TRANSCRIPT OF PRESS CONFERENCE BY SECRETARY-GENERAL KOFI ANNAN AT HEADQUARTERS, 13 JANUARY 1998

Press Release
SG/SM/6437

TRANSCRIPT OF PRESS CONFERENCE BY SECRETARY-GENERAL KOFI ANNAN AT HEADQUARTERS, 13 JANUARY 1998

THE SECRETARY-GENERAL: I am very happy this morning to introduce Mrs. Elisabeth Rehn, who, as you know, has been appointed the Special Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Mrs. Rehn comes to us with lots of experience. Her last appointment with the United Nations and the international community was as Human Rights Rapporteur in Bosnia. She also covered the Republic of Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. She has also been a Member of the European Parliament and served as Minister of Defence of Finland from 1990 to 1995. She was also Minister of Equality Affairs from 1991 to 1995 and, of course, a long-term Member of the Finnish Parliament.

It is a challenging assignment, and I am happy that Mrs. Rehn agreed to take on the assignment. She knows Bosnia well from her previous assignment, and I'm sure she's going to do a very good job.

MRS. REHN: Thank you, Mr. Secretary-General. I'm really feeling very confident in taking over this very difficult mission, confident because of the fact that the Secretary-General has really shown this confidence in me. I know it's a big responsibility. Kai Eide, who had this mission before me, has laid some good ground during the last 11 months, and my discussions with him have shown that we are very much of the same opinion regarding our main tasks, such as reconstructing the local police to work especially with the International Police Task Force (IPTF). That is so important, so crucial. We have to look at the judiciary, of course, together with others. That is also very important. And for me, it's very natural that I will continue with the very important work for human rights.

I think those are not different from each other. They are very much together, because human rights should be an element that is streaming through everything that we are doing.

I have been able to see good steps forward in Bosnia and Herzegovina; of course, also many steps backwards. But I have some kind of optimism in taking over this. And I believe that with the very good support of this house of the United Nations and of all the other organizations -- because we should have one common goal to try to create peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina -- then it will be possible to work on this. Cooperation and coordination are words that are very much used. And they are sometimes very difficult to really turn into reality. But I will try very hard.

I am open for questions if there are any.

QUESTION: Thank you on behalf of the correspondents, Mr. Secretary- General and Mrs. Rehn.

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The first question is perhaps premature, but you mentioned that your predecessor was there 11 months. I wonder if, in consideration of the credible run you made against Mr. Ahtisaari in your national elections, whether you would be available longer than 11 months to continue the Secretary-General's campaign to increase the number of women in the United Nations.

MRS. REHN: I do not think that I should have to answer this question as the first one. I am so filled now with what I have to fulfil after some days. I'm moving on Saturday, the seventeenth, to live in Sarajevo. And I haven't given any thoughts to anything other than how I can perform in the best possible way in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

I'm an old lady, so you never know what will happen to me and what the future is. I think that if Kai Eide was there for 11 months -- women are very tough, so perhaps I'm staying for a longer time if there is a need. We must remember that the mission is not for beyond June. So, hopefully, it will be renewed, because we need much more time than that. But really, the future is something that's difficult to speak about. I have learned a lot about history, that's easy. But you don't know anything about the future.

QUESTION: I remember some rather strong remarks you made on war crimes in the last few months. I wonder what you think now. I mean, Mr. Karadzic and other people who have been indicted and wanted by the Tribunal are still there. How is this going to affect your work, and do you think the international community has really gotten tougher, as you called for more than a year ago, I think?

MRS. REHN: I am not one of those who change their opinion depending on what kind of position they have. I stand for my opinions very strongly. I found in my former position in the mission as Special Rapporteur on Human Rights that it is crucial for sustainable peace, for justice and for truth that those who are indicted for war crimes should also be brought to The Hague. It was [inaudible] for me that so many people are suffering when they should not suffer, because there is that collective guilt that is put on many people, even if they are victims themselves. For the sake of those people, it is important that the real suspects should be going through a fair trial; that is also their right. And I hope that in my new position I really can work on that so that this could be the year -- 1998 -- when all the indicted could be brought to The Hague, that people find that they can believe in justice, and the truth could prevail.

