegation that delivered to the President a solemn appeal signed by more than 50 heads of State and Nobel Laureates, and more than 600 parliamentarians from around the world in favour of the establishment of the international criminal court in 1998. Commending the groups for their efforts, Mr. Udovenko drew their attention to the recent decision by the Sixth Committee (Legal) on the issue. That resolution would be coming before the General Assembly soon.

Concerning the Assembly's discussion of Security Council reform and various questions he had received on the subject, Mr. Taukatch reminded correspondents that the Assembly would consider that item on Thursday. Noting that it promised to be a lively debate, he said that 53 speakers were thus far inscribed on the list.

Before closing the briefing, Mr. Eckhard introduced to correspondents Agnès Marcaillou, on loan to the Spokesman's Office for three months from the Department of Political Affairs. He explained that the arrangement was because of the "unusually long time" it was taking to find a Deputy Spokesman. Ms. Marcaillou would be available to help correspondents out on political affairs.

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