DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL

Press Briefing

DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL

Juan Carlos Brandt, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General, began today's briefing by reading out the following statement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General:

"The Secretary-General deplores the recent aerial attacks on Bamiyan airfield [75 miles west of Kabul, Afghanistan] while World Food Programme aircraft were delivering emergency humanitarian relief supplies. These attacks were carried out despite clearances received in advance from the Taliban authorities. They not only prevented the delivery of urgently needed food to 160,000 vulnerable people who rely on United Nations assistance, but also jeopardized the safety of humanitarian workers.

"The Secretary-General has called on the Taliban authorities to allow the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance and to cease any action which endangers the safety of humanitarian personnel. The Secretary-General cannot accept that United Nations personnel should be deliberately targeted while carrying out their humanitarian mission. He has instructed United Nations representatives in Afghanistan to continue to press the Taliban to give an assurance that the airlift of food supplies to central Afghanistan can be safely resumed."

Also on Afghanistan but on another point, responding to questions received yesterday and this morning, Mr. Brandt said the Secretary-General had already expressed shock at the alleged massacres in the north of that country. The Secretary-General was awaiting the results of an investigation which included forensic experts, which was currently under way. Further, regarding queries today about allegations of another massacre occurring within the past few days, Mr. Brandt said a letter on that matter had been sent to the Secretary-General and was being studied. Further information would be provided at a later stage.

The Deputy Spokesman went on to say that the United Nations would be sending a technical survey team to Sierra Leone by Friday this week. The team, to be led by the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Sierra Leone, Francis Okelo, would assess the conditions on the ground and make recommendations to the Secretary-General concerning the United Nations role in the implementation of a peace accord in Sierra Leone. The Secretary-General would incorporate those recommendations in his second 60-day report, scheduled to be submitted to the Security Council by 8 February.

A reference document entitled, "United Nations Concern for Peace and Security in Central Africa", had been issued, Mr. Brand announced. It had been prepared by the United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa, which was established by the Secretary-General in 1992 pursuant to a General Assembly resolution. The Committee, comprising

11 Central African States, met biannually to discuss preventive diplomacy, peacemaking, peacekeeping and peace-building in that subregion.

In Geneva today, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Sadako Ogata, condemned the recent violence in Burundi, the Deputy Spokesman said. Ms. Ogata's statement followed the armed attack in the village of Maramvya, in Bujumbura, which had caused about 8,000 civilians to flee. An Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) press release on the matter was available in the Spokesman's office.

Mr. Brandt went on to say that the Government of Iraq had submitted a new oil pricing formula for January to the United Nations overseers who, after reviewing it, passed it on to the Security Council Committee established by resolution 661 (1990) to oversee the sanctions imposed on that country. The Committee had a deadline of 5 p.m. tomorrow to respond to the new formula under the "no objection procedure". Iraq had started pumping oil for export only, and the expectation was that the Iraqi Government would start submitting new oil contracts shortly after the new pricing formula was approved.

Denmark had become the second Member State to pay its assessment to the Organization in full for 1998, in the amount of $7.2 million, the Deputy Spokesman announced. Germany had made a partial payment of more than $50 million, representing almost half of its assessed contribution. The amount of outstanding contributions was now more than $3.1 billion, of which $1.6 billion applied to the regular budget and $1.5 billion to peacekeeping.

The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Kinshasa had reported that the level of the Congo River, which had risen recently as a result of torrential rains, was now subsiding in the area of Kisangani, he said. There were no reports about the current situation in Mbandaka. At the request of the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the World Food Programme (WFP) had sent three tonnes of food and was preparing another shipment. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) was also providing food relief. A situation report by the Department of Humanitarian Affairs was available in the Spokesman's office.

Mr. Brandt then announced that there would be closed consultations among members of the Security Council and troop contributors on the United Nations Mission of Observers in Prevlaka (UNMOP), at 3 p.m today in Conference Room 7.

The newly appointed Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara, Charles Dunbar, could not attend the briefing today but would try to do so on another occasion, Mr. Brandt told correspondents. The Humanitarian Coordinator for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Douglas Coutts, would be a guest at tomorrow's briefing.

Daily Press Briefing - 3 - 7 January 1998

The Deputy Spokesman also announced that the Spokesman's office had prepared an update of a document entitled, "Use of Sanctions under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter". Copies were available in the Spokesman's office, as well as on the Internet.

Asked for the Secretary-General's reaction to the appointment today of Rosario Green as Mexico's Foreign Minister, Mr. Brandt said he had welcomed the appointment. The Secretary-General had the highest regard for Ms. Green, both personally and professionally, and had worked with her during her time at the United Nations. Mr. Brandt said it was gratifying to hear of senior United Nations officials being recognized in this way, particularly one for whom the United Nations and the international community were obviously a high priority.

Would the United Nations play a role in implementation of the recent Declaration on Somalia, signed by the Somali leaders on 22 December, or was that "an all-Somali all-African affair"? a correspondent asked. Mr. Brandt said he would check on the United Nations role in recent political developments there. He said there was a senior United Nations official based in the region, whose role included overseeing the political developments in Somalia. In addition, the United Nations had a large humanitarian presence there.

Were there any reports of injuries during the aerial attacks on the airfield in Afghanistan? a correspondent asked. Mr Brandt said he was not aware of any. However, the fact that the attack had occurred and that the WFP staff were at risk was cause for grave concern and had prompted the Secretary- General to issue a statement "and make his voice heard". Asked that the origin of the airplanes used to bomb the airfield, Mr. Brandt said he did not have that information.

A correspondent asked about the whereabouts of Ambassador Sahnoun and whether he had any impact on the recent developments in Congo-Brazzaville. Mr. Brandt said Ambassador Sahnoun was in Geneva and would provide more information on his role in developments in the Republic of the Congo. Mr. Brandt referred correspondents to an exchange of letters between the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council on Ambassador Sahnoun's future role in Africa. [The Secretary-General's letter (document S/1997/994) was issued on 12 December. The response of the Council President (document S/1997/995) was issued on 19 December.]

* *** *