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, said at the beginning of today's noon briefing that the Secretary-General had been pleased with the Security Council's unanimous endorsement last night of the Memorandum of Understanding that he had negotiated with Iraq. "His mission started and finished, therefore, with consensus among members of the Council, and he wishes to thank all those responsible for the broad international support he received for his efforts from both governments and individuals", Mr. Eckhard said.

The Secretary-General had made a major statement in the Council last night, the Spokesman said. The text of that statement was available as a press release yesterday (SG/SM/6475-IK/244). Transcripts of his comments to the media after last night's session were available in the Spokesman's Office.

Correspondents could see on the Secretary-General's schedule for today that at 12:45 p.m. he would see the Executive Chairman of the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM), Richard Butler; the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and United Nations Legal Counsel, Hans Corell; and the Under- Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs and newly appointed UNSCOM Commissioner, Jayantha Dhanapala. That meeting would be in connection with the detailed procedures for the inspection of the eight presidential sites in Iraq. The Secretary-General expected to communicate those details to the Council shortly, but maybe not today.

On the "oil-for-food" programme, Mr. Eckhard said that the first deposits from the oil sales under Phase III of the programme had been received yesterday, according to the "Weekly Report" number 54 on the implementation of the programme. By the end of this week, it was expected that $114 million would have been received in the United Nations Iraq account. The Security Council Committee which monitors the sanctions against Iraq had approved last week 18 humanitarian sales contracts under Phase III and 23 contracts under Phase II. No applications had been blocked and none had been put on hold.

Another humanitarian flight, carrying 25 tons of medicines and baby food, had arrived in Iraq on 1 March, Mr. Eckhard said. That flight had been authorized by the Sanctions Committee and was the fifth such flight this year. Two fact sheets from Baghdad were available in the Spokesman's Office -- one concerned the food basket for the month of March, as well as for the preceding 11 months, and the other concerned the special humanitarian flights this year.

The Spokesman went on to say that arrangements were being made for a group of oil experts to go to Iraq to assess the country's capability to export oil. Despite the Council's approval of $5.2 billion for an expanded "oil-for-food" programme, Iraq had indicated that it had the ability to export

only up to $4 billion worth in 180 days. That group of oil experts was likely to arrive in Baghdad sometime next week.

The Secretary-General would be sending a letter -- probably later today -- to the Iraqi Foreign Minister, Mohammed Said Al-Sahaf, inviting him to New York to discuss policy issues related to the expanded oil-for-food programme, particularly the new distribution plan. It was thought that the Foreign Minister could be here early next week.

In response to a correspondent's question yesterday about Angola, the Spokesman said, "All the remaining tasks that were scheduled to be completed by the end of February, in fact, were not." As of 27 February, of the 7,877 National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) residual forces registered, 5,857 had been demobilized. Some localities still under UNITA control, such as the UNITA strongholds of Bailundo and Andulo, were yet to be placed under government control. Security arrangements for Jonas Savimbi had yet to be agreed upon. The Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary- General, Behrooz Sadry, together with the Ambassadors of the Troika Countries -- Portugal, Russian Federation and the United States -- had met with President Jose Eduardo dos Santos in Luanda, and with Mr. Savimbi in Andulo yesterday, to discuss the current stage of the peace process. The Joint Commission made up of representatives of both sides was meeting today to discuss a new timetable for the completion of the remaining tasks.

On Georgia, Mr. Eckhard said that a United Nations security assessment team had returned from that country yesterday. In the light of the hostage- taking incident and other security issues, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations would be discussing with United Nations Security Coordinator Benon Sevan what additional security measures should be taken to enhance the security of United Nations peacekeeping personnel in Georgia.

There was a new deputy to the Special Representative of the Secretary- General in Georgia, Mr. Eckhard said. She was Heidi Tagliavini of Switzerland and would be leaving for the mission area tomorrow. Prior to her current appointment, Ms. Tagliavini was the Deputy Head of Mission in the Swiss Embassy in Moscow. She had also served as a member of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) assistance group in Chechnya. Ms. Tagliavini had joined the Swiss Foreign Ministry in 1982. She was the second woman to hold a senior position in a United Nations peacekeeping mission -- Elizabeth Rehn was serving as the Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ms. Tagliavini was at Headquarters today; correspondents interested in talking with her could contact the Spokesman's Office.

