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 press briefing that the Foreign Minister of Iraq, Mohammed Said Al- Sahaf, and his team, which would include both the Trade and the Health Ministers of Iraq, were now scheduled to arrive in New York on Sunday, 8 March, if all went well. Discussions on the expanded "oil-for-food" programme, with a focus on the new distribution plan, were expected to begin on Monday, 9 March, and were likely to continue until the end of the week.

The Secretary-General was meeting with the Foreign Ministers of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at approximately 12:30 p.m., Mr. Eckhard said. They would be discussing the situation in Sierra Leone. This morning, the Security Council had been briefed on Sierra Leone by Chief Tom Ikimi, the Foreign Minister of Nigeria, speaking on behalf of ECOWAS. That briefing had been under the "Arria formula" -- an informal briefing outside the Security Council Chamber.

Francis Okelo, the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Sierra Leone, was scheduled to travel to Freetown this coming weekend, the Spokesman said. He would attend the return ceremony for President Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, scheduled to take place in Freetown on 10 March.

The Spokesman said that the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Angola, Behrooz Sadry, had presented the Angolan parties yesterday with a proposal to establish a new deadline of 15 March for the completion of the remaining tasks in the peace process. The Angolan parties were now discussing the proposal. They were also discussing the contents of a declaration to be made by the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) on the completion of the demilitarization process.

The Senior Management Group -- or "Cabinet" -- had taken a long look at itself this morning at its weekly meeting, which had been linked by teleconference to Geneva, Nairobi and Vienna, Mr. Eckhard said. They had assessed the value of the group as a policy-making and information-sharing body and had concluded that it had become an integral part of the new management culture at the United Nations, and that it was working well.

The United Nations today had requested $34.6 million to meet urgent humanitarian needs in Tajikistan over the calendar year 1998, the Spokesman went on to say. That appeal had been prepared against the backdrop of a precarious humanitarian situation, and was based on assessments from various agencies and non-governmental organizations. They estimated that 16 per cent of the population were food insecure and had limited access to drinkable water; the incidence of typhoid and malaria had increased; and thousands of families were without homes. A press release on the appeal was available in the Spokesman's office.

Turkey had become the fortieth Member State to pay in full its assessed contributions for the 1998 regular budget -- with a check for $4,647,738, Mr. Eckhard said. On this date last year, 39 Member States had paid in full, he added.

This morning at 11 a.m., Burundi had signed the Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings, the Spokesman said. Italy was expected to do so today at 5 p.m. That would bring to 17 the number of signatories to the Convention.

Two press releases from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) were available upstairs, Mr. Eckhard said. One of them, from Paris, stated that world cereal stocks remained below safe levels for the third consecutive year. The FAO had urged continued close monitoring of the situation. The El Nino phenomenon, which had caused drought and forest fires, was one of the reasons for the low yields registered this year. The other press release warned about the danger posed by huge amounts of obsolete and unused pesticides, which continued to threaten human health and the environment.

The Spokesman went on to say that a press release from the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda on the trial of Georges Rutaganda, a former second Vice-President of the Interahamwe and shareholder of Radio Television Libre des Mille Collines, was also available in his office. That trial had resumed today in Arusha, having adjourned on 25 November 1997. Mr. Rutaganda was charged with genocide, crimes against humanity and violations of article 3 common to the Geneva Conventions.

Today in London the World Health Organization (WHO) was launching a new electronic journal: "The WHO Reproductive Health Library", Mr. Eckhard said. That journal contained practical advice on the management of reproductive health problems. A press release on the matter was available in the Spokesman's office.

There was a revision, also available upstairs, of the announcement of the panel discussion to be held in connection with International Women's Day, Mr. Eckhard said. Deputy Secretary-General Louise Frechette would now open that discussion -- scheduled to take place on Thursday, 5 March, at 10 a.m. in Conference Room 4.

The twenty-second United Nations International School Student Conference would be held on 5 and 6 March in the General Assembly Hall, Mr. Eckhard said. The Conference provided a forum for young people to discuss global issues and to hear speakers present their views on that topic. This year's topic was "Civil Conflicts: Global Consequences and Concerns". More than 500 students would be involved.