I haven't changed my mind on this question. Now I have much more responsibility, and of course it's easier to speak when you do not have the responsibility, you only have to put your finger on difficult and bad things. Now I really have to find methods, together with others.

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QUESTION: What is your explanation? Was it a civil war in Bosnia or an international conflict?

MRS. REHN: And you mean that -- I can't miss my plane. I have to fly to Finland this evening, and if we are going to go through all the history and try to explain, then I think that this takes too much time, with all respect to your question, because it's an important question, to find the sources, the grounds for what really happened. I think it was very much a mixture of power games and religion, ethnicities, minorities. All were used as tools. And that is unfortunate. Because of this mixture of so many passions, it is also difficult to solve the problem and find peace. But perhaps we have to come back to this question when we have more time.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary-General, on Iraq, yesterday there was a feeling that you were not too happy with the composition, as reported by the Iraqis, of the teams. After meeting with Mr. Butler, are you now at ease with the composition of the team that Iraq has complained about? Do you think it was a provocative composition? Are you in touch with the Iraqi authorities personally, and are you afraid this is going to become a military crisis?

THE SECRETARY-GENERAL: I don't know the basis for that feeling. Yesterday, when I appeared before you, I indicated that I was going to talk to Mr. Butler, and I did talk to him and issued a statement yesterday afternoon. I don't know if most of you saw it, describing the outcome of my discussions with Mr. Butler. I had hoped that the letter of explanation that Mr. Butler sent to the Security Council would, however, clarify the situation for the Iraqi authorities and that we would not be where we are today. And I also spoke to the Iraqi Ambassador yesterday, asking him to communicate to his leaders my personal concern for what was happening and that it was important that they waited for Mr. Butler's arrival to discuss whatever issues they had, but not to move ahead and precipitate matters the way it appears to have turned out.

QUESTION: [inaudible] might not be contained diplomatically? Is this a crisis that might develop into a military crisis?

THE SECRETARY-GENERAL: It is a crisis of sorts, but I would not say that it is not containable. The Council is going to meet this morning, and other governments which have influence with Baghdad are in touch with the Iraqi authorities. And I hope that reason will be brought to bear and that the inspectors will be allowed to carry on with their work unimpeded.

Yes, at its last meeting the Commission suggested that there should be a balance in the composition and made recommendations to the Council, which were endorsed. But the fact still remains that it is the United Nations and the

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UNSCOM [United Nations Special Commission set up under Security Council resolution 687 (1991) in connection with the disposal of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction] that decide who participates and who does not and how the teams are put together. And I would hope that Iraq will accept that premise and that we will be able to continue our work unimpeded. In any event, Richard Butler will be in Iraq on the nineteenth, in another five days or so.

QUESTION (translation from French): Mr. Secretary-General, how is it possible that Mr. Kabila [President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo] was able to have the list of names and to choose the persons he wanted from it, while Saddam Hussain could not do the same? Why the double standard?

THE SECRETARY-GENERAL (translation from French): That is not exactly right. President Kabila did not have the opportunity to decide who would participate. What we have done is to let him know who would go [to that country]. I think that is normal; first of all, a visa is necessary. We therefore had to provide a list of the persons who will participate. It was we, the United Nations, who decided on the members of the teams. It was not done by President Kabila.

QUESTION: What will you tell Ambassador Hamdoon [of Iraq], though, today? It appears that they are still thumbing their nose at your instructions. And will you be meeting with the Spice Girls later? There is a rumour about that. Are they in the building?

THE SECRETARY-GENERAL: Well, let me say that it is correct that I am meeting with Ambassador Hamdoon this afternoon -- really, to follow up this issue. If the Spice Girls want to have a rendezvous with me I am not aware of it. But I would not mind.

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