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 welcoming the representative of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Sierra Leone, Anthony Bloomberg. Mr. Bloomberg had been running UNICEF's operations from Conakry, Guinea, at the height of the recent crisis in Sierra Leone. He had also acted as the United Nations humanitarian coordinator. (Mr. Bloomberg's briefing is being issued separately.)

Mr. Brandt also told correspondents that the Chairman of the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) set up under Security Council resolution 687 (1991) to eliminate Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, Richard Butler, had had two rounds of talks today in Baghdad with the Deputy Prime Minister, Tarik Aziz. Mr. Butler had arrived yesterday with the Chairman of the group charged with the inspection of the presidential sites, Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs Jayantha Dhanapala. The talks between Mr. Butler and Mr. Aziz had centred around the upcoming inspections of the presidential sites, which were expected to start later this week, Mr. Brandt added.

The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Iraq, Prakash Shah, had also arrived in Baghdad yesterday to take up residence there, Mr. Brandt continued. He had also met with Mr. Aziz today. Mr. Shah was working out of the Canal Hotel for now, Mr. Brandt said.

Still on Iraq, he said a group of eight United Nations oil experts, who had assessed Iraq's capacity to produce and export oil, had left Baghdad yesterday. They were expected to report their findings to the Secretary- General in about 10 days.

The forensic team of the Secretary-General's Investigative Team in the Democratic Republic of the Congo had pulled out from Mbandaka over the weekend after being threatened by armed villagers, Mr. Brandt said. They had started to investigate mass graves at burial sites on Saturday, when the villagers from Mbandaka threatened them with machetes and hunting spears. They went back to the capital.

A statement had been issued in Geneva by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, in that regard, Mr. Brandt continued. The statement called into question the determination and political will of the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo with regard to the continuation of that mission. The statement was available to correspondents in the Spokesman's office.

On Cambodia, he said the Secretary-General had welcomed the complete amnesty granted by King Norodom Sihanouk to Prince Norodom Ranariddh with the full agreement of Ung Huot and Hun Sen. The Secretary-General's statement continued as follows:

"This is a major step towards the normalization of the situation in Cambodia. It is hoped that it will significantly improve the climate for free and fair elections. As was noted in the recent meeting in Manila of the Friends of Cambodia, the amnesty is an important point in the 'Four Pillar Plan' put forward by Japan and endorsed by the Friends.

"In this connection, the Secretary-General is instructing his Representative in Cambodia to monitor the safety and full resumption of political activities by Prince Ranariddh when he returns to Cambodia, in keeping with the letter of guarantees of 22 October addressed to him by Mr. Ung Huot and Samdech Hun Sen."

Mr. Brandt also told correspondents that Juan Somavia of Chile had been elected today as the next head of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Mr. Somavia had received 44 out of the 56 votes on the ILO's Governing Body. He would begin his five-year term in March of next year.

Welcoming Mr. Somavia's election, Chile's Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Jorge Arrate Mac Niven, noted that it was the first time in the ILO's 79-year history that a representative of the southern hemisphere was elected to the post of Director-General, Mr. Brandt said.

Mr. Somavia was familiar to the United Nations community through his years as Chile's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, he added. Since arriving in 1990, he had served in a number of important positions, including Chairman of the Preparatory Committee for the World Summit for Social Development. Mr. Somavia was President of the Economic and Social Council in 1993 and was occupying that position again this year. A press release from the ILO was available. "All of us in the Secretariat wish to congratulate Mr. Somavia on his election to that important post", Mr. Brandt continued.

On Cyprus, he said the Secretary-General's Special Adviser, Diego Cordovez, had visited that country from 18 to 22 March. During the visit, he had met with Mr. Clerides on 20 and 21 March, and with Mr. Denktash on 19, 20 and 21 March. He delivered a letter from the Secretary-General to both leaders, urging them to continue inter-communal talks. Mr. Cordovez was visiting Athens now. He would then visit Ankara before travelling to Geneva, where he was expected to brief the special envoys of various countries dealing with Cyprus. That briefing would take place on 26 March. The Secretary- General was expected to meet with Mr. Denktash in Geneva on Friday, 27 March, Mr. Brandt added.

He then announced that the Secretary-General's latest report on Sierra Leone had been issued on Friday afternoon as document S/1998/249. In that report, the Secretary-General said that President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah's return to Freetown represented a challenge and opportunity for the international community. "We must not let slip the chance to restore Sierra Leone to the

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ranks of democratic nations and to help strengthen the stability of the subregion", the Secretary-General added. He put forward a comprehensive set of measures to assist Sierra Leone, including strengthening the office of his Special Envoy in Freetown. In addition, the Secretary-General was consulting with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights about possibly deploying human rights observers to the country. In the meantime, he was sending a human rights officer to Freetown. The Secretary-General recommended that the Security Council consider deploying up to 10 military liaison officers to Sierra Leone. That recommendation was made in his last report to the Council in early February. The Secretary-General also called attention to the acute humanitarian situation in the country. He called on Member States to provide aid, saying that "Democracy in Sierra Leone may have deep roots, but it is a fragile plant which must be nurtured".

