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, pointed out at the beginning of today's briefing that the Security Council was being briefed this morning by the Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Ibrahima Fall on the subjects of Afghanistan, Liberia and Rwanda. If there were any developments on those, the Associate Spokesman said he would pass them on to correspondents.

There would be closed consultations today among members of the Council and troop contributors of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Conference Room 7, he continued. Also today, there would be another closed meeting concerning police contributors to the International Police Task Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina at 4:30 p.m.

Concerning the United Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan (UNMOT), he said that the Secretary-General had proposed to the Security Council the addition of military observers from the Czech Republic, Indonesia, Nepal, Nigeria and the Republic of Korea, noting that the Council had responded favourably to that proposal last Friday. Currently, 44 military observers from nine countries were serving in that mission, he added.

He then read the following statement:

"Pursuant to the Interim Accord of 13 September 1995, representatives of Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia met on 9 and 12 December under the auspices of the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General, Cyrus Vance. The Greek side was represented by the Permanent Representative of Greece to the United Nations, Ambassador Christos Zacharakis. The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia was represented by Ambassador Ivan Tosevski. The parties continued to exchange views in the context of article 5 of the Interim Accord and they decided to meet again in January 1998."

Last Friday, 12 December, the Secretary-General had sent a letter to the Security Council providing an update on the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), Mr. Brandt said. Recalling that the Spokesman's Office had announced that the identification process began on 3 December in two centres, Mr. Brandt said that since then two more centres had been opened, on 8 December at Camp Dakhla in the Tindouf region, and the other at Smara. A fifth was scheduled to open today in southern Morocco. A second centre at Laayoune would become operational on 22 December. From 3 to 12 December, over 3,000 people were convoked, and 2,386 were identified. In his letter to the Council, the Secretary-General stated that if MINURSO was to complete its task as he had proposed, all elements of the timetable must be

strictly adhered to, including the provision of the necessary resources in full and on time. That particularly applied to the deployment of the engineering and other resources by the first half of February at the latest, to undertake the operation of demining and prepare for the deployment of the military component of the United Nations mission.

Turning to the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Associate Spokesman announced that the investigative team had been evacuated from Mbandaka at the weekend owing to serious security concerns arising from a large demonstration outside their camp. That situation would be assessed before a decision to return to Mbandaka was made, and it was not yet known when the team would be able to go back. Mr. Brandt said that the team had also been given a list of demands from traditional leaders in Wendji, including money and provisions, to be fulfilled before they could carry out their work.

Last Saturday, the Secretary-General gave a scheduled press conference in Kuwait, at which he was asked questions on Iran, Iraq, the Middle East peace process, sanctions, Security Council reform, United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission (UNIKOM) and terrorism. As had been announced on Friday, that press conference was received by United Nations radio. A transcript was now available in the Spokesman's Office.

Mr. Brandt said that the Secretary-General had met with the Emir of Kuwait on Saturday, and then had an extensive discussion of issues of common concern to Kuwait and the United Nations with the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Those included the fate of hundreds of Kuwaiti prisoners of war taken in the Iraq-Kuwait conflict, the return of stolen property, the work of UNIKOM, and other regional issues. The Secretary-General spoke of the work of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Kuwait and his desire to establish a "United Nations House" where all agencies and programmes could be based. He asked for Kuwait's support on that. He had also met with the Speaker of the National Assembly, and toured the Parliament building. He visited the headquarters of the Kuwait Fund, which supports development projects in the third world, and urged their cooperation with UNDP.

Also on Saturday, the Secretary-General was conferred an honourary doctorate by Kuwait University, Mr. Brandt said. On that occasion, he gave an address, which was made available to the press at Headquarters on Friday.

His official visit to Kuwait concluded with a dinner hosted by the Minister for Foreign Affairs at his residence, Mr. Brandt said. At the airport at his departure on Sunday morning, the Secretary-General told the press that Kuwait had come out of the tragedy of the 1990 invasion by Iraq stronger and was rebuilding its society on a firm, democratic basis.

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He arrived in Kuala Lumpur late on Sunday, and began an official visit to Malaysia this morning, Mr. Brandt said. During his visit to the National Economic Planning Unit the Secretary-General was given an extensive briefing on that country's economic development and the impact of the current economic crisis in Asia on current plans, as well as prospects for future growth. He then visited the world's tallest building, the Petronas Twin Towers, and was briefed on the downtown development project, of which it is a part. The United Nations Association of Malaysia, headed by former Foreign Minister Ahmad Rithauddeen, hosted a luncheon in his honour; he then travelled outside of Kuala Lumpur to visit the nerve-centre of the new Multimedia Super Corridor, which would link the capital with the new airport in a 40-kilometre stretch of land dedicated to the latest in communication technology. He also went to the site of the second Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Informal Summit, where he met with the First Deputy Prime Minister of Viet Nam, Phan Van Khai. He also met with the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahathir Mohamad, for a wide-ranging discussion of topics which included the ASEAN financial crisis and United Nations reform. His last appointment for the day was with the Prime Minister of Thailand, Chuan Leekpaiwith, with whom he discussed refugees as well as other regional economic issues. His day concluded with a gala dinner hosted by the Prime Minister of Malaysia for the participants in the ASEAN summit commemorating the regional group's thirtieth anniversary.

