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)

Juan Carlos Brandt, Associate Spokesman for the Secretary-General, said today that the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and United Nations Legal Counsel, Hans Correl, had received a letter dated 6 December from the Permanent Representative of Iraq, Nizar Hamdoon. In it, the Government of Iraq agreed to the proposal of Mr. Correl to extend the memorandum of understanding on the oil-for-food programme for another 180 days. That letter would be issued as a Security Council document later.

Yesterday, the United Nations provided Iraq with Weekly Report No. 42 on the implementation of the oil-for-food programme, Mr. Brandt continued. It showed that last week, under Phase II, the 661 Committee approved 24 humanitarian supply contracts, blocked one, and put on hold five applications. The Committee also approved 11 contracts under Phase I. Only 10 Phase I applications remained to be submitted to the Committee. By the end of today, the United Nations would have received slightly over $1.6 billion from oil sales. All the oil liftings for Phase II were completed by 4 December.

Still on the oil-for-food programme, the Associate Spokesman said that the Security Council 661 Committee, which oversees the sanctions on Iraq, would be meeting this afternoon at 3 p.m. Thereafter, its Chairman, Ambassador Antonio Monteiro of Portugal, would brief the press in room 226 following his briefing to interested Member States. In a related matter, Mr. Brandt said that troop contributors to the United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission (UNIKOM) would meet for closed consultations in the Economic and Social Council Chamber today at 4 p.m.

He announced that the human rights investigative team, now in Mbandaka in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, met this morning with the Deputy Governor of the Province to inform the local authorities of the exact location the investigators wanted access to. The Deputy Governor told the team that he had not yet received the go-ahead from Kinshasa and that he needed to convene the "Provincial Security Committee". The team now hoped to be able to start its field work tomorrow. Mission spokesman Jose Diaz had also reported that they had paid courtesy visits to the local police and the military commanders of the city.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had reported that 1,413 Rwandans had been expelled from the Goma area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in recent days, Mr. Brandt said, the largest expulsion so far. The group, composed mostly of women and children, told UNHCR staff in

Rwanda, that they had fled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to escape fighting in Ginsenyi and Ruhengeri prefectures. The expulsion followed one of more than 634 Rwandans the day before. Briefing notes from UNHCR Geneva, which contained details, were available in the Spokesman's Office.

The Associate Spokesman said that the situation in the flooded areas of southern Somalia continued to be serious. In some areas where the floods had receded, the water levels had risen again following new, heavy rainfall. Pointing out that more than 1,500 people died as a result of the floods, with another 230,000 displaced, he informed correspondents of increasing reports of malaria, diarrhoea, cholera and other diseases. Mr. Brandt said the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) would distribute $400,000 worth of seeds and agricultural tools to Somali farmers to prepare for the next planting season, A press release from FAO, and a humanitarian situation report from the Department of Humanitarian Affairs were also available in the Spokesman's Office. On related news, he said that 20,000 Somali refugees were in a desperate situation in camps in Kenya. Details of that were also available in the UNHCR briefing notes.

On the Security Council, he said, consultations began at 10:30 a.m. It would consider the report of the Secretary-General on the mission in Croatia. It would then hear a briefing by the President of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, Judge Laity Kama, and consider the letter of the Secretary-General and the report of the Tribunal.

He said that the Secretary-General's mission to hear and record information pertinent to the implementation of Security Council resolutions on Libya, including resolutions 748 (1992) and 883 (1993), was scheduled to travel to that country on 12 December and stay for a maximum of one week. It would be led by the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, Vladimir Petrovsky. He would be accompanied by Taye-Brook Zerihoun and Winston Taubman, United Nations staff members. They would submit a report to the Secretary-General. Mr. Brandt recalled that in 1992, Mr. Petrovsky undertook three missions to Libya as a Special Representative of the then Secretary-General, Boutros Boutros-Ghali.

He then read the following report, received from the Spokesman for the Secretary-General, Fred Eckhard, from Tehran: "The Secretary-General addressed the opening session of the eighth Islamic Summit Conference in Tehran this afternoon. He praised the partnership between the United Nations and the Organization of the Islamic Conference in dealing with crises from Iraq to Tajikistan to the Middle East. He blamed foreign military, material and financial support for depriving the Afghan factions of a genuine interest in making peace while rendering diplomatic initiatives almost irrelevant. And he expressed distress at the extremists who resort to violence and terror in the name of Islam, sullying the image of a religion whose very name signifies peace."

