DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL

Press Briefing

DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL

Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, began today's noon briefing with the announcement that the Secretary-General had cancelled his trip to the Middle East. He had planned to leave Tuesday morning, passing through Rome in connection with the anniversary of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), before going on to Egypt, Israel, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon.

The Spokesman next read out a statement attributable to the Secretary-General, as follows:

"In his efforts to help find a diplomatic solution to the crisis that has arisen as a result of Iraq's non-compliance with Security Council resolutions, the Secretary-General has maintained close and frequent high- level contacts with all parties involved. These include leaders of governments and intergovernmental organizations which have sent envoys to the region, members of the Security Council, regional governments, and the Iraqi leadership. His objective remains to help bring about a diplomatic solution, while ensuring respect for the decisions of the Security Council.

"Since, notwithstanding some movement in the right direction, an acceptable solution is yet to be agreed upon, he believes it is essential for him to remain available at Headquarters until the crisis has been defused. Therefore, regretfully, he has decided to postpone his visit to countries in the Middle East, which was due to commence on 11 February and to cancel his brief preceding visit to Rome. It is his intention to reschedule the visit to the Middle East for a later date this year." (See Press Release SG/SM/6459- IK/239.)

Mr. Eckhard said that the question on everyone's mind was whether the Secretary-General was going to Baghdad. The Secretary-General told journalists on his way into the Secretariat building this morning, "I have no plans at the moment to go to Baghdad".

The Security Council Committee established by resolution 661 (1990) concerning the situation between Iraq and Kuwait, had before it a letter from the Russian Federation concerning its plans to fly into Iraq on Sunday, carrying some Russian deputies as well as humanitarian supplies. The letter was circulated to many Committee members last week under the "no objection" procedure, with a deadline of noon last Friday, 6 February. A Committee member asked the Committee to put the flight request on hold. Bilateral contacts were under way to resolve that issue.

The Spokesman said that the Security Council would be briefed at 3:30 p.m. in a closed session by the High Representative for the Implementation of the Peace Agreement on Bosnia and Herzegovina, Carlos

Westendorp. Following that briefing, at approximately 4:30 p.m., the High Representative was expected to respond to journalists's questions at the stakeout position outside the Council. The Council would then take up the supplementary report of the Secretary-General on the "oil-for-food" programme in Iraq. It was not yet confirmed whether resolutions on that issue would be tabled this afternoon. Tomorrow, the Council would consider the report of the Secretary-General on the situation in Sierra Leone, and would continue with the item on Iraq.

Mr. Eckhard said that there was a follow-up to the aftermath of the earthquake in Afghanistan. He referred correspondents to the statement issued by the Spokesman's Office Saturday on behalf of the Secretary-General in which he expressed his heartfelt condolences to the victim's families. (See Press Release SG/SM/6458-AFG/77.) According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance to Afghanistan, the appeal for international assistance had gone forward. An assessment team was able to reach the affected area and had confirmed the total destruction of one village, Khudat Khairabad, where 320 people were found dead, and some 400 families affected. The team carried food and medicine on donkeys and horses. The area was extremely difficult to access, due to the mountainous terrain and winter weather. Further confirmation regarding the extent of the damage and the loss of life was expected. The Secretary-General hoped that Member States would respond generously to the appeal.

The newly appointed Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Klaus Topfer, took up his functions today, following his unanimous election by the General Assembly on 3 December 1997, the Spokesman said. The Secretary-General had decided to designate Mr. Topfer concurrently as Director-General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi, and, for the time being, as head of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat). That decision was intended to enhance the coherence of United Nations activities in the related fields of environment and human settlements, while fully retaining the distinct identity of those two entities, as previously defined by the General Assembly.

Mr. Eckhard said that in addition to his duties as Director-General of the Office in Nairobi, Mr. Topfer would provide common administrative support to UNEP and Habitat, and to administer other United Nations activities based in Nairobi. The Secretary-General had also asked Mr. Topfer to chair a task force that would prepare proposals to reform and strengthen United Nations activities in the environmental and human settlements areas, in line with the Secretary-General's reform programme. (See Press Release SG/SM/6460-UNEP/22- HAB/149). Mr. Topfer said in Nairobi today that the United Nations presence there "underlines the importance of the African continent to the United Nations, and that is why I am very serious about strengthening this location".

Daily Press Briefing - 3 - 9 February 1998

The newly appointed Special Representative of the Secretary- General for Western Sahara, Charles Dunbar, departed today for the region to assume his duties, the Spokesman said. Prior to his arrival in Laayoune, the headquarters of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), Mr. Dunbar would visit Rabat and Tindouf in order to meet with the Moroccan authorities and the Frente Polisario leadership. Following his arrival in the Territory, he was scheduled to visit Algiers and Nouakchott for meetings with neighbouring Governments, Algeria and Mauritania.

The Spokesman announced the availability of a report of the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) concerning the programme management of the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Division in Vienna. According to the report, much remained to be done by the secretariat to reorient the programme. Specifically, the report drew attention to the lack of guidance and oversight by top management, evidence that the Division had been conducting its work in a "quasi-independent" manner. In addition, the programme seemed to be less focused, with priorities receiving insufficient attention. The Secretariat should also address the issue of the large volume of documentation prepared for the Commission. Also warranted was better utilization of the scarce resources available for technical assistance. On the other hand, ongoing efforts by the Commission to impose self-restraint in the enactment of new mandates was commendable and should be encouraged.

As previously reported in the wire services, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) agreed last Friday in Geneva on a single set of technical specifications for 56K modems, "for those of you who are computer literate", Mr. Eckhard said. The formal approval process had been initiated. The modems could deliver information to computers at up to 56,000 bits per second and were the fastest ever used on regular phone lines. The new modem standard harmonized the two competing proposals submitted last year, and their wide use was expected for Internet and on-line services. Members of the ITU Standardization Sector, which was comprised of representatives of 188 States and some 300 members of the telecommunication industry, were expected to adopt the recommendation next September.

