DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL

Press Briefing

DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL

(Incorporates briefing by spokesman for General Assembly President.)

Juan Carlos Brandt, Senior Associate Spokesman for the Secretary-General, began today's noon briefing by announcing that the Security Council had met this morning to discuss the situation in Sierra Leone and the Central African Republic. Hedi Annabi, the Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, first briefed the Council on Sierra Leone and the United Nations operation there. He then briefed the Council on the United Nations peacekeeping operation in the Central African Republic (MINURCA).

Under "other matters", it was possible that the Council would discuss Iraq, he said. In that connection, the Executive Chairman of the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) on the disarmament of Iraq, Richard Butler, sent two letters late yesterday to the President of the Council. One was on the termination of travel restrictions on Iraqi officials; the other was on an informal technical meeting to brief Council members on outstanding issues relating to the disarmament of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. The letter on travel restrictions was out as a Council document this morning; the technical briefing had been proposed for the first week of June.

Mr. Brandt said that at the regular Thursday press briefing in Baghdad this morning, Eric Falt, the spokesman of the Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, told correspondents that the first country- wide draft of the new and enhanced distribution plan was expected to be ready in the very near future. Mr. Falt said it looked as though the Government was now finalizing the various sectoral components, with direct input from the United Nations on the share to be allocated to northern Iraq. In all sectors, representatives of the technical ministries had been working closely with United Nations agencies to make suggestions and recommendations. Of course, Mr. Falt said, responsibility for the document remained with the Government of Iraq.

The target for the new and enhanced humanitarian allocation for Iraq was $3 billion, up from $1.3 billion in Phases I, II and III, said Mr. Brandt. That was the basis of current discussions between the United Nations and the Government. Further discussions on the matter would be held today. The full text of the press briefing was available in room 378. Also available were several updates on humanitarian supplies, applications submitted to the "661 Committee" and the Iraqi food basket.

On negotiations towards peace in Sudan, Mr. Brandt read out the following statement attributable to the Spokesman of the Secretary-General, which was available on the third floor:

"The Secretary-General is pleased to learn that, at the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD)-sponsored peace talks in Nairobi which have just concluded, the parties to the conflict in Sudan have made progress by agreeing in principle on the right of self-determination for the people of south Sudan. He is encouraged that the next session of the negotiations will be convened in three months time in Addis Ababa. The Secretary-General reiterates his full support for the IGAD peace initiative on Sudan. He calls on the parties to sustain the political momentum to find a negotiated solution to one of the most protracted conflicts on the African continent."

Mr. Brandt also called correspondents' attention to a World Food Programme (WFP) press release announcing the start-up of the first of the additional C-130 aircraft, which had begun airdropping emergency food supplies today to 50,000 hungry southern Sudanese in the towns of Ajak and Akon, in the crisis-hit province of Bahr El Ghazal. The press release gave more information on the distribution of the food aid, including contact numbers.

The Secretary General's report on Tajikistan had been sent to the Security Council, said Mr. Brandt. In it, he noted that progress in the peace process had been very slow over the past three months and that it now seemed unlikely elections could be held this year. The Secretary-General supported the approach adopted by the Contact Group identifying a number of immediate objectives, including the completion of the first phase of the military protocol, so that progress could be made in a balanced manner with the priorities of both sides being taken into account.

Mr. Brandt said the Secretary-General recognized that comprehensive international support remained essential for the continuation of the peace process, including financial assistance to help Tajikistan on the path of reform and development. The Secretary-General had recommended to the Security Council in the conclusion of his report that the mandate of the United Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan (UNMOT) be extended for six months, until 15 November 1998. Copies of the report were available in the Spokesman's office, although they were not yet on the racks.

Mr. Brandt said this morning in Dar es Salaam, the Secretary-General had spoken to the press. He had then met with Mark Bomani and Felix Mosha, advisers to former Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere, on the current situation in Burundi. He then left for Bujumbura, Burundi, where he met with heads of United Nations agencies and, as was his practice, urged them to work together. He then met privately with the President of Burundi, Major Pierre Buyoya, before having a formal meeting with the President, and with full delegations.

Mr. Brandt said the President had called for the United Nations to assist in the lifting of sanctions and for the creation of a special tribunal to deal with acts of genocide committed in 1993. He had also asked for help with reconstruction and development. The President then hosted a luncheon in honour of the Secretary-General, which was also attended by the Speaker of the Parliament, Leonce Ngendakumana, and former President Sylvestre Ntibantuneanya. The Secretary- General then spoke privately with the former President.

