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, began today's noon briefing by announcing that a letter from Iraq containing its observations on the Secretary-General's supplementary report on the "oil-for-food" programme had been issued as a Security Council document. Advance copies were available in the Spokesman's Office.

In the letter, the Iraqi Government raised objections to parts of the Secretary-General's report dealing with the distribution plan, the allocation of increased funds, the electricity and education sectors and the beneficiary's responsibility to set up project implementation. The Secretary- General was preparing a response to the Iraqi letter.

Mr. Brandt said the two technical evaluation meetings in Baghdad -- one on missile-warheads-related issues and the other on chemical weapons, particularly the so-called VX-nerve gas -- were expected to conclude tomorrow. The United Nations experts participating in the meetings would report next week to Ambassador Richard Butler, Executive Chairman of the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM), monitoring Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.

The Security Council was expected to begin its first reading of the Secretary-General's supplementary report on the "oil-for-food" programme on Monday afternoon, 9 February.

Continuing, Mr. Brandt said the Council would not meet today. Next week, it would hold consultations on Bosnia and Herzegovina. Today, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Committee of Five on Sierra Leone was briefing Council members on the situation in that country. The briefing, under the "Aria formula" would be held in Conference Room 7.

Council members today received the Secretary-General's report on Sierra Leone, Mr. Brandt said. The Secretary-General observed that the situation in that country remained "deeply preoccupying and required the urgent of attention of the international community". In his view, "it would therefore be premature, at this stage, to present the Security Council with a full concept of operations or an estimate of force size and structure in respect of a possible United Nations military presence in Sierra Leone".

At the same time though, in addition to re-establishing a United Nations liaison office, the Secretary-General invited the Council to consider the deployment of a small military liaison cell of up to 10 staff to assess and report on the military situation in that country.

Meanwhile, Mr. Brandt said, very early this morning, heavy fighting was reported 13 miles east of Freetown, between elements favoured by the Sierra Leone junta and forces from the Economic Community of West African States'

Monitoring Observer Group (ECOMOG). The fighting had caused thousands of civilians to flee the area. He drew correspondents' attention to a press release, dated 5 February, on the decision, a few months ago, to send a United Nations delegation to the country to assess the humanitarian situation. The mission had already arrived in Conakry and was on its way to Freetown.

On Monday, 9 February, the Secretary-General would meet with a delegation of business representatives to discuss cooperation between the United Nations and the business community. A high-level delegation from the International Chamber of Commerce, including its Vice-President and next President would also attend. The meeting would seek to identify common interests and initiate joint projects, including one on investment promotion for Africa and least developed countries. It would take place from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., in Conference Room 8.

After the meeting, there would be a press conference at 12:30 p.m. in room 226, by the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Nitin Desai; the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Reubens Ricupero; and officials from the International Chamber of Commerce. (There will be no delegation briefing that day.) They would discuss the outcome of the meeting and make available some materials, including a joint statement which would be the first to articulate common interests between the United Nations and the business community. Also available would be a document on initiatives to promote development in Africa and least developed countries.

Turning to other matters, Mr. Brandt said the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs announced today that, as of 4 February, the Government of Sudan had denied humanitarian agencies access to recently displaced populations by suspending all flights into the Bahr el Ghazal region of southern Sudan. An estimated 100,000 displaced people, mainly women and children, were reportedly fleeing the conflict which had flared up in around the towns of Wau, Aweil and Gogrial over the past week. The displaced people were said to be gathering in a number of locations in Bahr el Ghazal, but were said to be weak, hungry and in urgent need of food, medicine and shelter materials.

The flight suspensions were putting the lives of vulnerable civilians at great risk, Mr. Brandt continued. Operation Lifeline Sudan was in close contact with government authorities to resolve the issue. Additional information was available in the Spokesman's Office.

A preparatory team of five people left Kinshasa for Mbandaka today, Mr. Brandt said. The team would lead the way for a redeployment of investigators in Mbandaka in the next few days. The investigative team had been in contact with the Government Liaison Committee headed by Emmanual Kamanzi in recent days regarding resumption of the team's field work.

Daily Press Briefing - 3 - 6 February 1998

Referring to inquiries regarding the earthquake in northern Afghanistan on Wednesday, Mr. Brandt said the Secretary-General was very concerned about reports of the massive earthquake. All the details were not yet known, but the Secretary-General had asked the United Nations mission in the country to immediately investigate and report back to him on how the Organization could assist.

Also, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) was in touch with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance to Afghanistan in Islamabad and in Dushanabe regarding the situation following that earthquake. Mr. Brandt said the United Nations could not confirm press reports of the loss of life and damage. However, the United Nations was sending field staff to the affected area to assess the situation and humanitarian needs. The International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) and the Tajikistan Red Crescent Society had also sent an assessment team. A situation report was available on OCHA website. Correspondents should contact Miriam, in the Spokesman's Office, for further details, and for the OCHA website address for future postings of information in the internet.