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Mr. Brandt then quoted from the Secretary-General's address (see Press Release SG/SM/6418/Rev.1 issued on 8 December): "In Afghanistan, however, success has been elusive. Despite painstaking and persistent efforts by the OIC, the United Nations Special Mission and my Special Envoy, Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi, a lasting peace seems a distant prospect.

"Why? Because the Afghan leaders refuse to rise beyond their narrow factional interests and start working together for national reconciliation. Because too many groups in Afghanistan -- warlords, terrorists, drug-dealers and others -- appear to have too much to gain from war and too much to lose from peace and the rule of law.

"Because foreign military and material and financial support continues unabated, fuelling this conflict and depriving the warring factions of a genuine interest in making peace.

"The continued support by these outside forces -- combined with the apathy of others not directly involved -- is, I regret to say, rendering diplomatic initiatives almost irrelevant."

Before that Conference opened, the Secretary-General met with President Mohammed Khatami of Iran, and then chatted casually with dozens of Heads of State and Government and ministers present for the summit. In the afternoon, he met with the Iranian Foreign Minister, Kamal Kharrazi. He then had a constructive discussion with the Vice-President of Iraq, Taha Yassin Ramadan. Later, the Secretary-General met with the Prime Minister of Togo, Kwassi Klutse. In addition to those appointments, he also met with President Abdou Diouf of Senegal; the Prime Minster of Morocco, Adellatif Filali; the Secretary-General of the OIC, Mr. Laraki, and then with the President of Turkmenistan, Sapiar Murat Niyazov. At the last contact with Mr. Eckhard, the Secretary-General was on his way to the residence of the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran.

Alerting correspondents on what lay ahead, Mr. Brandt said that tomorrow, the Secretary-General would deliver a speech at Tehran University, 9 a.m. local time. Advance copies of that speech would be made available at about 5 or 6 p.m. today.

Concerning Human Rights Day, tomorrow, the Associate Spokesman drew attention to a detailed programme of events which was available in the Spokesman's Office. The programme would begin at 10 a.m. in the Economic and Social Council Chamber, and would go on until 1 p.m., moderated by the Assistant Secretary-General for Public Information, Samir Sanbar. The opening remarks would be made by the President of the General Assembly, Hennadiy Udovenko, followed by a video message from the Secretary-General. The first

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keynote speaker would be the First Lady of the United States, Hillary Rodham Clinton, while the second keynote speaker would be the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Nafis Sadik.

Also speaking at the occasion would be the Director of the New York Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Purificacion Quisumbing. There would then be a panel discussion featuring Philip Alston, Chairman of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; Wole Soyinka, Nobel Prize Laureate for Literature; Kamalesh Sharma, Permanent Representative of India; and Olara Otunnu, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on the Impact of Armed Conflict on Children. That would be followed by a question and answer period. Other activities in the afternoon would take place in the Public Lobby, Mr. Brandt said, and they would include an exhibition. The programme, copies of which were available in the Spokesman's Office, included contact phones of staff members, for those who wanted more information. Also available now was the message by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, received from Geneva this morning.

Turning to the Kyoto Conference on Climate Change, Mr. Brandt said that the high-level segment was on its second day today, with negotiators engaged in intense bilaterals and other small informals until late in the night, discussing the draft text of a protocol proposed by the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole, Ambassador Raul Estrada of Argentina. The new draft protocol would require industrialized countries to reduce their collective emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide by 5 per cent. That reduction would be measured against a 1990 baseline and as an average over a five-year "commitment period" of 2006-2010. Correspondents could obtain additional information in the Spokesman's Office.

Mr. Brandt announced that the status of outstanding contributions as of 30 November was available. On that date, over $2.2 billion was outstanding, out of which $572 million was for the regular budget, $16 million was for the international tribunals, and $1.6 billion was for peacekeeping operations.

Kenya on 5 December became the 122nd Member State to sign the Convention to ban landmines, and the first to sign at Headquarters. Three Member States: Canada, Ireland and Mauritius had already ratified the Convention, which opened for signature in Ottawa on 3 December.

He drew attention to a press release regarding the end of the second session of the Conference of the States parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention on 7 December. The Conference ended with the adoption of the 1998 budget of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, amounting to approximately $70 million, and agreement on the majority of outstanding

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issues. Eighty-one States parties attended the session, which began on 1 December. The third session of the States parties to the Convention would be convened in November 1998.

There would be an open informal briefing on the United Nations Stand-by- Forces High Readiness Brigade (SHIRBRIG) for Permanent Representatives, peacekeeping experts and military advisers today at 3 p.m. in Conference Room 4, the Associate Spokesman said. It would be chaired by the Permanent Representative of Denmark to the United Nations, Jorgen Bojer.

