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.)

Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, started today's noon briefing by saying that a World Food Programme (WFP) mission on its way from distributing food to internally displaced persons in the Nuba Mountain region of the Sudan came under attack by unidentified gunmen on Tuesday. Three humanitarian workers were killed and four others were wounded.

Two of those killed were employed by the WFP and the other was from the Sudanese Red Crescent Society, Mr. Eckhard said. They were all Sudanese nationals. They had been travelling in vehicles that were clearly marked as official aid vehicles in government-held territory at the time of the incident. The United Nations was conducting an investigation.

He added that in Rome, Catherine Bertini, WFP's Executive Director, said in a press statement, "Those who have died in this tragedy will certainly be remembered for their dedication, courage and commitment to serve needy people in places and times when their own lives were in danger." The WFP news release and a press statement issued by the United Nations Office in Khartoum, as well as a statement by Sergio Vieira de Mello, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, were available from the Spokesman's Office.

On Nigeria, he said that the Secretary-General spoke yesterday to the new Nigerian head of State, General Abdulsalam Abubakar, to congratulate him and to encourage him to proceed with a peaceful and democratic transition to civilian rule. He informed General Abubakar that he and the United Nations would be willing to assist Nigeria in that process as required.

The Spokesman said that the Secretary-General's report on Sierra Leone was available this morning. In it, he said he intended to convene a high-level conference in the near future to mobilize assistance for the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process, and for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Sierra Leone. The Secretary-General believed that the United Nations could render immediate assistance to that country by deploying a limited number of unarmed military observers to assist in tasks of pressing importance. That would help avert further bloodshed among civilians and combatants alike, he noted.

Mr. Eckhard added that the Secretary-General, therefore, recommended establishing a United Nations peacekeeping observer mission in Sierra Leone for an initial six-month period, to monitor the military and security situation, to monitor the demobilization process, including respect for international humanitarian law at disarmament and demobilization sites, and to

observe the situation in the north and east of the country, in order to help in the disarmament and demobilization of surrendering former junta forces.

Those activities would require up to 70 officers, as well as a medical unit of up to 15 people, with the necessary equipment and civilian support staff, he went on to say. The Secretary-General suggested an initial deployment in July, followed by a second phase in August or September, and a final phase in October.

On another matter, the Spokesman said that today marked the fortieth anniversary of the New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards. That item was the first on the Secretary-General's appointments today. The Convention was a cornerstone of international trade law framework. In an address this morning to a symposium marking the anniversary here at Headquarters, the Secretary-General called the Convention "one of the most successful treaties in the area of commercial law". He highlighted the fact that the Convention had helped to ensure fair treatment when disputes arose over contractual rights and obligations.

The Convention was used constantly and relied upon by companies and international law firms, Mr. Eckhard continued. It affected billions of dollars in international trade, and was a rather overlooked achievement of the United Nations. The full text of the Secretary-General's address was available from the Office of the Spokesman. (See Press Release SG/SM/6593- L/2868.)

Turning to Security Council matters, he said there was no formal meeting of the Council during the special session of the General Assembly. However, there would be an informal meeting under the Arria formula with the Angolan Vice-Minister of Territorial Administration, Higino Carneiro, at 4 p.m. today in Conference Room 7.

The Council was expected to hold formal consultations tomorrow morning, to take up several items, including Sierra Leone, Liberia and children in armed conflict, the Spokesman went on to say. Correspondents would be alerted as soon as there was confirmation of that.

On Kosovo, Mr. Eckhard said that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), together with the WFP, had managed to access the western part of the province since the area became a target of intense shelling at the end of May. On Tuesday, they drove along a road and witnessed burnt out homes in the villages and towns of Kosovo near the Albanian border until they were advised to turn back around the town of Pec. The UNHCR and non-governmental organization partners were organizing a convoy for Friday to provide flour, hygiene material and other emergency supplies to the area.

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Today, the UNHCR sent a mission to eastern Albania to look into the situation around the town of Kukes, he added. There had been unconfirmed reports that refugees had begun arriving there. New arrivals in northern Albania, meanwhile, continued at about 200 a day.

Mr. Eckhard then read a statement attributable to the Spokesman on the situation in Guinea-Bissau: "The Secretary-General has been following with growing concern developments in Guinea-Bissau, where on 7 June fighting erupted between government forces and army rebels.

"The Secretary-General is strongly opposed to the use of force for non- constitutional purposes. He strongly deplores the military confrontation in Sierra Leone, which had already resulted in the loss of many lives. The Secretary-General welcomes the announcement of a ceasefire and calls for the early restoration of normal and constitutional political dialogue within the country. The Secretary-General calls upon all sides to ensure the safety of United Nations staff working in Guinea-Bissau and to refrain from actions which may endanger the lives of the civilian population." (See Press Release SG/SM/6592.)