In anticipation of correspondents questions, Mr. Brandt said that Vladimir Petrovsky and his team had arrived in Libya, as had been announced last week. That visit was in connection with the implementation of Security Council resolutions 748 (1992) and 883 (1993). The team was now in its third day in the country, and had met with a number of officials, including the Foreign Minister, the Minister for Trade, the Governor of the Central Bank, and the Director of the Civil Aviation Authority. Today, the team was scheduled to meet the Minister for Health and Social Affairs. The team was also expected to meet with United Nations staff working in Libya, and was expected to wind up its work on 18 December.

He drew attention to a press release from the United Nations Observer Mission in Angola (MONUA), indicating the activities of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Alioune Blondin Beye.

Also available in the Spokesman's Office was a statement by the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, Louise Arbor, following her meeting with the French Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hubert Vedrine.

Mr. Brandt announced that the United States had made a partial payment to the United Nations regular budget of $53.2 million. So far, only 96 Member States had now paid in full their 1997 contributions to the regular budget; last year on this date, 97 Member States had paid in full. Outstanding

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contributions were now over $2.1 billion, of which over $500 million was for the regular budget, and over $1.6 billion was for peacekeeping.

He also drew the attention of correspondents to the second performance report of the Secretary-General on the 1996-1997 budget (document A/C.5/52/32), which proposed a net 1.2 per cent revision or a net reduction of $25.1 million from the revised net appropriation for 1996-1997. The revised appropriations adopted last year by the General Assembly were $2.603 billion gross. A budget performance report was prepared at the end of each year of the budget period, explained Mr. Brandt, noting that it was afterwards submitted to the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) and the Assembly's Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary). Correspondents who wanted clarifications or more information were urged to get copies of the report.

Mr. Brandt announced that tomorrow, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) would launch its 1998 State of the World's Children. It focused on the "silent emergency of malnutrition", he said, noting that in his foreword the Secretary-General noted that the report "spells out a simple but most pressing truth. Sound nutrition can change children's lives, improve their physical and mental development, protect their health and lay a firm foundation for future productivity". The Associate Spokesman said press kits had already been distributed to correspondents, pointing out that they were available in several languages, but embargoed until tomorrow.

He drew attention to a World Chronicle television programme today, featuring Philip Alston, Chairman of the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, on in-house channels 6 or 38 at 2:30 p.m. Tomorrow at the same time, the programme would feature the Assistant United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Soren Jessen-Petersen.

On press conferences, Mr. Brandt reminded correspondents that tomorrow at 11 a.m., the Director of the Macroeconomics Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Ian Kinniburgh, accompanied by the Chief of the International Economic Relations Branch, Barry Herman, would launch the report on The World Economy at the Beginning of 1998.

Concerning the human rights team in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a correspondent asked Mr. Brandt where the team was evacuated to, and whether they had made any recommendations to the Secretary-General on what ought to be done. The Associate Spokesman said the team was back in Kinshasa, and there had been a lot of communication between them and Headquarters. While the Secretary-General had also been appraised of the situation, however, the team had not made any particular recommendations, although they were warning as to the seriousness of the situation. The Associate Spokesman said he could not give further information on that point at this time.

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Asked what the Secretary-General had told them to do, Mr. Brandt said there was nothing different from what the Secretary-General had said in the past: that the team remained where it was. He said he had not heard from the Secretary-General or the Department of Political Affairs on the latest developments; whenever that happened, he would let correspondents know.

Another correspondent asked if there was any evidence that the demonstrations against the team had been orchestrated by the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or were spontaneous. The Associate Spokesman said he did not know; he could only say that they had happened, and that the team had been sent back to Kinshasa as a result.

Asked for an update on the background briefing on reform scheduled for today, Mr. Brandt apologized for not informing correspondents earlier that it had been postponed until later in the week. To another question, he confirmed that the Secretary-General would be back in his office on Thursday morning.

