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, told correspondents at today's noon briefing that contrary to what he said yesterday, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Iraq, Prakash Shah, had not left Portugal for Baghdad. Extending his apologies, he said that that communication had been based on information which had been given to the Spokesman's Office. Mr. Shah had planned to leave Lisbon for Baghdad yesterday. That did not happen and he would now leave for Iraq today and arrive in Baghdad on Thursday.

Mr. Brandt also apologized to correspondents for not giving them yesterday the press conference that the Secretary-General and the Foreign Minister of Portugal, Jaime Gama, gave to the media at noon (local time) on the same day. It had been received this morning by the Spokesman's Office and correspondents were urged to read it carefully. Many of the answers to questions which had been raised by the press about a number of issues were in that conference, including East Timor, Iraq in particular, Angola, Kosovo and others. The Security Council was briefed this morning on Angola by the Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Hedi Annabi. The mandate of the United Nations Observer Mission in Angola (MONUA) would expire on 15 August, and the Secretary-General had recommended in a report issued last week that it be renewed for one month until 15 September. Also in connection with Angola, Mr. Brandt drew attention to the press conference of the Special Representative in Support of the Secretary-General's Preventive and Peacemaking Efforts, Lakhdar Brahimi, which was given in Luanda on 8 August. That had also been received today by the Spokesman's Office. Mr. Brandt said that sometimes due to lack of resources, the Spokesman's Office could not come up with material as quickly as it would like to -- nevertheless, it was useful information for correspondents to have and copies were available in Room 378.

The Security Council was also briefed on Kosovo by Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Kieran Prendergast, Mr. Brandt went on to say. It was informed that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimated that 35,000 people had recently fled the Malisavo area, bringing the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Kosovo to nearly 180,000. The UNHCR had been delivering humanitarian assistance to IDPs in the Malisavo area, with the latest efforts taking place on 6 and 8 August.

Also on 8 August, UNHCR assisted non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in setting up a temporary water-distribution system in the area, Mr. Brandt went on to say. United Nations humanitarian agencies continued their contingency planning and it was hoped that a revised appeal would be ready by the end of the month. Allegations of a mass grave near the town of Orahovac had not been independently confirmed, even though there were press reports to that effect yesterday, he added. The President of the Security Council was

expected to make statements to the press on both Kosovo and Angola following Council consultations, which at the time of the briefing were expected to end soon.

Mr. Brandt then read out the following statement, which would be available in the Spokesman's Office:

"The Secretary-General takes the opportunity of the Security Council review of his fourth report pursuant to Security Council resolution 1160 (1998), to reiterate his dismay at the steadily worsening situation in Kosovo, with wider implications for the region. He is particularly concerned about reports that offensive operations by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia security forces continue unabated and that they may be adopting a 'scorched earth policy' in some areas of Kosovo. He condemns such practices and urges the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Government to order its security forces to avoid such acts of wanton destruction. He equally abhors the resort to violence and any suffering which might be caused by Kosovar paramilitary units.

"The Secretary-General is concerned that the evolving crisis, if unchecked, could lead to a large-scale humanitarian disaster, with the approaching winter. He is deeply troubled by reports of the vast number of displaced persons without food and shelter and the increasing human rights violations. He calls on the international relief organizations and human right monitors to intensify their efforts in Kosovo to prevent the situation from deteriorating further.

"The Secretary-General remains convinced that the only path to a solution of the Kosovo crisis is through dialogue. He fully supports the efforts of the Contact Group to this end and reiterates his call on the parties to the conflict to begin immediately such dialogue with a view to ending the current hostilities, in which innocent civilians are the foremost victims.

"The Secretary-General also believes that a concerted international effort will be needed if a peaceful solution is to be found, given the evident lack of political will of the parties within the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia."

Conveying another statement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mr. Brandt said:

"The Secretary-General continues to follow closely the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He is disturbed at reported violations of the territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and about acts of intimidation and violence against humanitarian workers and other international personnel, as well as reports of recruitment of child soldiers.

