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 by reading the following statement attributable to him:

"The Secretary-General has decided, reluctantly and after full consideration of all alternatives, to withdraw the investigative team he had sent to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to look into allegations of serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in certain parts of that country.

"The establishment of the investigative team was intended to bridge the impasse which had arisen as a result of the refusal of the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to allow a joint investigative mission of the Commission on Human Rights to investigate the allegations. The proposal of the Secretary-General to establish the investigative team was endorsed by the Security Council on 8 July 1997.

"The intention in establishing the team was to secure the cooperation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo authorities in the investigation. However, since its arrival there, in August 1997, the investigative team constantly met a series of obstacles by the authorities, despite repeated assurances by the Government that the team would be allowed to carry out its work. Attempts by forensic experts to excavate suspected sites of mass graves were blocked. The authorities also harassed and intimidated witnesses who provided testimony to the investigators.

"In the most recent incident in this pattern of obstruction, the Democratic Republic of the Congo authorities on 7 and 8 April expelled a member of the investigative team from Goma and subsequently detained him at Kinshasa airport. Confidential United Nations documents in the possession of the staff member were seized, searched and assumed to have been photocopied by the authorities in complete disregard of the obligations of Member States under the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations.

"In the light of the total absence of cooperation of the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in allowing the investigative team to carry out its work, and following a careful assessment made by a mission sent by the Secretary-General for this purpose, the Secretary-General has decided to withdraw the investigative team with immediate effect. The Commission on Human Rights, under its mandate, remains seized of the question of allegations regarding serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in the Democratic Republic of the Congo."

In that connection, Mr. Eckhard said the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, had issued a statement today in Geneva. The statement read, in part:

"I see this development in the overall context of the international community's commitment to fight impunity, which is one of the major factors in the recurrent violence in the Great Lakes region and elsewhere.

"The withdrawal is a grave setback in this battle against impunity and underscores the need for an International Criminal Court with the political backing and resources to bring to justice the perpetrators of the worst violations of human rights and international humanitarian law." The entire statement was available in the Spokesman's office.

The Spokesman then read the following statement attributable to him regarding the recently confirmed death of Pol Pot:

"The Secretary-General regrets that Pol Pot's death rules out the possibility of his trial under international law for crimes against humanity.

"He shares the continuing anguish of the Cambodian people who suffered terribly under Pol Pot's rule, as well as their wish that justice ultimately be served on those who share his guilt for one of histories most notorious reigns of terror."

The Security Council this morning was meeting to consider two reports by the Secretary-General, the Spokesman went on to say. One report was on Western Sahara, the other on Sierra Leone. The Council was expected to meet in plenary to adopt two draft resolutions.

Mr. Eckhard said the draft on Western Sahara would extend the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) until 20 July, so that the Mission could proceed with its identification tasks. The draft on Sierra Leone authorized the immediate deployment of up to 10 United Nations military liaison and security advisory personnel for 90 days. The purpose for that deployment was to coordinate with the Government of Sierra Leone and the Monitoring Observer Group (ECOMOG) of the Economic Community of West African States' (ECOWAS), to report on the military situation in the country, and to help in identifying former combatants to be disarmed and assist in designing a disarmament plan.

There were now 17 peacekeeping missions, the Spokesman said. That was equal to the highest number there had ever been.

A briefing note from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Sierra Leone was available, Mr. Eckhard said. That note reported that the exodus from Sierra Leone to neighbouring countries (particularly Guinea and Liberia) was continuing at alarming proportions. The refugees were also in increasingly bad physical condition. The UNHCR reported that since January, well over 100,000 people had fled the regions where fighting between ECOMOG and the

Daily Press Briefing - 3 - 17 April 1998

remnants of the supporters of the junta was still creating an unstable environment for the civilian population. During the past week, the rate of refugees crossing the Guinea border had been over 1,000 per day.

On Iraq, the Security Council would also take up this morning the report of the oil experts who had looked into that country's capacity to produce and export oil, the Spokesman said. That report -- now out as a Council document -- concluded that proceeds of $5.256 billion for an expanded oil-for-food programme, which the Council had authorized, were unlikely to be reached in the light of the current low oil prices and the lamentable state of the oil industry in Iraq.

Also on Iraq, Mr. Eckhard said the report by Richard Butler, Executive Chairman of the United Nations Special Commission set up under Security Council resolution 687 (1991) in connection with the disposal of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction (UNSCOM), had gone into translation and was expected to be distributed to Council members on Monday, 20 April. The Council was scheduled to take up that report and the companion report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on 27 April, when the periodic review of the sanctions regime was to be conducted.