He then read the following statement, attributable to the Spokesman, on the subject of Georgia: "The Secretary-General wishes to express serious concern at the increase in tension in the Gali district of Abkhazia, Georgia, which appears to have persisted in spite of the signing on 25 May of a 'Protocol on a Ceasefire and Withdrawal of Armed Formations'. The Secretary- General appeals urgently to the Government of Georgia and the Abkhaz authorities to settle their dispute at the negotiating table and not through armed confrontation, which would only lead to further unnecessary human suffering and additional loss of life. He sincerely hopes that a meeting between Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze and the Abkhaz leader, Vladislav Ardzinba, would take place soon, and that it will contribute to defusing the situation on the ground. He had instructed his Special Representative to pursue vigorously his contacts with both sides with a view to resuming the Geneva process." (See Press Release SG/SM/6591.)

In response to a question received this morning on East Timor, Mr. Eckhard said the Secretary-General was encouraged by the beginning of what he hoped would be a more determined dialogue towards the resolution of the question of East Timor. He welcomed the diverse views being expressed in the context of the ongoing political reform taking place in Indonesia.

The Spokesman added that the Secretary-General was currently actively engaged in discussions with the Indonesian and Portuguese authorities, as well as with various East Timorese representatives, in the search for an early settlement of the problem based on a just, comprehensive and internationally acceptable formula. In that context, the Secretary-General welcomed the news that President B.J. Habibie had signed a decree for the release of 15 East Timorese political prisoners, and hoped that that would lead to the release of

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all other East Timorese political prisoners. The Secretary-General would continue to remain actively engaged on the issue of East Timor.

From Baghdad, copies of today's press briefing by the Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq were available in room S-378, he said. That briefing contained details of the Coordinator's recent trip to southern Iraq, as well as information concerning the water and sanitation sector and the agricultural sector.

Turning to Cambodia, he said that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Cambodia issued a statement today deploring the attack on Thong Uy Pang, editor and publisher of the daily newspaper Island of Peace. The journalist was shot and wounded last Monday in Phnom Penh. The statement called for a thorough investigation. The Office of the Spokesman would make the text available as soon as it was received.

In Ouagadougou today, the Deputy Secretary-General attended the closing ceremony of the thirty-fourth Summit of the Heads of State of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), Mr. Eckhard said. She also gave a press conference at the Press Club in Burkina Faso. The transcript of that press conference was available in French only.

The Spokesman recalled that the Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs, Jayantha Dhanapala, was scheduled to leave for Albania on Friday, 29 May, to consult with the Government in developing a plan for disarming civilians. That trip was planned at the request of the Government, but was later postponed so that Mr. Dhanapala could stay on hand at Headquarters to deal with the emerging situation regarding nuclear testing in India and Pakistan. It could now be announced that Mr. Dhanapala left last night for a three-day trip to Albania with a small team of United Nations experts.

Mr. Eckhard said that the Secretary-General would join United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Carol Bellamy and United States Ambassador Bill Richardson at the release of the newest DC Comics book to promote mine awareness among children in Central America. The event would be held in the lobby of the UNICEF House, on 44th Street, tomorrow, 11 June, at 11 a.m. The Spanish-language comic book features Superman and Wonder Woman. Correspondents wanting to know more about that could ask UNICEF for more information.

The Spokesman announced a press conference by Murat Basesgioglu, Minister of Interior of Turkey, at the United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA) Club today at 3 p.m.

He said that since the Secretary-General was a great fan of soccer, it was appropriate to say that the United Nations welcomed the fact that the World Cup began today in France and that, according to the latest information at that point, Brazil was leading Scotland 1-0.

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A correspondent asked if there was any more specific information about the release of political prisoners in East Timor and whether the Secretary- General had any comment on that, and about Mr. Guzmao, the leading opposition figure. Mr. Eckhard said Mr. Guzmao was not among the 15 prisoners originally released, and that the Secretary-General's statement called for the release of all other political prisoners.

The same correspondent asked whether there was any new date set for another discussion at Headquarters about East Timor, since the last one coincided with the riots in Indonesia. Mr. Eckhard replied there were no dates yet for another meeting, but there would be none.

Asked by the same correspondent if there was any news from the field about what was happening to Nigerian troops in Sierra Leone, he said he had no information on that at this time.

What kind of response did the Secretary-General get from his conversation with the new Nigerian head of State? a correspondent asked. The Spokesman said he could not go beyond the statement he gave concerning that conversation.

At this point, Mr. Eckhard announced that the score in the opening World Cup match was now tied at 1-1.

Asked by another correspondent how soon the Security Council would take up a draft resolution on the use of force in Kosovo that had been reported in the press, Mr. Eckhard said he could not comment on a draft that had not been made public. He did not have a sense of the Council's schedule.