The Under-Secretary-General for Management, Joseph Connor, would be in Geneva on 9 and 10 February, Mr. Brandt continued. He would be accompanied by the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources Management, Rafiah Salim. On Monday, Mr. Connor would chair a meeting of the high-level Consultative Committee on Administrative Questions -- a subsidiary of the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC). The meeting would be attended by all the ACC representatives.

Mr. Brandt said the change-of-flag ceremony for Bosnia and Herzegovina would be held at 1 p.m. today, in front of the Delegates Entrance and the Secretary-General and other senior officials would attend.

He then outlined the Secretary-General's appointments for today. This morning, he addressed a meeting of the Economic and Social Council and the opening of the 1998 special session of the Special Committee of 24. At the time of the briefing, he was meeting with the Chairman of the Italian Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Gicaomo Migone. This afternoon, the Secretary- General was scheduled to meet with his senior aides on the question of the Great Lakes.

Monaco had paid in full its assessed contributions to the United Nations regular budget for 1998, with a cheque for $31,549. So far this year, 31 Member States had paid their assessments in full. "Thank you Monaco", Mr. Brandt said.

A press release from the World Food Programme (WFP) on the effects of El Nino was available in the Spokesman's Office.

Daily Press Briefing - 4 - 6 February 1998

Mr. Brandt then drew correspondents' attention to the announcement in today's Journal, of a ceremony at 10:30 this evening, in the General Assembly Hall, to mark the opening of the Winter Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan. He said correspondents were invited to attend the event but, he warned them, the doors would close promptly at 10:30 p.m. and, "you will be held hostage, against your wishes, until 11 p.m., because the ceremony would be broadcast worldwide live via satellite and we do not want it to go wrong".

The recently recorded World Chronicle TV programme, No. 696, with the Chairperson of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, Salma Khan, would be shown on in-house television channels 6 or 38 at 2:30 p.m. Finally, Mr. Brandt said, copies of a background note on the type of work United Nations Television and radio broadcasting did on United Nations peacekeeping missions were available at the documents counter.

A correspondent asked if, in preparing his response to the Iraqi letter, the Secretary-General was likely to amend his report on the "oil-for-food" programme. Mr. Brandt said he believed the Secretary-General was in the process of responding to the Iraqi letter, and he, therefore, had no comment at this time. He would be in a position to inform correspondents of the Secretary-General's plans at a later date.

Replying to a request for more information on the humanitarian mission to Sierra Leone, Mr. Brandt said he would get further details for the correspondent.

What had the UNSCOM Executive Chairman, Richard Butler, told the Security Council yesterday and did he in fact say he had not heard anything from Iraq that was acceptable? a correspondent asked. Mr. Brandt said that correspondents understood that what happened yesterday in the Council was during a closed meeting. "It would be highly irregular for me to comment on something that took place in a closed meeting. That is compounded, of course, by the fact that Mr. Butler chose not to speak to anyone after the meeting. I have absolutely no comment on what Mr. Butler said, or did not say, to the Members of the Council."

In response to a question about an alleged proposal by the United Kingdom to the Security Council that implied the use of force would be authorized if the Iraqis did not comply with the inspection regime, Mr. Brandt said he had no comment.

Asked if such a proposal existed, Mr. Brandt said the correspondent should direct his questions to the delegation from the United Kingdom.

Daily Press Briefing - 5 - 6 February 1998

Was it not the case that Security Council resolution 678 (1991) authorized the allies of Kuwait to take action to ensure peace in the region without further United Nations acceptance. Mr. Brandt said the language of Council resolutions was well-known to anyone who could read. "If you want to look in between the lines or get another interpretation of Security Council resolutions, don't expect me to be that person." The correspondent could talk to Council members but, the resolution spoke for itself and the Council was the master of its own procedures and it would come out with whatever resolution or decision it chose.

Referring to the change-of-flag ceremony, a correspondent asked if there was any precedent for a new flag being imposed on a country without the approval of its Parliament. Mr. Brandt said the Office of the High Representative had played a conciliatory role, and as a result, there was now a flag with the agreement of all concerned.

Referring to the Secretary-General's meeting this morning with the Chairman of the Italian Foreign Relations Committee, Gicaomo Migone, correspondent asked if the Secretary-General had become involved, in any way, over the skiing accident in Italy earlier this week. Mr. Brandt said he was not sure if the two men had discussed the "very regrettable incident". There was no United Nations relation or angle to the story. It was possible, he said, that the Secretary-General had expressed his regret at the loss of life as a result of the accident.

Asked whether Mr. Migone had asked for the United Nations to take any action, Mr. Brandt replied "no, not as far as I know".

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