The Secretary-General's report on Angola was expected to go to the President of the Security Council towards the end of the day, the Spokesman went on to say. The Council was scheduled to discuss the report next Wednesday, 22 April, when it would be briefed by Ambassador Njuguna M. Mahugu of Kenya on his recent trip to Angola in his capacity as Chairman of the Angola Sanctions Committee. The Council would also be briefed on the overall situation by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Angola, Alioune Blondin Beye. After his Council briefing, Mr. Beye would brief correspondents in room 226.

On Afghanistan, the Spokesman said the Secretary-General was aware of news reports on the Afghan parties agreeing to meet for direct talks, following their separate meetings with United States Ambassador Bill Richardson. If that was confirmed, the Secretary-General would welcome it and look forward to the long- awaited resumption of the peace process in Afghanistan. His Special Envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi, who had just completed his mission to the region, would be back at Headquarters on 23 April and would report to the Secretary-General on the details of his mission. Mr. Brahimi was also expected to brief the Council later in the month.

The Spokesman said the Secretary-General had learned with great satisfaction that Iran and Iraq had exchanged a large number of prisoners of war. He hoped that the development would contribute to a further easing of tension in the region and that the situation of any remaining prisoners of war would soon be resolved. The Secretary-General commended the humanitarian role of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in facilitating that important exchange.

Daily Press Briefing - 4 - 17 April 1998

"The Secretary-General is going to Hollywood", Mr. Eckhard said. On Sunday, 19 April, the Secretary-General would leave New York for a four-day visit to California and Texas. In San Francisco, he would be the keynote speaker at a luncheon jointly sponsored by the Commonwealth Club, the World Affairs Council and the United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA/USA). At the University of California, Berkeley, he would be awarded the Berkeley Medal -- the University's highest honour for individuals -- before the School of International and Area Studies.

In Los Angeles, the Secretary-General would deliver a speech on the subject of "the humanitarian challenge today", at an event to be sponsored by two civic organizations: the Los Angeles World Affairs Council and Town Hall Los Angeles. After meeting with sports figures, including basketball Olympic star Magic Johnson, the Secretary-General would be the guest of honour at a reception hosted by Jack Valenti, President of the Motion Picture Association of America, and at which several stars were expected to be present. Before leaving Los Angeles, the Secretary-General would deliver a keynote address on the subject of conflict prevention and receive the UCLA Medal -- which was the University's highest honour -- during a ceremony organized by the Center of International Relations.

In Houston, the Secretary-General would address the James Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University on the subject of conflict prevention, the Spokesman went on to say. Before returning to New York, the Secretary-General would meet with former United States President George Bush. Over the course of the trip, the Secretary-General would be the guest of three former United States Secretaries of State: George Schultz, in San Francisco; Warren Christopher, in Los Angeles; and James Baker III, in Houston. Meetings with Mayors Willie Brown of San Francisco, Richard Riordan of Los Angeles, and Lee Brown of Houston, as well as with other political and civic leaders, were also on the Secretary-General's schedule. The Secretary-General would be back in New York on Thursday, 23 April.

On Saturday, 18 April, beginning at 9:30 a.m., there would be a high-level meeting of the Economic and Social Council, Mr. Eckhard said. That unprecedented meeting would involve Bretton Woods finance ministers and members of the Council. The Secretary-General would address the gathering, there would be a panel of high-level officials and International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Michel Camdessus would respond to the questions. For more information, correspondents could call Tim Wall at 212-963-1887.

It was with deep sorrow that the Secretary-General learned of the death on Tuesday of Rolando Palacios Fuentes, the Spokesman went on to say. Mr. Fuentes had been the pilot of the helicopter that had crashed in Guatemala on 17 March, causing the death of six United Nations staff members. That death brought the total fatalities from the crash to seven. The Secretary-General wished to express his profound regret and condolences to the family of Mr. Fuentes, who had lost his life providing an essential service for the United Nations.

Daily Press Briefing - 5 - 17 April 1998

Mr. Eckhard said that Phil Arnold had also died on Tuesday. Mr. Arnold had served the United Nations and the cause of peace in the former Yugoslavia as spokesman from 1995 to 1998. Prior to that, Mr. Arnold had served as Spokesman for the United States Mission to the United Nations. He had been a member of the United States Foreign Service from 1957 to 1993. The Spokesman's Office wished to join with the Secretary-General in sending condolences to Mr. Arnold's companion, Jacki Selagoff, his daughter, Alice Melnick, and his three sons, Jonathan, Jeremy and David.