The Secretary-General had informed the members of the Security Council today of his decision to postpone the submission of his report on Africa, from the end of February -- as originally promised -- until mid-March, the Spokesman said. That was due to the distraction caused by the Iraqi crisis. Last September, the Council had held a ministerial meeting, in which they had

Daily Press Briefing - 3 - 3 March 1998

requested the Secretary-General to submit, by February 1998, a report including "concrete recommendations on the sources of conflict in Africa, ways to prevent and address those conflicts and how to lay the foundation for durable peace and economic growth following their resolution". The Council would call another meeting -- it was unknown whether or not that would also be a ministerial-level meeting -- to consider the report of the Secretary-General once it had been submitted.

The Council was meeting at 3:30 p.m. today, Mr. Eckhard said. As it was the beginning of the month, the programme of work was the sole item on their agenda. The Gambia was the Council President for March. The Foreign Minister of the Gambia, Momodou Lamin Sedat Jobo, had chaired last night's session.

Mr. Eckhard said that the Secretary-General had announced the appointment of Major-General Timothy Ford of Australia as Chief of Staff of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) in the Middle East. He would take over from Major-General Rufus Modupe Kupolati of Nigeria, who would end his tour of duty on 31 March. Some biographical details on Major- General Ford were available in the Spokesman's Office.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, currently in New York, had issued a statement today concerning the situation in the Kosovo Province in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Mr. Eckhard said. In the statement, she had said that she was deeply disturbed at reports of escalating violence and use of arms in Kosovo. While recognizing the complexity of the situation there, the High Commissioner would ask the Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to honour its obligations to protect the right to life and the security of all persons. The High Commissioner had concluded her statement by saying that the problems of Kosovo would not be resolved through force of arms or recourse to violence, but through a willingness to negotiate differences and full respect for the human rights of all.

The Office of Internal Oversight Services report on the follow-up to the 1997 audit and investigation of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda was out today as document A/52/784, the Spokesman said. That report showed that improvements had been observed in virtually every area surveyed by the team of investigators and auditors. In those administrative areas where the team had identified ongoing or new problems, the new Registrar and the new Chief of Administration had reported that they were in the process of taking corrective action. Most of the key recommendations of the previous report had been or were in the process of being implemented. A list of recommendations was contained in an annex to the report.

Available in his office was a press release from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs containing an appeal for $11.2 million to meet priority humanitarian needs in Sierra Leone over the next three months, Mr. Eckhard said. The current humanitarian situation there remained serious.

Daily Press Briefing - 4 - 3 March 1998

The primary health-care system had been devastated by lack of supplies, looting and the exodus of medical personnel at all levels.

Also available was a press release concerning refugees in Sierra Leone from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Spokesman went on to say. That release stated that Sierra Leoneans were continuing to cross over the border into Liberia, although the reported numbers varied widely: 1,780 on Friday, and 127 on Sunday. The total through Sunday stood at 18,364. Also on Sierra Leone, the World Food Programme (WFP) had announced this morning in Abidjan that it had successfully delivered its first food aid by road to Sierra Leone since the coup d'état last May. Two convoys had arrived in Kambia, in the northern part of the country, carrying enough emergency supplies to feed 40,000 people for one month. That press release was also available in his office.

Luciano Pavarotti would be back at Headquarters today, Mr. Eckhard said. The Italian tenor would receive a citation as an Official Messenger For Peace during a ceremony to take place at 1:15 p.m. in Private Dining Room 1 in the Delegates' Dining Room. Ambassadors and United Nations senior officials would attend, and visual media were cordially invited. The citation would be presented to Mr. Pavarotti by Deputy Secretary-General Louise Frechette. For further information, correspondents could contact Juan-Carlos Brandt at the Spokesman's Office.