At the Kogobe Congress Palace in Bujumbura, the Secretary-General met privately with the speaker, Mr. Brandt said. The two men then addressed the Parliament. The text of the Secretary- General's speech would be available shortly. In it, he declared his support for both peace tracks in Burundi -- the external track led by former President Nyerere, and the internal track. He pledged his support for the rebuilding of the country and its recovery, and for the settlement of refugees in the process of reconciliation. The Secretary-General then had a final, private meeting with President Buyoya, held a brief press conference, and left for Rwanda.

There had been a delay, said Mr. Brandt, although he did not know what had caused it. The Secretary-General had not yet arrived in Kigali, Rwanda, although he was expected shortly. In Kigali, he would deliver a speech before the National Assembly. The text of the speech, in English and in French, had been issued yesterday afternoon, embargoed until delivery, and with a check against delivery proviso.

Mr. Brandt drew correspondents' attention to several paragraphs in the speech, which he read out:

"We must and we do acknowledge that the world failed Rwanda at that time of evil. The international community and the United Nations could not muster the political will to confront it.

"The world must deeply repent this failure.

"Rwanda's tragedy was the world's tragedy. All of us who cared about Rwanda, all of us who witnessed its suffering, fervently wish that we could have prevented the genocide.

"Looking back now, we see the signs which then were not recognized. Now we know that what we did was not nearly enough -- not enough to save Rwanda from itself, not enough to honour the ideals for which the United Nations exists. We will not deny that, in their greatest hour of need, the world failed the people of Rwanda."

Mr. Brandt then read out another section from the statement:

"In the face of genocide, there can be no standing aside, no looking away, no neutrality -- there are perpetrators and there are victims; there is evil and there is evil's harvest. Evil in Rwanda was aimed not only at Tutsis. It was aimed at anyone who would stand up or speak out against the murder. Let us remember, therefore, that when the killers began, they also sought out Hutus now described as moderate -- that is, Hutus who would not kill, Hutus who would not hate.

"That fact is what gives us hope today and inspires confidence that you will succeed in rebuilding your One Rwanda on which future generations will build a tolerant society, defined by the quality of forgiveness which is inherent to our African heritage."

Mr. Brandt said he would let correspondents know either later today or tomorrow morning about the Secretary-General's schedule in Kigali.

The Secretary-General had agreed to participate in a live teleconference tomorrow, 8 May, with CNN World Report, said Mr. Brandt. He would be in Kampala for the teleconference to be held at 5:30 p.m. local time. CNN was planning to carry the broadcast live on CNN International.

The Deputy-Secretary-General had met this morning with the Ambassador of the Seychelles, Claude Sylvester Anthony Morel, Mr. Brandt. At 3 p.m., she would attend a briefing at the headquarters of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) by the Fund's Executive Director, Dr. Nafis Sadik. Tomorrow, the Deputy-Secretary-General would participate in a ceremony marking Red Cross Day with Elizabeth Dole, the President of the American Red Cross, and New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. There would be a press briefing at 2 p.m. in the blue room at City Hall.

Mr. Brandt said an update had arrived from the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia at The Hague, Mr. Brandt said. The press release, which was available on the third floor, advised correspondents that on Monday, 11 May, the Tribunal would take a procedural decision on the Kovacevic case. He would continue to keep correspondents informed of all developments at the Tribunal as they occurred.

Mr. Brandt said a number of correspondents had been asking for clarification on Security Council resolution 1132 (1997), which imposed oil, arms and travel sanctions on Sierra Leone. The British Government was investigating a possible breach of those sanctions, specifically with respect to arms sales, and journalists were asking whether the arms sanctions applied to the democratically elected Government of Sierra Leone, as well as to the junta. The answer to that question was "yes, they do". Paragraph six of resolution 1132 applied the sanctions to Sierra Leone, prohibiting the sale or supply of arms and related material of all types. The sanctions were still in force. Sweden was the chair of the Sanctions Committee on Sierra Leone; if correspondents had any further questions, they were referred to the Swedish Mission.

