DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
Press Briefing
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
19971224
Fred Eckhard, the Spokesman for the Secretary-General, began today's noon briefing by reading the following statement:
"The Secretary-General was deeply shocked to learn of the massacre in Chiapas, Mexico, in which at least 46 people, including 15 children, were killed and 25 wounded. He strongly condemns this odious crime, as he does all acts of terrorism, and supports President Zedillo's efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice". (The statement was issued as Press Release SG/SM/6429.)
Turning to other matters, Mr. Eckhard said that under the no-objections procedure, at 10 a.m. this morning, the Security Council Committee established by resolution 661 (1990) approved a Russian flight into Iraq. The plane had been grounded in Iran at Kermanshah, pending the Committee's approval. The Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation had formally requested the Committee to allow the flight to proceed. According to the Mission, the plane was carrying 23 members of the Russian Duma and five tons of children's medical supplies. The Committee was grateful to the Government of Iran for having refused permission for the flight to go ahead to Iraq, until the Committee had given its approval.
Mr. Eckhard said the Government of Iraq had given its final approval to the draft distribution plan for phase III of the "oil-for-food" programme. The United Nations was reviewing the plan in collaboration with the various agencies that would be involved in the distribution of the goods. It would be discussed further with the Iraqi Government before being transmitted to the Secretary-General.
Croatia had become the 100th Member State to pay in full its assessed contribution of $958,571 for the regular budget, he said. At this date last year, 97 countries had paid their contributions in full and by the end of 1996 a total of 98 Member States had paid in full. "I don't think I can remember a time when we hit 100, although in terms of dollar amounts the deficit was as awful as ever", he added.
Several press releases were available in the Spokesman's Office, he said. A release from the World Food Programme (WFP) concerned its Christmas food air drops, which begin today, to hundreds of thousands of flood victims in remote villages of Kenya's north-eastern province and along the Indian Ocean coast. Releases from the Department of Humanitarian Affairs concerned the floods in Kenya, Somalia and Peru.
The Department of Public Information (DPI) 1997 Year in Review was available at the documents counter, he said.
A correspondent asked for comment on a letter from the Secretary-General to United States Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson. Mr. Eckhard said the
Daily Press Briefing - 2 - 24 December 1997
Secretary-General had received a letter from Senator Hutchinson's office acknowledging a letter from him, which he had never sent. Senator Hutchinson's letter thanked the Secretary-General for his views on getting the United States out of the United Nations. The Secretary-General had written back that he had never sent such a letter and, in fact, that was not his position.
Mr. Eckhard announced that there would be no noon briefing on Friday, 26 December, or Friday, 2 January.
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