Daily Press Briefing - 3 - 4 March 1998

As he had said yesterday, the Spokesman reminded correspondents that the Office of Communications and Public Information (OCPI) would launch its new Audio/Visual Page of the United Nations website. That would happen today in Conference Room 5 at 3 p.m. The new addresses are: http://www.un.org/av (English) and http://www.un.org/french/audiovis.

On press conferences in Room 226, Mr. Eckhard said that this afternoon at 3:30 p.m. Radhika Coomaraswamy, Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, would speak. Then, at 4:30 p.m., Ambassador Njuguna M. Mahugu of Kenya, Chairman of the Security Council Sanctions Committee concerning Angola, would brief correspondents. The Sanctions Committee would be having a closed meeting this afternoon at 3:30 p.m. in Conference Room 7, following which the Ambassador would meet correspondents.

Asked when the Secretary-General was going to name the diplomats for the inspection of the Iraqi presidential sites, Mr. Eckhard said, "The detailed procedures for the inspections of the presidential sites are still being finalized. I don't think we expect them to be ready before the end of this week, or even into the weekend. So I can't answer your question until those procedures are out."

Another correspondent asked where the diplomats would come from. Would they be local or picked from around the world? "I can't say", the Spokesman said. "But I know consideration was given to local diplomats, because of the time factor, where it would be important to have a quick response."

Could the Spokesman give an update on the Secretary-General's travel plans for Washington, D.C., and the Middle East? Mr. Eckhard said, "I can't, beyond what I said yesterday that his staff is trying to reschedule both those trips. We still don't know about Washington. The Middle East is beginning to shape up now for the second half of this month in between two appearances he will make in Geneva -- one for the Human Rights Commission session at mid- month; and the other for the ACC [Administrative Committee on Coordination] meeting at the end of the month. So he has got about a week between those two events, and we will give you the details once they are finalized."

When is the middle of the month? a correspondent asked. "The 15th", Mr. Eckhard replied. The date of the Human Rights Commission meeting had been announced from Geneva. It would start on 16 March.

Asked to provide details on the new post of Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq, Mr. Eckhard said, "We probably won't make an announcement on that for another day or so". The purpose of the post was to have a political representative of the Secretary-General in Baghdad who could keep the Secretary-General informed on the Government's reaction to the various United Nations programmes in the area -- from the United Nations

Daily Press Briefing - 4 - 4 March 1998

Special Commission (UNSCOM) to the Humanitarian Office there -- as well as act as a vehicle for communication between him and the Government.

Why had the Secretary-General felt it necessary to create the new post? "He was, frankly, surprised that he didn't have a Special Representative there, given the political importance of Iraq to the United Nations these days." The Secretary-General had felt it was a conspicuous lack and that it was something that would be very helpful to him. When he had reported it to the Council, they had been in full agreement with him.

Would the new Special Representative serve as a coordinating figure in the area? a correspondent asked. Mr. Eckhard said that he would not. The Special Representative would be the link between the Government and the Secretary-General, and would not have any supervisory functions regarding the "oil-for-food" programme or UNSCOM.

A correspondent said he understood that the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Cyprus, Gustave Feissel, was in New York. Would he be meeting with the Secretary-General? Were there any new developments regarding Cyprus? Mr. Eckhard said he had nothing to say on Cyprus. It was true that Mr. Feissel had been in the building for consultations, but he had not been on the Secretary-General's programme. Mr. Eckhard added that he would have to find out what his itinerary was.

On Angola, a correspondent asked if demilitarization was the only issue left to be resolved. "No, we mentioned yesterday some of the other issues that are still waiting to be implemented", Mr. Eckhard said. "It's the handover of all the territory of Angola to administration by the coalition government. There are still several areas that UNITA controls exclusively and that they haven't handed over yet."

Where was the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Angola, Alioune Blondin Beye, and had he recovered? a correspondent asked. The Spokesman said that he was recovering well from the heart surgery that he had undergone. He was currently in Abidjan and would going back to work this month.

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