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"The Secretary-General is deeply concerned about instances of ethnically motivated persecution by the parties to the conflict. He reiterates his call to all parties to respect the human rights and dignity of all civilians regardless of their origin, to uphold the standards and principles of international humanitarian law, to ensure the safety of United Nations personnel and all humanitarian workers operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and to guarantee them free access to people in need of assistance.

"The Secretary-General welcomes the four-nation fact-finding mission to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its neighbouring countries decided upon by the Heads of State of the sub-region at their recent summit in Victoria Falls. He also welcomes the dispatch of a Organization of African Unity (OAU) mediation team to the Great Lakes region. The Secretary-General hopes that these initiatives will encourage the parties concerned to settle their differences peacefully."

Mr. Brandt said that UNHCR briefing notes for today were available in the Spokesman's Office. The notes dealt with, among other things, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia-Kosovo. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the notes indicated that both Uvira and Bukavu remained calm following the heavy fighting over the past week. There were reports of fighting in Baraka, which was south of Uvira and the destination of most of the Congolese who had repatriated from the United Republic of Tanzania, and of further looting of United Nations and NGO premises.

The UNHCR remained in contact with local staff and the forces fighting against the Government of President Laurent Kabila that had control of the towns, Mr. Brandt continued. Based on what UNHCR staff had observed, the fighting appeared to have caused no significant population movement in East Kivu. Of the several hundred Congolese who entered north-west Burundi, most were reported to have crossed back into the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The UNHCR in Kigoma had registered 138 Congolese who crossed Lake Tanganika by boat to Tanzania.

According to the briefing notes, in Sierra Leone, the UNHCR began a repatriation airlift from Kissidougou, Guinea, to Freetown, Sierra Leone, on Sunday, Mr. Brandt told correspondents. On Kosovo, the notes indicated that UNHCR search and rescue operations continued. It was now estimated that at least 167,000 people had been displaced within the province. That brought the total number of displaced to 231,000.

Mr. Brandt told correspondents that the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna, Pino Arlacchi, in his capacity as Executive Director of the Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention, which also dealt with terrorism, had issued letters of condolences to the Ambassadors of the United States, Kenya and Tanzania to the United Nations in Vienna. In those letters,

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Mr. Arlacchi expressed his outrage for the terrorist attacks and the loss of life to over 200 people. In recalling that the mandate of the Organization in Vienna was to fight the "uncivil society", Mr. Arlacchi stated that "tragic events such as today confirm the urgent need of undertaking global efforts to fight international terrorism".

Available in the Spokesman's Office was the latest update of the Iraq "oil-for-food" programme, Mr. Brandt said. According to the update, out today, the United Nations oil overseers approved five more oil contracts last week. Three were for Kirkuk crude oil -- 2 million barrels to a French company; 1.8 million barrels to a Turkish company; and 1.8 million barrels to an Austrian company. Two contracts were for Basrah Light -- 4 million barrels to an Indian company and 1.8 million to a company from the United Arab Emirates. That brought the total number of oil contracts approved in the current phase to 50. One contract had been cancelled and another two were pending due to lack of supporting documents.

Continuing, Mr, Brandt said that during the last week, there were eight loadings totalling 11.9 million barrels with an estimated value of $103 million. There were no new applications for oil spare parts in the past week. However, another three contracts were approved, bringing the total approvals to six. The new contracts were to a German company for $190,000 of miscellaneous parts; and the same company for $8.7 million worth of pipes, valves and electrodes. The third approval was for $9.3 million for a tugboat from China. So far, 34 contracts for spare parts had been submitted. Six had been approved, three were on hold and three were pending the no-objection deadline of seven days. The Security Council Committee monitoring the sanctions against Iraq also approved 65 humanitarian sales applications under Phase IV last week, put six on hold and blocked none. It had also approved 8 humanitarian sales applications under Phase III.

Mr. Brandt informed correspondents that Tom Eric Vraalsen, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Humanitarian Affairs for the Sudan, would visit that country and Kenya from 11 to 21 August. He would consult with officials of the Sudanese Government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement on the status of emergency humanitarian relief efforts undertaken through Operation Lifeline Sudan. In addition to visits to Khartoum and Nairobi, Ambassador Vraalsen was expected to travel to Wau in the Bahr al Ghazal region, as well as to other conflict and drought-affected areas in southern Sudan.