Mr. Eckhard went on to say that there was a press release available from the World Bank inviting correspondents to participate in the first Assembly of the Global Environment Facility. That would take place from Wednesday to Friday, 1 to 3 April, he added.

The Office of Communications and Public Information (OCPI) had issued a press release today stating that a revamped United Nations Audio/Visual Page would be unveiled by the Office on 4 March, making UN Radio News in both English and French available as streaming audio over the Internet, thus strengthening the existing United Nations presence in cyberspace. That effort was part of a reform process to accelerate the use of information technology in order to help the United Nations reach a wider audience in a most cost- effective manner.

Louis Farrakhan would give a press conference in room S-226 at 10 a.m. tomorrow, Mr. Eckhard said. The press conference would be sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Libya. Mr. Farrakhan would speak on developments regarding sanctions on Libya and Iraq, and other United Nations issues. At 11:15 a.m., James Gustave Speth, the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), would give a press conference to announce the appointment of Danny Glover as UNDP Goodwill Ambassador.

The Spokesman said that the 700th World Chronicle television programme, featuring Joseph Chamie, Director of the Population Division in the Department

Daily Press Briefing - 5 - 3 March 1998

of Economic and Social Affairs, would be shown today on in-house television channel 6 or 38 at 2:30 p.m. He added that he thought there might be a party to celebrate the 700th programme later in the week.

Asked if the Secretary-General's trip to Washington, D.C., was being rescheduled, Mr. Eckhard said "They are working on it now. I can't predict when it will be, but he is planning a trip to Geneva at mid-month -- we'll announce the details somewhat later -- and so the question is whether the Washington trip could be rescheduled before he leaves. And that's pretty much a function of the President's schedule, so we have nothing to announce just yet."

Would the Secretary-General be meeting with United States President William Clinton in New York later today? "They are both going to be at the seventy-fifth anniversary dinner for Time magazine tonight, so there is a possibility they could meet there, yes", Mr. Eckhard said. That meeting would not be a formal meeting. It would be a "casual encounter".

A correspondent asked if that was the first time a high-level Iraqi official would be invited to Headquarters to discuss the oil-for-food programme. Was there something special about that agenda? Mr. Eckhard said that when the Secretary-General had been in Baghdad -- on that Monday morning -- he had met with Iraqi Vice-President Taha Ramadhan; there had clearly been unresolved issues between the United Nations and Iraq concerning the oil-for-food programme. The Spokesman said he would have to check whether or not it was the first time the Secretary-General had invited a senior level official to New York to discuss those problems.

Were there any other formally named United Nations Messengers For Peace? Had Pavarotti received a pin the last time he had come to Headquarters? a correspondent asked. "There are other Messengers For Peace", Mr. Eckhard said. Enrico Macias, a popular singer for decades, was one. Mr. Pavarotti was another. Today, there would be a citation and a pin. Mr. Eckhard added that he did not know if Mr. Pavarotti had received a pin before. Today's ceremony was a more formal appointment.

Would the Secretary-General's trip to the Middle East be rescheduled? "They are working on that as well", the Spokesman said. "They are looking towards the end of this month, in between two dates when the Secretary-General must be in Geneva -- the opening of the annual session of the Commission on Human Rights at mid-month, and then the biannual meeting of the ACC [Administrative Committee on Coordination] at the end of the month. So that is the window for the planning of the rescheduling of the Middle East trip. But we have nothing firm to announce at this time."

Daily Press Briefing - 6 - 3 March 1998

Was there any estimate of when the inspectors would be getting into the presidential sites? The Spokesman said there was not. The first step was to finalize the detailed procedures, then it was a matter of a practical decision -- whether or not there was something the inspectors wanted to investigate.

Asked whether the detailed procedures would include names of ambassadors, Mr. Eckhard said, "I don't think there will be names of ambassadors. It may mention the pool that might be drawn on for putting together the diplomats who will be part of the special group."

What was the procedure for picking the ambassadors? Mr. Eckhard said that, as stated in the Memorandum of Understanding, they would be appointed by the Secretary-General.

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