The Spokesman announced that later this afternoon, Austria would become the thirteenth signatory to the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings. Luxembourg signed the Convention last Friday. It was opened for signature on 12 January, and would remain open for signature at Headquarters until 31 December 1999. It enters into force on the thirtieth day after the deposit of the twenty-second instrument of ratification.

Turning to assessed contributions, Mr. Eckhard said that four Member States had fully paid their contributions to the regular budget for 1998. They were Cyprus, India, Trinidad and Tobago and Tunisia, with payments respectively of: $357,553; $3,207,464; $189,293 and $294,456. That brought to 28 the number of Member States that had paid in full.

Daily Press Briefing - 4 - 9 February 1998

The monthly summary of troop contributions to peacekeeping operations as of 31 January was available in the Spokesman's Office.

In further announcements, Mr. Eckhard reminded correspondents about a press conference sponsored by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), scheduled for 12:30 p.m. in room 226. The ICC Vice-President and President-to- be, Adnan Kassar, and the ICC Secretary-General, Maria Livanos Cattaui, would be joined by two United Nations officials, the Under-Secretary General of Economic and Social Affairs, Nitin Desai, and the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Rubens Ricupero. The group met at Headquarters this morning, and were expected to issue a statement at the press conference.

A correspondent asked whether the Secretary-General's decision to remain at Headquarters until the situation with Iraq was defused, precluded a trip to Baghdad. Mr. Eckhard said that the Secretary-General was "waiting to see" what Member States wanted him to do. There were at least four actors in the field. They were talking to each other, and the Secretary-General was talking to each of them. He was waiting to see if a proposal emerged which had the support of the Security Council as a whole, and waiting for some indication that Iraq was willing to discuss the situation. Those were the conditions that he would likely set for a trip to the region.

Why was it taking so long to schedule a meeting between Jonas Savimbi, the leader of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), and Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, as requested by the Security Council? a correspondent asked. Mr. Eckhard said that from UNITA's point of view, the concern centred around unresolved security arrangements for Mr. Savimbi. There were ongoing efforts to bring those two leaders together, however, and the United Nations remained hopeful that the meeting would take place. It had not yet been possible to fix a specific date, and Mr. Savimbi's security arrangements continued to be discussed.

Another correspondent asked whether the Secretary-General's decision to cancel his trip to the Middle East was because of concern that being "seen" with Middle East leaders, especially of Israel, would "harm" the Secretary- General's "diplomatic leverage" in Iraq. Mr. Eckhard said that the reason, as indicated in the statement, was the Secretary-General's desire "to stay close to the Security Council, close to the telephone" in order to better prepare for a possible role for himself if the Council members wanted it.

Another correspondent asked why the United Nations correspondents were the last to know of the Secretary-General's change in plans, given the announcement in Cairo this morning. Mr. Eckhard said the concerned governments had to be informed as soon as a decision was made, and they were informed Sunday afternoon. Because the decision could be open to different interpretations, the Secretary-General wanted to issue a statement. The governments were asked to keep the information confidential until a statement

Daily Press Briefing - 5 - 9 February 1998

was issued in New York today. The release of the information early today might have emanated from an assumption that the announcement had already been made in New York. Yes, the Secretary-General met this morning with Richard Butler, the Executive Chairman of the Special Commission (UNSCOM) monitoring Iraq's disarmament, the Spokesman said in answer to another question. No read-out was available yet, but correspondents could check with the Spokesman's Office later today to see if there was anything it could release. Asked if a member of the Sanctions Committee had objected to the Russian flight, Mr. Eckhard said that that was a closed meeting and he, therefore, could not say. Did Mr. Topfer's designation as head of Habitat require any specific approval, and why was it necessary for Habitat to retain its own identity? another correspondent asked. The Spokesman said he thought that Habitat had a distinct mandate from the General Assembly. If the Secretary-General wanted to merge the two offices, he would have to seek the approval of the Assembly, but since he was only asking Mr. Topfer to strengthen and further unify and coordinate the Office at Nairobi, as a temporary assignment, no Assembly approval was required. He was asking Mr. Topfer to chair a task force to consider ways to strengthen the Nairobi Office. Asked for details about the Secretary-General's coordination of efforts to secure a diplomatic solution in Iraq, the Spokesman said that, to date, the Secretary-General was staying in touch with the various efforts under way, and waiting to see if Member States sought his assistance in some way. Asked in a follow-up question whether he considered that he was now coordinating the diplomatic effort, the Spokesman said, "not to my knowledge, no". Another correspondent, referring to a letter on Friday from Costa Rica requesting the Secretary-General to go to Baghdad, asked if other similar letters had arrived. Mr. Eckhard said he did not believe that they had, but the matter had been discussed at the Security Council lunch on Friday, at which time Council members made their views known. Costa Rica then decided to put its views in writing.

Asked again if a trip by the Secretary-General to Baghdad was precluded, Mr. Eckhard said that if the Council asked him to go, and if he felt he could accomplish something by going, "certainly, he will go". "Wasn't it crowded out there, diplomatically?" another correspondent asked. Mr. Eckhard said that the Secretary-General was monitoring the various parties' efforts to find a diplomatic solution, and he hoped that one could be found. To a question concerning a "new solution" about changing the composition of UNSCOM, including the nomination by the Secretary-General of a new Executive Chairman, Mr. Eckhard said that the Secretary-General had been in touch with the Arab League of States throughout last week and was aware of their ideas as they developed, but he had no comment on what was made public today.

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