Mr. Brandt said that according to a press release from the World Food Programme (WFP), a river barge convoy that was carrying relief food supplies for hungry Sudanese arrived in Jikany, Upper Nile State this week in its first stop on a six-week trip down the Nile River. More details were available in a press release in Room 378.

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The Secretary-General concluded his visit to Portugal today, Mr. Brandt said. He started the day with a visit to the Portuguese Parliament. There he met with the President of the Parliament, Antonio Almeida Santos, as well as with other key legislators. He then met with former President of Portugal Mario Soares in Mr. Soares' capacity as Chairman of the Independent Commission on the Oceans. They met to discuss the work of that body. The Secretary-General also recorded a video message for the formal presentation of the Commission's report on 1 September. After attending a working luncheon hosted by Mr. Soares, the Secretary-General departed Lisbon. For the next few days he would be resting and spending his time privately with his family. The Spokesman's Office would inform correspondents about his travel plans and movements later on.

The Deputy Secretary-General, Louise Frechette, had several appointments today, Mr. Brandt went on to say. The first was with a number of Permanent Representatives to discuss the development account report. She was then scheduled to meet with the Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations in Geneva, and would then preside over the Steering Committee on Reform.

Jordan -- "thank you very much" -- this morning signed the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction, said Mr. Brandt. The Convention was opened for signature in Ottawa, Canada, in December 1997. That brought the number of signatures parties to 129. So far 30 countries had ratified the Convention -- it needed 40 to enter into force.

Mr. Brandt said that there was a very interesting press release from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on the racks. The release stated that another round of negotiations would be held next week in Montreal to hammer out an international treaty on minimizing the potential risks to human health and the environment posed by living modified organisms produced by modern biotechnology. According to the UNEP Executive Director, Klaus Toepfer, "since we do not know enough about how these organisms interact with the environment, we need a biosafety regime that does not hinder biotechnology innovations, but also one that can prevent misuse, escapes and accidents that could have irreversible consequences". The final text, according to the release, would be a protocol to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, which was expected to be ready in early 1999.

When asked what the total number of internally displaced persons was in Kosovo, Mr. Brandt replied 231,000 so far. The same correspondent also wanted to know when the United Nations had started to refer to such populations as IDPs -- those people were fleeing in terror for their lives and deserved the dignity of a full description rather than being reduced to an alphabet soup that seemed so heartless. Mr. Brandt said it was a term that was used to save correspondents time. He had started out by saying "internally displaced

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persons" and then shortened the phrase by using IDPs. He meant nothing rude or offensive by doing so.

Noting that the Permanent Representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Andre M. Kapanga, had briefed the press earlier in the morning on the situation in his country and lodged an appeal for United Nations intervention in one way or another, a correspondent asked whether the Secretary-General was considering sending a team or taking any further action in that country based on what was said in his press release. Mr. Brandt said that what he had read out earlier was not a press release but a statement from the Secretary-General which conveyed his feelings and thoughts about this question. It would come out as a press release later.

The statement clearly expressed the concern of both the Secretary-General and the international community over the current events in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, continued Mr. Brandt. The present conditions in that country were quite serious and the United Nations humanitarian organizations were doing as much as they could to alleviate the suffering of victims. It was, however, an internal conflict and "we have to see what happens", added Mr. Brandt. There was nothing else to say on the issue at this time.

Asked whether there had been any telephone conversation between the Secretary-General and the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Laurent-Desire Kabila, Mr. Brandt said he was not aware of any such occurrence at the time being.

A correspondent wanted to know whether there had been any reaction by the Iraqi Government to the Secretary-General's statement to the Council last week or would the next step be simply to wait for a reaction to whatever it was that Mr. Shah was bringing to Baghdad. Mr. Brandt said that he had seen news reports from Baghdad, but he could not speak for the Government. He was not aware that there had been any formal communication between it and the Organization at the present point. He guessed that the next movement would be to wait for Mr. Shah to arrive in Baghdad on Thursday and deliver his message on behalf of the Secretary-General to the authorities there.

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