He told another correspondent that he could not confirm that there was an official draft, but he knew from press reports that there appeared to be one circulating.

The correspondent then asked why the WFP mission in Kosovo was turned back at the town of Pec. Mr. Eckhard said that the team came across a burnt vehicle blocking the road and was advised by police to turn back.

Mr. Eckhard concluded by announcing that a press release from the International Tribunal on Rwanda had reported that five suspects and one accused had been arrested in Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali and Togo. Copies of the release were available in room S-378.

Alex Taukatch, spokesman for General Assembly President Hennadiy Udovenko (Ukraine), said today was the final day of the twentieth special session of the General Assembly. Over the past two days, the Assembly had heard 99 speakers, and 59 were inscribed today, including 52 Member States and seven observers.

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If everything went according to the speakers' list, by the end of the day a total of 151 Member States and seven observers would have addressed the session. That number included 23 heads of State, eight heads of government and one Vice-President. One head of State, the President of Venezuela, would address this morning's meeting as the last speaker. That was as far as the general debate went.

Mr. Taukatch said that another crucial aspect was the actions to be taken by the session, as well as the timing of those actions, a question that he had been asked repeatedly. The actions would have to wait until this evening.

He said that at the beginning of today's afternoon meeting, the Assembly would take up the report of the Credentials Committee (No. A/S-20/10), which should be coming out later, and the General Assembly would adopt its first resolution on the report of that Committee.

The spokesman drew attention to the report of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole (document A/S-20/11) which contained references to the decisions and resolutions to be adopted by the General Assembly. The Assembly would adopt three political resolutions: the first was the political declaration; the second was the declaration on the guiding principles of drug demand reduction; and the third was measures to enhance international cooperation to counter the world drug problem.

Mr. Taukatch stressed that the texts of those resolutions would not be coming out separately, but were contained in document No. A/S-20/4. In addition to the resolutions, the Assembly would also adopt a draft decision on the documentation considered by the Ad Hoc Committee. By that decision, it would take note of two documents: note by the Secretary-General on the review of the international drug control regime: strengthening United Nations machinery for drug control (A/S-20/2); and note by the Secretary-General transmitting the joint statement by the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC) to the General Assembly at its twentieth special session (A/S-20/3).

Turning to the activities of the General Assembly President, he said that this morning the President met with the Minister-Counsellor of Turkmenistan and was, at the time of the briefing, meeting with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Deputy Chancellor of Germany, Klaus Kinkel. At 4 p.m., the President would attend the opening of the German House, hosted by Mr. Kinkel.

Asked by a correspondent on the timing of today's meetings, Mr. Taukatch said that the final stage of the general debate would begin at 7 p.m., but actions on resolutions would probably be taken after all the speakers took to the floor, at about 9:30 or 9:45 p.m.

He told another correspondent that a number of non-governmental organizations addressed the Ad Hoc Committee over the last two days, but he would have to check the actual number.

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Mr. Eckhard then invited questions from correspondents that would be answered by Sandro Tucci, spokesman for Pino Arlacchi, Executive Director of the Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention.

A correspondent said that Mr. Arlacchi had set the goal of raising $5 billion to fight the narcotics problem worldwide. Had any governments committed money to that goal so far? Mr. Tucci said the global plan would need financing in a total amount of $5 billion, but that figure would include what countries were already spending on their own national drug control programmes. For instance, Bolivia was currently spending $500 million a year to reduce coca production. The goal should be seen as what the international community would have to invest in the next 10 years if it was to meet the goals of the special session. There were no commitments from countries currently, but there were discussions about how to turn the session's goals into a concrete plan of action.

A correspondent said that it seemed that nothing had happened at the special session so far. What had happened? Mr. Tucci responded that, for the first time in the history of drug control efforts, countries agreed that demand reduction was as important as supply reduction. That was no small achievement. Second, there was a political declaration in which Member States committed themselves to do what was necessary and to provide the financial resources required to either eradicate or considerably reduce the production of illicit narcotic crops in the next 10 years.

A correspondent said that those achievements were agreed upon two months ago and were not new. Mr. Tucci said they were agreed upon in a draft political declaration to be submitted for endorsement by the special session. That was the purpose of the session. Also responding to the correspondent's comment, Mr. Taukatch said that, when sometimes there was acrimony during the negotiating process, the press often asked why the Assembly could not reach an agreement. In this case, governments had managed to agree, through a very successful preparatory process, on a political statement. The Assembly President felt that was a hallmark of the session. It could hardly be said that nothing had happened.

Mr. Taukatch said there were a number of side events taking place in relation to the session and those were listed in the Journal. At one of them, Nane Annan, wife of the Secretary-General, would present certificates of merit today at 1 p.m. in the Visitors' Lobby of the General Assembly building to the four winners of a painting competition by young people. The competition was organized by the United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) and International Paint Pals.

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