Continuing his Middle East visit, the Secretary-General had left Damascus for the Gaza Strip this morning, touching down at Al Arish, Egypt, and proceeding from there across the border into Gaza, Mr. Brandt said. The Secretary-General was greeted on arrival by President Yasser Arafat and other Palestinian officials, with whom he met for almost an hour. They discussed the Middle East peace process, the conditions of the Palestinian people and the United Nations development efforts in the region.

After a joint press conference with President Arafat, the Secretary- General had attended a luncheon in his honour, hosted by President Arafat. He gave an address before members of the Palestinian National Council. In his address to the Palestinian National Council, the Secretary-General had saluted the courage and the persistence of President Arafat and the entire Palestinian people. He continued: "By making the bold and difficult choices for peace, you have set sail towards the horizon. History will not deny you a harbour and a home". He said their cause -- genuine self-determination for the Palestinian people -- was the Organization's cause and that it was the expression of the most sacred, most enduring and universal principles of the United Nations Charter. He noted that whatever the rights and wrongs of the respective positions of the two sides, there was clearly a crisis of confidence. "But do not despair. Do not waiver. And do not falter. Do not succumb to the ways of violence", the Secretary-General said.

Mr. Brandt said the Secretary-General then visited the headquarters of the Special Coordinator in the Occupied Territories and from there went to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) headquarters. Later in the day he met with relatives of Palestinians detained in Israeli jails. He would also attend a reception hosted by the Palestinian Authority. The Secretary-General would depart for Israel tomorrow morning to conclude his Middle East tour.

Elaborating on the Secretary-General's meeting with relatives of Palestinians detained in Israeli jails, Mr. Brandt said he had been informed by the Spokesman for the Secretary-General, Fred Eckhard, that a teenager, 13

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or 14 years old, stood up to address the Secretary-General. She spoke quite eloquently for about five minutes. She said "the occupation has taken away my father". The Secretary-General was very moved. He stood up, walked towards the girl, and embraced her, promising to do his best for her.

Last Saturday, 20 March, the Secretary-General and his party left Beirut aboard United Nations helicopters to visit the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) headquarters in Naqoura, Lebanon, Mr. Brandt continued. He laid a wreath at a memorial to peacekeepers killed while on duty. He was briefed by Force Commander Major General J.K. Konrote and his senior officers on the situation in the UNIFIL area of operations. He also addressed the soldiers and staff.

On returning to Beirut, he said the Secretary-General had met with President Elias Hrawi of Lebanon. They discussed the stalled Middle East peace process, the situation in southern Lebanon and the plight of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.

After a lunch hosted by the President, the Secretary-General went to the American University of Beirut where he made an address and took a number of challenging questions. "Your task is not only to build a future society", he said, "it is to build a stronger society, one which older generations cannot even imagine, one fit for your children's children".

At United Nations House, which the Secretary-General had dedicated the day before, he met with the members of families of Lebanese civilians detained in Israeli prisons, Mr. Brandt said. He pledged to take up the matter with Israeli authorities. After the press conference, he travelled to Damascus to begin an official visit to Syria.

Still on the visit, Mr. Brandt told correspondents that the Secretary- General had arrived in Damascus Saturday night, 20 March. He was greeted by the Syrian Foreign Minister, Farouk Sharaa. He then went briefly to a celebration of Ireland's National Day by the personnel of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) and United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO). He had begun his official programme early on Sunday morning with a visit to UNDOF headquarters at Camp Fouar, south of Damascus. He praised the soldiers and staff of that mission for keeping the peace and maintaining stability "on one of the most volatile fault lines in the world". He toured by car the empty nearby town of Quneitra.

On returning to Damascus, he met with the Minister for Foreign Affairs for an in-depth review of regional issues, including the Middle East peace process and resolution 425 (1978), which calls on Israel to withdraw from Lebanese soil. Shortly afterward, the Secretary-General had extensive discussions for well over an hour with President Hafez Al-Assad, primarily on the history of the peace process. He then addressed United Nations local staff working in Syria and attended a luncheon hosted by United Nations

