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, Senior Associate Spokesman for the Secretary- General, said at the beginning of today's press briefing that there had been "lots and lots" of calls regarding the new post of Deputy Secretary-General. The Secretary-General was expected to announce the new appointment some time early next week.

He then read the following statement which was available in the Spokesman's office:

"During the second week of February, the Secretary-General will travel to the Middle East, including Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, as well as areas under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority. Besides meeting with the leaders of the region to discuss activities relevant to the United Nations and its role in the region, the Secretary-General will also visit United Nations peacekeeping missions there as well as the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in the Gaza Strip. While in Lebanon, he is also expected to inaugurate the new headquarters of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA)".

On Iraq, Mr. Brandt said that as of this morning, no new oil contracts had been received. The Executive Chairman of the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM), Richard Butler, planned to visit Baghdad from 19 to 21 January.

The International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings would be open for signature at 10 a.m., Monday, 12 January, in the Treaty Room of the Treaty Section, Mr. Brandt said. Sri Lanka would be the first to sign the Convention followed immediately by the United Kingdom. The United States was expected to sign it later in the day, at 4:15 p.m.

The Convention would be open for signature until 31 December 1999 at United Nations Headquarters, Mr. Brandt continued. It was deposited with the Secretary-General and would enter into force on the thirtieth day following the date of deposit of the twenty-second instrument of ratification. The General Assembly adopted resolution 52/164 on the new Convention on 15 December 1997. The Convention contained 24 articles and addressed such elements as definition of offences, obligations of States parties, detention, prosecution and extradition.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kai Eide, gave his last press conference in Sarajevo today, Mr. Brandt said. Mr. Eide would leave on the weekend to take up his new post as Norway's ambassador to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in

Daily Press Briefing - 2 - 9 January 1998

Europe (OSCE), based in Vienna. He will be succeeded by Elizabeth Rehn. A transcript of Mr. Eide's press conference was available in the Spokesman's office.

A press release from the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia on the Slavko Dokmanovic trial was also available in the Spokesman's office, Mr. Brandt said. Slavko Dokmanovic's three co-accused were being called on to surrender to the Tribunal before the beginning of the trial on Monday, 19 January. The three accused were indicted on 7 November 1995 for their alleged responsibility "for the mass killing at Ovcara near Vukovar, Croatia, of approximately 200 Croatian and other non-Serb persons who have been removed from Vukovar Hospital on 20 November 1991". Despite the initial arrest warrant transmitted to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia on 8 November 1995 and the international arrest warrants issued on 3 April 1996, the three accused were still at large. Mr. Dokmanovic, who was the President of the Vukovar municipality in November 1991, has been in the Tribunal's custody since 27 June 1997.

Turning to other matters, Mr. Brandt said Lithuania would become the fourteenth country to sign a memorandum of understanding on the stand-by arrangements for United Nations peacekeeping operations. A signing ceremony would be held at 3:30 p.m., Tuesday, 13 January, and the Foreign Minister of Lithuania, Algirdas Saudargas, would sign the memorandum for his country. Late last year, Lithuania became the sixty-seventh State to express its willingness to participate in the stand-by regime. It was signing the memorandum in record time, which was much appreciated, Mr. Brandt added.

The number of United Nations peacekeepers was at its lowest level in recent years, he said. According to a table compiled by the Spokesman's office on monthly troop contributions since 1992, the number of troops, military observers and civilian police personnel serving with United Nations peacekeeping missions peaked in July 1993 at 78,744. At that time, there were large-scale peacekeeping missions in the former Yugoslavia and Somalia.

The high strength of military and civilian police continued until late 1995 when the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) ended its mission, Mr. Brandt continued. At the end of December 1997, the number of United Nations peacekeepers was 14,879, the lowest level in recent years. The peak years were from 1993 to 1997, when there were 17 United Nations peacekeeping missions. Currently, there were 15 ongoing operations.

He said at the end of December, the top 10 troop contributors were Poland with 1,084 troops, followed by Bangladesh, Austria, Finland, Ghana, Ireland, Norway, Argentina, Nepal and the United States with 644 personnel. Altogether, 71 countries had contributed peacekeeping personnel. Copies of the table and the monthly figures as of 31 December were available in the Spokesman's Office.

Daily Press Briefing - 3 - 9 January 1998

A ceremonial meeting of the "Group of 77" developing countries would be held at 3 p.m., on Monday, 12 January, Mr. Brandt said. The ceremony would mark the formal turnover of the Chairmanship of the Group of 77 from the United Republic of Tanzania to Indonesia for the year 1998. The Secretary- General was expected to deliver a statement at the ceremony.

In response to a question on the specific dates of the Secretary- General's Middle East tour, Mr. Brandt said the trip would take place in mid- February and the Spokesman's office would give details on the actual dates closer to that time.

How long after the announcement of the appointment of the new Deputy Secretary-General would she arrive to take up the position and when would she give a press conference? a correspondent asked. Mr. Brandt said the new Deputy Secretary-General was expected to take up the position between mid to late February. As soon as the person was appointed and took up her responsibilities, the Spokesman's office would try to arrange a press conference, he added.

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