Alex Taukatch, spokesman for the President of the General Assembly, Hennadiy Udovenko (Ukraine), said that the Assembly had begun a busy day by making a number of appointments. The President of the General Assembly had announced that following consultations he had appointed Austria, Bahamas, Romania, Thailand and Uganda as members of the Consultative Committee of the United Nations Development Fund for Women. In another action, Mr. Udovenko, after consulting with the regional groups, also appointed, and the Assembly agreed, the 21 members of the Committee on Conferences. The spokesman said that document A/52/109 contained all the relevant details.

The Assembly had then taken up the item on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, he said. It had before it a draft resolution (document A/52/L.67), and was holding a debate on the items. Providing background, the spokesman said that in a recorded vote on that resolution last year, there had been no votes against, but there had been two abstentions: Russian Federation and Belarus. At the current session, however, he expected the draft resolution to be adopted without a vote. Slovenia, which introduced the draft, was expected to orally revise the text, he noted, adding that the Russian Federation would speak in explanation of why there should be no vote.

Another item before the Assembly today was the situation of democracy and human rights in Haiti, Mr. Taukatch said, and there would be a debate on it. He drew attention to a report by the Secretary-General on the issue (document A/52/687), as well as a draft resolution (document A/52/L.65). Five speakers had so far been inscribed on that list, but to allow time for the review of the programme budget implications on the draft resolution, action on the text would be taken at a date to be announced.

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In the afternoon the Assembly would take up 10 reports of the Sixth Committee (Legal), and would adopt a total of 16 draft resolutions. In that connection, he drew attention to the report on measures to eliminate international terrorism (document A/52/653), which contained a draft resolution adopting an international convention for the suppression of terrorist bombings. It also had a draft resolution on measures to eliminate international terrorism, by which the Assembly strongly condemned all acts, methods and practices of terrorism as criminal and unjustifiable, wherever and by whosoever committed. It also reiterated its call upon States to refrain from financing, encouraging, providing training for, or otherwise supporting terrorist activities. Another report before the Assembly concerned the establishment of an international criminal court (document A/52/651). The spokesman also drew attention to the report on the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations, and the report on the Committee on Relations with the Host Country, whose work often attracted keen media interest.

Mr. Taukatch informed correspondents that the "long-awaited" report of the Credentials Committee (document A/52/719) was now out. He recalled that the Committee had held its first meeting on 17 September, and resumed it on 19 September, and then on 5 December, under the chairmanship of Ambassador Carlston Boucher of Barbados. On Cambodia, the Committee had decided to defer a decision on the credentials on the understanding that pursuant to the applicable procedures of the Assembly, no one would occupy the seat of that country at the fifty-second session. On other credentials, Mr. Taukatch drew attention to paragraph 7 of that report, which listed 144 countries that had presented formal credentials in the form required by rule 27 of the rules of procedure of the Assembly. Paragraph 8, on the other hand, listed 39 Member States that had communicated information concerning the appointment of representatives by such means as facsimile or a cable.

To questions about the credentials of Afghanistan, he said that the Committee had decided to defer a decision on the credentials of representatives of that country on the understanding that the current representative of Afghanistan accredited to the United Nations would continue to participate in the work of the Assembly pursuant to the applicable rules of procedure. He said the report also contained a recommendation that the General Assembly should adopt a resolution approving the report of the Credentials Committee.

A correspondent noted that the Fifth Committee had concluded its debate over the Secretary-General's reform plan. What was next, he asked Mr. Taukatch, who replied that the Committee was continuing its discussions, noting that it had met on Saturday and Sunday to discuss the budget. Mr. Udovenko was meeting with his "Friends on Reform" -- the permanent representatives of Botswana and Ireland -- this afternoon to hear their report on the progress made. There was also expected to be a meeting in the open- ended informal consultations format sometime in the middle of this week to

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discuss the proposed draft. The work of the Fifth Committee on the reform item was closely linked with the action by the General Assembly.

A correspondent remarked that whichever side was speaking for Afghanistan at the moment did not really have power back home. The spokesman reiterated that the decision of the Credentials Committee was that the current representatives of Afghanistan accredited to the United Nations would continue to participate in the work of the United Nations.

Asked whether the Assembly was taking up soon the item on "Assistance in mine clearance", the report of which came out today, Mr. Taukatch said he had hoped this morning to be able to give correspondents information on the Assembly's programme of work, but that it was still being worked on. The President was actively reviewing the proposed schedule and by this afternoon the programme for the rest of the week should be ready, covering all the remaining agenda items.

What was the status of Yugoslavia in the United Nations today, a correspondent asked. Mr. Taukatch said it was a Member State of the Organization, but pointed out that there had been an Assembly decision six years ago that Yugoslavia could not participate in the work of the General Assembly.

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