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organizations. At a press conference in the afternoon, he underlined his belief that "there can be no comprehensive peace in the region without Syria". After a visit to the Omayyad Mosque, and a walk through the Hamidia souk (bazzar), where he was repeatedly applauded by the crowds, the Secretary- General went to a meeting with Prime Minister Mahmoud Zoubi. Their discussions focused on the search for a just and comprehensive solution to the Middle East peace process, the prospects for regional development if there were peace, and the work of United Nations agencies and programmes in Syria. He finished his day with a dinner hosted by the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Regarding Deputy Secretary-General Louise Frechette's appointments for the day, he said they included the meeting of the Task Force on Human Resources Reform; a reception hosted by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU); and meetings with the Speaker of the Mongolian Parliament, Radnassumbereliin Gonchgdorj, and with Miguel Angel Martinez and Pierre Cornillon of IPU. [It was later announced that the Deputy Secretary-General would meet at 4:30 p.m. with Osama Al-Chalabi, of the Central Bank of Iraq; Ambassador Nizar Handoon, Permanent Representative of Iraq; and Saeed H. Hatan, Deputy Permanent Representative of Iraq.]

On Croatia, the Senior Associate Spokesman said the United Nations Police Support Group had reported that while the overall security situation in the Danube region remained relatively stable, there were a total of 51 incidents last week, 41 of which were housing related.

In a meeting with the Government of Croatia on 19 March, the representatives of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the United Nations Police Support Group and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) told them that the three principal discriminatory laws on the temporary takeover, lease of apartments in the liberated areas of 1995 and areas of special state concern should be rescinded and replaced with comprehensive legislation on property and returns. They stressed that it was the responsibility of the Croatian Government and the legislative bodies to draft and adopt a new law.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the total number of UNHCR-assisted returns to Croatia from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia had so far reached 1,133. Mr. Brandt said. Around 1,600 Croatian Serbs had sought asylum in Norway, where they were arriving at a rate of 250 per week. The Norwegian authorities had processed 15 cases, involving 23 persons, so far, but they were all rejected. There were some 14,000 Croatian Serbs accommodated in Kosovo.

He told correspondents that the Department of Peacekeeping Operations had issued a press release on a seminar it had organized on Friday, 20 March, and Saturday, 21 March, at Headquarters on "The Role of Police in Peacekeeping Operations". Approximately 50 Member States had attended the seminar, with delegations including both diplomatic and police components. In addition,

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regional organizations and non-governmental organizations were represented. Over two days, participants considered both expanding roles of police in peacekeeping operations and ways to enhance United Nations capacity in that area.

Mr. Brandt also informed correspondents about two press releases on World Tuberculosis Day tomorrow, 24 March. One of the releases from the United Nations Co-sponsored Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS) called for urgent measures to control the dual AIDS/TB epidemic. The other, from the World Health Organization (WHO), indicated that by the year 2020, 70 million more people would die from tuberculosis if control was not strengthened.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs had informed the Spokesman's office that an earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale had occurred in the north-eastern part of Afghanistan, at 1822 GMT on Saturday, 21 March. A fact-finding mission (United Nations, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and NGOs) had travelled to the area yesterday. The mission confirmed no reports of injury or death; only one mosque in Sar Rustaq was slightly damaged. The team also met with local authorities in Rustaq, who noted that there were no damages or losses.

The Chairman of the Preparatory Committee on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court, Adriaan Bos (Netherlands), would address the press at 11 a.m. tomorrow in room 226, Mr. Brandt announced. Mr. Bos would be accompanied by the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Diplomatic Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court, Roy Lee. That conference would be held in Rome from 15 June to 17 July. They would discuss the work of the Preparatory Committee.

The Women's Caucus for gender justice in the international criminal court would also hold a press briefing at the United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA) club from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. tomorrow on the Women's Caucus positions at the Preparatory Committee. Mr. Brandt said.

Asked if the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo had asked the forensic team to leave the country, Mr. Brandt said it had not. The team had left Mbandaka for safety reasons.

Another correspondent wanted to know if the forensic teams were operating only in Mbandaka. No, Mr. Brandt said, there was another group in Goma.

A correspondent wanted to know whether the 20 diplomats expected to visit Baghdad had arrived there. Mr. Brandt said most of them were in Baghdad. There might be two or three who had not yet arrived there. But most were in Baghdad.

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Asked how reports about ethnic cleansing of Serbs would reach the Security Council, Mr. Brandt said the Security Council was kept informed regularly by the relevant United Nations organs on developments in the region.

On behalf of Alex Taukatch, spokesman for the General Assembly President Hennadiy Udovenko (Ukraine), Mr. Brandt said the Assembly had held a short plenary meeting in Conference Room 3 this morning on two items. First, it decided to reopen the agenda item on the appointment of members of the United Nations Administrative Tribunal and to allocate that item to the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary). That decision was prompted by the death of Francis Spain (Ireland), member of the Tribunal, and the need to appoint a person to serve for the remainder of his term of office which expires on 31 December. In another action, the Assembly appointed Armando Duque Gonzalez of Colombia as a member of the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) for a five-year term.

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