A press release from the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia was available, the Spokesman said. Yesterday, an indicted Bosnian Serb war criminal, Zoran Zigic, had voluntarily surrendered to Stabilization Force (SFOR) troops in Banja Luka. He had then been formally arrested and taken into custody by the Tribunal. Details were available in the press release.

Under-Secretary-General Vladimir Petrovsky, Secretary-General of the Conference on Disarmament and Director of the United Nations Office in Geneva,had been in Washington yesterday for a series of meetings with State Department officials, Mr. Eckhard said. He had met with Thomas Pickering, the Under- Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Princeton Lyman, the Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization, and Ralph Earl, the Deputy Director of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency.

Mr. Eckhard said that Bernard Miyet, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, had left yesterday for Croatia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The main purpose of that trip, which would last until 23 April, was to discuss the future of the United Nations Preventive Deployment Force in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (UNPREDEP). While in Croatia, e would hold discussions with United Nations officials and representatives of the Croatian Government, particularly about the activities of the United Nations Police Support Group still functioning in the eastern part of Croatia. He was also expected to meet with officials of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna before his return to New York.

"We got $53 million this week", Mr. Eckhard said. The United Kingdom had paid its full regular budget dues, becoming the fifty-sixth country to be paid in full for 1998. There had only been 51 at the same time last year.

On treaty signings, Mr. Eckhard said that this morning, Malta had signed the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. At 3:30 p.m. today, Japan would become the twentieth State to sign the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings.

The Secretary-General was scheduled to meet representatives of the American Association of Retired Persons, "a small organization representing 33 million older Americans", the Spokesman went on to say. That was a part of his campaign to reach out to civil society.

Daily Press Briefing - 6 - 17 April 1998

On the environmental front, Mr. Eckhard said that a two-day symposium on biodiversity and human health issues had opened this morning at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. The symposium was jointly sponsored by the museum, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Harvard University Medical School, and the United States National Institutes of Health. It would examine the role that biological diversity played as models for medical research and sources of new medicines and would be broadcast live on the Internet. A press release was available on the third floor..

In connection with the earlier announcement, the Spokesman said that Ambassador Andre Mwamba Kapanga, Permanent Representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the United Nations, would come to room 226 at 2 p.m. today to address correspondents and take their questions. On Monday, 20 April at 11:30 a.m., Cielito Habito (Philippines), the current Chairman of the Commission on Sustainable Development would brief correspondents on the Commission's session, which would start on Monday and would run through 1 May. The Commission had two main issues on its agenda: "Bringing Business to the United Nations Table" and "Action to Avert a Freshwater Crisis".

Asked to characterize the Secretary-General's feeling about weapons inspections in Iraq since the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, Mr. Eckhard said the Secretary-General continued to be pleased. "The new arrangement with the diplomats seems, on a number of occasions, to have facilitated the sorting out of problems that arose during the inspection of the presidential sites", he said. "His having a representative there, Prakash Shah - - who is also on his agenda for this morning -- was extremely helpful, particularly when that problem arose over UNSCOM flying helicopters over the presidential sites. He used that channel to deal with that issue, and that was diffused, and the helicopter flew." The Secretary-General felt that the new system was working, and he was pleased with the unlimited access that they had had. Now the Council would take up the report of Jayantha Dhanapala, the Commissioner of the special group making inspections of the presidential sites.

The same correspondent asked if the Secretary-General was concerned about the lack of visible progress. The Spokesman said that the surmounting of the problem of access to the sites -- which would have paralysed the whole inspection operation -- and the obviation of a military response, had meant that the United Nations presence in Iraq could be maintained. The inspections regime was in place and the original principles established by the Security Council had been reaffirmed by Iraq.

The United Nations was looking forward, not backwards, the Spokesman said. "The question is, can the United Nations now make progress with Iraq's full cooperation that will bring us closer to what everyone wants to see -- the disarmament of Iraq and the lifting of sanctions, so that Iraq can be brought back into the international community as a full member?" he added.

Daily Press Briefing - 7 - 17 April 1998

Stating that the Haitian Senate had once again rejected the nomination of a Prime Minister, a correspondent asked if the Secretary-General had plans to intervene. The Spokesman said he did not have any guidance on the subject. He had not been told that the Secretary-General had any intention of stepping in. The Secretary-General continued to be concerned about the lack of a functioning government in Haiti, but that was ultimately something that the Haitians were going to have to resolve themselves.

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