He announced that the World Food Programme (WFP) was seeking $9.4 million to aid farm families hit by the effects of El Nino in Central America. That news release was also available in the Spokesman's Office.

He further informed correspondents of a guest at the noon briefing tomorrow, the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Gustave Speth, who would talk about "Development and Human Rights". In that connection, he reminded them that UNDP was having a luncheon today marking the release of a paper dealing with the long-term value of investments in environmental protection. Details of the luncheon meeting were contained in a press release available in the Spokesman's Office.

On behalf of United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA), he announced that the statement of the first session of the International Peoples Tribunal on Human Rights and the Environment, "Sustainable development in the context of globalization", would be officially released at a press conference today at 2 p.m. in the UNCA Club. Following that, at 3 p.m. there would be "coffee and cookies, and who knows what else" in the Club to bid farewell to colleagues from the Dag Hammarskjold Scholarships who were leaving after a very productive time at the fifty-second session of the General Assembly. Also at the UNCA Club tomorrow, between 1 and 2 p.m., there would be a press briefing on the United Nations Preparatory Committee on establishing an international criminal court. A media advisory on that, from the Coalition for an International Criminal Court, was also available.

Concerning tomorrow's programme for the observance of Human Rights Day at which Mrs. Clinton would be present, Mr. Brandt was asked if there would be restriction on movement at Headquarters. He said that correspondents with current passes and accreditation should have no problems; those who did not would have to update. With the First Lady of the United States in the building, some unusual security measures were to be expected, but there was no need to worry for those who were up-to-date on their documentation.

He was also asked if the $2.2 billion in outstanding contributions which he had mentioned reflected any "late payments" by the United States, to which he answered in the affirmative.

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A correspondent said he had read a story last month that the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Human Rights in Cambodia, Thomas Hammarberg, would request "something" from the United Nations to investigate alleged crimes by Pol Pot in Cambodia. Where did that now stand? Mr. Brandt said he understood that Mr. Hammarberg presented his report at that time; it was considered and passed on to the Department of Political Affairs and would be part of the information that the Department would provide to the Security Council in the discussions regarding the creation of the international criminal court. He had no further details on the issue.

Further asked if the Council now had that report, he said he did not have any time or date for them to meet on it, reminding the correspondent that the Preparatory Committee on that issue was now meeting. Part of the information at their disposal was the relevant information provided by Mr. Hammarberg regarding his mission in Cambodia, as well as other missions all over the world.

Alex Taukatch, spokesman for the President of the General Assembly, Hennadiy Udovenko (Ukraine), following up on the issue of tomorrow's Human Rights Day observance, reiterated that Mr. Udovenko would make the opening remarks. Before the beginning of the programme, he would meet with Mrs. Clinton.

For those following issues of disarmament and security, it was a "heady" day, the spokesman said, because the General Assembly was taking action on all of the reports of the First Committee. There was a total of 22 reports, running from A/52/591 through A/52/612. Providing some background on the work of the Committee, he noted that it completed its work on 17 November, one day earlier than its target date. It also held 30 meetings, which was in line with the Committee's efforts to rationalize its work.

Highlighting aspects of the Committee's work, he said it had approved 43 draft resolutions and two draft decisions (a total of 45), 22 of them by a recorded vote. There had also been a couple of first-time events. On that, he stated that the newly appointed Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons made a statement to the Committee. The Committee was also addressed by the Executive Secretary of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization. Those two statements highlighted the important links between the Committee and the Assembly and those organizations. They also pointed to further collaboration in consolidating and strengthening existing disarmament and arms limitation agreements. During the period, the Committee also had an impassioned exchange of views on anti-personnel mines. It was also able to approve, without a vote, the text on convening the fourth special session of the Assembly devoted to disarmament.

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Following action on the reports of the First Committee this morning, Mr. Taukatch said that in the afternoon the Assembly would take action on the situation in the Middle East and the question of Palestine. He drew attention to today's Journal for information on the documents before the Assembly on those subjects.

On the appointments of Mr. Udovenko today, the spokesman said he had this morning met with his "Friends on Reform", the Permanent Representative of Botswana, Legwaila Joseph Legwaila, and the Permanent Representative of Ireland, John Campbell, who briefed him on the consultations they were conducting on the draft proposals under agenda item 157. They were making progress on those consultations, he added, promising to keep correspondents abreast of further developments on the issue.

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