Two more countries had joined the "honour roll" today by paying their regular budget contributions in full, Mr. Brandt said. El Salvador paid over $126,000, and the United Arab Emirates over $1.8 million dollars. A total of 69 countries had therefore paid their dues this year, compared with only 54 at this time last year. "Thank you very much El Salvador and the United Arab Emirates", he said. The status of contributions report as of the end of April was also available on the third floor. That report provided details on exactly how much each country owed to the regular budget as well as to peacekeeping operations and to the international tribunals.

Over 170 State parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity were currently meeting in Bratislava, Slovakia, under the auspices of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), to promote global action on freshwater ecosystems, marine and coastal areas, forest biodiversity, and agricultural biodiversity. In his address to the Conference of the Parties, Executive Director of UNEP, Klaus Topfer, emphasized the fundamental importance of biological diversity to human well-being and survival, and called the Convention a "peace policy" for reducing future wars and conflicts.

Mr. Brandt quoted Mr. Topfer as follows: "Our life support system is at stake, and we cannot afford for each of us to tackle the challenge in isolation. We have to join forces if we are to secure the basic human needs of adequate food, clean water, sufficient energy, safe shelter and a healthier environment."

On behalf of the United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA), Mr. Brandt said that Marc Theissen, the spokesman of United States Senator Jesse Helms, would brief correspondents in the UNCA Club at 1:30 p.m. today.

A correspondent asked what specific issues the Deputy-Secretary-General would be discussing with Dr. Sadik. Mr. Brandt said he did not have any specifics on that. One of the portfolios of the Deputy-Secretary-General was to carry out a follow-up on the reform process and perhaps she would have an exchange of views on the subject during her meeting with UNFPA.

Was the Secretary-General expected back in the office on Monday? a correspondent asked. Mr. Brandt said the Secretary-General was expected back in the office on Wednesday, 13 May.

In his speech in Kigali the Secretary-General would ask the world to repent for failing Rwanda, a correspondent said. Did he mean they should repent in their hearts, or do something more concrete? Mr. Brandt said that the statement which was issued on Monday was very specific and very clear. In it, the Secretary-General indicated that the world should move on to make sure, firstly, that something as terrible as the genocide in Rwanda never happened again; and secondly, that the world should "get its act together", and should help with the reconstruction of that country.

Alex Taukatch, spokesman for General Assembly President Hennadiy Udovenko (Ukraine), said that after a series of intensive consultations, the Assembly had taken action late yesterday afternoon on a package of reform proposals submitted by the Secretary-General.

By adopting without a vote a consensus decision, the Assembly welcomed the Secretary- General's proposal to designate the fifty-fifth session of the General Assembly in the year 2000 as the "Millennium Assembly", he said. It also welcomed the efforts of the Secretary-General in proposing time-limits for new initiatives, and decided to continue consideration of his note on that subject during the current session (document A/52/851).

He said that by the same decision, the Assembly had asked the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) to consider at its resumed session -- which would begin on Monday, 11 May -- the Secretary-General's note on utilization of the Development Account (document A/52/848). The Assembly also asked the Fifth Committee to take up, as soon as possible, the Secretary-General's report on the Revolving Credit Fund (document A/52/822) and his note on the impact of the implementation of pilot projects on budgetary practices and procedures (document A/52/852).

The Assembly decided to defer to its fifty-third session consideration of two other papers submitted by the Secretary-General, said Mr. Taukatch. That decision covered his note on core resources for development (document A/52/847), which would be examined by the Second Committee -- which specifically dealt with economic and financial issues -- and his note on a new concept of trusteeship (document A/52/849).

The Assembly had taken its action after prolonged and involved discussions, which had helped to highlight areas of broad agreement as well as points where there was a divergence of views, Mr. Taukatch said. Mr. Udovenko felt the Assembly had worked hard and had deliberated in good faith. As a result, it had taken one more step forward on the challenging road of United Nations reform. The President believed that step would help to maintain the momentum of the reform process, and he remained committed to moving that process along. He would spare no effort to help build a consensus on issues of vital interest to the entire membership.

Mr. Taukatch said he had been asked about the closing of the current General Assembly session and the opening of the next one. Yesterday, the Assembly President had drawn the attention of the membership to that issue. There were two reports addressing organizational matters and the work of the Assembly (A/52/855 and A/52/856). The President intended to convene a meeting of the plenary in the first week of June to discuss those reports.

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